Linux Gaming LG_linuxgaming-wiki https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Main_Page MediaWiki 1.37.1 first-letter Media Special Talk User User talk Linux Gaming Linux Gaming talk File File talk MediaWiki MediaWiki talk Template Template talk Help Help talk Category Category talk Gadget Gadget talk Gadget definition Gadget definition talk 0 1 1 2022-01-11T23:35:47Z MediaWiki default 2 wikitext text/x-wiki <strong>MediaWiki has been installed.</strong> Consult the [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Help:Contents User's Guide] for information on using the wiki software. == Getting started == * [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Manual:Configuration_settings Configuration settings list] * [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Manual:FAQ MediaWiki FAQ] * [https://lists.wikimedia.org/postorius/lists/mediawiki-announce.lists.wikimedia.org/ MediaWiki release mailing list] * [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Localisation#Translation_resources Localise MediaWiki for your language] * [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Manual:Combating_spam Learn how to combat spam on your wiki] 11cef88175cf81168a86e7c0327a5b2d7a1920f5 2 1 2022-01-12T00:14:47Z Slouchy 1 wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with intention to make open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Getting Tech Support == Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: * [https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit * [https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" * [https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit * [http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux * [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted * [https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions * [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks * [https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist * [http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive * [http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine * [http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database b4ea2cd169966c0a2f55a1689e823c54532b418e 3 2 2022-01-12T07:51:07Z Slouchy 1 Starting page fork from /r/linux_gaming wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with intention to make open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Getting Tech Support == Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: * [https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit * [https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" * [https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit * [http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux * [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted * [https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions * [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks * [https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist * [http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive * [http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine * [http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database == Where to start == * [[Getting started with Linux]] * [[FSR]] - information about AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. This is a technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. * [[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. * [[Improving performance]] The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. * [[Linux_Gaming FAQ]] * [[Graphics drivers on Linux]] - information about video card drivers on Linux * [[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight * [[List of Linux games missing from Steam]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam * [[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable * [[List of Source Ports]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == External Links == Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding * [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. * [http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns * [http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases * [https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. * [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more * [http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database * [http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games * [http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. * [https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores * [https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] * [https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux * [http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets * [https://itch.io/ itch.io] * [https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] * [https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] * [http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific * [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton * [http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] * [http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games * [http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games * [https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) * [http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites * [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] * [http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] * [https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) * [http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] * [http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] * [http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites * [http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games * [http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. * [http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. * [http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier * [https://apps.ubuntu.com/cat/ Ubuntu Software Centre] - site / application store that has a large number of Linux games, though only usable at present on Ubuntu and it's derivatives * [http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics * [https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - it's well made and maintained source of troubleshooting tips and tutorialsfor Arch Linux often applicable to Linux in general (nd not just Arch) (some content or pages might be too advanced for a new user tho) ca3dff022cb6a99970cb52e297d3bdc19e9f415a 5 3 2022-01-12T08:15:14Z Slouchy 1 wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with intention to make open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Getting Tech Support == Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: * [https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit * [https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" * [https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit * [http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux * [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted * [https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions * [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks * [https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist * [http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive * [http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine * [http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database == Where to start == * [[Getting started with Linux]] * [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - information about AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. This is a technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. * [[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. * [[Improving performance]] The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. * [[Linux_Gaming FAQ]] * [[Graphics drivers on Linux]] - information about video card drivers on Linux * [[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight * [[List of Linux games missing from Steam]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam * [[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable * [[List of Source Ports]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == External Links == Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding * [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. * [http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns * [http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases * [https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. * [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more * [http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database * [http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games * [http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. * [https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores * [https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] * [https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux * [http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets * [https://itch.io/ itch.io] * [https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] * [https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] * [http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific * [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton * [http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] * [http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games * [http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games * [https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) * [http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites * [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] * [http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] * [https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) * [http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] * [http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] * [http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites * [http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games * [http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. * [http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. * [http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier * [https://apps.ubuntu.com/cat/ Ubuntu Software Centre] - site / application store that has a large number of Linux games, though only usable at present on Ubuntu and it's derivatives * [http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics * [https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - it's well made and maintained source of troubleshooting tips and tutorialsfor Arch Linux often applicable to Linux in general (nd not just Arch) (some content or pages might be too advanced for a new user tho) b5c5c450f01ffd762422585fb3cb06c131af3b0c 17 5 2022-01-15T00:51:09Z Slouchy 1 wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with intention to make open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Getting Tech Support == Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: * [https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit * [https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" * [https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit * [http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux * [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted * [https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions * [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks * [https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist * [http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive * [http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine * [http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database == Where to start == * [[Getting started with Linux]] * [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - information about AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. This is a technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. * [[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. * [[Improving performance]] The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. * [[Linux_Gaming FAQ]] * [[Index.php?title=Graphic drivers on Linux|Graphic drivers on Linux]] - information about video card drivers on Linux * [[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight * [[List of Linux games missing from Steam]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam * [[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable * [[List of Source Ports]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == External Links == Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding * [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. * [http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns * [http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases * [https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. * [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more * [http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database * [http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games * [http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. * [https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores * [https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] * [https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux * [http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets * [https://itch.io/ itch.io] * [https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] * [https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] * [http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific * [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton * [http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] * [http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games * [http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games * [https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) * [http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites * [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] * [http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] * [https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) * [http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] * [http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] * [http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites * [http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games * [http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. * [http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. * [http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier * [https://apps.ubuntu.com/cat/ Ubuntu Software Centre] - site / application store that has a large number of Linux games, though only usable at present on Ubuntu and it's derivatives * [http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics * [https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - it's well made and maintained source of troubleshooting tips and tutorialsfor Arch Linux often applicable to Linux in general (nd not just Arch) (some content or pages might be too advanced for a new user tho) d02e4b38b96c18c458d2cdd91221d72c81d89c27 18 17 2022-01-15T00:51:40Z Slouchy 1 wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with intention to make open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Getting Tech Support == Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: * [https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit * [https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" * [https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit * [http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux * [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted * [https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions * [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks * [https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist * [http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive * [http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine * [http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database == Where to start == * [[Getting started with Linux]] * [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - information about AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. This is a technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. * [[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. * [[Improving performance]] The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. * [[Linux_Gaming FAQ]] * [[Graphic drivers on Linux]] - information about video card drivers on Linux * [[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight * [[List of Linux games missing from Steam]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam * [[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable * [[List of Source Ports]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == External Links == Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding * [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. * [http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns * [http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases * [https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. * [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more * [http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database * [http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games * [http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. * [https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores * [https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] * [https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux * [http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets * [https://itch.io/ itch.io] * [https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] * [https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] * [http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific * [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton * [http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] * [http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games * [http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games * [https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) * [http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites * [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] * [http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] * [https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) * [http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] * [http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] * [http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites * [http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games * [http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. * [http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. * [http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier * [https://apps.ubuntu.com/cat/ Ubuntu Software Centre] - site / application store that has a large number of Linux games, though only usable at present on Ubuntu and it's derivatives * [http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics * [https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - it's well made and maintained source of troubleshooting tips and tutorialsfor Arch Linux often applicable to Linux in general (nd not just Arch) (some content or pages might be too advanced for a new user tho) c027754ec9e7fa66ae4f28031bc92ae5559b25d2 29 18 2022-01-15T11:17:33Z 213.211.143.75 0 Move wiki pages to the top to be found quicker. Add (outdated) as an equivalent of the strike though in the reddit wiki. I think there is no option to strike through here? wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with intention to make open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Where to start == * [[Getting started with Linux]] * [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - information about AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. This is a technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. * [[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. * [[Improving performance]] The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. * (outdated)[[Linux_Gaming FAQ]] * (outdated)[[Graphic drivers on Linux]] - information about video card drivers on Linux * (outdated)[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight * (outdated)[[List of Linux games missing from Steam]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam * (outdated)[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable * (outdated)[[List of Source Ports]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Getting Tech Support == Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: * [https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit * [https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" * [https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit * [http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux * [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted * [https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions * [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks * [https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist * [http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive * [http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine * [http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database == External Links == Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding * [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. * [http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns * [http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases * [https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. * [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more * [http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database * [http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games * [http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. * [https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores * [https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] * [https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux * [http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets * [https://itch.io/ itch.io] * [https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] * [https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] * [http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific * [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton * [http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] * [http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games * [http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games * [https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) * [http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites * [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] * [http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] * [https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) * [http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] * [http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] * [http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites * [http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games * [http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. * [http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. * [http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier * [https://apps.ubuntu.com/cat/ Ubuntu Software Centre] - site / application store that has a large number of Linux games, though only usable at present on Ubuntu and it's derivatives * [http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics * [https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - it's well made and maintained source of troubleshooting tips and tutorialsfor Arch Linux often applicable to Linux in general (nd not just Arch) (some content or pages might be too advanced for a new user tho) cf1b5909df8b0e8cf5ab6455321ce1f66d8879ad 31 29 2022-01-15T13:44:18Z 213.211.143.75 0 wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Where to start == * [[Getting started with Linux]] * [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - information about AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. This is a technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. * [[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. * [[Improving performance]] The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. * (outdated)[[Linux_Gaming FAQ]] * (outdated)[[Graphic drivers on Linux]] - information about video card drivers on Linux * (outdated)[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight * (outdated)[[List of Linux games missing from Steam]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam * (outdated)[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable * (outdated)[[List of Source Ports]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Getting Tech Support == Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: * [https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit * [https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" * [https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit * [http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux * [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted * [https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions * [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks * [https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist * [http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive * [http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine * [http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database == External Links == Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding * [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. * [http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns * [http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases * [https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. * [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more * [http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database * [http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games * [http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. * [https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores * [https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] * [https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux * [http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets * [https://itch.io/ itch.io] * [https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] * [https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] * [http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific * [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton * [http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] * [http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games * [http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games * [https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) * [http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites * [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] * [http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] * [https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) * [http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] * [http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] * [http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites * [http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games * [http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. * [http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. * [http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier * [https://apps.ubuntu.com/cat/ Ubuntu Software Centre] - site / application store that has a large number of Linux games, though only usable at present on Ubuntu and it's derivatives * [http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics * [https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - it's well made and maintained source of troubleshooting tips and tutorialsfor Arch Linux often applicable to Linux in general (nd not just Arch) (some content or pages might be too advanced for a new user tho) 46abfd1059b842db5052ee57a030ab48ed8905e5 33 31 2022-01-15T14:35:27Z Slouchy 1 Strikethrough is available in A icon (style text) in visual editor when clicking on more wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Where to start == * [[Getting started with Linux]] * [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - information about AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. This is a technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. * [[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. * [[Improving performance]] The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. * [[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] * [[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux * [[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight * [[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam * [[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable * [[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Getting Tech Support == Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: * [https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit * [https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" * [https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit * [http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux * [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted * [https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions * [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks * [https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist * [http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive * [http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine * [http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database == External Links == Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding * [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. * [http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns * [http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases * [https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. * [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more * [http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database * [http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games * [http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. * [https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores * [https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] * [https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux * [http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets * [https://itch.io/ itch.io] * [https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] * [https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] * [http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific * [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton * [http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] * [http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games * [http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games * [https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) * [http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites * [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] * [http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] * [https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) * [http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] * [http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] * [http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites * [http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games * [http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. * [http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. * [http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier * [https://apps.ubuntu.com/cat/ Ubuntu Software Centre] - site / application store that has a large number of Linux games, though only usable at present on Ubuntu and it's derivatives * [http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics * [https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - it's well made and maintained source of troubleshooting tips and tutorialsfor Arch Linux often applicable to Linux in general (nd not just Arch) (some content or pages might be too advanced for a new user tho) c4c1bc3810ba65015bd8fc9d4b3dc5615c230123 0 2 4 2022-01-12T08:13:21Z Slouchy 1 Fork from /r/linux_gaming wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020 written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, here is a short version that should work: * First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. You will probably not be able to use the software that you're used to. But usually there is different software that might even be better. * Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have supported hardware. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you can choose your GPU, chose AMD. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc. * Not all games work. Check lutris.net and protondb.com for information about what games are currently working. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking. * Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch this video. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one. * Use ''Steam (Runtime)'' for Steam games (if you don't know how to install it, watch the video linked above). Go to ''Steam -> Settings -> Steam Play'' and check ''"Enable Steam Play for all other titles"'' and then select ''"Proton Experimental''" in the drop down menu. If something doesn't work, check out Proton-GE * Use ''Lutris'' for all other Windows Games. If something doesn't work, check out Wine-TKG * If you have an AMD GPU, install CoreCtrl. If you previously chose Pop!_OS, input the following in the terminal <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ernstp/mesarc sudo apt-get update sudo apt install corectrl </syntaxhighlight>Otherwise look here for instructions. Open CoreCtrl, and add a profile for every game, or edit the global settings to your likings. * When Linux gives you a warning, '''take it seriously'''. It's not your average "You could harm your computer" bullshit you are used to from Windows. This is especially important if working in terminal, if terminal application warns you that you can harm your PC, you '''WILL''' harm it (if you don't know what you are doing). * ''Disable Composition: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it. Read more here. (this is not true in all cases!)'' == Getting started == '''So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using Linux.''' Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see "Why isn't this easy like in Windows?" or "I just want it to act like my Mac." While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux. Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to GamingOnLinux. They also have a great wiki that covers more topics than this one. == The software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would highly recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run "in the cloud". Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in SteamDB if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called Proton that is based on Wine. Check ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports) to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. If you've done that and there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. Bring up the Wine AppDB and put the name of your software there. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably "NameOfTheSoftware Wine support") and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as "dubious" or something because you may be able to run it anyways. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the "I won't be able to run it" section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. There is also a paid for solution called Crossover made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a search feature that you should also use. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit /r/leagueoflinux which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game, I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like alternativeto * Use Windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The Level1Techs forum has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their Linux Youtube channel) == The swap (Distributions, or "versions" of Linux) == If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software. The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy-to-follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a "stable" distribution because "stable" usually means "old", overall experience might be better and more stable, but since Linux Gaming is evolving each day, you will suffer from incompatibilities and/or poor performance. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you want low input lag and/or have an Nvidia GPU. Now that I've explained that let's have a look at different distributions. First a list of some "easy" distributions: {| class="wikitable" !Distribution !Explanation |- |Pop!_OS |Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. (Recommended by LTT) <code>If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.</code> |- |Ubuntu LTS |The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. {| class="wikitable" !Distribution !Explanation |- |Garuda |Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming. Is made to be user friendly. |- |Manjaro |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. (Recommended by LTT) |- |Endeavour |Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. |- |Fedora |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of officially supported desktop environments. |- |Solus |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |openSUSE |Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. |- |Linux Mint |Offers two versions. "Linux Mint" is based on Ubuntu and "LMDE" is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. You might face problems here. |- |elementary OS |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. |- |GamerOS |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. |- |Others |There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Feel free to browse distrowatch if you're bored. |} If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS. It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search "My Problem Pop!_OS" or "My Problem Ubuntu" (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS. Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a video on dual booting if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clickin an option that says, "Install alongside Windows". == The habit (what to do after the installation) == So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install Steam on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type:<syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> sudo apt install steam </syntaxhighlight>Video example. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system?<syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> sudo apt upgrade </syntaxhighlight>Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for "super user do". You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the "Run As Administrator" in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. "Please install the "steam" program as administrator (called root on Linux)." Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions:<syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo "deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main" >> /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable </syntaxhighlight>That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. == Windows compatibility == So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try Wine. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exes) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. First, let's install Wine.<syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> sudo apt install wine </syntaxhighlight>On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you'll want to open a terminal and type (credit to /u/whyhahm for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running):<syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe </syntaxhighlight>Remember to check the ratings and know issues in the wine AppDB so you know what you can expect, and you should be golden. Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also some programs that try to help you with Wine. Lutris and PlayOnLinux are popular options. Lutris is the popular option and probably what you want to use for all your Games that are not on Steam. == DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D == What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: DXVK: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine D9VK: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. Gallium Nine: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to /u/MicroToast for the clarification) VKD3D (and its currently more active -proton fork): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Using these technologies, you can get huge performance boosts in your games. Here is Starcraft 2 running on d9vk vs regular Wine. You can see that Tuxidermy is getting almost twice the FPS most of the time (and D9VK is still really young). Here is another example, this time with World of Warcraft running regular Wine vs DXVK. In this example, you can see that DXVK is three times the FPS in most cases! Proton has some support for automatically use these technologies when they're applicable, but you may want to use Lutris for games that aren't officially supported. == Improving performance == The default settings are probably not the best for a flawless experience. Read more here == Improving visuals == * Use Gamescope for downscaling * Use vkbasalt for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade == Downloading stuff from GitHub/GitLab == You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try to find a better solution (for example post here in the forum). But here is how to do it: # Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>apt install git</code> # On GitLab there is a button called ''"Clone"'', on GitHub it's called ''"Code"''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code><nowiki>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</nowiki></code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). # Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. # Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. == Troubleshooting == I personally can't spend a lot of time helping people individually. That's where this and other communities come in! * Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using * Join the /r/linux_gaming discord channel * Ask here or in one of the linux subreddits * Ask in forums * Check the /r/linux_gaming wiki * Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. == Common issues == Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support) * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers * For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon == Going further == If you want to learn more about Linux and the command line, this is a great resource to interactively learn: <nowiki>https://linuxjourney.com/</nowiki> == Credits == u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the WTFPL License. Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. 0d43600ab36f2f3ff6d458682ce40fc76ce63498 26 4 2022-01-15T01:27:04Z Slouchy 1 wikitext text/x-wiki == 1. Prelude == ----- This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by [[u/PBLKGodofGrunts|u/PBLKGodofGrunts]]. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, here is a short version that should work: <ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. You will probably not be able to use the software that you're used to. But usually there is different software that might even be better.</li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have supported hardware. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you can choose your GPU, chose AMD. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] and [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use ''Steam (Runtime)'' for Steam games (if you don't know how to install it, watch the video linked above). Go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE]</li> <li>Use ''Lutris'' for all other Windows Games. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/Frogging-Family/wine-tkg-git/releases Wine-TKG]</li> <li><p>If you have an AMD GPU, install CoreCtrl. If you previously chose Pop!_OS, input the following in the terminal:</p> <pre>sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ernstp/mesarc sudo apt-get update sudo apt install corectrl</pre> <p>Otherwise look [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ here] for instructions. Open CoreCtrl, and add a profile for every game, or edit the global settings to your likings.</p></li> <li><p>When Linux gives you a warning, take it seriously. [https://youtube.com/0506yDSgU7M?t=600 It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Disable Composition: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it. Read more [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/improving_performance here].</p></li></ul> == 2. Getting Started == ----- So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? [[u/PCgamingFreedom|/u/PCgamingFreedom]] has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics than this one. == 3. The software == ----- Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. If you've done that and there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. Bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [[r/leagueoflinux|/r/leagueoflinux]] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto] * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == 4. The swap (Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux) == ----- If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a nieche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you want low input lag and/or have an Nvidia GPU. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| ! Distribution ! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. {| ! Distribution ! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming. Is made to be user friendly. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. You might face problems here. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Feel free to browse [https://distrowatch.com/ distrowatch] if you're bored. |} '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clickin an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. == 5. The habit (what to do after the installation) == ----- So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install Steam on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to [https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/ Chrome being considered spyware]. [https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome UbuntuUpdates.org] give the following instructions: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. == 6. Windows compatibility == ----- So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exes) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. For Steam games you can just use Steam. For games that are not on Steam, use [https://lutris.net/ Lutris]. Your last resort is the following: First, let's install Wine. <pre>sudo apt install wine</pre> On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you'll want to open a terminal and type (credit to [[u/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running): <pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> Remember to check the ratings and know issues in the wine AppDB so you know what you can expect, and you should be golden. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. === 6.1. DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D === ----- What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[u/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and Lutris both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily optimized Linux install. Your default experience will be worse. == 7. Improving performance == ----- The default settings are probably not the best for a flawless experience. Read more [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/improving_performance here] == 8. Nice things == ----- You don't need the following. But you might find them useful for special use cases. * [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] for downscaling * [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade * [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == 9. Downloading stuff from GitHub/GitLab == ----- You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try to find a better solution (for example post here in the forum). But here is how to do it: # Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> # On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). # Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. # Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. == 10. Troubleshooting == ----- I personally can't spend a lot of time helping people individually. That's where this and other communities come in! * Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using * Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] * [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/index Ask here or in one of the linux subreddits] * Ask in forums * Check the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/index /r/linux_gaming wiki] * Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. === 10.1. Common issues === ----- '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers * For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] == 11. Going further == ----- If you want to learn more about Linux and the command line, this is a great resource to interactively learn: https://linuxjourney.com/ == 12. The end == ----- [[u/PBLKGodofGrunts|u/PBLKGodofGrunts]] put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. 8d574078a6735d75674bf02a7812011d909e3d74 27 26 2022-01-15T01:29:52Z Slouchy 1 wikitext text/x-wiki == 1. Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, here is a short version that should work: <ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. You will probably not be able to use the software that you're used to. But usually there is different software that might even be better.</li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have supported hardware. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you can choose your GPU, chose AMD. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] and [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use ''Steam (Runtime)'' for Steam games (if you don't know how to install it, watch the video linked above). Go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE]</li> <li>Use ''Lutris'' for all other Windows Games. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/Frogging-Family/wine-tkg-git/releases Wine-TKG]</li> <li><p>If you have an AMD GPU, install CoreCtrl. If you previously chose Pop!_OS, input the following in the terminal:</p> <pre>sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ernstp/mesarc sudo apt-get update sudo apt install corectrl</pre> <p>Otherwise look [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ here] for instructions. Open CoreCtrl, and add a profile for every game, or edit the global settings to your likings.</p></li> <li><p>When Linux gives you a warning, take it seriously. [https://youtube.com/0506yDSgU7M?t=600 It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Disable Composition: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it. Read more [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/improving_performance here].</p></li></ul> == 2. Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics than this one. == 3. The software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. If you've done that and there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. Bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto] * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == 4. The swap (Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux) == If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a nieche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you want low input lag and/or have an Nvidia GPU. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| ! Distribution ! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. {| ! Distribution ! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming. Is made to be user friendly. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. You might face problems here. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Feel free to browse [https://distrowatch.com/ distrowatch] if you're bored. |} '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clickin an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. == 5. The habit (what to do after the installation) == So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install Steam on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to [https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/ Chrome being considered spyware]. [https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome UbuntuUpdates.org] give the following instructions: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. == 6. Windows compatibility == So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exes) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. For Steam games you can just use Steam. For games that are not on Steam, use [https://lutris.net/ Lutris]. Your last resort is the following: First, let's install Wine. <pre>sudo apt install wine</pre> On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you'll want to open a terminal and type (credit to [[u/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running): <pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> Remember to check the ratings and know issues in the wine AppDB so you know what you can expect, and you should be golden. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. === 6.1. DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D === What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[u/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and Lutris both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily optimized Linux install. Your default experience will be worse. == 7. Improving performance == The default settings are probably not the best for a flawless experience. Read more [[Improving performance|here]] == 8. Nice things == You don't need the following. But you might find them useful for special use cases. * [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] for downscaling * [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade * [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == 9. Downloading stuff from GitHub/GitLab == You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try to find a better solution (for example post here in the forum). But here is how to do it: # Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> # On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). # Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. # Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. == 10. Troubleshooting == I personally can't spend a lot of time helping people individually. That's where this and other communities come in! * Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using * Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] * [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/index Ask here or in one of the linux subreddits] * Ask in forums * Check the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/index /r/linux_gaming wiki] * Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. === 10.1. Common issues === '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers * For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] == 11. Going further == If you want to learn more about Linux and the command line, this is a great resource to interactively learn: https://linuxjourney.com/ == 12. The end == u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. 7a29ed8e91eb8438dbb3d6536e6ef61322cedbe6 30 27 2022-01-15T13:31:14Z 213.211.143.75 0 /* 4. The swap (Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux) */ Repair table layout wikitext text/x-wiki == 1. Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, here is a short version that should work: <ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. You will probably not be able to use the software that you're used to. But usually there is different software that might even be better.</li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have supported hardware. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you can choose your GPU, chose AMD. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] and [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use ''Steam (Runtime)'' for Steam games (if you don't know how to install it, watch the video linked above). Go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE]</li> <li>Use ''Lutris'' for all other Windows Games. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/Frogging-Family/wine-tkg-git/releases Wine-TKG]</li> <li><p>If you have an AMD GPU, install CoreCtrl. If you previously chose Pop!_OS, input the following in the terminal:</p> <pre>sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ernstp/mesarc sudo apt-get update sudo apt install corectrl</pre> <p>Otherwise look [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ here] for instructions. Open CoreCtrl, and add a profile for every game, or edit the global settings to your likings.</p></li> <li><p>When Linux gives you a warning, take it seriously. [https://youtube.com/0506yDSgU7M?t=600 It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Disable Composition: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it. Read more [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/improving_performance here].</p></li></ul> == 2. Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics than this one. == 3. The software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. If you've done that and there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. Bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto] * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == 4. The swap (Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux) == If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a nieche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you want low input lag and/or have an Nvidia GPU. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming. Is made to be user friendly. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. You might face problems here. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Feel free to browse [https://distrowatch.com/ distrowatch] if you're bored. |} '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clickin an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. == 5. The habit (what to do after the installation) == So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install Steam on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to [https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/ Chrome being considered spyware]. [https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome UbuntuUpdates.org] give the following instructions: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. == 6. Windows compatibility == So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exes) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. For Steam games you can just use Steam. For games that are not on Steam, use [https://lutris.net/ Lutris]. Your last resort is the following: First, let's install Wine. <pre>sudo apt install wine</pre> On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you'll want to open a terminal and type (credit to [[u/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running): <pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> Remember to check the ratings and know issues in the wine AppDB so you know what you can expect, and you should be golden. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. === 6.1. DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D === What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[u/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and Lutris both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily optimized Linux install. Your default experience will be worse. == 7. Improving performance == The default settings are probably not the best for a flawless experience. Read more [[Improving performance|here]] == 8. Nice things == You don't need the following. But you might find them useful for special use cases. * [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] for downscaling * [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade * [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == 9. Downloading stuff from GitHub/GitLab == You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try to find a better solution (for example post here in the forum). But here is how to do it: # Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> # On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). # Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. # Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. == 10. Troubleshooting == I personally can't spend a lot of time helping people individually. That's where this and other communities come in! * Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using * Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] * [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/index Ask here or in one of the linux subreddits] * Ask in forums * Check the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/index /r/linux_gaming wiki] * Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. === 10.1. Common issues === '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers * For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] == 11. Going further == If you want to learn more about Linux and the command line, this is a great resource to interactively learn: https://linuxjourney.com/ == 12. The end == u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. 4f0aec332981ddc7ff801639a8e1f968da2b8567 32 30 2022-01-15T14:15:54Z Aragorn 3 /* 1. Prelude */ fix link wikitext text/x-wiki == 1. Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, here is a short version that should work: <ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. You will probably not be able to use the software that you're used to. But usually there is different software that might even be better.</li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have supported hardware. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you can choose your GPU, chose AMD. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] and [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use ''Steam (Runtime)'' for Steam games (if you don't know how to install it, watch the video linked above). Go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE]</li> <li>Use ''Lutris'' for all other Windows Games. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/Frogging-Family/wine-tkg-git/releases Wine-TKG]</li> <li><p>If you have an AMD GPU, install CoreCtrl. If you previously chose Pop!_OS, input the following in the terminal:</p> <pre>sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ernstp/mesarc sudo apt-get update sudo apt install corectrl</pre> <p>Otherwise look [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ here] for instructions. Open CoreCtrl, and add a profile for every game, or edit the global settings to your likings.</p></li> <li><p>When Linux gives you a warning, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Disable Composition: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it. Read more [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/improving_performance here].</p></li></ul> == 2. Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics than this one. == 3. The software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. If you've done that and there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. Bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto] * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == 4. The swap (Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux) == If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a nieche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you want low input lag and/or have an Nvidia GPU. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming. Is made to be user friendly. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. You might face problems here. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Feel free to browse [https://distrowatch.com/ distrowatch] if you're bored. |} '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clickin an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. == 5. The habit (what to do after the installation) == So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install Steam on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to [https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/ Chrome being considered spyware]. [https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome UbuntuUpdates.org] give the following instructions: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. == 6. Windows compatibility == So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exes) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. For Steam games you can just use Steam. For games that are not on Steam, use [https://lutris.net/ Lutris]. Your last resort is the following: First, let's install Wine. <pre>sudo apt install wine</pre> On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you'll want to open a terminal and type (credit to [[u/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running): <pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> Remember to check the ratings and know issues in the wine AppDB so you know what you can expect, and you should be golden. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. === 6.1. DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D === What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[u/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and Lutris both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily optimized Linux install. Your default experience will be worse. == 7. Improving performance == The default settings are probably not the best for a flawless experience. Read more [[Improving performance|here]] == 8. Nice things == You don't need the following. But you might find them useful for special use cases. * [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] for downscaling * [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade * [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == 9. Downloading stuff from GitHub/GitLab == You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try to find a better solution (for example post here in the forum). But here is how to do it: # Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> # On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). # Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. # Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. == 10. Troubleshooting == I personally can't spend a lot of time helping people individually. That's where this and other communities come in! * Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using * Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] * [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/index Ask here or in one of the linux subreddits] * Ask in forums * Check the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/index /r/linux_gaming wiki] * Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. === 10.1. Common issues === '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers * For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] == 11. Going further == If you want to learn more about Linux and the command line, this is a great resource to interactively learn: https://linuxjourney.com/ == 12. The end == u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. 379e0af00b289cd0ca84ac8e35eae874bebc145d 40 32 2022-01-16T23:28:25Z Aragorn 3 /* 4. The swap (Distributions, or "versions" of Linux) */ wikitext text/x-wiki == 1. Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, here is a short version that should work: <ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. You will probably not be able to use the software that you're used to. But usually there is different software that might even be better.</li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have supported hardware. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you can choose your GPU, chose AMD. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] and [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use ''Steam (Runtime)'' for Steam games (if you don't know how to install it, watch the video linked above). Go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE]</li> <li>Use ''Lutris'' for all other Windows Games. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/Frogging-Family/wine-tkg-git/releases Wine-TKG]</li> <li><p>If you have an AMD GPU, install CoreCtrl. If you previously chose Pop!_OS, input the following in the terminal:</p> <pre>sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ernstp/mesarc sudo apt-get update sudo apt install corectrl</pre> <p>Otherwise look [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ here] for instructions. Open CoreCtrl, and add a profile for every game, or edit the global settings to your likings.</p></li> <li><p>When Linux gives you a warning, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Disable Composition: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it. Read more [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/improving_performance here].</p></li></ul> == 2. Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics than this one. == 3. The software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. If you've done that and there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. Bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto] * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == 4. The swap (Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux) == If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming. Is made to be user friendly. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. You might face problems here. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Feel free to browse [https://distrowatch.com/ distrowatch] if you're bored. |} '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clickin an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. == 5. The habit (what to do after the installation) == So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install Steam on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to [https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/ Chrome being considered spyware]. [https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome UbuntuUpdates.org] give the following instructions: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. == 6. Windows compatibility == So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exes) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. For Steam games you can just use Steam. For games that are not on Steam, use [https://lutris.net/ Lutris]. Your last resort is the following: First, let's install Wine. <pre>sudo apt install wine</pre> On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you'll want to open a terminal and type (credit to [[u/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running): <pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> Remember to check the ratings and know issues in the wine AppDB so you know what you can expect, and you should be golden. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. === 6.1. DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D === What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[u/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and Lutris both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily optimized Linux install. Your default experience will be worse. == 7. Improving performance == The default settings are probably not the best for a flawless experience. Read more [[Improving performance|here]] == 8. Nice things == You don't need the following. But you might find them useful for special use cases. * [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] for downscaling * [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade * [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == 9. Downloading stuff from GitHub/GitLab == You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try to find a better solution (for example post here in the forum). But here is how to do it: # Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> # On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). # Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. # Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. == 10. Troubleshooting == I personally can't spend a lot of time helping people individually. That's where this and other communities come in! * Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using * Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] * [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/index Ask here or in one of the linux subreddits] * Ask in forums * Check the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/index /r/linux_gaming wiki] * Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. === 10.1. Common issues === '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers * For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] == 11. Going further == If you want to learn more about Linux and the command line, this is a great resource to interactively learn: https://linuxjourney.com/ == 12. The end == u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. 531cc1bb3e33ee7e93c7e27caf814bd66d7de311 41 40 2022-01-16T23:30:20Z Aragorn 3 /* 4. The swap (Distributions, or "versions" of Linux) */ wikitext text/x-wiki == 1. Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, here is a short version that should work: <ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. You will probably not be able to use the software that you're used to. But usually there is different software that might even be better.</li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have supported hardware. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you can choose your GPU, chose AMD. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] and [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use ''Steam (Runtime)'' for Steam games (if you don't know how to install it, watch the video linked above). Go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE]</li> <li>Use ''Lutris'' for all other Windows Games. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/Frogging-Family/wine-tkg-git/releases Wine-TKG]</li> <li><p>If you have an AMD GPU, install CoreCtrl. If you previously chose Pop!_OS, input the following in the terminal:</p> <pre>sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ernstp/mesarc sudo apt-get update sudo apt install corectrl</pre> <p>Otherwise look [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ here] for instructions. Open CoreCtrl, and add a profile for every game, or edit the global settings to your likings.</p></li> <li><p>When Linux gives you a warning, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Disable Composition: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it. Read more [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/improving_performance here].</p></li></ul> == 2. Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics than this one. == 3. The software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. If you've done that and there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. Bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto] * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == 4. The swap (Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux) == If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming. Is made to be user friendly. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. You might face problems here. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Feel free to browse [https://distrowatch.com/ distrowatch] if you're bored. |} '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clickin an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. == 5. The habit (what to do after the installation) == So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install Steam on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to [https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/ Chrome being considered spyware]. [https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome UbuntuUpdates.org] give the following instructions: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. == 6. Windows compatibility == So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exes) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. For Steam games you can just use Steam. For games that are not on Steam, use [https://lutris.net/ Lutris]. Your last resort is the following: First, let's install Wine. <pre>sudo apt install wine</pre> On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you'll want to open a terminal and type (credit to [[u/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running): <pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> Remember to check the ratings and know issues in the wine AppDB so you know what you can expect, and you should be golden. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. === 6.1. DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D === What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[u/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and Lutris both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily optimized Linux install. Your default experience will be worse. == 7. Improving performance == The default settings are probably not the best for a flawless experience. Read more [[Improving performance|here]] == 8. Nice things == You don't need the following. But you might find them useful for special use cases. * [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] for downscaling * [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade * [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == 9. Downloading stuff from GitHub/GitLab == You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try to find a better solution (for example post here in the forum). But here is how to do it: # Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> # On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). # Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. # Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. == 10. Troubleshooting == I personally can't spend a lot of time helping people individually. That's where this and other communities come in! * Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using * Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] * [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/index Ask here or in one of the linux subreddits] * Ask in forums * Check the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/index /r/linux_gaming wiki] * Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. === 10.1. Common issues === '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers * For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] == 11. Going further == If you want to learn more about Linux and the command line, this is a great resource to interactively learn: https://linuxjourney.com/ == 12. The end == u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. 8b71ed98e5ad3c535d1620c64e5116d5241207f2 42 41 2022-01-16T23:34:51Z Aragorn 3 /* 10. Troubleshooting */ change links wikitext text/x-wiki == 1. Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, here is a short version that should work: <ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. You will probably not be able to use the software that you're used to. But usually there is different software that might even be better.</li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have supported hardware. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you can choose your GPU, chose AMD. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] and [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use ''Steam (Runtime)'' for Steam games (if you don't know how to install it, watch the video linked above). Go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE]</li> <li>Use ''Lutris'' for all other Windows Games. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/Frogging-Family/wine-tkg-git/releases Wine-TKG]</li> <li><p>If you have an AMD GPU, install CoreCtrl. If you previously chose Pop!_OS, input the following in the terminal:</p> <pre>sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ernstp/mesarc sudo apt-get update sudo apt install corectrl</pre> <p>Otherwise look [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ here] for instructions. Open CoreCtrl, and add a profile for every game, or edit the global settings to your likings.</p></li> <li><p>When Linux gives you a warning, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Disable Composition: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it. Read more [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/improving_performance here].</p></li></ul> == 2. Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics than this one. == 3. The software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. If you've done that and there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. Bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto] * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == 4. The swap (Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux) == If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming. Is made to be user friendly. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. You might face problems here. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Feel free to browse [https://distrowatch.com/ distrowatch] if you're bored. |} '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clickin an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. == 5. The habit (what to do after the installation) == So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install Steam on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to [https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/ Chrome being considered spyware]. [https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome UbuntuUpdates.org] give the following instructions: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. == 6. Windows compatibility == So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exes) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. For Steam games you can just use Steam. For games that are not on Steam, use [https://lutris.net/ Lutris]. Your last resort is the following: First, let's install Wine. <pre>sudo apt install wine</pre> On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you'll want to open a terminal and type (credit to [[u/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running): <pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> Remember to check the ratings and know issues in the wine AppDB so you know what you can expect, and you should be golden. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. === 6.1. DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D === What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[u/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and Lutris both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily optimized Linux install. Your default experience will be worse. == 7. Improving performance == The default settings are probably not the best for a flawless experience. Read more [[Improving performance|here]] == 8. Nice things == You don't need the following. But you might find them useful for special use cases. * [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] for downscaling * [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade * [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == 9. Downloading stuff from GitHub/GitLab == You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try to find a better solution (for example post here in the forum). But here is how to do it: # Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> # On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). # Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. # Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. == 10. Troubleshooting == I personally can't spend a lot of time helping people individually. That's where this and other communities come in! * Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using * Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] * [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask here or in one of the linux subreddits] * Ask in forums * Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. === 10.1. Common issues === '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers * For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] == 11. Going further == If you want to learn more about Linux and the command line, this is a great resource to interactively learn: https://linuxjourney.com/ == 12. The end == u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. e4520d30ac41297241b2878b5e4a53f6dea49061 43 42 2022-01-16T23:35:33Z Aragorn 3 /* 10. Troubleshooting */ remove personal statement wikitext text/x-wiki == 1. Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, here is a short version that should work: <ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. You will probably not be able to use the software that you're used to. But usually there is different software that might even be better.</li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have supported hardware. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you can choose your GPU, chose AMD. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] and [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use ''Steam (Runtime)'' for Steam games (if you don't know how to install it, watch the video linked above). Go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE]</li> <li>Use ''Lutris'' for all other Windows Games. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/Frogging-Family/wine-tkg-git/releases Wine-TKG]</li> <li><p>If you have an AMD GPU, install CoreCtrl. If you previously chose Pop!_OS, input the following in the terminal:</p> <pre>sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ernstp/mesarc sudo apt-get update sudo apt install corectrl</pre> <p>Otherwise look [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ here] for instructions. Open CoreCtrl, and add a profile for every game, or edit the global settings to your likings.</p></li> <li><p>When Linux gives you a warning, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Disable Composition: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it. Read more [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/improving_performance here].</p></li></ul> == 2. Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics than this one. == 3. The software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. If you've done that and there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. Bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto] * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == 4. The swap (Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux) == If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming. Is made to be user friendly. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. You might face problems here. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Feel free to browse [https://distrowatch.com/ distrowatch] if you're bored. |} '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clickin an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. == 5. The habit (what to do after the installation) == So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install Steam on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to [https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/ Chrome being considered spyware]. [https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome UbuntuUpdates.org] give the following instructions: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. == 6. Windows compatibility == So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exes) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. For Steam games you can just use Steam. For games that are not on Steam, use [https://lutris.net/ Lutris]. Your last resort is the following: First, let's install Wine. <pre>sudo apt install wine</pre> On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you'll want to open a terminal and type (credit to [[u/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running): <pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> Remember to check the ratings and know issues in the wine AppDB so you know what you can expect, and you should be golden. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. === 6.1. DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D === What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[u/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and Lutris both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily optimized Linux install. Your default experience will be worse. == 7. Improving performance == The default settings are probably not the best for a flawless experience. Read more [[Improving performance|here]] == 8. Nice things == You don't need the following. But you might find them useful for special use cases. * [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] for downscaling * [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade * [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == 9. Downloading stuff from GitHub/GitLab == You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try to find a better solution (for example post here in the forum). But here is how to do it: # Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> # On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). # Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. # Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. == 10. Troubleshooting == * Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using * Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] * [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask here or in one of the linux subreddits] * Ask in forums * Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. === 10.1. Common issues === '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers * For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] == 11. Going further == If you want to learn more about Linux and the command line, this is a great resource to interactively learn: https://linuxjourney.com/ == 12. The end == u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. f8abb992d847643c307646a98d2c7cf89528d4a5 0 3 6 2022-01-12T08:15:59Z Slouchy 1 Fork from /r/linux_gaming wikitext text/x-wiki FSR can be used to get better performance in games at the cost of visuals. It is comparable with DLSS, but can be applied to every game that runs with wine. There are several modes from ultra quality to maximum performance. For example, it is possible to double your FPS with close to no visual loss. FSR only works if the game is GPU limited (your GPU runs at 100%). == Setup == * Open Lutris * Right click your game, click Configure * Click ''System options'' and scroll down to ''Environment Variables'' * Click ''Add'' and input the following (the first word goes into the ''Key'' box, the second into ''Value''): <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR</code> <code>1</code> * In game set your setting according to the table on page 10 of this document: For example, if you want to have Ultra Quality, and your output resolution (the resolution of your actualy monitor) is 1920x1080, you set your ingame resolution to 1477x831. Setting your ingame resolution to your output resolution disables FSR. * In game ** Enable anti aliasing (TAA, MSAA, FXAA, ...) ** Disable effects that generate noise (like Motion Blur, Blur, Chromatic Aberration, Sharpening, etc.) * As of now you need to use the tkg version of wine, and MIP-Bias is not yet implemented. == More configuration options == You can add more options. Everything here goes in the same section as <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR</code>. * <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR_STRENGTH</code> <code>4</code> This sharpens the image. 4 is an example value. 0 is maximum sharpness, higher values mean less sharpening. (I think 5 is the maximum. If you know more, please edit this.) The default is 2 but this is probably too much for your game. Just experiment with different values. * <code>WINE_VULKAN_NEGATIVE_MIP_BIAS</code> <code>45</code> This results in textures with higher resolution. 45 is an example value. AMD recommends: {| class="wikitable" !Quality Setting !MIP Bias |- |Ultra Quality |38 |- |Quality |58 |- |Balanced |79 |- |Performance |100 |} * <code>WINE_VULKAN_BIAS_ALL_SAMPLERS</code> <code>1</code> This applies the MIP Bias to everything. 1 is enabled, 0 is disabled. This can result in weird game behaviour. == Examples == * Witcher 3 40ff063103b52deaadb0164b614a063b82884723 7 6 2022-01-12T08:17:00Z Slouchy 1 wikitext text/x-wiki FSR can be used to get better performance in games at the cost of visuals. It is comparable with DLSS, but can be applied to every game that runs with wine. There are several modes from ultra quality to maximum performance. For example, it is possible to double your FPS with close to no visual loss. FSR only works if the game is GPU limited (your GPU runs at 100%). == Setup == * Open Lutris * Right click your game, click Configure * Click ''System options'' and scroll down to ''Environment Variables'' * Click ''Add'' and input the following (the first word goes into the ''Key'' box, the second into ''Value''): <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR</code> <code>1</code> * In game set your setting according to the table on page 10 of [https://github.com/GPUOpen-Effects/FidelityFX-FSR/blob/master/docs/FidelityFX-FSR-Overview-Integration.pdf this] document: For example, if you want to have Ultra Quality, and your output resolution (the resolution of your actualy monitor) is 1920x1080, you set your ingame resolution to 1477x831. Setting your ingame resolution to your output resolution disables FSR. * In game ** Enable anti aliasing (TAA, MSAA, FXAA, ...) ** Disable effects that generate noise (like Motion Blur, Blur, Chromatic Aberration, Sharpening, etc.) * As of now you need to use the tkg version of wine, and MIP-Bias is not yet implemented. == More configuration options == You can add more options. Everything here goes in the same section as <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR</code>. * <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR_STRENGTH</code> <code>4</code> This sharpens the image. 4 is an example value. 0 is maximum sharpness, higher values mean less sharpening. (I think 5 is the maximum. If you know more, please edit this.) The default is 2 but this is probably too much for your game. Just experiment with different values. * <code>WINE_VULKAN_NEGATIVE_MIP_BIAS</code> <code>45</code> This results in textures with higher resolution. 45 is an example value. AMD recommends: {| class="wikitable" !Quality Setting !MIP Bias |- |Ultra Quality |38 |- |Quality |58 |- |Balanced |79 |- |Performance |100 |} * <code>WINE_VULKAN_BIAS_ALL_SAMPLERS</code> <code>1</code> This applies the MIP Bias to everything. 1 is enabled, 0 is disabled. This can result in weird game behaviour. == Examples == * [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/q3dl6y/witcher_3_fsr_is_working_great/ Witcher 3] 3951e5b96680454d99d2732c588020b1ffbaf108 0 4 8 2022-01-15T00:18:56Z Slouchy 1 Fork from /r/linux_gaming wikitext text/x-wiki == Introduction == Hardware accelerated video makes it possible for the video card to decode/encode video, thus offloading the CPU and saving power. This article gives detail on enabling hardware video acceleration in browsers used in linux. This article details them for Firefox and Chromium, but similar instructions apply to other browsers based on the above two. == Firefox == Firefox currently supports hardware acceleration on both x11 and wayland. This is tested on firefox 96 (nightly).The following settings need to be changed in <code>about:config</code>:<syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> media.ffmpeg.vaapi.enabled true gfx.webrender.all true media.ffvpx.enabled false </syntaxhighlight>In addition, while running X11, firefox should be launched with variable <code>MOZ_X11_EGL=1</code> . Also, users should ensure that vaapi is available by installing/running <code>vainfo</code> in terminal. In cases where gpu only supports h.264 decode, its beneficial to install [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/h264ify/ h.264ify]. What works: # both 30fps/60fps or higher videos play smoothly at resolutions supported by gpu decoder. # CPU usage is significantly reduced while playing videos The problems: # The colour of videos appears washed out. (0,0,0) is mapped to (16,16,16) and (255,255,255) to (235,235,235). [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1726186 Bug 1726186] (Fixed on Firefox 96+!) # Nvidia users out of luck (for now) == Chromium == Chromium also supports hardware acceleration in x11 and wayland. This too was tested in chromium-dev 97. To enable it, first set <code>chrome://flags/#ignore-gpu-blocklist</code> to <code>disabled</code>. Then launch chromium with following flags:<syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> --use-gl=desktop --enable-features=VaapiVideoDecoder </syntaxhighlight>In theory, <code>--use-gl=desktop</code> should not be required in wayland, but the wiki editor couldn't get it to work without it. Also h.264ify will be required as stated above. What works: # both 30fps/60fps or higher videos play smoothly at resolutions supported by gpu decoder, unless vulkan backend is enabled through flags. However there is little reason to enable it for now # Videos are played colour accurately The problems: # CPU usage reduction is minimal. I could not observe significant improvement in reduction of cpu load or improved battery life ( on different machine) despite confirming that hardware video acceleration was working while playing videos # Nvidia users out of luck again == Epiphany/Gnome Web == Based on GTKwebkit, it provides another option for users that may be not as powerful as chrome or firefox, but still fairly usable for modern web. To enable hardware accelerated video, first install <code>gstreamer-vaapi</code> for amd/intel gpus or <code>gst-plugins-bad</code> and <code>nvidia-utils</code> for nvidia GPUs. Then run:<syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> gsettings set org.gnome.Epiphany.web:/ hardware-acceleration-policy 'always' </syntaxhighlight>What works: # both 30fps/60fps or higher videos play smoothly at resolutions supported by gpu decoder # Videos are color accurate # Works for nVidia users # Good reduction in CPU usage The problems: # Lack of extensions # No simple way to limit video codec to h.264, hence older GPUs will lack hardware video acceleration in most videos with codecs other than h.264 == Alternatives == VLC and MPV both support proper hardware accelerated video in linux. They can be set to launch when a video is played in a browser. This can be done in firefox with [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/open-in-vlc/ Open in vlc] or [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/ff2mpv/ ff2mpv] extension or other similar extensions. Similarly for chromium, [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/play-with-mpv/hahklcmnfgffdlchjigehabfbiigleji Play with MPV] or [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/open-in-vlc-media-player/ihpiinojhnfhpdmmacgmpoonphhimkaj?hl=en Play with VLC] or similar. What works: # CPU utilisation better than firefox and chrome # Videos are played with accurate colours # Works for NVIDIA users The problems: # Many sites with DRM (such as most paid streaming services) and those using custom video players may not work. == Further Reading == * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Hardware_video_acceleration Arch Wiki - Hardware Accelerated Video] - Resource on setting up hardware video acceleration and installing <code>vainfo</code> * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/List_of_applications/Internet#Web_browsers Arch Wiki - Web Browsers] - List of web browsers available in Linux 55731740231d6e66ca14eb5a01854dc9ec9cbc9c 36 8 2022-01-16T14:21:41Z Slouchy 1 /* Chromium */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Introduction == Hardware accelerated video makes it possible for the video card to decode/encode video, thus offloading the CPU and saving power. This article gives detail on enabling hardware video acceleration in browsers used in linux. This article details them for Firefox and Chromium, but similar instructions apply to other browsers based on the above two. == Firefox == Firefox currently supports hardware acceleration on both x11 and wayland. This is tested on firefox 96 (nightly).The following settings need to be changed in <code>about:config</code>:<syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> media.ffmpeg.vaapi.enabled true gfx.webrender.all true media.ffvpx.enabled false </syntaxhighlight>In addition, while running X11, firefox should be launched with variable <code>MOZ_X11_EGL=1</code> . Also, users should ensure that vaapi is available by installing/running <code>vainfo</code> in terminal. In cases where gpu only supports h.264 decode, its beneficial to install [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/h264ify/ h.264ify]. What works: # both 30fps/60fps or higher videos play smoothly at resolutions supported by gpu decoder. # CPU usage is significantly reduced while playing videos The problems: # The colour of videos appears washed out. (0,0,0) is mapped to (16,16,16) and (255,255,255) to (235,235,235). [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1726186 Bug 1726186] (Fixed on Firefox 96+!) # Nvidia users out of luck (for now) == Chromium == Chromium also supports hardware acceleration in x11 and wayland. This too was tested in chromium-dev 97. To enable it, first set <code>chrome://flags/#ignore-gpu-blocklist</code> to <code>disabled</code>. Then launch chromium with following flags:<syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> --use-gl=desktop --enable-features=VaapiVideoDecoder </syntaxhighlight>In theory, <code>--use-gl=desktop</code> should not be required in wayland, but the wiki editor couldn't get it to work without it. Also h.264ify will be required as stated above. What works: # both 30fps/60fps or higher videos play smoothly at resolutions supported by gpu decoder, unless vulkan backend is enabled through flags. However there is little reason to enable it for now # Videos are played colour accurately The problems: # CPU usage reduction is minimal. I could not observe significant improvement in reduction of cpu load or improved battery life ( on different machine) despite confirming that hardware video acceleration was working while playing videos # Nvidia users out of luck again === Google chrome and other flavors === Same should work for google chrome (and other chromium-based browsers like Brave, Vivaldi, edge etc.) There is config file for google chrome located at ''$HOME/.config/chrome-flags.conf'' (if file does not exist, create it), where you can put flags that chrome should start with by default (because starting browser with parameters sometimes can be hard/pain). {{Warning|Problem='''NEEDS SPECIFYING:''' Does this file work for other chromium based browsers and chromium itself?}} $HOME/.config/chrome-flags.conf: <pre> --enable-features=VaapiVideoDecoder --use-gl=desktop </pre> == Epiphany/Gnome Web == Based on GTKwebkit, it provides another option for users that may be not as powerful as chrome or firefox, but still fairly usable for modern web. To enable hardware accelerated video, first install <code>gstreamer-vaapi</code> for amd/intel gpus or <code>gst-plugins-bad</code> and <code>nvidia-utils</code> for nvidia GPUs. Then run:<syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> gsettings set org.gnome.Epiphany.web:/ hardware-acceleration-policy 'always' </syntaxhighlight>What works: # both 30fps/60fps or higher videos play smoothly at resolutions supported by gpu decoder # Videos are color accurate # Works for nVidia users # Good reduction in CPU usage The problems: # Lack of extensions # No simple way to limit video codec to h.264, hence older GPUs will lack hardware video acceleration in most videos with codecs other than h.264 == Alternatives == VLC and MPV both support proper hardware accelerated video in linux. They can be set to launch when a video is played in a browser. This can be done in firefox with [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/open-in-vlc/ Open in vlc] or [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/ff2mpv/ ff2mpv] extension or other similar extensions. Similarly for chromium, [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/play-with-mpv/hahklcmnfgffdlchjigehabfbiigleji Play with MPV] or [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/open-in-vlc-media-player/ihpiinojhnfhpdmmacgmpoonphhimkaj?hl=en Play with VLC] or similar. What works: # CPU utilisation better than firefox and chrome # Videos are played with accurate colours # Works for NVIDIA users The problems: # Many sites with DRM (such as most paid streaming services) and those using custom video players may not work. == Further Reading == * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Hardware_video_acceleration Arch Wiki - Hardware Accelerated Video] - Resource on setting up hardware video acceleration and installing <code>vainfo</code> * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/List_of_applications/Internet#Web_browsers Arch Wiki - Web Browsers] - List of web browsers available in Linux f6534f03169e9b5be07524e32e9ce6823278d4a1 37 36 2022-01-16T21:25:34Z Slouchy 1 nVidia chromium HW accel wikitext text/x-wiki == Introduction == Hardware accelerated video makes it possible for the video card to decode/encode video, thus offloading the CPU and saving power. This article gives detail on enabling hardware video acceleration in browsers used in linux. This article details them for Firefox and Chromium, but similar instructions apply to other browsers based on the above two. == Firefox == Firefox currently supports hardware acceleration on both x11 and wayland. This is tested on firefox 96 (nightly).The following settings need to be changed in <code>about:config</code>:<syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> media.ffmpeg.vaapi.enabled true gfx.webrender.all true media.ffvpx.enabled false </syntaxhighlight>In addition, while running X11, firefox should be launched with variable <code>MOZ_X11_EGL=1</code> . Also, users should ensure that vaapi is available by installing/running <code>vainfo</code> in terminal. In cases where gpu only supports h.264 decode, its beneficial to install [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/h264ify/ h.264ify]. What works: # both 30fps/60fps or higher videos play smoothly at resolutions supported by gpu decoder. # CPU usage is significantly reduced while playing videos The problems: # The colour of videos appears washed out. (0,0,0) is mapped to (16,16,16) and (255,255,255) to (235,235,235). [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1726186 Bug 1726186] (Fixed on Firefox 96+!) # Nvidia users out of luck (for now) == Chromium == Chromium also supports hardware acceleration in x11 and wayland. This too was tested in chromium-dev 97. To enable it, first set <code>chrome://flags/#ignore-gpu-blocklist</code> to <code>disabled</code>. Then launch chromium with the following flags:<syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> --use-gl=desktop --enable-features=VaapiVideoDecoder </syntaxhighlight>In theory, <code>--use-gl=desktop</code> should not be required in wayland, but the wiki editor couldn't get it to work without it. Also h.264ify will be required as stated above. What works: # both 30fps/60fps or higher videos play smoothly at resolutions supported by gpu decoder, unless vulkan backend is enabled through flags. However there is little reason to enable it for now # Videos are played colour accurately The problems: # CPU usage reduction is minimal. I could not observe significant improvement in reduction of cpu load or improved battery life ( on different machine) despite confirming that hardware video acceleration was working while playing videos # Nvidia users out of luck again === Google chrome and other flavors === Same should work for google chrome (and other chromium-based browsers like Brave, Vivaldi, edge etc.) There is a config file for google chrome located at ''$HOME/.config/chrome-flags.conf'' (if file does not exist, create it), where you can put flags that chrome should start with by default (because starting browser with parameters sometimes can be hard/pain). {{Warning|Problem='''NEEDS SPECIFYING:''' Does this file work for other chromium based browsers and chromium itself?}} $HOME/.config/chrome-flags.conf: <pre> --enable-features=VaapiVideoDecoder --use-gl=desktop </pre> === nVidia GPUs === For full GPU acceleration with nVidia GPUs it's required to set 2 additional flags:<syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> --ignore-gpu-blocklist --enable-zero-copy </syntaxhighlight> === Optimizing performance === For better performance it is recommended to set 2 additional flags:<syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> --enable-gpu-rasterization --canvas-oop-rasterization </syntaxhighlight> == Epiphany/Gnome Web == Based on GTKwebkit, it provides another option for users that may be not as powerful as chrome or firefox, but still fairly usable for modern web. To enable hardware accelerated video, first install <code>gstreamer-vaapi</code> for amd/intel gpus or <code>gst-plugins-bad</code> and <code>nvidia-utils</code> for nvidia GPUs. Then run:<syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> gsettings set org.gnome.Epiphany.web:/ hardware-acceleration-policy 'always' </syntaxhighlight>What works: # both 30fps/60fps or higher videos play smoothly at resolutions supported by gpu decoder # Videos are color accurate # Works for nVidia users # Good reduction in CPU usage The problems: # Lack of extensions # No simple way to limit video codec to h.264, hence older GPUs will lack hardware video acceleration in most videos with codecs other than h.264 == Alternatives == VLC and MPV both support proper hardware accelerated video in linux. They can be set to launch when a video is played in a browser. This can be done in firefox with [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/open-in-vlc/ Open in vlc] or [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/ff2mpv/ ff2mpv] extension or other similar extensions. Similarly for chromium, [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/play-with-mpv/hahklcmnfgffdlchjigehabfbiigleji Play with MPV] or [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/open-in-vlc-media-player/ihpiinojhnfhpdmmacgmpoonphhimkaj?hl=en Play with VLC] or similar. What works: # CPU utilisation better than firefox and chrome # Videos are played with accurate colours # Works for NVIDIA users The problems: # Many sites with DRM (such as most paid streaming services) and those using custom video players may not work. == Further Reading == * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Hardware_video_acceleration Arch Wiki - Hardware Accelerated Video] - Resource on setting up hardware video acceleration and installing <code>vainfo</code> * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/List_of_applications/Internet#Web_browsers Arch Wiki - Web Browsers] - List of web browsers available in Linux 8606ac9741a7dc7696690e2d8719fe1b0f78d945 0 5 9 2022-01-15T00:22:57Z Slouchy 1 Fork from /r/linux_gaming wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == * Set your CPU/GPU into performance mode. For AMD GPUs this can be achieved with CoreCtrl. Open CoreCtrl, and add a profile for every game, or edit the global settings to your likings. * Disable composition. This can be done with a switch in Lutris settings. Right click the game -> Configure -> System options -> Disable desktop effects. This dramatically improves input lag and ''"smoothness"'' (at least on KDE. If I understand it correctly, this is not necessary on Gnome. Please edit this if you have more information). If you use KDE, you can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code>. The same combination re-enables it. * Enable Esync. Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Esync. * Or, even better, enable Fsync. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like Zen, linux-tkg, or Xanmod; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Fsync == Optional == * Use FSR. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. == Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland: == * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok, but you should avoid Cinnamon. This might be outdated, but I can't find newer data: <nowiki>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</nowiki> * You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled: <nowiki>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</nowiki> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to be complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland: <nowiki>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</nowiki> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. 8e97178511156b2d1ea8f9ae0d1b2f94ea5bbfb9 38 9 2022-01-16T23:20:08Z Aragorn 3 add link wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == * Set your CPU/GPU into performance mode. For AMD GPUs this can be achieved with CoreCtrl. Open CoreCtrl, and add a profile for every game, or edit the global settings to your likings. * Disable composition. This can be done with a switch in Lutris settings. Right click the game -> Configure -> System options -> Disable desktop effects. This dramatically improves input lag and ''"smoothness"'' (at least on KDE. If I understand it correctly, this is not necessary on Gnome. Please edit this if you have more information). If you use KDE, you can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code>. The same combination re-enables it. * Enable Esync. Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Esync. * Or, even better, enable Fsync. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like Zen, linux-tkg, or Xanmod; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Fsync == Optional == * Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. == Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland: == * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok, but you should avoid Cinnamon. This might be outdated, but I can't find newer data: <nowiki>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</nowiki> * You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled: <nowiki>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</nowiki> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to be complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland: <nowiki>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</nowiki> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. e18f2481e0482d5d6508025ae01bc8ab65351f7b 39 38 2022-01-16T23:23:17Z Aragorn 3 /* Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland: */ add sources wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == * Set your CPU/GPU into performance mode. For AMD GPUs this can be achieved with CoreCtrl. Open CoreCtrl, and add a profile for every game, or edit the global settings to your likings. * Disable composition. This can be done with a switch in Lutris settings. Right click the game -> Configure -> System options -> Disable desktop effects. This dramatically improves input lag and ''"smoothness"'' (at least on KDE. If I understand it correctly, this is not necessary on Gnome. Please edit this if you have more information). If you use KDE, you can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code>. The same combination re-enables it. * Enable Esync. Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Esync. * Or, even better, enable Fsync. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like Zen, linux-tkg, or Xanmod; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Fsync == Optional == * Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. == Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland: == * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok, but you should avoid Cinnamon. This might be outdated, but I can't find newer data.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> * You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to be complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. 6cc3ac3276f2033402e5976b29acb9943abba2f7 0 6 10 2022-01-15T00:35:44Z Slouchy 1 Fork from /r/linux_gaming wikitext text/x-wiki == Distributions == '''What Linux distro is best for gaming?''' Almost any current distribution is fine for gaming. If you're planning on using the official proprietary drivers from Nvidia, Ubuntu and Linux Mint in particular allow for relatively easy installation of these drivers, and are typically officially supported by game developers and online stores. AMD's new 'hybrid' Pro beta driver is currently only officially supported on Ubuntu 16.04 and Red Hat Enterprise. For open source drivers distributions with up to date versions of Mesa are recommended such as the latest version of Ubuntu, or rolling release distributions. == Hardware / Drivers == === I want to buy a new GPU, what vendor is the best choice for performance? === Nvidia's proprietary driver provides the best performance in most games, has OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan support, but is closed source. For users whose primary interest when buying a GPU is gaming Nvidia is the best choice. Some games currently only support the proprietary Nvidia driver, be sure to check a games requirements. === I want to buy a new GPU, what vendor is the best choice for open drivers? === AMD has several officially supported open source OpenGL drivers covering hardware from the last 10+ years that are part of the [https://www.mesa3d.org/ Mesa project]. These drivers provide good framerates in most games, as well as OpenGL 4.5 support and Vulkan support for most applicable hardware. For users whose primary interest is staying up to date with the latest open source technology AMD is the best choice. Some games currently support AMD hardware only through the open source driver, be sure to check a games requirements. === What about AMD's new hybrid driver? === AMD's hybrid AMDGPU Pro driver provides performance on-par with their Windows driver, has OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan support, and uses a open source kernel module with closed source OpenGL and Vulkan libraries. '''Hardware compatibility with this driver is currently limited to:''' * Second-generation GCN: R9 390X, R9 390, R9 290 X, R9 290, R9 360, R7 260 X, R7 260; * Third-generation GCN: Fury X, Fury, R9 Nano, R9 380X, R9 380, R9 285; * Fourth-generation GCN: RX 480, RX 470, RX 460; AMD plans to support all GCN hardware in the future. === Can I use my old AMD card with Pre-GCN hardware for gaming on GNU/Linux? === Older AMD hardware is supported via the open source drivers from the [https://www.mesa3d.org/ Mesa project]. These can provide up to OpenGL 4.4 support on certain GPUs, support modern distributions, and can provide playable framerates in many games. === Can I use Intel graphics for gaming on GNU/Linux? === Intel's open source Mesa driver can provide acceptable performance on recent chips with 4000 series GPUs or better. As of Mesa 13 (Fall 2016) the most recent Intel GPUs will provide OpenGL 4.5 support. === Can I use an Nvidia card for gaming on GNU/Linux with the open source drivers? === The open source Mesa driver can provide playable frame rates in many games if your GPU supports power management. As of Mesa 12 (Fall 2016) Nvidia GPUs supported by Mesa NVC0 will provide OpenGL 4.3 support and preliminary support for OpenGL 4.5. === There's a game I want to play but the brand of card I have or the open source drivers aren't listed. Does that mean I can't play it? === There are a number of reasons why a game won't list support for a particular brand of card or will only declare support on a certain driver other than the game not working. One factor currently facing porting companies is they typically only officially support the long term support versions of Ubuntu which are frequently behind the latest version of Mesa. So even if a game works well on Mesa 13, it may not work well or at all on Mesa 11.2 which is provided out of the box by Ubuntu 16.04 based distibutions. If you're unsure of whether a game will work on the open drivers a search for the name of the game plus the name of the open source drivers is a good first step. === More Driver Information === See the wiki page on [http://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers Graphics drivers] for a more thorough overview of the current driver situation in Linux. === I need help choosing parts for a Linux gaming PC === Check out [https://www.reddit.com/r/buildalinuxpc /r/buildalinuxpc] or [https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc /r/buildapc] and say that you're building a Linux system. == Getting System Information == When asking for support, people need several key pieces of information to help troubleshoot your problems, as mentioned in the sidebar. You probably know things like your system specs and what distro you installed, but there are more details that are usually needed to pinpoint the cause of the issues you might be having. All you have to do is copy the outputs of the following command(s) from the terminal (select the text and copy using <code>Ctrl + Shift + C</code>) into your post formatted as code. You could also use Pastebin to avoid having to indent text manually in Reddit : All in one solution : Run <code>inxi -SPARM -GCDN -v1 -xGCRS</code> to get pretty much everything you need. You might want to maximize the terminal so line breaks aren't inserted in the output when you copy. This should come pre-installed, but if it isn't, on Ubuntu, you can install it by running : <code>sudo apt-get install inxi</code>. In the unlikely situation that this does not work or you are unable to install it, read on for other ways to get the info, otherwise you're done. Distribution and kernel details : * Run <code>lsb_release -a</code> to get the current release of the distro (ex. Ubuntu 16.04.1) * Run <code>uname -a</code> to get the kernel version, architecture etc. (you might want to remove your username from its output if you don't want to disclose it) Graphics hardware and drivers : * In case you don't know what graphics chipset you are running, you can run <code>lspci | grep VGA</code>. Sometimes, this doesn't give the exact model (this is the case with Intel integrated chipsets), so in that case, you can check the output of <code>grep -i chipset /var/log/Xorg.0.log</code> * To get OpenGL driver information, run <code>glxinfo | grep OpenGL</code> . If the program <code>glxinfo</code> is not found, you can install it on Ubuntu by installing the package <code>mesa-utils</code> : <code>sudo apt-get install mesa-utils</code> Other details : Hardinfo is an excellent tool that enables you to see in a GUI pretty much everything to do with your computer, but unfortunately it does not let you copy only the relevant parts, and results in a lot of clutter, so it's not recommended to use it for getting the above details. However, you can use it to check anything you're unsure of, like your hardware and peripheral models, what desktop environment you're running etc. without having to type commands in a terminal. You can install Hardinfo through its package : <code>sudo apt-get install hardinfo</code> == Compatibility Layers == === WINE === Wine (recursive backronym for Wine Is Not an Emulator) is a free and open-source compatibility layer that aims to allow application software and computer games developed for Microsoft Windows to run on Unix-like operating systems.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wine_(software)</ref> If you want to run Windows binaries (.exe, .dll etc.) on Linux without booting up a VM, you'll end up using a version of Wine. === Proton === Proton is [https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/ valve's fork] of wine + extras. === Steam Play === Steam Play is Valve's official proton integration within the steam client. === Lutris === The [https://lutris.net/downloads/ Lutris client] is similar to the steam client from a game library management stand point. It's the program you open that shows you your library of games. Lutris also provides versions of wine designed for use with lutris with [https://github.com/lutris/wine a fork]. To play Windows games, should I use Crossover or Play on Linux? Probably not. If you don't feel like using the command line to manage wine you should probably use lutris or steam. === [http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ Play on Linux] and [https://www.codeweavers.com/ CrossOver] === Both offer GUIs to manage installation of multiple Windows applications into separate "containers" (aka. wine prefixes or bottles as CrossOver calls them) so that they don't interfere with each other. Both pieces of software offer "recipes" which allow users to install various games and other types of applications by following simple, guided steps. Installation of various other components like Visual C++ runtimes, DirectX 9 redistributable packages, fonts, registry modifications, etc. are handled automatically if applications are installed this way. To determine which is best for you and your needs try them out. PlayOnLinux is free (libre) software and can be used free of charge. CrossOver is a subscription product. It has a 14 day trial period during which it will occasionally nag you to buy a sub but otherwise its functionality is not crippled. If something does not work with the trial version, it won't work with the registered one. Codeweavers, the company behind CrossOver is also a major contributor to the Wine project, employing many of the developers. Both PlayOnLinux and CrossOver can be installed at the same time, on the same machine. Even if you installed Wine using the distribution's package manager they won't interfere with each other. PlayOnLinux can use the wine build provided this way but it can also use its own wine builds. The project tends to offer both vanilla wine and wine-staging builds. CrossOver also uses its own build of Wine. === Will I be able to play xxxx game with Wine, Crossover or Play on Linux? === First you will want to check what graphics API the game uses. Currently only windows games with openGL or DX9 and lower will work with Wine. [https://appdb.winehq.org/objectManager.php?sClass=application&sTitle=Browse%20Applications&sOrderBy=appName&bAscending=true WineHQ] keeps track of windows games which can and can't work with Wine. It's a user submitted list with ratings of platinum, gold, silver, and garbage, as well, users can report any significant glitches or problems which may arise. The WineHQ FAQ is located [https://wiki.winehq.org/FAQ here]. There is currently development of DX11 support, but it's in a very early stage, and it will be a while before we will get to play DX10 / DX11 games. == Steam == === How do I know what games in my library are supported on Linux? === If you have steam installed on your PC, navigate to Library. In the search box in top left corner there's a filter. Select "STEAMOS + LINUX". === How do I ensure that my purchase of a game on Steam is treated as a "Linux" purchase, crediting the GNU/Linux platform with market share and the porting company with revenue? === * (1) purchase the game on GNU/Linux and don't play it on another platform for the first seven days (feel free launching it on GNU/Linux) * (2) if you can't purchase the game on GNU/Linux, play it on GNU/Linux and only GNU/Linux for the first seven days (or at least make sure your GNU/Linux gameplay time exceeds your windows one during that first week). Either will credit the game as a GNU/Linux purchase. Purchasing the game on mobile is considered a Windows purchase at the time, yet the sale should be accounted as a GNU/Linux one if you follow (2). === I'm on a new install of Steam and it won't open. What can I do to make it work? === This is most commonly a problem for users on the open source drivers. This is caused by stale libraries included in Valve's Steam Platform. Usually you can correct this by removing the problem files. <code>find ~/.steam/root/ \( -name "libgcc_s.so*" -o -name "libstdc++.so*" -o -name "libxcb.so*" \) -print -delete</code> On some rolling release distributions, you may need to fully disable the Steam runtime. https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/steam#Using_native_runtime == Games == === When will XXXX game be released for Linux? It was supposed to be here already. === Porting a game entails taking a windows game, written for windows, and changing the code in order for it to work in Linux. This takes time. It is also very important to know that sometimes problems can occur when doing this, and fixing those problems isn't always possible. It is also important to note that the people who do the porting, are usually a small group, and the hours it takes to do the work is shared by the small group. Delays porting games to Linux are common. You can also check the [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=calendar GamingOnLinux.com Release Calendar] for dates. === Will XXXX game be released for Linux? === The only way to find out is to write a request to the game developers, telling them you would like their game on Linux. 6663e55ee8e1d8de2edf7421958ca51a33aed466 12 10 2022-01-15T00:45:35Z Slouchy 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Needs work|Problem=This page is heavily outdated}} == Distributions == '''What Linux distro is best for gaming?''' Almost any current distribution is fine for gaming. If you're planning on using the official proprietary drivers from Nvidia, Ubuntu and Linux Mint in particular allow for relatively easy installation of these drivers, and are typically officially supported by game developers and online stores. AMD's new 'hybrid' Pro beta driver is currently only officially supported on Ubuntu 16.04 and Red Hat Enterprise. For open source drivers distributions with up to date versions of Mesa are recommended such as the latest version of Ubuntu, or rolling release distributions. == Hardware / Drivers == === I want to buy a new GPU, what vendor is the best choice for performance? === Nvidia's proprietary driver provides the best performance in most games, has OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan support, but is closed source. For users whose primary interest when buying a GPU is gaming Nvidia is the best choice. Some games currently only support the proprietary Nvidia driver, be sure to check a games requirements. === I want to buy a new GPU, what vendor is the best choice for open drivers? === AMD has several officially supported open source OpenGL drivers covering hardware from the last 10+ years that are part of the [https://www.mesa3d.org/ Mesa project]. These drivers provide good framerates in most games, as well as OpenGL 4.5 support and Vulkan support for most applicable hardware. For users whose primary interest is staying up to date with the latest open source technology AMD is the best choice. Some games currently support AMD hardware only through the open source driver, be sure to check a games requirements. === What about AMD's new hybrid driver? === AMD's hybrid AMDGPU Pro driver provides performance on-par with their Windows driver, has OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan support, and uses a open source kernel module with closed source OpenGL and Vulkan libraries. '''Hardware compatibility with this driver is currently limited to:''' * Second-generation GCN: R9 390X, R9 390, R9 290 X, R9 290, R9 360, R7 260 X, R7 260; * Third-generation GCN: Fury X, Fury, R9 Nano, R9 380X, R9 380, R9 285; * Fourth-generation GCN: RX 480, RX 470, RX 460; AMD plans to support all GCN hardware in the future. === Can I use my old AMD card with Pre-GCN hardware for gaming on GNU/Linux? === Older AMD hardware is supported via the open source drivers from the [https://www.mesa3d.org/ Mesa project]. These can provide up to OpenGL 4.4 support on certain GPUs, support modern distributions, and can provide playable framerates in many games. === Can I use Intel graphics for gaming on GNU/Linux? === Intel's open source Mesa driver can provide acceptable performance on recent chips with 4000 series GPUs or better. As of Mesa 13 (Fall 2016) the most recent Intel GPUs will provide OpenGL 4.5 support. === Can I use an Nvidia card for gaming on GNU/Linux with the open source drivers? === The open source Mesa driver can provide playable frame rates in many games if your GPU supports power management. As of Mesa 12 (Fall 2016) Nvidia GPUs supported by Mesa NVC0 will provide OpenGL 4.3 support and preliminary support for OpenGL 4.5. === There's a game I want to play but the brand of card I have or the open source drivers aren't listed. Does that mean I can't play it? === There are a number of reasons why a game won't list support for a particular brand of card or will only declare support on a certain driver other than the game not working. One factor currently facing porting companies is they typically only officially support the long term support versions of Ubuntu which are frequently behind the latest version of Mesa. So even if a game works well on Mesa 13, it may not work well or at all on Mesa 11.2 which is provided out of the box by Ubuntu 16.04 based distibutions. If you're unsure of whether a game will work on the open drivers a search for the name of the game plus the name of the open source drivers is a good first step. === More Driver Information === See the wiki page on [http://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers Graphics drivers] for a more thorough overview of the current driver situation in Linux. === I need help choosing parts for a Linux gaming PC === Check out [https://www.reddit.com/r/buildalinuxpc /r/buildalinuxpc] or [https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc /r/buildapc] and say that you're building a Linux system. == Getting System Information == When asking for support, people need several key pieces of information to help troubleshoot your problems, as mentioned in the sidebar. You probably know things like your system specs and what distro you installed, but there are more details that are usually needed to pinpoint the cause of the issues you might be having. All you have to do is copy the outputs of the following command(s) from the terminal (select the text and copy using <code>Ctrl + Shift + C</code>) into your post formatted as code. You could also use Pastebin to avoid having to indent text manually in Reddit : All in one solution : Run <code>inxi -SPARM -GCDN -v1 -xGCRS</code> to get pretty much everything you need. You might want to maximize the terminal so line breaks aren't inserted in the output when you copy. This should come pre-installed, but if it isn't, on Ubuntu, you can install it by running : <code>sudo apt-get install inxi</code>. In the unlikely situation that this does not work or you are unable to install it, read on for other ways to get the info, otherwise you're done. Distribution and kernel details : * Run <code>lsb_release -a</code> to get the current release of the distro (ex. Ubuntu 16.04.1) * Run <code>uname -a</code> to get the kernel version, architecture etc. (you might want to remove your username from its output if you don't want to disclose it) Graphics hardware and drivers : * In case you don't know what graphics chipset you are running, you can run <code>lspci | grep VGA</code>. Sometimes, this doesn't give the exact model (this is the case with Intel integrated chipsets), so in that case, you can check the output of <code>grep -i chipset /var/log/Xorg.0.log</code> * To get OpenGL driver information, run <code>glxinfo | grep OpenGL</code> . If the program <code>glxinfo</code> is not found, you can install it on Ubuntu by installing the package <code>mesa-utils</code> : <code>sudo apt-get install mesa-utils</code> Other details : Hardinfo is an excellent tool that enables you to see in a GUI pretty much everything to do with your computer, but unfortunately it does not let you copy only the relevant parts, and results in a lot of clutter, so it's not recommended to use it for getting the above details. However, you can use it to check anything you're unsure of, like your hardware and peripheral models, what desktop environment you're running etc. without having to type commands in a terminal. You can install Hardinfo through its package : <code>sudo apt-get install hardinfo</code> == Compatibility Layers == === WINE === Wine (recursive backronym for Wine Is Not an Emulator) is a free and open-source compatibility layer that aims to allow application software and computer games developed for Microsoft Windows to run on Unix-like operating systems.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wine_(software)</ref> If you want to run Windows binaries (.exe, .dll etc.) on Linux without booting up a VM, you'll end up using a version of Wine. === Proton === Proton is [https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/ valve's fork] of wine + extras. === Steam Play === Steam Play is Valve's official proton integration within the steam client. === Lutris === The [https://lutris.net/downloads/ Lutris client] is similar to the steam client from a game library management stand point. It's the program you open that shows you your library of games. Lutris also provides versions of wine designed for use with lutris with [https://github.com/lutris/wine a fork]. To play Windows games, should I use Crossover or Play on Linux? Probably not. If you don't feel like using the command line to manage wine you should probably use lutris or steam. === [http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ Play on Linux] and [https://www.codeweavers.com/ CrossOver] === Both offer GUIs to manage installation of multiple Windows applications into separate "containers" (aka. wine prefixes or bottles as CrossOver calls them) so that they don't interfere with each other. Both pieces of software offer "recipes" which allow users to install various games and other types of applications by following simple, guided steps. Installation of various other components like Visual C++ runtimes, DirectX 9 redistributable packages, fonts, registry modifications, etc. are handled automatically if applications are installed this way. To determine which is best for you and your needs try them out. PlayOnLinux is free (libre) software and can be used free of charge. CrossOver is a subscription product. It has a 14 day trial period during which it will occasionally nag you to buy a sub but otherwise its functionality is not crippled. If something does not work with the trial version, it won't work with the registered one. Codeweavers, the company behind CrossOver is also a major contributor to the Wine project, employing many of the developers. Both PlayOnLinux and CrossOver can be installed at the same time, on the same machine. Even if you installed Wine using the distribution's package manager they won't interfere with each other. PlayOnLinux can use the wine build provided this way but it can also use its own wine builds. The project tends to offer both vanilla wine and wine-staging builds. CrossOver also uses its own build of Wine. === Will I be able to play xxxx game with Wine, Crossover or Play on Linux? === First you will want to check what graphics API the game uses. Currently only windows games with openGL or DX9 and lower will work with Wine. [https://appdb.winehq.org/objectManager.php?sClass=application&sTitle=Browse%20Applications&sOrderBy=appName&bAscending=true WineHQ] keeps track of windows games which can and can't work with Wine. It's a user submitted list with ratings of platinum, gold, silver, and garbage, as well, users can report any significant glitches or problems which may arise. The WineHQ FAQ is located [https://wiki.winehq.org/FAQ here]. There is currently development of DX11 support, but it's in a very early stage, and it will be a while before we will get to play DX10 / DX11 games. == Steam == === How do I know what games in my library are supported on Linux? === If you have steam installed on your PC, navigate to Library. In the search box in top left corner there's a filter. Select "STEAMOS + LINUX". === How do I ensure that my purchase of a game on Steam is treated as a "Linux" purchase, crediting the GNU/Linux platform with market share and the porting company with revenue? === * (1) purchase the game on GNU/Linux and don't play it on another platform for the first seven days (feel free launching it on GNU/Linux) * (2) if you can't purchase the game on GNU/Linux, play it on GNU/Linux and only GNU/Linux for the first seven days (or at least make sure your GNU/Linux gameplay time exceeds your windows one during that first week). Either will credit the game as a GNU/Linux purchase. Purchasing the game on mobile is considered a Windows purchase at the time, yet the sale should be accounted as a GNU/Linux one if you follow (2). === I'm on a new install of Steam and it won't open. What can I do to make it work? === This is most commonly a problem for users on the open source drivers. This is caused by stale libraries included in Valve's Steam Platform. Usually you can correct this by removing the problem files. <code>find ~/.steam/root/ \( -name "libgcc_s.so*" -o -name "libstdc++.so*" -o -name "libxcb.so*" \) -print -delete</code> On some rolling release distributions, you may need to fully disable the Steam runtime. https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/steam#Using_native_runtime == Games == === When will XXXX game be released for Linux? It was supposed to be here already. === Porting a game entails taking a windows game, written for windows, and changing the code in order for it to work in Linux. This takes time. It is also very important to know that sometimes problems can occur when doing this, and fixing those problems isn't always possible. It is also important to note that the people who do the porting, are usually a small group, and the hours it takes to do the work is shared by the small group. Delays porting games to Linux are common. You can also check the [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=calendar GamingOnLinux.com Release Calendar] for dates. === Will XXXX game be released for Linux? === The only way to find out is to write a request to the game developers, telling them you would like their game on Linux. 2da8475f6df464951882709371db5b41ccd2740c 10 7 11 2022-01-15T00:39:20Z Slouchy 1 Created page with "<noinclude> This is the "Needs work" template. You can pass to it the field "Problem". </noinclude> <includeonly> <div style="border: 1px solid black;">This page needs work, for the following reasons(s): {{{Problem|}}}.</div> </includeonly>" wikitext text/x-wiki <noinclude> This is the "Needs work" template. You can pass to it the field "Problem". </noinclude> <includeonly> <div style="border: 1px solid black;">This page needs work, for the following reasons(s): {{{Problem|}}}.</div> </includeonly> a65454ad1471e43c8181f7f39986abbdc6f3de41 13 11 2022-01-15T00:46:43Z Slouchy 1 wikitext text/x-wiki <noinclude> This is the "Needs work" template. You can pass to it the field "Problem". </noinclude> <includeonly> <div style="border: 1px solid #990000; background: #ffb2b2;">This page needs work, for the following reasons(s): {{{Problem|}}}.</div> </includeonly> a58447467615b6d88be23a8a453654bbe3be9d49 14 13 2022-01-15T00:48:04Z Slouchy 1 wikitext text/x-wiki <noinclude> <div style="border: 1px solid #990000; background: #ffe5e5; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 10px;">This is the "Needs work" template. You can pass to it the field "Problem".</div> </noinclude> <includeonly> <div style="border: 1px solid #990000; background: #ffe5e5; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 10px;">This page needs work, for the following reasons(s): {{{Problem|}}}.</div> </includeonly> e1fafa30956d8082d378d8f27ba676789b6f8872 15 14 2022-01-15T00:48:45Z Slouchy 1 wikitext text/x-wiki <noinclude> <div style="border: 1px solid #990000; background: #ffe5e5; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 10px;">This is the "Needs work" template. You can pass to it the field "Problem".</div> </noinclude> <includeonly> <div style="border: 1px solid #990000; background: #ffe5e5; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 10px;">This page needs work, for the following reasons(s): <b>{{{Problem|}}}</b>.</div> </includeonly> 4696c41ce76c6aadd634ac3b681489cff47287d0 16 15 2022-01-15T00:49:07Z Slouchy 1 wikitext text/x-wiki <noinclude> <div style="border: 1px solid #990000; background: #ffe5e5; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 10px;">This is the "Needs work" template. You can pass to it the field "Problem".</div> </noinclude> <includeonly> <div style="border: 1px solid #990000; background: #ffe5e5; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 10px;">This page needs work, for the following reason(s): <b>{{{Problem|}}}</b>.</div> </includeonly> 0844fd7218901cc9eb872bcf0335ef19e8fc5632 0 8 19 2022-01-15T01:01:37Z Slouchy 1 Fork from /r/linux_gaming wikitext text/x-wiki {{Needs work|Problem=This page is heavily outdated}} == Graphic Drivers == To play games on Linux, you'll need to use the correct graphics card drivers. Ordinarily, Linux should "just work" and detect the correct drivers for your hardware. However, there are notable exceptions, and graphics cards are one of them. Below is an overview of each major hardware vendors stance on Linux support, as well as where to find the appropriate drivers. For example, if you want to play the very latest, graphically intensive games Nvidia users will probably need the proprietary drivers while AMD users are recommended to use the open source drivers. Generally speaking, most distributions should correctly detect and use the appropriate open source driver for your hardware by default. === Intel === On-board Intel graphics have already been officially supported by Intel and Linux for a number of years, with the i965 driver (part of the [https://docs.mesa3d.org/index.html Mesa project]) covering most Intel hardware for the past 10 years. Your distribution will almost certainly carry and use these drivers by default. Some distributions may offer a means to install more recent versions of the driver, which may have improved performance or better OpenGL support. Check your distribution specific documentation. These drivers currently support OpenGL 3.3 for all capable hardware with some hardware supporting up to OpenGL 4.6. Vulkan is also officially supported with the driver called ANV that is part of the Mesa project, Intel (U)HD Graphics shipped with Broadwell CPUs and later are targeted, with experimental support for Ivy Bridge integrated graphics. The notable exception is Intel hardware based on the PowerVR chips produced by Imagination Technologies, particularly the GMA 500, GMA 600, GMA 3600 and GMA 3650, which serve as the integrated graphics for some Intel Atom Z5XX and Z6XX processors. There are no drivers for 3D accelaration and drivers for 2D acceleration have been unmaintained for several years. Avoid these whenever possible. More information on this topic can be found at these links: * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_Graphics_Media_Accelerator#GMA_500 * https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Poulsbo and https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Intel_GMA_3600 * http://web.archive.org/web/20170202103150/http://powervr.gnu.org.ve/doku.php === AMD === AMD on Linux officially supports both open source drivers and closed source drivers. The open source drivers as a whole currently support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan (with some complications, see below) on almost all capable hardware, with older hardware still supporting up to OpenGL 3.3 core profile. Most distributions should support and use the open source drivers by default, without any further configuration needed. What follows is a more thorough description of the various drivers for AMD hardware. ==== AMD HD 7xxx and Newer ==== AMD cards produced since 2012 are supported by the RadeonSI driver that is part of the [https://docs.mesa3d.org/index.html Mesa project]. This driver provides support for OpenGL 4.6 for all hardware capable of it. This driver is likely to be installed and used by default for all current distributions. No further configuration is usually needed unless your distribution does not provide a means to install newer versions of Mesa for bugfixes or new features. Vulkan support is also available. Most distributions will install and use the radv driver (also part of Mesa) by default, which is capable of Vulkan 1.2 support on most hardware. An important caveat is that for older hardware, Vulkan support depends on using the AMDGPU kernel driver. Older hardware, known collectively by the codename "Southern Islands", uses the kernel driver called Radeon by default. To switch to AMDGPU on these cards and get Vulkan support, you need to add "<code>amdgpu.si_support=1</code>" and "<code>radeon.si_support=0</code>" to your boot options. Check your distribution specific documentation for how to do this. The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/AMDGPU#Enable_Southern_Islands_(SI)_and_Sea_Islands_(CIK)_support Arch Linux wiki] contains a more in-depth explanation on how to do this. There is an alternative Vulkan driver provided by AMD, called AMDVLK. There is generally not much advantage for using this driver for most users. This driver can also be used with the AMDGPU-PRO kernel driver, but this is not required outside of professional use cases (such as applications requiring OpenCL) and does not provide significant advantages for most users. AMDVLK can be downloaded here: https://github.com/GPUOpen-Drivers/AMDVLK/releases And AMDGPU-PRO packaged with AMDVLK can be downloaded here: https://www.amd.com/en/support/kb/release-notes/rn-rad-lin-19-50-unified ==== AMD HD6xxx and Older ==== Older cards are supported by the r600g driver from the Mesa project. The r600g driver supports hardware codenamed r600 up to "Northern Islands", providing OpenGL 4.1 core profile support for hardware that is capable of it. Hardware that is supported by r600g should work great for general desktop usage and provide at least acceptable performance for gaming. Most Linux distributions should use these open source drivers by default with no further configuration required. For information on what hardware features are supported by the latest open source drivers, as well as which specific driver supports your card. see the official feature matrix at the following links: * http://www.x.org/wiki/RadeonFeature - General overview of supported hardware * http://mesamatrix.net/ - Information on OpenGL support in the open source drivers === NVIDIA === NVIDIA has 2 officially supported drivers, both proprietary, one of which is for "legacy" hardware and one for more recent hardware. There is a project for open source drivers named "nouveau", but these are mostly unofficial - the vast majority of development is carried out via reverse engineering. The only cases where NVIDIA has contributed to Nouveau has been for ARM related graphics support (e.g. for GPU's aimed at phones, tablets etc.) and some infrastructural work e.g. to provide support for GPU switching/offloading between integrated graphics and dedicated graphics chips often seen in laptops. The proprietary drivers have better 3D performance, video acceleration support, better power management and better OpenGL support, but doesn't integrate with the rest of the graphics stack as well. As of the release of "Maxwell" hardware (GTX 900 series) in April 2015, NVIDIA now require signed firmware to use their hardware<ref>http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=NVIDIA-Unfriendly-OSS-Hardware</ref>. In practice, this has meant long delays of up to 2 years for new hardware support<ref>http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=NVIDIA-Releases-Signed-Blobs</ref> in Nouveau as NVIDIA has to provide the firmware to the Nouveau project themselves for the open source drivers to be able to work. With older hardware, Nouveau could automatically generate and extract the firmware. For more information on feature and hardware support in the nouveau drivers, see the [http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/FeatureMatrix/ official feature matrix] (might be slightly out of date). Make sure to cross reference the code names listed with this [http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/CodeNames/ index of code names and marketing names]. If you wish to contribute to the nouveau project, you can find information on how to do so [http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/IntroductoryCourse/ here]. If you want to help but do not have any development expertise, you can donate hardware to the [http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/HardwareDonations/ project to help with their reverse engineering efforts]. For the proprietary drivers, [http://www.geforce.com/drivers you can get the latest version of NVIDIA's driver here]. Once again, it's recommended to use the version that is provided by your distro (if it provides them). === Via === Via onboard graphics hardware has no official support. There have been various announcements of serious efforts to officially support Linux with an open source driver, but none of these have ever come to fruition. Stay clear of motherboards with Via onboard graphics for almost anything Linux related. Only if you don't care about even displaying a desktop, and even then you may run into issues. There is a reverse engineered driver, OpenChrome, but these lack almost any 3D support for Via chips from the last 6 years or so, and even 2D support and video acceleration is limited. For more information, [http://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Openchrome/SupportedHardware/ see this page]. If you know of anyone who would be interested in contributing to OpenChrome, tell them to visit this link to get in contact with the OpenChrome devs: http://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Openchrome/Contact/ == S3TC Texture Support == S3TC is a texture compression algorithm commonly used in games. However, until October 2017 S3TC was patented and for that reason support was often not included by default in a number of distributions nor within Mesa (which provides the OpenGL implementation for most open source drivers). A common visual artefact of missing S3TC support is black textures, assuming the game starts at all. If you see this problem, it's a good idea to check if you're using a Mesa version earlier than 17.3 and if so, check that you have the S3TC support library installed - it's called libtxc-dxtn or libtxc-dxtn-s2tc in most distributions. You should be able to install it with your package manager. All the required code for S3TC texture compression is included in Mesa 17.3, thus making the library mentioned above no longer needed. Any distribution released in 2018 and later should include a version of Mesa with built-in support for S3TC. == Further Reading == If you want to know more about the drivers and Linux graphics stack in general, see the following links for more information: * [http://mesa3d.org/ Mesa Project] - Official site of the Mesa project, the overarching project for open source OpenGL drivers (including Intel, AMD and unofficially NVIDIA) on Linux. * [http://www.x.org/wiki/ X.org Wiki] - Wiki for the X.org project - X server, drivers and various parts of the graphics stack * [http://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/ Freedesktop.org Wiki] - Also has various information on graphics and drivers in Linux, as well as various desktop standards. * [http://phoronix.com/forums/showthread.php?7221-What-is-X-Org-X11-Gallium3D-Mesa-Etc What is: X.Org? X11? Gallium3D? Mesa? Etc...] - A simple overview of how the various pieces that put pretty images on your screen fit together. Note that this is a few years old and is a little out of date by now. * [http://wayland.freedesktop.org/ Wayland Wiki] - Information on Wayland, the successor to the X server. What it does, how it does it and why it's better than X. aa795c66472e9cde3341fbbf1dfd9d9081c8e2a1 0 9 20 2022-01-15T01:18:49Z Slouchy 1 Created page with "= List of Linux games missing from Steam = The list contains Steam games that have Linux ports, but the ports are not released on Steam. Most of the games listed were released before Steam's Linux version (pre 2013) and the developers never came around to release the Linux version afterwards to Steam. == Support promised == Games that should be coming on Linux Steam at some point. {| ! Game ! Released ! Latest update |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/203810 Dear Esther]..." wikitext text/x-wiki = List of Linux games missing from Steam = The list contains Steam games that have Linux ports, but the ports are not released on Steam. Most of the games listed were released before Steam's Linux version (pre 2013) and the developers never came around to release the Linux version afterwards to Steam. == Support promised == Games that should be coming on Linux Steam at some point. {| ! Game ! Released ! Latest update |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/203810 Dear Esther] | | [http://www.littlelostpoly.co.uk/dear-esther-and-unity/ new cross-platform versions based on Unity will come to Steam once done] 2014-02-14 |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/207080 Indie Game: The Movie] | | [http://steamcommunity.com/app/207080/discussions/0/666826069102176593/ Opt-in Steam beta available]. [http://steamcommunity.com/app/207080/discussions/0/864961537278749284/#c864974467607299451 &quot;we are certainly looking into it&quot;] 2013-07-28 |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/220860/ McPixel] | 2013-06 | [http://steamcommunity.com/app/220860/discussions/0/846945955379188536/#c846956269285206617 &quot;It will come!&quot;] 2013-06-16 |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/211360/ Offspring Fling] | 2012-12 | [http://steamcommunity.com/app/211360/discussions/0/828925849543044158/#c846954921989611734 &quot;it is still on my to-do list&quot;] 2013-06-05 |} == Status unknown == Find out and report your findings here! {| ! Game ! Released ! Latest update, notes |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/109700 Achron] | | [http://www.desura.com/games/achron [Available on Desura]] |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/12440 Ankh 2: Heart of Osiris] | ~2006 | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/214790 The Basement Collection] | | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/113200/ The Binding of Isaac] | 2012-12 | [http://spring.me/EdmundM/q/440988231027158913 &quot;not looking great&quot;] 2013-03-26 |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/104200 BEEP] | | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/63700 BIT.TRIP BEAT] | | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/63710 BIT.TRIP RUNNER] | | [http://www.desura.com/games/bittrip-runner [Available on Desura]] |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/207690/ Botanicula] | 2012-05 | [http://www.desura.com/games/botanicula [Available on Desura]] |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/6600 Bullet Candy] | | [http://desura.com/games/bullet-candy-perfect &quot;Perfect&quot; version has Linux version on Desura] |- | [https://store.steampowered.com/app/29800/Caster/ Caster] | | Used to be available on Desura and the developer's website. Last update on 13 March 2014: &quot;[https://steamcommunity.com/app/29800/discussions/0/846940249220296282/ I got it running a couple of months ago and everything looked good. When I update the next version of the game to Steam, I'll post the Linux version as well. Thanks for your interest!.&quot;] |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/209670 Cortex Command] | | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/26900 Crayon Physics Deluxe] | | [http://www.desura.com/games/crayon-physics-deluxe [Available on Desura]] |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/9050 DOOM 3] | 2004-10-04 | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/9070 DOOM 3: Resurrection of Evil] | 2005-05-24 | |- | DOSBox games (e.g. [http://steamdb.info/app/7760 X-COM: UFO Defense]) | | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/10000 Enemy Territory: Quake Wars] | 2007-10-19 | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/41210 Eufloria] | | [http://store.steampowered.com/app/221180/Eufloria_HD/ Eufloria HD is on Linux] |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/209690 Fieldrunners] | | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/61310 Fractal: Make Blooms Not War] | | [http://steamcommunity.com/app/61310/discussions/0/846956716226455750/ Positive noises about Steam Linux release, but nothing since July 2013] |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/9500 Gish] | | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/48950 Greed Corp] | | Was featured in Humble Bundle |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/207430 Hack, Slash, Loot] | | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/230150 Incredipede] | | Was featured in Humble Bundle |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/12340 Jack Keane] | ~2007 | [http://www.desura.com/games/jack-keane [Available on Desura]] |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/94200 Jamestown] | | [http://www.desura.com/games/jamestown-legend-of-the-lost-colony [Available on Desura]] |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/97110 Kohan: Immortal Sovereigns] | | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/209830 Lone Survivor: The Director's Cut] | | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/40700 Machinarium] | | [http://www.desura.com/games/machinarium [Available on Desura]] |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/25990 Majesty: Gold Edition] | | [http://www.desura.com/games/majesty-gold [Available on Desura]] |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/227280/ No Time To Explain] | 2011-08-15 | [http://store.steampowered.com/app/368730/No_Time_To_Explain_Remastered/ &quot;No Time To Explain Remastered is available on Linux&quot;] |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/18000 Precipice of Darkness, Episode One] | | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/18020 Precipice of Darkness, Episode Two] | | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/3970 Prey] | | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/2310 Quake] | 1996, 1999 | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/2320 Quake II] | 1999 | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/2200 Quake III Arena] | 1999-12-27 | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/2210 Quake IV] | 2005-10 | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/9010 Return to Castle Wolfenstein] | 2002-03-16 | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/46560 Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood] | 2002 | [http://www.desura.com/games/robin-hood-the-legend-of-sherwood [Available on Desura]] |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/210950 Rune Classic] | | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/12320 Sacred Gold] | | [http://www.desura.com/games/sacred-gold [Available on Desura]] |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/202410/ Scoregasm] | 2012-02 | [http://www.charliesgames.com/Scoregasm/ [Available on site]] |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/40720 Samorost 2] | | [http://www.desura.com/games/samorost-2 [Available on Desura]] |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/2500 Shadowgrounds] | | [http://www.desura.com/games/shadowgrounds [Available on Desura]] See Trine |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/11200 Shadowgrounds: Survivor] | | [http://www.desura.com/games/shadowgrounds-survivor [Available on Desura]] See Trine |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/99900 Spiral Knights] | | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/230980 Starseed Pilgrim] | | Was featured in Humble Bundle |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/63500 Swords and Soldiers HD] | | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/41500 Torchlight] | | [https://www.humblebundle.com/store/torchlight Available on Humble Store] |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/98100 TRAUMA] | | [http://www.desura.com/games/trauma [Available on Desura]] |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/13250 Unreal Gold] | | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/13240 Unreal Tournament: Game of the Year Edition] | | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/13230 Unreal Tournament 2004 (Editor's Choice Edition)] | | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/108500 Vessel] | | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/37600 Windosill] | | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/2800 X2: The Threat] | | |} == Linux version released! == Entries happily removed from the list. {| ! Game ! Released ! Latest update |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/25600 Eschalon: Book I] | 2007-12-21 | [http://www.desura.com/games/eschalon-book-i [Available on Desura]] |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/25620 Eschalon: Book II] | 2010-05-26 | [http://www.desura.com/games/eschalon-book-ii [Available on Desura]] |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/111800 Blocks That Matter] | | [http://www.desura.com/games/blocks-that-matter [Available on Desura]] |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/219890 Anitchamber] | | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/57640 Broken Sword: Director's Cut] | | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/48000 LIMBO] | | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/65300/ Dustforce] | | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/26800 Braid] | | [http://www.desura.com/games/braid [Available on Desura]] |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/207420 Wizorb] | | [http://www.desura.com/games/wizorb [Available on Desura]] |} == External links == * http://steamdb.info/linux/ - Alternative list of Linux Steam games focusing on existing and coming games ad39869032061e12eaea2ef05403ec8273562db3 21 20 2022-01-15T01:19:27Z Slouchy 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Needs work|Problem=This page is heavily outdated}} = List of Linux games missing from Steam = The list contains Steam games that have Linux ports, but the ports are not released on Steam. Most of the games listed were released before Steam's Linux version (pre 2013) and the developers never came around to release the Linux version afterwards to Steam. == Support promised == Games that should be coming on Linux Steam at some point. {| ! Game ! Released ! Latest update |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/203810 Dear Esther] | | [http://www.littlelostpoly.co.uk/dear-esther-and-unity/ new cross-platform versions based on Unity will come to Steam once done] 2014-02-14 |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/207080 Indie Game: The Movie] | | [http://steamcommunity.com/app/207080/discussions/0/666826069102176593/ Opt-in Steam beta available]. [http://steamcommunity.com/app/207080/discussions/0/864961537278749284/#c864974467607299451 &quot;we are certainly looking into it&quot;] 2013-07-28 |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/220860/ McPixel] | 2013-06 | [http://steamcommunity.com/app/220860/discussions/0/846945955379188536/#c846956269285206617 &quot;It will come!&quot;] 2013-06-16 |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/211360/ Offspring Fling] | 2012-12 | [http://steamcommunity.com/app/211360/discussions/0/828925849543044158/#c846954921989611734 &quot;it is still on my to-do list&quot;] 2013-06-05 |} == Status unknown == Find out and report your findings here! {| ! Game ! Released ! Latest update, notes |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/109700 Achron] | | [http://www.desura.com/games/achron [Available on Desura]] |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/12440 Ankh 2: Heart of Osiris] | ~2006 | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/214790 The Basement Collection] | | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/113200/ The Binding of Isaac] | 2012-12 | [http://spring.me/EdmundM/q/440988231027158913 &quot;not looking great&quot;] 2013-03-26 |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/104200 BEEP] | | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/63700 BIT.TRIP BEAT] | | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/63710 BIT.TRIP RUNNER] | | [http://www.desura.com/games/bittrip-runner [Available on Desura]] |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/207690/ Botanicula] | 2012-05 | [http://www.desura.com/games/botanicula [Available on Desura]] |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/6600 Bullet Candy] | | [http://desura.com/games/bullet-candy-perfect &quot;Perfect&quot; version has Linux version on Desura] |- | [https://store.steampowered.com/app/29800/Caster/ Caster] | | Used to be available on Desura and the developer's website. Last update on 13 March 2014: &quot;[https://steamcommunity.com/app/29800/discussions/0/846940249220296282/ I got it running a couple of months ago and everything looked good. When I update the next version of the game to Steam, I'll post the Linux version as well. Thanks for your interest!.&quot;] |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/209670 Cortex Command] | | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/26900 Crayon Physics Deluxe] | | [http://www.desura.com/games/crayon-physics-deluxe [Available on Desura]] |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/9050 DOOM 3] | 2004-10-04 | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/9070 DOOM 3: Resurrection of Evil] | 2005-05-24 | |- | DOSBox games (e.g. [http://steamdb.info/app/7760 X-COM: UFO Defense]) | | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/10000 Enemy Territory: Quake Wars] | 2007-10-19 | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/41210 Eufloria] | | [http://store.steampowered.com/app/221180/Eufloria_HD/ Eufloria HD is on Linux] |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/209690 Fieldrunners] | | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/61310 Fractal: Make Blooms Not War] | | [http://steamcommunity.com/app/61310/discussions/0/846956716226455750/ Positive noises about Steam Linux release, but nothing since July 2013] |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/9500 Gish] | | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/48950 Greed Corp] | | Was featured in Humble Bundle |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/207430 Hack, Slash, Loot] | | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/230150 Incredipede] | | Was featured in Humble Bundle |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/12340 Jack Keane] | ~2007 | [http://www.desura.com/games/jack-keane [Available on Desura]] |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/94200 Jamestown] | | [http://www.desura.com/games/jamestown-legend-of-the-lost-colony [Available on Desura]] |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/97110 Kohan: Immortal Sovereigns] | | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/209830 Lone Survivor: The Director's Cut] | | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/40700 Machinarium] | | [http://www.desura.com/games/machinarium [Available on Desura]] |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/25990 Majesty: Gold Edition] | | [http://www.desura.com/games/majesty-gold [Available on Desura]] |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/227280/ No Time To Explain] | 2011-08-15 | [http://store.steampowered.com/app/368730/No_Time_To_Explain_Remastered/ &quot;No Time To Explain Remastered is available on Linux&quot;] |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/18000 Precipice of Darkness, Episode One] | | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/18020 Precipice of Darkness, Episode Two] | | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/3970 Prey] | | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/2310 Quake] | 1996, 1999 | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/2320 Quake II] | 1999 | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/2200 Quake III Arena] | 1999-12-27 | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/2210 Quake IV] | 2005-10 | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/9010 Return to Castle Wolfenstein] | 2002-03-16 | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/46560 Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood] | 2002 | [http://www.desura.com/games/robin-hood-the-legend-of-sherwood [Available on Desura]] |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/210950 Rune Classic] | | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/12320 Sacred Gold] | | [http://www.desura.com/games/sacred-gold [Available on Desura]] |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/202410/ Scoregasm] | 2012-02 | [http://www.charliesgames.com/Scoregasm/ [Available on site]] |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/40720 Samorost 2] | | [http://www.desura.com/games/samorost-2 [Available on Desura]] |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/2500 Shadowgrounds] | | [http://www.desura.com/games/shadowgrounds [Available on Desura]] See Trine |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/11200 Shadowgrounds: Survivor] | | [http://www.desura.com/games/shadowgrounds-survivor [Available on Desura]] See Trine |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/99900 Spiral Knights] | | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/230980 Starseed Pilgrim] | | Was featured in Humble Bundle |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/63500 Swords and Soldiers HD] | | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/41500 Torchlight] | | [https://www.humblebundle.com/store/torchlight Available on Humble Store] |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/98100 TRAUMA] | | [http://www.desura.com/games/trauma [Available on Desura]] |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/13250 Unreal Gold] | | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/13240 Unreal Tournament: Game of the Year Edition] | | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/13230 Unreal Tournament 2004 (Editor's Choice Edition)] | | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/108500 Vessel] | | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/37600 Windosill] | | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/2800 X2: The Threat] | | |} == Linux version released! == Entries happily removed from the list. {| ! Game ! Released ! Latest update |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/25600 Eschalon: Book I] | 2007-12-21 | [http://www.desura.com/games/eschalon-book-i [Available on Desura]] |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/25620 Eschalon: Book II] | 2010-05-26 | [http://www.desura.com/games/eschalon-book-ii [Available on Desura]] |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/111800 Blocks That Matter] | | [http://www.desura.com/games/blocks-that-matter [Available on Desura]] |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/219890 Anitchamber] | | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/57640 Broken Sword: Director's Cut] | | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/48000 LIMBO] | | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/65300/ Dustforce] | | |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/26800 Braid] | | [http://www.desura.com/games/braid [Available on Desura]] |- | [http://steamdb.info/app/207420 Wizorb] | | [http://www.desura.com/games/wizorb [Available on Desura]] |} == External links == * http://steamdb.info/linux/ - Alternative list of Linux Steam games focusing on existing and coming games f970331ef5dd025e39355917f0eb81876ccb3dec 0 10 22 2022-01-15T01:21:10Z Slouchy 1 Created page with "{{Needs work|Problem=This page is heavily outdated}} == Greenlit Games == Steam [http://steamcommunity.com/greenlight Greenlight] is an alternative method for developers to get games and other software published on Steam. This works on the basis that the Steam community votes on those games that they would most like to see on Steam and at irregular intervals, the most popular get ''greenlit'' and are able to publish their games. There are currently over 400 games that h..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Needs work|Problem=This page is heavily outdated}} == Greenlit Games == Steam [http://steamcommunity.com/greenlight Greenlight] is an alternative method for developers to get games and other software published on Steam. This works on the basis that the Steam community votes on those games that they would most like to see on Steam and at irregular intervals, the most popular get ''greenlit'' and are able to publish their games. There are currently over 400 games that have been greenlit and a fair proportion of these (between and third and a quarter) have been released, whether as full releases or through [http://store.steampowered.com/genre/Early%20Access/ Early Access]. Greenlight has been a boon for penguin-flavoured gamers, as the proportion of developers who state that they plan to support Linux far exceeds the proportion on Steam generally. This may be because Greenlight is more attractive to 'Indie' developers who have a harder times getting software published on Steam and / or because developers will state Linux support to increase the amount of votes they can get. Whatever the reason, at time of writing, approximately 10% of the games released for Linux on Steam have been through the Greenlight program. Given the sheer amount of games in Greenlight (at time of writing, over 1400) and the number that get added on a weekly basis, it would be unrealistic to attempt to cover all of those titles. What follows is a list of those games that have been greenlit (i.e. accepted for eventual publication on Steam) and the status of possible ports for each. This list will be updated as each new batch of titles is greenlit, so inbetween times, some of the information may be out of date. ----- === Released with Linux support === '''''Greenlit titles that have been released and are playable in Steam Linux''''' . '''3079 -- Block Action RPG''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/259620/ fully released] on Steam with Linux support '''3089 -- An Action RPG''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/263360 fully released] on Steam with Linux support '''Akaneiro: Demon Hunters''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/230310 released] on Steam Early Access with Linux support '''Anodyne''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/234900/ fully released] on Steam with Linux support '''Assault Android Cactus''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/250110 released] on Steam Early Access with Linux support '''Battle Worlds: Kronos''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/237470/ fully released] on Steam with Linux support '''Bridge Constructor''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/250460/?snr=1_7_15__13 Fully released] on Steam with Linux support '''Cook, Serve, Delicious!''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/247020/ fully released] on Steam with Linux support '''Dead Sky''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/259700/ fully released] on Steam with Linux support '''Delver''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/249630/ released] on Steam Early Access with Linux support '''Dominions 3: The Awakening''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/248510/ fully released] on Steam with Linux support '''Door Kickers''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/248610/ released] on Steam Early Access with Linux support '''Doorways''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/248470/ fully released] on Steam '''Dysfunctional Systems: Learning to Manage Chaos''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/248800/ fully released] on Steam with Linux support '''Elder Sign: Omens''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/257670/ fully released] on Steam with Linux support '''Eldritch''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/252630/ fully released] on Steam with Linux support '''Escape Goat''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/251370/ fully released] on Steam with Linux support. '''Euro Truck Simulator 2''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/227300/ fully released] on Steam with Linux support. '''Fester Mudd: Curse of the Gold''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/253310/ Fully released] on Steam with Linux support '''Finding Teddy''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/259600/ fully released] on Steam with Linux support '''Forced''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/249990/ released] on Steam with Linux support '''Game Dev Tycoon''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/239820/ Fully released] on Steam with Linux support '''Gear Up''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/214420/ released] on Steam Early Access with a working Linux beta '''HammerWatch''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/239070/ fully released] on Steam with Linux support '''Haunted Memories''' - released on [http://store.steampowered.com/app/241640/ Early Access] with Linux port available '''Iesabel''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/248710/ fully released] on Steam with Linux support '''Kentucky Route Zero''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/231200/ fully released] on Steam with Linux support '''Kinetic Void''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/227160/ released] on Steam Early Access with Linux support '''Knytt Underground''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/248190/ released on Steam] with Linux support '''Knock-knock''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/250380/ Fully released] on Steam with Linux support. '''Legend of Dungeon''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/238280/ fully released] on Steam with Linux support '''Legends of Aethereus''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/248410/ fully released] on Steam with Linux support '''Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards: Reloaded''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/231910/ fully released] on Steam with Linux support '''Long Live The Queen''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/251990/ fully released] on Steam with Linux support '''Megabyte Punch''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/248550/ Open beta] available on Steam Linux '''Montague's Mount''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/258950/ fully released] on Steam for Linux '''MouseCraft''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/252750/ released] on Steam Early Access with Linux support '''NEO Scavenger''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/248860/ released] on Steam Early Access with Linux support '''Nihilumbra''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/252670/ fully released on Steam] with Linux support '''Nimble Quest''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/259780/ fully released] on Steam with Linux support '''No More Room in Hell''' - fully [http://store.steampowered.com/app/224260/ released] on Steam with Linux support '''Organ Trail: Director's Cut''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/233740/ fully released] on Steam with Linux support '''Particulars''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/259470/ Released] on Steam Early Access with Linux support '''Postal 2 Complete''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/223470/ fully released] on Steam with Linux support '''Project Zomboid''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/108600/ released] on Steam Early Access '''Ravensword: Shadowlands''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/253410/ Fully released] on Steam with Linux supprt '''Receiver''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/234190/ fully released] on Steam with Linux support '''Rogue Legacy''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/241600/ fully released] on Steam with Linux support '''Salvation Prophecy''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/248450/ fully released] on Steam with Linux support '''Savant - Ascent''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/259530/ fully released] on Steam with Linux support '''Shufflepuck Cantina Deluxe''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/259510/ fully released] on Steam with Linux support '''Signal Ops''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/257770 fully released] for Steam on Linux '''Sparkle 2: EVO''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/253650/ fully released on Steam] with Linux support '''Surgeon Simulator''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/233720/ fully released] on Steam with Linux support '''Tales of Maj'Eyal''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/259680/ fully released] on Steam with Linux support '''Teslagrad''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/249590/ fully released] on Steam with Linux support '''The 7th Guest''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/255920/ released] on Steam with Linux support '''Towns''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/221020/ fully released] on Steam with Linux support '''Verdun''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/242860/ released] on Steam Early Access with Linux Support '''Violett''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/257830/ fully released] on Steam with Linux support '''Waking Mars''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/227200/ fully released] on Steam with Linux support '''ZigFrak''' - [http://store.steampowered.com/app/259430/ fully released] on Steam with Linux support ----- === Confirmed plans for Linux support === '''''Greenlit titles with evidence that their devs have made definite plans for a Linux port''''' . '''99 Levels To Hell''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/92942433/648811852469943198/#c648812849455706154 &quot;Do want to be my tester? I can send you build next week :)&quot;] '''7 Days to Die''' - Linux support confirmed on [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/7daystodie/7-days-to-die-zombie-survival-game Kickstarter] page '''8BitMMO''' - Linux support listed on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=91603837 Greenlight] page '''Abducted''' - Linux supported stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=146323173 Greenlight] page '''AdventureOS''' - Linux support listed on [http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/adventuros Indiegogo] page and on Greenlight page. '''After Reset RPG''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=188581648 Greenlight] page '''Against the Wall''' - Linux support on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=102760280 Greenlight] page '''A Mass of Dead''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=109535352 Greenlight] page '''Among the Sleep''' - [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/krillbite/among-the-sleep?ref=card &quot;It will definitely be released for PC, MAC &amp; Linux&quot;] '''Arcane Worlds''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=180019523 Greenlight] page '''Armed!''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=92972439 Greenlight] page '''Armikrog''' - Linux support confirmed on [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/armikrog/armikrog Kickstarter] page '''A.N.N.E.''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=122461670 greenlight] page '''Asylum''' - Linux supported confirmed on [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/agustincordes/asylum-kickstart-the-horror?ref=card Kickstarter] page '''Black Annex''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=112030991 Greenlight] page '''Blood of the Werewolf''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=133210361 Greenlight] page '''Bloom: Memories''' - Linux support indicated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=192410456 Greenlight] page '''Broforce''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/93927889/846955554730972248/ &quot;We will definitely have a Linux and Mac version available on release.&quot;] '''C-Wars''' - Linux support confirmed on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=132003118 Greenlight] page. Non-Steam Demo out already on Linux. '''Candle''' - Linux support confirmed on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=161068536 Greenlight] page '''Cannons Lasers Rockets''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=120739291 Greenlight] page '''Cardinal Quest II''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=92846471 Greenlight] page '''Castaway Paradise''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=92883175 Greenlight] page '''Centration''' - [http://www.centration.co/forum/archive/index.php?thread-47.html &quot;I can confirm that we will now be releasing Centration on Windows, Mac, and Linux.&quot;] '''Claire''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=175717656 Greenlight] page. '''Chasm''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/116879147/810923021610387104/#c846962627051123934 &quot;Mac and Linux are already supported :)&quot;] '''Chroma Squad''' - Linux support confirmed on [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1893273284/chroma-squad-manager-game-with-japanese-style-supe Kickstarter] page '''Chuck's Challenge 3D''' Linux support listed on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=92968847 Greenlight] page '''Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller''' - [http://www.desura.com/games/cognition-episode-1-the-hangman/page/4#comments &quot;Yes, we want to port the game to Linux...&quot;] and [http://steamcommunity.com/app/242780/discussions/1/846965056700884118/#c846965056701286421 more confirmation of plans] '''Constant C''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=119528550 &quot;It is currently being ported to Mac and Linux&quot;] '''continue?9876543210''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=195070484 Greenlight] page '''Conversion''' &quot;..when Portal 2 will be ported on Linux, Conversion will also support Linux.&quot; (from [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=188186007 Greenlight page comments], 2nd December 2013 '''Cornerstone, The song of Tyrim''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=181714113 Greenlight] page '''Cradle''' - [http://www.ubuntuvibes.com/2012/02/cradle-new-adventure-game-with-stunning.html Ubuntu Vibes article] '''Crashtastic''' - [https://www.facebook.com/CrashtasticTheGame/posts/409420782432691 &quot;Unity announces support for Linux! So.... Crashtastic now announces upcoming support for Linux!&quot;] '''Crimsonland''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=93065738 Greenlight] page <s>'''Crystal Kingdom''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=103963329 Greenlight] page.</s> Removed from GL due to copyright dispute '''Cube and Star: A Love Story''' - Linux support mentioned on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=149257747 Greenlight] page '''Darkwood''' - &quot;[http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=131900947 If our crowdfunding campaign is successful - PC, Mac and Linux.&quot; (it was)] '''Dead Cyborg''' - Linux support listed on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=92960780 Greenlight] page. Non-Steam version (Episode 1) available from [http://deadcyborg.com/download.html site] '''Deathfire: Ruins of Nethermore''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=194658557 Greenlight] page '''Death Road to Canada''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=173687938 Greenlight] page '''Delver's Drop''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=124366711 Greenlight] page '''Dex''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=194346841 Greenlight] page '''Distance''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=103111305 &quot;Distance will be released for Windows, Mac, and Linux.&quot;] '''Dragon's Lair''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/app/227380/discussions/0/810924774427223517/#c846961716492973883 &quot;We had confirmation from Digital Leisure via email that a native port will be coming.&quot;] '''Draw a Stickman: EPIC''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=105862204 Greenlight] page. '''DreadOut''' - [http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/dreadout Indiegogo page with demo and mentions of Linux] '''Dreamfall Chapters: The Longest Journey''' - [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/redthread/dreamfall-chapters-the-longest-journey?ref=card &quot;The game will be available for Windows PC, Mac and Linux.&quot;] '''Drifter''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=136694267 Greenlight] page '''DwarfCorp''' - Linux support as attained [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1078333633/dwarfcorp?ref=card stretch goal on Kickstarter] '''Dysis''' - Linux support stated on [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/330858688/dysis?ref=card Kickstarter] and Greenlight page. '''Eador. Masters Of The Broken World''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=93959913 Greenlight] page. Releases [http://www.gamingonlinux.com/articles/eador-masters-of-the-broken-world-will-still-come-to-linux.2342 delayed] '''Edge of Space''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/app/238240/discussions/0/846958223131256874/#c846958223145980912 &quot;Mac and Linux are both planned later on...&quot;] '''Escape Goat 2''' - &quot;Linux and Mac ports will be one of the top priorities after launch. Linux especially...&quot; ([http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=151577556 Greenlight page] comments, Aug 2nd) '''Eschalon: Book III''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=169792578 Greenlight] page '''Estranged: Act 1''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=172821843 Greenlight] page '''Fading Hearts''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=93013043 Greenlight] page '''Fran Bow''' - Linux support mentioned on [http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/fran-bow-a-very-creepy-point-click-adventure-game Indiegogo] page. '''Frozen Endzone''' - [http://gamingonlinux.com/articles/frozen-endzone-from-mode-7-announced.1842/page=1 Linux support planned] '''Fantasy Grounds Virtual RPG Tabletop''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=97590652 Greenlight] page '''Festival of Magic''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=179481010 Greenlight] page '''Fistful of Frags''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=93169935 &quot;Linux support will be added once greenlit&quot;] '''Flowstorm''' - Linux support listed on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=92912207 Greenlight] page '''FootLOL: Epic Fail League''' - Linux support listed on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=158556668 Greenlight] page '''Forge Quest''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/145308081/810924774404456291/#c846963165428915868 &quot;However, the requests for a linux version are not falling upon deaf ears..&quot;] '''FOTONICA''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=109260745 Greenlight]. Already has a Linux port available (not on Steam) '''Freedom Fall''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=137699658 Greenlight] page '''Frogatto &amp; Friends''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=181850301 Greenlight] page '''Full Bore''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=145273589 Greenlight] page '''Girls Like Robots''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=108824368 Greenlight] page '''GoD Factory: Wingmen''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=134884522 Greenlight] page '''Gravi''' - Linux support confirmed on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=130964833 Greenlight] page. Already released for Linux on Desura '''Grimind''' - Linux support confirmed on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=92989244 Greenlight] page '''Guise of the Wolf''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=122741932 Greenlight] page '''Guns N Zombies''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=158853223 Greenlight] page '''Guts''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=92921746 Greenlight] page '''Half-Life 2: Capture the Flag''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/145097394/792923683597792830/#c792923684262008945 &quot;Work is in progress..&quot;] '''Harvest''' - Linux support listed on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=153061153 Greenlight] page '''High Stangeness''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=131147927 Greenlight] page '''Hot Tin Roof: The Cat That Wore A Fedora''' - Linux support stated on [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/meganfox/hot-tin-roof-the-cat-that-wore-a-fedora?ref=card Kickstarter] '''Huntsman: The Orphanage''' - &quot;YES, Huntsman: The Orphanage will be released on PC, MAC &amp; LINUX!&quot; (in [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=92956803 Greenlight page comments] - 27th March) '''Hyper Light Drifter''' - Linux support stated on [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1661802484/hyper-light-drifter?ref=card Kickstarter] and Greenlight pages. '''Ichi''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=91640137 Greenlight] page '''Imagine Nations''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=196700310 Greenlight] page '''Infinity Wars Animated Trading Card Game''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=105974257 Greenlight] page '''Interference''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=192050881 Greenlight] page '''Interstellar Marines''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/app/236370/discussions/0/864972399883276884/#c864976837909802304 &quot;Yep, there will be linux support, which is something we've always been committed to.&quot;] '''Jets'n'Guns''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=109369937 Greenlight] page. Has old LGP port. '''J.U.L.I.A. Enhanced Edition''' - Linux support mentioned on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=122116943 Greenlight] page '''Kingdom Rush''' - Linux supported stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=96030044 Greenlight] page '''KRAUTSCAPE''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=137985019 Greenlight] page '''Lacuna Passage''' - Linux support confirmed on [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tylerowen/lacuna-passage Kickstarter] page. '''Legend of Eisenwald''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/app/246760/discussions/0/792923683765439626/ &quot;Yes, porting is planned after we release the PC version of the game.&quot;] '''Legend of the Knightwasher''' - Linux support listed on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=92998873 Greenlight] page '''Liege''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=155744190 Greenlight] page '''Light''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=173437134 Greenlight] page '''Lilly Looking Through''' - Linux support listed on [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/516151670/lilly-looking-through-an-animated-adventure-game?ref=card Kickstarter] page. '''Little Racers STREET''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=92919295 Greenlight] page '''Lords of Discord''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=183408173 Greenlight] page '''Lords of Xulima''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=128219358 Greenlight] page '''Loren The Amazon Princess''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=92923628 Greenlight] page <s>'''Lost Story: The Last Days of Earth''' - Linux support listed on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=93049407 Greenlight] page.</s> removed off Greenlight at present '''Luminesca''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=133911386 Greenlight] page '''Magicite''' - Linux support stated on [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/seanyoung/magicite-a-multiplayer-rpg-platformer?ref=card Kickstarter] and Greenlight page '''Maia''' - Linux support stated on [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/simonroth/maia Kickstarter] page. More information from dev [http://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/1jz8he/15_more_games_greenlit_on_steam_nearly_all_of/ posting on this subreddit] '''Major Mayhem''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=92569681 Greenlight] page '''Mansion Lord''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=195986509 Greenlight] page '''McDroid''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=124474874 Greenlight] page. Has had Linux version on Desura forever. '''McPixel''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/app/220860/discussions/0/846945955379188536/#c846956269285206617 &quot;It will come! I promise! Gimme some time! :)&quot;] '''MechKnight Chronicles: Knightfall''' - Linux support mentioned on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=137877429 Greenlight] page '''Metal War Online''' - Cross-platform support mentioned as [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/updates/130862631/1381391107 Greenlight update] '''Mines of Mars''' - Linux support mentioned on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=163620485 Greenlight] page '''Mobloid''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=106956892 &quot;Mac and Linux version coming soon!&quot;] '''Modulate''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=199743507 Greenlight] page '''Molten Sky''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=93303247 Greenlight] page '''Monochroma''' - Linux support confirmed on [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/445804219/monochroma?ref=card Kickstarter] page. Linux demo already available. '''Mr Bree+''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=141387716 Greenlight] page '''Narcissu''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=191616515 Greenlight] page '''Nekro''' - Linux support confirmed on [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/343838885/nekro Kickstarter] page '''Neverending Nightmares''' - [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/infinitap/neverending-nightmares?ref=card &quot;We are now releasing SIMULTANEOUSLY on Windows, Mac, Linux, and Ouya!&quot;] '''Nightmares from the Deep: The Cursed Heart''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=175137058 Greenlight] page '''No Heroes''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=102544767 Greenlight] page '''Octodad: Dadliest Catch''' - Linux supported stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=92915329 Greenlight] page '''Of Guards and Thieves''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=146300701 Greenlight] page '''Oniken''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=92937904 &quot;Oniken is available for Windows, Mac and Linux!&quot;] '''Operation Black Mesa''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/133377565/810920513816820884/#c810920513822928373 &quot;We would try to deliver it for both, MAC and Linux in case we get Greenlit.&quot;] (previously listed under Linux) '''ORBITOR''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=93038122 Greenlight] page '''Organic Panic''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=163701180 Greenlight] page '''Out of the Park Baseball 14''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=187793029 Greenlight] page '''Paper Sorcerer''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=196265145 Greenlight] page '''Papers, Please''' - [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOJkoQywPZA&t=7m0s &quot;..next, I need to port this to Linux...&quot;] '''Paradise Lost: First Contact''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=190496143 Greenlight] page '''Parallax''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=108619890 Greenlight] page '''Paranautical Activity''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=93241332 &quot;The game runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux.&quot;]. Non-Steam port already available. '''Pixel Boy''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=93144574 Greenlight] page '''Pixel Piracy''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=197015198 Greenlight] page '''Planet Explorers''' - [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1757963851/planet-explorers?ref=card &quot;Linux will be very likely (we're using the Unity engine, so it's a given, but we're testing this next week to be sure)&quot;]. Have Linux versions in their regular builds. '''Pool Nation''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/164893443/846959998159009991/ &quot;We are working on it as we speak!&quot;] '''Potatoman Seeks the Troof''' - Linux build exists (though no mention on Greenlight page, strangely) '''Primordia''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/app/227000/discussions/0/864973577865091067/#c864973577865320225 &quot;Yes. For now, though...&quot;] '''Private Infiltrator''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=92924211 Greenlight] page '''Probability 0''' - &quot;Linux support is coming!&quot; ([http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=100986440 Greenlight comments page], 24th Jan 2013) '''Probably Archery''' Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=186423474 Greenlight] page '''Project Black Sun''' - Linux support listed on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=93058489 Greenlight] page. Linux demo [http://starflowergames.com/projectblacksun.html available] '''Pulsar: Lost Colony''' - Linux support confirmed on [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/leafygames/pulsar-lost-colony?ref=card Kickstarter] and Greenlight pages. '''Pulse''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=136169836 Greenlight] page '''Race The Sun''' - Linux support confirmed on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=92973632 Greenlight] page. Linux port available on site. '''Race to Mars''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=148496621 Greenlight] page '''Ratz Instagib''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/147675335/810925580003545339/#c810925580012673549 &quot;..So i guess i should release it on linux too : ).&quot;] '''Rawbots''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=92987433 Greenlight] page. Linux port already available on [http://www.desura.com/games/rawbots Desura] '''Ray's the Dead''' - Linux support confirmed on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=129570281 Greenlight] page '''Rebirth''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=93614122 &quot;The game will also be deployed on Linux, when it is ready&quot;] '''Red Baron''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/updates/188200879/1382825095 &quot;Red Baron will support Linux and Steam OS.&quot;] '''Reprisal''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=141030686 Greenlight] page. Non-Steam [http://download.reprisaluniverse.com/ Linux port] already available '''Rimword''' - Linux support stated on [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tynansylvester/rimworld?ref=card Kickstarter] page '''Riot''' - Linux support confirmed on [http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/riot--4 Indiegogo] page '''Road Redemption''' - Linux support confirmed on [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/darkseasgames/road-redemption?ref=card Kickstarter] page '''Running with Rifles''' - Linux support confirmed on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=104265955 Greenlight] page. Already available on [http://www.desura.com/games/running-with-rifles Desura] '''Satellite Reign''' - Linux support confirmed on [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/5livesstudios/satellite-reign Kickstarter] page '''Saturday Morning RPG''' - Linux support confirmed on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=92921217 Greenlight] page '''Scania Truck Driving Simulator''' - Linux support confirmed on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=93085850 Greenlight] page '''Science Girls''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=92929963 Greenlight] page '''Scraps''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=197219342 Greenlight] page '''Shovel Knight''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/updates/132072322/1365369924 &quot;Linux confirmed&quot;] '''SKYJACKER''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=184306161 Greenlight] page '''Slenderman's Shadow''' - Linux support confirmed on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=110760618 Greenlight] page '''Sokobond''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=99301621 Greenlight] page. Has Linux version on site. '''Son of Nor''' - Linux support confirmed on [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/stillalivestudios/son-of-nor-the-world-is-your-weapon?ref=card Kickstarter] page '''Soul Saga''' - Linux support confirmed on [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/disastercake/soul-saga-a-j-rpg-inspired-by-playstation-classics Kickstarter] page '''SPACECOM''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=186597537 Greenlight] page '''Stanley Parable''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/app/221910/discussions/0/792923683629864763/#c792923683679830419 &quot;If it takes them too long to port the portal 2 codbase to linux I'll try to do so myself based on the tf2 source.&quot;] '''Starforge''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=104660511 Greenlight] page. Multi-platform builds are [http://steamcommunity.com/app/227680/discussions/3/864972621011812838/#c864977025782637654 somewhat delayed] '''Starmade''' - Linux support listed [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=93148867 on Greenlight page] '''Stonehearth''' - Linux support confirmed on [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1590639245/stonehearth?ref=card Kickstarter] page '''Stranded Deep''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/125252723/810923580581438153/#p3 We're looking to release SD before 2014 and plan to distribute for Windows, Mac, and Linux, with various controller supports.] '''Stick 'Em Up 2''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=106867829 Greenlight] page '''SUPERHOT''' - Linux support confirmed on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=177990278 Greenlight] page. '''Survive''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/163477220/846961716367271137/ &quot;Yes, I can confirm the plans to support Windows, Mac OS X and Linux...&quot;] '''Syder Arcade''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/app/252310/discussions/0/792924952409399038/?tscn=1382636250#c792924952410583736 &quot;We do not have an ETA at the moment...&quot;] '''Talisman Digital Edition''' - Linux supported listed on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=97489182 Greenlight] page, but support for platforms other than Windows not mentioned elsewhere '''The Dead Linger''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/143871106/846960628481050731/ &quot;We may actually have Mac and Linux sooner than Beta. Stay tuned! :)&quot;] '''The DyVox Sandbox''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/141728438/810923021614893623/#c846955554683761074 &quot;I will be working on the linux version as soon as I get the next multiplayer demonstration ready.&quot;] '''The Fall''' - Linux support stated on [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/189665092/the-fall-dark-story-driven-exploration-in-an-alien?ref=card Kickstarter] page '''The Fifth Day''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/176587136/846963711043385928/#c846963711081441410 &quot;Current tests are being run to check compatibility with the Linux platform, and so far it is looking good...&quot;] '''The Girl and the Robot''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=190968903 Greenlight] page '''The Last Door - Season One''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=189893958 Greenlight] page '''The Mandate''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=183136358 Greenlight] page '''The Plan''' - Linux support confirmed on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=123512321 Greenlight] page. '''The Real Texas''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=92933186 Greenlight] page '''Tower of the Gorillion''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=93024348 Greenlight] page '''Trash TV''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=93760163 Greenlight] page '''Two Brothers''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=143503892 Greenlight] page '''Undead Overlord'''- Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=183292658 Greenlight] page '''Underhell''' - [http://forums.wecreatestuff.com/index.php?/topic/76808-linuxwine/?p=126860 &quot;Source 2013 is Linux compatible, we are currently working on porting the mod to it.&quot;] '''Unearthed: Trail of Ibn Battuta''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=113720947 Greenlight] page '''UnEpic''' - [http://www.unepicgame.com/phpBB3_en/viewtopic.php?p=6509#p6509 &quot;I am planning to do a native version for Mac and Linux.&quot;] '''Universum: War Front''' - Linux support stated on [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/starworksart/universum-war-front-fps-rts-moba-rpg-in-one-space?ref=card Kickstarter] page '''Vanguard Princess''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=187111395 Greenlight] page '''Vox''' - [http://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/1nm3q4/32_new_games_greenlit_nearly_half_are_confirmed/ccjxr2z &quot;I am totally dedicated to brining Linux (and Mac) support to Vox and was merely waiting until the game was further in development before offering this.&quot;] '''War for the Overworld''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/app/230190/discussions/0/846963165417360408/#c846963165417592238 &quot;We're about 90% of the way there and intend to publish Mac and Linux BETA builds very soon&quot;] '''Warsow''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=125965803 Greenlight] page. Has been available for Linux for a long time. '''Wayward''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=151680542 Greenlight] page '''WazHack''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=92915872 Greenlight] page '''Will to Survive''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=164859338 Greenlight] page '''Wilson Chronicles''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=93079387 Greenlight] page '''Wyv and Keep''' - &quot;We promise we're working on the Linux version and apologize for it taking so long. We've had lots of trouble porting it, but are committed to getting it on there.&quot; (from [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=92918281 Greenlight comments page], 9th Feb 2013) '''World of Diving''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=147796137 Greenlight] page '''Worlds of Magic''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=138313793 Greenlight] page '''You Are Not The Hero''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=186021305 Greenlight] page '''Zombie Grinder''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=92921232 Greenlight] page ----- === Possible support for Linux === '''''Greenlit titles where devs have shown some interest in porting for Linux on Steam''''' . '''AirBuccaneers''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/app/223630/discussions/0/846938351173220372/#c828934424230864408 Stated Linux port before being greenlit, but now not actively working on it, but claim to still plan to make a port] '''Black Mesa''' - [http://forums.blackmesasource.com/showpost.php?p=558348&postcount=16 &quot;We will be putting our code up on github for the next release to allow people to port our game to the platforms they wish..&quot;] '''Bleed''' - [http://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/1j2lbp/greenlit_games_and_linuxdoing_well/cbap97r ..I contacted him and he said there's still a chance, but only later.] '''Blockscape''' - [http://www.blockscape.com/v2/aboutfaq/ &quot;In the future both server and client will be ported to other operating systems.&quot;] '''Bot Colony''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/160542549/846959998046854683/#c846959998141003781 &quot;We plan to make Bot Colony available on additional platforms...&quot;] '''Castle Miner Z''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/173765673/846966336257329485/ &quot;If it gets on Steam I will look into it&quot;] '''CDF Ghostship''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/152031059/846955554761696522/#c846957263099103328 &quot;Hi Signaidy, there will be a linux compatible version..&quot;] '''City of Steam''' - [http://forum.r2games.com/showthread.php?64796-City-of-Steam-going-full-steam-ahead-on-Steam.-Steam-steam-steam!&p=511735&viewfull=1#post511735 &quot;and Linux is being looked into soon&quot;] '''Cloudbuilt''' - &quot;...so it is entirely possible that we can support it down the line if there is interest for a Linux version.&quot; ([http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=93065252 Greenlight page comments], 19th July 2013) '''Contrast''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/92921128/864946409136698240/#c846960628324657746 &quot;That means we probably...not have a Mac or Linux version available on launch day, but we will also most definitely look into making versions for both Mac and Linux after we ship..&quot;] '''Deadly 30''' - No information about Steam Linux, though Linux version on [http://www.desura.com/games/deadly-30 Desura]. Devs don't appear to like talking much. '''Depth Hunter''' - &quot;We have some plans about Ubunto ;) But our R&amp;D team is very busy with mobile versions. If the game will be publisher for Steam, we will produce this port.&quot; (In [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=93069545 Greenlight page comments] - 1st Feb). Has working port on [http://www.desura.com/games/depth-hunter Desura] '''Dragons and Titans''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/158660069/846958223164118081/#c846958223173538083 &quot;As Unity3D adds more Linux support its something we hope to be able to port to as well.&quot;] '''Driftmoon''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/updates/93040120/1382524104 Converting game to Unity and specifically mentions Linux..] '''Epic Battle Fantasy 4''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/133229519/810922320157984329/#c810922863438465195 &quot;I'll try to have Linux support if it's not too much trouble, but I'm not going to make any promises!&quot;] '''Eryi's Action''' - &quot;No promise, but we're looking into it and it actually looks quite promising :)&quot; ([http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=92915524 Greenlight page comments], 27th Oct 2013) '''EvilQuest''' - &quot;I am currently in the process of porting it over from XNA to Monogame which pretty much clears the path for an eventual Mac (and Linux) release.&quot; ([http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=92912835 Greenlight page comments], 12th Sept 2013) '''Evoland''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/app/233470/discussions/0/828934089806096433/#c828935361141039830 &quot;We have some plans for it in the future, but it will not be very soon&quot;] '''Exoplanet: First Contact''' - &quot;yes we consider to support Linux version in future.&quot; (in [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=93077318 Greenlight page comments] - 19th March) '''Flightless''' - &quot;We'd primarily be releasing Flightless for PC and Mac on Steam. We will then look into Linux and possibly other platforms.&quot; (from [http://www.nitrome.com/steam/flightless/#.UjriHd-leCx FAQ]) '''Folk Tale''' - Had previously stated that they would support Linux, but this has become [http://steamcommunity.com/app/224440/discussions/7/864971287485579661/ less clear] of late. '''FRACT OSC''' - &quot;We really want to do Linux, and have discussed it many, many times. The more support we get here, the better we can budget our resources to meet users wants/needs. The most requested feature is Linux and we want to do that&quot; (in [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=93104891 Greenlight page] comments) '''Freedom Planet''' - [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/galaxytrail/freedom-planet-high-speed-platform-game?ref=card &quot;Linux actually is a possibility, although..&quot;] '''Frozen Hearth''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/101934956/792924952366101556/#c666824800468798073 &quot;...it will be sales dependant. Its somthing we would like to to do.&quot;] '''Galactic Arms Race''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=120872919 &quot;yes. we are considering a port to Unity engine right now...&quot;] (Greenlight page comments, 24th Mar) '''Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/app/223220/discussions/0/864959336783102180/#p3 &quot;Mac and Linux support is on our radar...&quot;] '''Guncraft''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/app/241720/discussions/0/792923683488738581/#c792923683517701288 &quot;At some point we are hoping to port the game to use Mono.Game...&quot;] '''Homesick''' - [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/312084766/homesick?ref=card &quot;The game will come out first for PC, but if people really like the game (we hope so!), we would love to port it to other platforms, such as Linux..&quot;] '''Humans Must Answer''' - &quot;Most future plans for the game are a little up in there at the moment admittedly while we concentrate on a simple Windows release with English language. However, we do want to bring the game to Mac and Linux and will certainly look into doing that as soon as we can.&quot; (in [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=102856657 Greenlight page] comments - 21st Jan 2013) '''In Verbis Virtus''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/92931112/846942784171130941/#c846954921901967139 &quot;We are willing to make the game multiplatform, but the first version will be just on pc :)&quot;] '''Infra''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/127346274/846946775346613314/ &quot;We're intrested in Mac and Linux support, but it isn't possible with our current version of the engine. We're going to talk with Valve about it if we get greenlit.&quot;] '''iRacing.com''' - No information about Steam Linux version, but recent non-Steam version [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/129485071/810920325502742336/ built with Linux support] '''Legend of Iya''' - [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/523651724/legend-of-iya &quot;...with ports to Mac, Linux and Ouya likely to follow once the main build is finished&quot;] '''Masterspace''' - [http://www.master-space.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=36#p734 &quot;A Linux version is much more likely. If Masterspace gets on Steam, I will probably try to make a Linux version available as well.&quot;] '''Miner Wars 2081''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/app/223430/discussions/0/810919056971037182/#c810919056987948913 &quot;If there's going to be a strong interest in porting to Linux/Mac, we can provide code for MinerWars.exe.&quot;] '''No Time To Explain''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/app/227280/discussions/0/864973577768247595/#c810938811048403297 &quot;Now that SteamOS has been announced..&quot;]. Lots of dev stalling and taken (non-Steam) Linux version off site. '''Oozi: Earth Adventure''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/92915519/846960628389458554/ &quot;Possibly. Can't promise anything yet, but..&quot;] '''Our Darker Purpose''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/147390204/846954921876490755/#c846954921912692737 &quot;Linux (and Mac) are definitely the two platforms we want to port to next...&quot;] '''Project Awakened''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/126109020/810924134069406175/#c846959998019539822 &quot;We aren't ruling out anything, including Linux support, at this time.&quot;] '''Ring Runner - Flight of the Sages''' - [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1829438086/ring-runner-flight-of-the-sages?ref=card &quot;...if the game is successful, we have every intent to make it available to Mac and Linux users.&quot;] '''Risk of Rain''' - [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/riskofrain/risk-of-rain &quot;While we're planning on both releasing a Mac and Linux version...&quot;] '''Rogue's Tale''' - &quot;Linux support will be added assuming this goes through.&quot; ([http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=117315164 Greenlight page comments], 10th Jan 2013) '''Rollers of the Realm''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/136473033/810920962512092992/#c810920962514201229 &quot;We're using Unity so Linux is probably pretty easy, we just don't want to promise anything yet :)&quot;] '''Rush Bros.''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/app/234490/discussions/0/810925579925763175/#c846954921913059648 &quot;I think it's safe to say a linux version is to be expected eventually...&quot;] '''Shelter''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/139295005/810921274018115148/#c846954921825177390 Linux port depends on sales..] '''Signs of Life''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/113700247/846957366709307622/ &quot;Once we finish the 1.0 version, we'll evaluate whether there is enough demand to port over to monogame for the ability to target Mac and Linux platforms.&quot;] '''Stardew Valley''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/93285018/864951657953552863/#c864951657967512170 &quot;I haven't looked into it yet, but after the game is out...&quot;] '''Stasis''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/191404912/666824801267693421/#c648812917422948659 &quot;Guys, you can play stasis on Linux - tested with Ubuntu 13.10 Linux with Wine 1.4.1. Native support next year.&quot;] '''Strike Vector''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/155363634/846957366801491137/ I've been in contact recently with some really talented coders interested in collaborating on a possible Linux port. This discussion is at very early stage though.] '''The Novelist''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/updates/144549818/1368650594 Linux port later with Unity update] '''The Yawhg''' - [&quot;It's entirely possible! It would take a bit of reworking of the inside of the game, but it is a thing that is probably going to happen!&quot;](http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=148626431 '''Tom vs The Armies of Hell''' - Test Demo available on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=162863488 Greenlight] page, but dev not [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/162863488/846959998091957343/#c846959998092645964 100% sure at present] '''Toribash''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/150913867/846957366685517439/ &quot;There will be newer game clients for Linux in case..&quot;] but earlier discussion suggests some lack of clarity regarding a native version. '''Turbo Dismount''' -[http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/192834621/648811852298743443/#c648811852397330619 &quot;Turbo Dismount will launch first on Windows. Linux and OSX versions are possible, but we can't promise for now.&quot;] '''Underrail''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/92962826/810919057053054236/ &quot;So it's possible that as some point we will see Underrail on Linux and Mac, but that certainly won't be anytime soon and neither can I make any concrete promises regarding that.&quot;] '''(un)Lucky7''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=118625631 Greenlight] page, but has previously made the port contingent on a successful Indiegogo campaign (it wasn't) '''Valdis Story: Abyssal City''' - Information from their [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/460275866/valdis-story-abyssal-city?ref=card Kickstarter] page and a [http://endlessfluff.com/forum/index.php?action=printpage;topic=161.0 forum post] suggests they are planning / working on a Linux port. '''Vector''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/123488964/810922320147622914/#c810923580606813900 &quot;We would definitely want to make Linux version, though...&quot;] '''Void Destroyer''' - [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1718477862/void-destroyer?ref=card &quot;The game engine is written in such a way that allows for porting to other platforms...&quot;] '''Wayfarer: The Outer Reaches''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/138262604/810923580565132266/ &quot;Definitely a possibility...&quot;] '''Wildfire Worlds''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/141073402/810923021603674596/#c810923021605675990 &quot;We are planning a Linux version. The game uses Unity so it shouldn't be much of an issue.&quot;] '''Zombeer''' - &quot;We want ... but we're not 100% sure yet. Please stay tuned..&quot; ([http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=93088563 Greenlight page comments], 30th Oct 2013) ----- === Linux Support uncertain or unlikely === '''''Greenlit titles where little or no information is given about a Linux port, have no plans or situation makes a port unlikely''''' . '''9.03m''' - No information about Linux support. Uses UDK. '''12TailsOnline''' - No information about Linux support <s>'''1953 - KGB Unleashed''' - no information available about possible Linux support</s> Removed off Greenlight, though released on Steam '''99 Spirits''' - No information about Linux support '''A Hat in Time''' - [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jonaskaerlev/a-hat-in-time-3d-collect-a-thon-platformer?ref=card &quot;Unfortunately our game engine, Unreal Development Kit (UDK), doesn't support Linux natively!&quot;] '''A Walk in the Dark''' - No information about ports from site, Greenlight page or Twitter. Though devs don't seem to be saying anything at all of late.. '''A-Train9''' No information about possible ports on site or Greenlight page '''Afterfall InSanity Extended Edition''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/app/224420/discussions/0/846940249060898068/#c846940249062048935 &quot;unfortunatey not at this moment :(..&quot;]. No indication that this has changed since. '''Agarest: Generations of War''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/app/237890/discussions/0/864980009920060547/#c864980103802941405 &quot;I'm afraid there are no plans to at the moment.&quot;] '''Age of Wushu''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=99247006 &quot;Age of Wushu is a PC only title at this time. Specs and other information will be released at a later time.&quot;]. No news since. '''Alien Swarm FP''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/158881815/846958724697888500/#c846958724705295365 Uses a different version of the Source SDK that's available for Linux] '''Alpha Kimori™ Great Doubt™''' - No mention of Linux (or anything but 'PC' on Greenlight page or site) '''Angry Video Game Nerd Adventures''' - No information about ports from Facebook or Greenlight page '''AQUA KITTY - Milk Mine Defender''' - No indication of Linux support from site or Greenlight page '''Artemis Spaceship Bridge Simulator''' - [http://www.artemis.eochu.com/?page_id=9 FAQ] suggests using Wine and no plans for port '''Assetto Corsa''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/128612208/846945955412447449/#c846946588492593306 &quot;Unfortunately we are a very small team...&quot;] '''Automation: The Car Company Tycoon Game''' - [https://www.facebook.com/AutomationGame/posts/327962780553780 &quot;FAQ: Automation is for Windows PC only - no Mac or Linux versions are planned (though we'll try to make it play nicely with Wine if possible)&quot;] '''Avan Story''' - No indication of Linux support from Greenlight page '''Ballpoint Universe: Infinite''' - No info about Linux support though Unity3D based, so may be possible '''Bardbarian''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/194516287/648811852298817444/#c648811852373521665 &quot;Unfortunately not :( We really wish we could, but this is built with Adobe AIR..&quot;] '''Battle Fortress Tortoise''' - No indication either way, but Unreal based, so would seem unlikely '''Battle Nations''' - absolutely no indications either way as to future Linux support on site or Greenlight page. '''Beast Boxing Turbo''' - No information regarding Linux but Unity3D based, so may be possible '''Beware Planet Earth!''' - No indication of Linux support from Greenlight page or site '''Black Gold Onine''' - no dev discussion of Linux support evident on site, greenlight or facebook pages '''BlackSoul''' - No indication of Linux support from Greenlight page or site '''Blackspace''' - possibility of Linux port mentioned on their [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1035580424/blackspace-plan-dig-defend-survive?ref=card Kickstarter] page, if successful. They weren't. '''Blockland''' - Even a Linux server port seems [http://blockland.us/FAQ.html#e unlikely] '''Bloody Trapland''' - No information about ports from Greenlight page or site. '''Bollywood Wannabe''' - No information about possible ports from greenlight page or site '''Bridge It''' - no firm indication either way with regards to a port, but dev's attitude towards a [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/109414835/828923944450476153/ Mac] port and makes a Linux port seem unlikely '''Bugbear Entertainment's Next Car Game''' - [http://community.bugbeargames.com/index.php?topic=682.msg8506#msg8506 &quot;No, sorry, just the Windows PC for now. We'll look into Linux if there's enough demand.&quot;] '''Bunny Must Die! Chelsea and the 7 Devils''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/app/250660/discussions/0/864980153133684703/#c864980153134387187 &quot; It's not impossible to port it but it would require replacing pretty much the entire graphics, audio, and input engines&quot;] '''Cabal Online''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/159372296/846959520865172593/#c846959520873004401 &quot;at this time, there are no plans for Linux or Mac versions&quot;] '''Call of Cthulhu: The Wasted Land''' - No information about ports from site, Greenlight page or Twitter. '''Captain Morgane and The Golden Turtle''' - No information regarding possible ports to Linux '''Castle In The Darkness''' - No information regarding possible ports '''City Car Driving''' - [http://citycardriving.com/component/kunena/?func=view&catid=5&id=13639#13651 &quot;No it will not [support Ubuntu]. Unfortunately the game only supports Windows&quot;] '''Clang''' - [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/260688528/clang?ref=card &quot;We hope so, but we will only commit to it if we get at least $800,000...&quot;]. They didn't. Concerns regarding post packaging Unity support. '''Colonies Online''' - No information about Linux support '''Coma:Mortuary''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/190083541/666824800773013588/#c666824800785688861 &quot;Unfortunately we do not have such an opportunity....&quot;] '''Company of Heroes: Eastern Front''' - mod of CoH, which is unlikely to be ported '''Consortium''' - Currently only Windows, but [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/idgi/consortium-0?ref=card other platforms are a possiblity later on] '''Craft The World''' - nothing, not a sausage. Dev doesn't like communicating much. '''Critical Point : Incursion''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/92955708/648811852469824066/ &quot;Indeed for now we will only be supporting PC...&quot;] '''Croixleur''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/updates/114203390/?p=2 &quot;As of now, we’ve no plans to support any OS’s besides Windows, but..&quot;] '''C-RUSH''' - No information about ports on Greenlight page or site '''Cry of Fear''' - [http://www.cry-of-fear.com/forum/index.php?topic=3127.msg64029#msg64029 Older page about Mac support]. Uses older version of HL1 engine and devs seem to have no plans to update it. '''Damned''' - [http://www.desura.com/games/damned/page/39#commentreply &quot; That's why we are trying to get a feel of how many people would like a linux version...&quot;]. No comment since. '''Darkfall Unholy Wars''' - No information about ports from site, Greenlight page or Twitter. '''Darkout''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/98158224/810924774502578153/ &quot;The game engine (Torque2D) is not Linux compatible..&quot;] '''Dawn of Fantasy: Kingdom Wars''' - No information available, though there will be no Mac port.. '''Day One : Garry's Incident''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/app/242800/discussions/0/864979375719573721/#c864979455199807767 &quot;If our sale are great, we will work to port the game.&quot;] '''Dead State''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/133292152/810920962514136163/#c810921274061818930 Looks highly unlikely given their Kickstarter page] '''Dead Trigger''' - Unity-based, but no word from devs '''Deadly Premonition: The Director's Cut''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/160687506/846959362254211280/#p1 &quot;Nothing to discuss about bringing it to Mac/Linux.&quot;] '''Death Inc''' - Originally planned for Linux, but whole game was [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/125368312/810923580590860909/ shelved] '''Death Road''' - no indication of Linux support '''Dino Run SE''' - Nothing mentioned, though a non-Steam Linux port is available from their [http://www.pixeljam.com/dinorunse/ site] '''Divekick''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/132842911/810923580648297157/#c810924134063463820 &quot;...but currently did not have plans for it.] '''DLC Quest''' - no replies to existing queries about Linux support '''Doctor Who: The Adventure Games''' - no suggestion of cross-platform support '''Dragons' Odyssey''' - no indication of Linux support from Greenlight page '''DRAKERZ-Confrontation''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/196406286/648812305013694674/#c648812305200424736 &quot;nope, only pc at the moment &quot;] '''Dream''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/app/229580/discussions/0/864976837888421401/#c864976837888577272 &quot;At the moment Linux is a no.. But never say never&quot;] '''Dungeon Dashers''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/92990904/810921273973569002/#c810921273991107439 &quot;...The libraries that the game was created with make it difficult to port to other systems.&quot;] '''Dusty Revenge''' - no infomation available about possible ports '''E.T. Armies''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/178807065/846964801612597531/#c846964801620777160 &quot;To be honest, we DO want to do that but unfortunately since we are working on UDK right now, it seems not possible..&quot;] '''Eden Star''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/updates/166966729/?p=2 &quot;However due to restrictions with the engine Linux is highly improbable&quot;] '''EF-12 - 3D FTG Maker''' - No indication of Linux support '''Eleusis''' - uses [http://www.eleusisgame.com/ &quot;technology of the Unreal engine&quot;] and no response to queries, so appears unlikely. '''Elsword''' - No information about ports from site, Greenlight page or Twitter. '''Enamel''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/94727945/864950841101685518/#c810922320212952956 &quot;We'd love to, but...&quot;] '''Enola''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/92687143/648811852469245873/#c648811852661330280 &quot;Since we are using UDK and Epic hasn't said anything about supporting Linux..&quot;] '''Ether One''' - [http://www.whitepapergames.com/blog/2013/04/02/688/ &quot;Currently the game is being developed with UDK which cannot be used for Linux builds...&quot;] '''Everworld Island''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/180005836/846965056767088713/ &quot;Unfortunately a Linux version is not planned for release..&quot;] <s>'''Faceless''' - questions about ports are referred to the [http://facelessgame.com/faqs.php FAQ] which states that Windows is the only platform to be supported</s> Removed off GL at present '''Fibrillation''' - [http://egorrezenov.com/#comment-36 &quot;This version is only a win, try the demo to run under wine&quot;] '''Final Rush''' - no indication of Linux support on Greenlight page '''Fly'n''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/app/223730/discussions/0/846944689701464681/#c846944689702062837 &quot;Not at all I'am sorry. There is no plan for a linux, mac or console version&quot;] '''Forge''' - [http://www.playforgewar.com/forums/index.php?/topic/2625-linux-version-please/#entry49131 &quot; A port to OSX would be cheaper than a port to Linux for us - I just don't see a Linux port being cost-effective soon.&quot;] '''Fortress Forever''' - [http://forums.fortress-forever.com/showthread.php?t=24157 Old forum posting showing interest in a port, but needing developer time and no news as yet] '''Gimbal''' - no information about multi-platform on Steam or on their own site '''Global Outbreak''' - no indication of Linux support. Devs pretty quiet generally. '''Gnomoria''' - [http://gnomoria.com/faq/ &quot;Gnomoria is being developed for Windows.&quot;]. Any efforts to get it working on Linux have been [http://forums.gnomoria.com/index.php?topic=1255.30 through Wine] '''Go! Go! Nippon!''' - no indication of Linux support from Greenlight page '''Grapple''' - no indication of Linux support from Greenlight page '''Gray Matter''' - no mention of Linux support on Greenlight page or site '''Gridiron Solitaire''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/195337612/648811852425911256/#c648811852547646257 &quot;krusT, I'm sorry, but GS is a WPF application..&quot;] '''Grimm''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/163244574/846959998140914837/#c846960628199807154 &quot;It's just that we're not yet certain if we can support Linux with this particular game.&quot;] '''Guerrilla Bob''' - no mention of Linux support on Greenlight page '''Gunman Clive''' - no information regarding Linux support on Greenlight page or Twitter '''Gun Disassembly 2''' - Multi-platform support, but no mention of Linux support on Greenlight or Kickstater pages '''GunZ 2: The Second Duel''' - no replies to existing queries about Linux support '''Half-Life: Before''' - Some mention of possibly testing on Linux (as based on Half-Life 1) in Mar 2013, but nothing since on Greenlight or site '''Haunted''' - no indication of ports from their page or from pages of their existing games. Furthermore, the devs went bankrupt. '''Hero of the Kingdom''' - No information about Linux support '''Heroes &amp; Generals''' - [http://www.heroesandgenerals.com/community/game/faq#q19 &quot;We may look into making Heroes &amp; Generals available for other operating systems...&quot;] '''Higurashi When They Cry''' - no information on site or on greenlight page '''Holy Avatar vs. Maidens of the Dead''' - No information about Linux support '''Hoodwink''' - &quot;..and so far no plans for the Mac/Linux but there might be in the future.&quot; (from [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=92904177&searchtext=hoodwink Greenlight] page comments, 17th Sept) '''Hypovolemia''' - Alien Swarm based mod '''I Shall Remain''' - [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJO9929IjdI Very determined sounding video about Linux support, but old and nothing since] '''Ikaruga''' - No mention of cross-platform support on Greenlight page or their Twitter '''Incredipede''' - developer is unable to bring to Steam Linux citing problems with Adobe Air, but has put a [http://www.incredipede.com/linux.html full version] of the Linux port on his site for free. '''Influx''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/92911221/846959998158871588/#c846959998161384355 &quot;Sorry, nope. UDK doesn't support Linux...&quot;] '''Inquisitor''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/app/241620/discussions/0/864975632482065873/#c864976115206683722 &quot;Unfortunately, I'm sure there won't be a Linux port.&quot;] '''International Racing Squirrels''' - no indication of Linux support '''Iron Soul''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/157342473/846958223062229488/#c846958223100708690 &quot; The game is currently only runs on Windows and Mac.&quot;] '''Jacob Jones and the Bigfoot Mystery''' - No indication either way, but Unreal based, so would seem unlikely '''Kenshi''' - [http://www.lofigames.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=1853&p=16708&hilit=linux#p15008 &quot;Nope, the only natively supported os will be windows...&quot;] '''Kingdoms Rise''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/156111020/846958223062174298/ &quot;Kingdoms Rise is being developed on Unreal Engine 3 which does not directly support linux...&quot;] '''Kingz Online''' - No indication of Linux support '''Kopatel Online''' - no indications of Linux support '''La-Mulana''' - [http://la-mulana.com/en/blog/steam-version-released.htf%20I'd%20done%20it%20as%20a%20link%20I%20could've%20been%20a%20few%20steps%20closer%20to%20being%20able%20to%20purchase%20a%20branded%20raml/comment-page-1#comment-3496 No plans or resources to port] '''La Tale''' - No indication of Linux support from Greenlight page or Twitter '''Last Knight''' - no information, but built on Unreal engine, so would seem unlikely '''Legends of Dawn''' - vague plans from the [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/522716131/legends-of-dawn?ref=card Kickstarter] page, but nothing since. '''Lost Saga''' - no information regarding Linux support '''Lost Sector Online''' - no indication of Linux ports from Greenlight page or their own site '''Ludwig''' - no indications of Linux support '''Malevolence''' - [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/malevolence/malevolence-the-infinite-rpg?ref=card &quot;Currently it's a PC only title.&quot;] '''Masters of the World''' - No indication of Linux support '''Melody's Escape''' - &quot;I will consider other platforms once the game is released on PC, if the income allows me to continue working on games.&quot; ([http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=92913194 Greenlight page comments], May 20th 2013) '''Miasmata''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/92915716/864946671958324151/#c846943082480808826 &quot;Probably no Linux version I'm afraid. It'd be cool to support Linux, but..&quot;] '''Mitsurugi Kamui Hikae''' - No indication of Linux support '''Monster Shooter™''' - No indication of Linux support '''Montas''' - no information, but built on Unreal engine, so would seem unlikely '''Mortal Online: The Awakening''' - no information regarding ports, but seems unlikely due to lack of Linux support with the game's engine '''Motor Rock''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/190229333/666824800507408228/ &quot;Now, porting of the game is not planned. We just have a very small team :(&quot;] '''Mount Your Friends''' - no information regarding Linux support '''Muffin Knight''' - no indication of Linux support '''Mutant Mudds''' - No information about ports from site, Greenlight page or Twitter. '''NaissanceE''' - No information, though state no plans for Mac and it's UDK based so looking unlikely '''Neighbours from Hell Compilation''' - No information about port on Greenlight page or Twitter. No response to queries '''NEOTOKYO°''' - No information about ports from site, Greenlight page or Twitter '''NEStalgia''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/92588954/846955554686781578/#c846955554710747917 &quot;Unfortunately the engine that this game is built upon is solely Windows based..&quot;] '''Nightrealm Tales''' - little information, some hints on old [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1660691250/nightrealm-tales-fantasy-fps/ Kickstarter] page '''OddPlanet''' - no information about Linux support '''Of Light &amp; Shadow''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/102460005/864948300050482638/ &quot; Sry guys, there won't be a Linux build of the game&quot;] '''Omegalodon''' - [https://twitter.com/NorthOfEarth/status/381878228119343104 &quot;No Linux plans yet because I would need to purchase a lot more licenses and equipment.&quot;] '''One Finger Death Punch''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/153611372/846965056745596743/ &quot; A Linux and Mac version is unlikely because of the complications of XNA..&quot;] '''Orc Attack: Flatulent Rebellion''' - no information about Linux support '''Out There Somewhere''' - no indication of Linux support '''Panzer Corps Wehrmacht''' - no indication of Linux support '''Paper Monsters''' - no information about Linux support '''Paranormal''' - Some [http://steamcommunity.com/app/246300/discussions/2/864979008709329685/#c864978835564214228 indications] that the dev is considering a Linux port '''Perpetuum''' - No information about ports from Greenlight page. Site links to a Linux version, but it's a custom [http://www.codeweavers.com/via/perpetuum Crossover] page. '''Pinball Arcade''' - support for almost every current platform, except Linux, on [http://pinballarcadefans.com/showthread.php/194-Latest-NEWS-And-INFORMATION-From-FarSight-Studios-Concerning-The-Pinball-Arcade forum posting] '''Pirate Galaxy''' - &quot;For now, Pirate Galaxy is exclusive to the Windows PC. We might expand to Mac OS and Linux in the future.&quot; (From [http://pirategalaxy.com/en/faq FAQ] on site) '''Pitiri 1977''' - &quot;...so at the moment ther is no linux support as much as i wish there was.&quot; {[http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=91674393 Greenlight page comments], 8th Jan 2013) '''Platformines''' - no information regarding Linux support anywhere '''Poker Smash''' - no information on Steam or their site regarding multi-platform support. '''Portal Remake Mod''' - no information on Greenlight page, FB or Twitter on Linux support '''Postmortem: One must die''' - no information regarding port on site, greenlight page or Twitter. '''Project: Make''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=100108702 &quot;We intend to bring the game to multiple platforms, so Linux and OSX are both on the table. We are, however...&quot;] '''ProjectNimbus''' - no information about multi-platform support at all '''Purge''' - no information on Linux support '''Real World Racing''' - no information about ports on Greenlight page, Twitter etc '''Recruits''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/92938629/828925849337292768/#c810924774398293614 &quot;Unfortunatly, due to the restraints of Unreal Engine, a Linux versión is not planned.&quot;] '''Rekoil''' - No information about ports from site, Greenlight page or Twitter '''Residue''' - &quot;Right now we're focusing on Windows, since our resources are limited..&quot; (from Greenlight page comments, 11th Jan 2013) '''Rooks Keep''' - &quot;Alas, UDK doesn't have Linux support :(&quot; (from Greenlight page comments, 2nd July 2013) '''Routine''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/92985806/846957366690217537/#c846958223076507811 &quot;Sadly the free version of Unreal Engine 3 that we are using does not support Linux..] '''Sang-Froid - Tales of Werewolves''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/app/227220/discussions/0/810920962549917563/#c810920962549985206 &quot;Time will tell! I don't really have an answer for you other than not at the moment though...] '''SeaCraft''' - no information regards port, but Unreal engine, so unlikely. '''Secrets of Grindea''' - [http://www.secretsofgrindea.com/ &quot;As of now, it will be for the Windows platform only.&quot;] '''Shadow of the Eternals''' - cryengine-based, making Linux / Mac port very unlikely '''Shantae: Risky's Revenge''' - no mention of a Linux support on Greenlight page or site '''Shaun the Sheep - Home Sheep Home 2''' - no indication of Linux support '''Silent Storm''' - no definite information on Greenlight page or site '''Skyscraper Simulator''' - no information on Greenlight page '''Smooth Operators''' - no information regards Linux support on Greenlight or ModDB page '''Spellirium''' - &quot; Adobe dropped support for their Linux AIR wrapper back at v2.7.1 or somesuch...We just didn't want to promise a Linux version in case we couldn't pull it off, you know? (from [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=136052176 Greenlight page] comments, April 2013) '''Spintires''' - [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/358753914/spintires-the-ultimate-off-road-challenge?ref=card &quot;Available for WINDOWS only.&quot;] '''Starship Corporation''' - only mention of Windows support on Greenlight, forums, Twitter etc '''Steam Marines''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/92922196/846959998105617882/#c846961716275283374 &quot;As of right now there's no native Linux version in the works because the engine Steam Marines is being built with is Pc/Mac only...] '''Sub Rosa''' - no indication of Linux support '''Suguri Collection''' - no indication of Linux support '''Super Amazing Wagon Adventure''' - no mention of Linux support on Greenlight page, site or Twitter '''Super Chain Crusher Horizon''' - no indication of Linux support '''Super Motherload''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/110294430/846945955408290027/#c846945955413606410 &quot;It's not entirely out of the question, but our decision has to be supported by numbers.&quot;]. No update on this since February. '''Survivor Squad''' - no indication of Linux support '''sZone-Online''' - no information about ports on Greenlight page or site '''The Tale of ALLTYNEX''' - [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/nyumedia/the-tale-of-alltynex-japans-epic-shooting-game-tri?ref=card#project_faq_54998 &quot;...as much as we would like to, neither Nyu Media nor SITER SKAIN currently have the resources to port The Tale of ALLTYNEX to other platforms...&quot;] '''The Age of Decadence''' - [http://www.irontowerstudio.com/forum/index.php/topic,3348.msg104297.html#msg104297 port dependant on whether Linux port of Torque3D becomes stable] '''The Cat Lady''' - No mention of Steam Linux support and has stated no to other ports, though playable [http://www.lgdb.org/game/cat_lady outside of Steam] '''The Dark Phantom''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/152623386/846956740709484288/#c846962627068991545 &quot; i love to do this but currently we cant because..] '''The Escapists''' - [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/chrisd/the-escapist?ref=card &quot;PC only for now&quot;] '''The Forest''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/143803558/810924133951436463/#c810924134017667469 &quot;We don't currently have a linux version planned, but would really like to release one if we can get the resources to do so&quot;] '''The Impossible Game''' - no mention of Linux support on Greenlight page or site '''The Intruder''' - No information about ports from Greenlight page. Dev appears to have gone AWOL. '''The Last Phoenix''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=93905552 Uses unsupported engine] '''The Legend''' - uses CryEngine tech, so a port seems rather unlikely '''The Light''' - Unity-based, but devs have made no comment about Linux support at all '''The Red Solstice''' - no indication of Linux support '''The Sandbox''' - no indication of possible ports from Greenlight page or Twitter '''The Somme''' - no information regarding Linux support, but Unreal engine, so unlikely '''The Stomping Land''' - no indication of possible multi-platform support. '''theHunter''' - no information with regards to Linux, but as unwilling to [https://twitter.com/mlaumann/status/379267978530791424 consider Mac], it seems unlikely. '''Tiny Barbarian DX''' - vague interest at looking at Linux on [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/359201373/tiny-barbarian-dx?ref=card Kickstarter] page, but focussed on stretch goals (which didn't happen) '''Toki Remake''' - Linux not supported by their development kit '''Tower of Guns''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/132007077/810919691119502951/#c810919691140831387 &quot;...but I don't think it's gonna be able to happen for this game. Sorry :-(&quot;] '''TowerClimb''' - [http://davioware.com/forum/index.php?PHPSESSID=bd6dc1a5611486baadf8799010bbd275&topic=169.msg1485#msg1485 &quot;We aren't planning any ports..&quot;] '''U55 - END OF THE LINE''' - Has Linux as a stretch goal on their [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/u55/u55-end-of-the-line?ref=card Kickstarter], but looks unlikely to even get basic funding, no matter for Linux '''Venetica''' - no mention of Linux support on Greenlight page or site '''Victory: The Age of Racing''' - No indication of Linux support '''Villagers and Heroes''' - Linux support stated on [http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=143799783 Greenlight] page '''Viscera Cleanup Detail''' - no information available regarding a Linux port. '''War of the Human Tanks''' - no indication of multi-platform support '''War Thunder''' - No conclusive information about ports from site or Steam page '''WARMACHINE: Tactics''' - [http://www.warmachinetactics.com/#!faq/czk5 &quot;After researching this, we have determined that the cost of porting a game built with UE4 to Linux is prohibitively expensive for a game of this budget..&quot;] '''Wheels of Destruction''' - no indication of Linux support '''Wings of Vi''' - No information regarding Linux support '''WorldShift''' - No information regarding Linux support '''Wrack''' - [http://www.wrackgame.com/forums/showthread.php?453-For-any-non-windows-users&p=1274&viewfull=1#post1274 Doesn't look very positive] '''WWII Online: Battleground Europe''' - no native port or plans stated for Linux for last 12 years '''XING: The Land Beyond''' - [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1781324918/xing-the-land-beyond?ref=card &quot;...is currently being developed for PC (Windows). We are looking into other platforms, namely Mac.&quot;] '''Xsyon: Prelude''' - no information about Linux support '''Yogventures!''' - Unity3D based and some mention of [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/winterkewlgames/yogventures possible Linux support from the Kickstarter page] '''Zafehouse: Diaries''' - no reply from devs regards questions on Mac or Linux ports '''Zombie Tycoon 2''' - [http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/173340296/846962627070907561/#c846962627071219246 &quot;As much as we'd like to have Linux support for ZT2 at launch it is not currently planned...&quot;] '''Zombies''' - [http://www.thebignic.com/zombies/demo.php &quot;..running well on Linux and OSX under Wine but I'm not offering official support for these yet..&quot;] ----- == Statistics == As of 13th December 2013: 11.0% (61/554) have Linux ports released 37.9% (210/554) have stated definite plans to port to Linux 11.2% (62/554) have indicated that they ''may'' release a port for Linux 39.9% (221/554) have indicated no plans, that a port is uncertain or is unlikely . {| ! Update Date ! Released ! Definite ! Possible ! Uncertain / Unlikely |- | 29/08/13 | 6.8% | 37.9% | 15.6% | 39.6% |- | 19/09/13 | 7.7% | 37.3% | 15.0% | 40.0% |- | 04/10/13 | 8.6% | 37.2% | 14.1% | 40.0% |- | 16/10/13 | 9.2% | 39.9% | 11.9% | 38.9% |- | 30/10/13 | 8.3% | 39.8% | 13.3% | 38.6% |- | 15/11/13 | 9.6% | 38.4% | 12.4% | 39.6% |- | 10/12/13 | 10.2% | 38.6% | 11.2% | 39.9% |} ----- == Notes == Titles will be classified as: '''Released''' - if released on '''Steam Linux''' fully, open beta or on Steam Early Access '''Definite''' - if support is clearly stated on Greenlight page (in the platforms section or in the main blurb) ''or'' a clear statement of intent to port in relation to Linux has been made recently (i.e. less than 12 months) ''or'' if support is stated on a linked crowdfunding site '''Possible / Probable''' - if there is already a Linux port, but no stated intention to move it to Steam Linux ''or'' if a clear statement of interest in porting has been made recently (i.e. less than 12 months) ''or'' if a statement of intent to port has been made recently, but some surmountable barriers remain. '''Uncertain / Unlikely''' - if there's no clear indication of intent or interest in porting ''or'' barriers to porting would seem difficult to overcome ''or'' stated interest is old (i.e. over 12 months) ''or'' if devs have stated that they will not port to Linux or move an existing port to Steam. The information here is not likely to be complete (particularly in relation to those games where no information is given). Feel free to update information on this page - you'll need access to modifying the wiki which can be obtained by [http://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%23linux_gaming messaging the mods], though if you're a [[r/linux_gaming|/r/linux_gaming]] regular, you may already have access. Otherwise, message [[u/footissimoo|/u/footissimoo]]. f8574dd446bf9e5433c8f47b0ede4e40c6441ded 0 11 23 2022-01-15T01:22:37Z Slouchy 1 Created page with "{{Needs work|Problem=This page is heavily outdated}} = List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store = This is a list of linux games that used to be available for purchase from Steam and have had their Store listings removed. Game listings are often removed from the Steam Store due to expiring licenses, remakes and annual revisions among other reasons. The games themselves should still be available to download and play in existing owners' game libraries. '''Notice'''..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Needs work|Problem=This page is heavily outdated}} = List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store = This is a list of linux games that used to be available for purchase from Steam and have had their Store listings removed. Game listings are often removed from the Steam Store due to expiring licenses, remakes and annual revisions among other reasons. The games themselves should still be available to download and play in existing owners' game libraries. '''Notice''': This page is a Work In Progress. If you encounter any cases of games that could fit the descriptions below please make sure to add them to the list. The original listings used to startup this page were compiled by [[u/holyshitimgood|/u/holyshitimgood]] and the community in this thread [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/74fn7g/list_of_linux_games_pulled_down_from_steam/ here]. == Games not visible in the Store == These are games that were removed from the store at some point in time. {| ! Game ! Genre ! Score ! Steam Hub ! SteamDB |- | .atorb. | puzzle, action | [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/atorb none] | [https://steamcommunity.com/app/467530/ Steam Hub] | [https://steamdb.info/app/467530/ SteamDB] |- | Beasts of Prey | MMOFPS | [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/beasts-of-prey 6.3] | [https://steamcommunity.com/app/299860/ Steam Hub] | [https://steamdb.info/app/299860/ SteamDB] |- | Centration | simulation | [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/centration none] | [https://steamcommunity.com/app/243300/ Steam Hub] | [https://steamdb.info/app/243300/ SteamDB] |- | CID The Dummy | platformer | [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/cid-the-dummy none] | [https://steamcommunity.com/app/45900/ Steam Hub] | [https://steamdb.info/app/45900/ SteamDB] |- | Crunch Time! | card battle | [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/crunch-time! 6.0] | [https://steamcommunity.com/app/340550/ Steam Hub] | [https://steamdb.info/app/340550/ SteamDB] |- | Désiré | point-and click | [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/desire 6.3] | [https://steamcommunity.com/app/399700/ Steam Hub] | [https://steamdb.info/app/399700/ SteamDB] |- | DiRT Showdown | racing | [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/dirt-showdown Meta: 72, user: 5.6] | [https://steamcommunity.com/app/201700/ Steam Hub] | [https://steamdb.info/app/201700/ SteamDB] |- | Dreaming | adventure, first person | [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/dreaming none] | [https://steamcommunity.com/app/371810/ Steam Hub] | [https://steamdb.info/app/371810/ SteamDB] |- | Duke Nukem 3d: Megaton Edition | FPS | [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/duke-nukem-3d-megaton-edition 8.6] | [https://steamcommunity.com/app/225140/ Steam Hub] | [https://steamdb.info/app/225140/ SteamDB] |- | Earth: Year 2066 | FPS | [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/earth-year-2066 none] | [https://steamcommunity.com/app/290750/ Steam Hub] | [https://steamdb.info/app/290750/ SteamDB] |- | Fallen Mage | action RPG | [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/fallen-mage none] | [https://steamcommunity.com/app/548950/ Steam Hub] | [https://steamdb.info/app/548950/ SteamDB] |- | Featherpunk Prime | action adventure | [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/featherpunk-prime none] | [https://steamcommunity.com/app/492660/ Steam Hub] | [https://steamdb.info/app/492660/ SteamDB] |- | Football Manager 2014* | sports management | [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/football-manager-2014 Meta: 85, user 5.6] | [https://steamcommunity.com/app/231670/ Steam Hub] | [https://steamdb.info/app/231670/ SteamDB] |- | Football Manager 2015* | sports management | [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/football-manager-2015 Meta: 80, user 6.1] | [https://steamcommunity.com/app/295270/ Steam Hub] | [https://steamdb.info/app/295270/ SteamDB] |- | Football Manager 2016* | sports management | [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/football-manager-2016 Meta: 81, user 6.9] | [https://steamcommunity.com/app/378120/ Steam Hub] | [https://steamdb.info/app/378120/ SteamDB] |- | Football Manager Touch 2016 | sports management | [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/football-manager-touch-2016 none] | [https://steamcommunity.com/app/392790/ Steam Hub] | [https://steamdb.info/app/392790/ SteamDB] |- | Intergalactic Road Warriors | racing | [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/intergalactic-road-warriors none] | [https://steamcommunity.com/app/435210/ Steam Hub] | [https://steamdb.info/app/435210/ SteamDB] |- | Jerry McPartlin - Rebel with a Cause | adventure | [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/jerry-mcpartlin---rebel-with-a-cause none] | [https://steamcommunity.com/app/347410/ Steam Hub] | [https://steamdb.info/app/347410/ SteamDB] |- | Judge Dredd: Countdown Sector 106 | card game | [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/judge-dredd-countdown-sector-106 4.7] | [https://steamcommunity.com/app/352080/ Steam Hub] | [https://steamdb.info/app/352080/ SteamDB] |- | Keen Dreams | platformer | [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/commander-keen-keen-dreams none] | [https://steamcommunity.com/app/356200/ Steam Hub] | [https://steamdb.info/app/356200/ SteamDB] |- | Lego Minifigures Online | action | [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/lego-minifigures-online Meta: 64, user 8.4] | [https://steamcommunity.com/app/324790/ Steam Hub] | [https://steamdb.info/app/324790/ SteamDB] |- | Level 22 | action | [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/level-22-garys-misadventures none] | [https://steamcommunity.com/app/293300/ Steam Hub] | [https://steamdb.info/app/293300/ SteamDB] |- | Metro: Last Light* | FPS | [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/metro-last-light Meta: 82, user 8.6] | [https://steamcommunity.com/app/43160/ Steam Hub] | [https://steamdb.info/app/43160/ SteamDB] |- | MTB Downhill Simulator | simulation | [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/mtb-downhill-simulator none] | [https://steamcommunity.com/app/475990/ Steam Hub] | [https://steamdb.info/app/475990/ SteamDB] |- | Nebula Online | MMORPG | [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/nebula-online none] | [https://steamcommunity.com/app/368750/ Steam Hub] | [https://steamdb.info/app/368750/ SteamDB] |- | Nekro | action | [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/nekro none] | [https://steamcommunity.com/app/246400/ Steam Hub] | [https://steamdb.info/app/246400/ SteamDB] |- | Oath of Genesis | action adventure | [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/oath-of-genesis none] | [https://steamcommunity.com/app/473900/ Steam Hub] | [https://steamdb.info/app/473900/ SteamDB] |- | OreLight | RPG | [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/orelight none] | [https://steamcommunity.com/app/368790/ Steam Hub] | [https://steamdb.info/app/368790/ SteamDB] |- | Out of the Park Baseball 15* | sports | [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/out-of-the-park-baseball-15 Meta: 89, user 7.1] | [https://steamcommunity.com/app/272670/ Steam Hub] | [https://steamdb.info/app/272670/ SteamDB] |- | Out of the Park Baseball 16* | sports | [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/out-of-the-park-baseball-16 Meta: 91, user 7.9] | [https://steamcommunity.com/app/333820/ Steam Hub] | [https://steamdb.info/app/333820/ SteamDB] |- | Project Night | horror | [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/project-night 2.8] | [https://steamcommunity.com/app/333860/ Steam Hub] | [https://steamdb.info/app/333860/ SteamDB] |- | Protocol | FPS | [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/protocol none] | [https://steamcommunity.com/app/378020/ Steam Hub] | [https://steamdb.info/app/378020/ SteamDB] |- | Savage 2: A Tortured Soul* | FPS, RTS, RPG | [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/savage-2-a-tortured-soul none] | [https://steamcommunity.com/app/13700/ Steam Hub] | [https://steamdb.info/app/13700/ SteamDB] |- | Sekwere | puzzle | [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/sekwere none] | [https://steamcommunity.com/app/501720/ Steam Hub] | [https://steamdb.info/app/501720/ SteamDB] |- | Social Interaction Trainer | simulation | [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/social-interaction-trainer none] | [https://steamcommunity.com/app/519930/ Steam Hub] | [https://steamdb.info/app/519930/ SteamDB] |- | Starlight Drifter | RPG | [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/starlight-drifter none] | [https://steamcommunity.com/app/326060/ Steam Hub] | [https://steamdb.info/app/326060/ SteamDB] |- | Storm United | MMOFPS | [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/storm-united none] | [https://steamcommunity.com/app/332970/ Steam Hub] | [https://steamdb.info/app/332970/ SteamDB] |- | Superfrog HD | platformer | [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/superfrog-hd Meta: 56, user 4.4] | [https://steamcommunity.com/app/234000/ Steam Hub] | [https://steamdb.info/app/234000/ SteamDB] |- | The Powerpuff Girls: Defenders of Townsville | action | [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/the-powerpuff-girls-defenders-of-townsville 6.8] | [https://steamcommunity.com/app/274450/ Steam Hub] | [https://steamdb.info/app/274450/ SteamDB] |- | Timelines: Assault on America | strategy | [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/timelines-assault-on-america 6.1] | [https://steamcommunity.com/app/234060/ Steam Hub] | [https://steamdb.info/app/234060/ SteamDB] |- | Tower Defense Ultimate | strategy | [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/tower-defense-ultimate none] | [https://steamcommunity.com/app/488680/ Steam Hub] | [https://steamdb.info/app/488680/ SteamDB] |- | Tracks and Turrets | action | [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/tracks-and-turrets none] | [https://steamcommunity.com/app/404370/ Steam Hub] | [https://steamdb.info/app/404370/ SteamDB] |- | Uncrowded | action adventure | [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/uncrowded 1.8] | [https://steamcommunity.com/app/370100/ Steam Hub] | [https://steamdb.info/app/370100/ SteamDB] |- | War Truck Simulator | simulation | [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/war-truck-simulator none] | [https://steamcommunity.com/app/486840/ Steam Hub] | [https://steamdb.info/app/486840/ SteamDB] |- | Warhammer 40,000; Carnage Champions | RPG | [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/warhammer-40000-carnage-champions none] | [https://steamcommunity.com/app/294120/ Steam Hub] | [https://steamdb.info/app/294120/ SteamDB] |- | Wild Frontera | shooter | [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/wild-frontera none] | [https://steamcommunity.com/app/330110/ Steam Hub] | [https://steamdb.info/app/330110/ SteamDB] |} *notes: * The games in Football Manager series get taken down when a new version arrives. * Metro: Last Light was taken down to make way for [http://store.steampowered.com/app/287390/Metro_Last_Light_Redux/ Metro: Last Light Redux]. * Out of the Park Baseball games are discontinued when a new version is released. Only the last two versions are available at a time. * Savage 2 is available to download from its [http://www.savage2.com/en/download.php website] for free. == Visible but not Buyable == These games store entries are still available, but the games can't be purchased anymore. {| ! Game ! Genre ! Score ! Steam Hub ! SteamDB ! Steam Store |- | Armed and Gelatinous | action | [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/armed-and-gelatinous none] | [https://steamcommunity.com/app/446510/ Steam Hub] | [https://steamdb.info/app/446510/ SteamDB] | [http://store.steampowered.com/app/446510/Armed_and_Gelatinous/ Store] |- | Atajrubah | action adventure | [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/atajrubah none] | [https://steamcommunity.com/app/282960/ Steam Hub] | [https://steamdb.info/app/282960/ SteamDB] | [http://store.steampowered.com/app/282960/Atajrubah/ Store] |- | BloodGate | puzzle, action | [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/bloodgate none] | [https://steamcommunity.com/app/464470/ Steam Hub] | [https://steamdb.info/app/464470/ SteamDB] | [http://store.steampowered.com/app/464470/BloodGate/ Store] |- | Legends of Aethereus | action-adventure | [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/legends-of-aethereus Meta: 41, user 5.9] | [https://steamcommunity.com/app/248410/ Steam Hub] | [https://steamdb.info/app/248410/ SteamDB] | [http://store.steampowered.com/app/248410/Legends_of_Aethereus/ Store] |- | Factions: Origins of Malu | MMORPG | [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/factions-origins-of-malu none] | [https://steamcommunity.com/app/339530/ Steam Hub] | [https://steamdb.info/app/339530/ SteamDB] | [http://store.steampowered.com/app/339530/Factions_Origins_of_Malu/ Store] |- | Slash Arena: Online | RPG | [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/slash-arena-online none] | [https://steamcommunity.com/app/578120/ Steam Hub] | [https://steamdb.info/app/578120/ SteamDB] | [http://store.steampowered.com/app/578120/Slash_Arena_Online/ Store] |- | Zen Fish SIM | simulation, edutainment | [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/zen-fish-sim none] | [https://steamcommunity.com/app/321310/ Steam Hub] | [https://steamdb.info/app/321310/ SteamDB] | [http://store.steampowered.com/app/321310/Zen_Fish_SIM/ Store] |} == Removed and Rebundled == Games that have been removed from the Steam Store and Rebundled, usually together with former DLC. {| ! Game ! Genre ! Score ! Steam Hub ! SteamDB ! Replacement ! Additional Info |- | Dead Island | survival horror | [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/dead-island Meta: 80, user: 6.9] | [https://steamcommunity.com/app/91310/ Steam Hub] | [https://steamdb.info/app/91310/ SteamDB] | [http://store.steampowered.com/app/383150/Dead_Island_Definitive_Edition/ Dead Island Definitive Edition] | - |- | PAYDAY2 | fps, coop | [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/payday-2 Meta: 79, user: 3.6] | [https://steamcommunity.com/app/218620 Steam Hub] | [https://steamdb.info/app/218620 SteamDB] | [http://store.steampowered.com/bundle/3756/PAYDAY_2_Ultimate_Edition/ PAYDAY2: Ultimate Edition] | - |- | Raven's Cry | action-adventure | [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/ravens-cry Meta: 27, user 3.5] | [https://steamcommunity.com/app/281130/ Steam Hub] | [https://steamdb.info/app/281130/ SteamDB] | [http://store.steampowered.com/app/386280/Vendetta__Curse_of_Ravens_Cry/ Vendetta - Curse of Raven's Cry] | Free for all owners of the original |} == Removed DLC == DLC that has been pulled from the store. {| ! Game ! Genre ! Score ! Steam Hub ! SteamDB ! Steam Store |- | Saints Row IV - Child's Play Pack | action adventure | [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/saints-row-iv Meta: 86, user: 7.4] | [https://steamcommunity.com/app/247296/ Steam Hub] | [https://steamdb.info/app/247296/ SteamDB] | [https://store.steampowered.com/app/206420/Saints_Row_IV/ Store] |} 2977d2d9cd2659f46dcfa1dbe48acc0c1784832b 0 12 24 2022-01-15T01:23:19Z Slouchy 1 Created page with "{{Needs work|Problem=This page is heavily outdated}} = Source Ports = This is a list of proprietary (typically commercial) games which have Free Software/open source engines available. There are a number of such games with source code available for their engines, which can be useful for a variety of reasons, including porting to new platforms, bug fixes, new features or improved performance. Many games are only available on Linux thanks to source code releases which hav..." wikitext text/x-wiki {{Needs work|Problem=This page is heavily outdated}} = Source Ports = This is a list of proprietary (typically commercial) games which have Free Software/open source engines available. There are a number of such games with source code available for their engines, which can be useful for a variety of reasons, including porting to new platforms, bug fixes, new features or improved performance. Many games are only available on Linux thanks to source code releases which have enabled fans to port them when some developers wouldn't do so themselves. '''3D Realms:''' Duke Nukem 3D - ftp://ftp.3drealms.com/source/duke3dsource.zip - Most notable project is eDuke32 (http://www.eduke32.com/). Rise of the Triad - ftp://ftp.3drealms.com/source/rottsource.zip - An updated and cross platform version is available (https://icculus.org/rott/) '''Arkane Studios:''' Arx Fatalis - http://download.zenimax.com/arxfatalis/other/ArxFatalis_1.21_Sources.zip - Arx Libtertatis is a project aimed at bug fixes, new OS and platform support and also modding support, which can be found here: http://arx-libertatis.org/ '''Bit-Blot:''' Aquaria - Source was released as part of the original Humble Indie Bundle. Community has actually been producing updated engine builds for some time (including Linux versions). Original repository here: https://hg.icculus.org/icculus/aquaria/ More info here: http://infiniteammo.ca/blog/aquaria-source-released/ and here: http://blog.wolfire.com/2010/06/Aquaria-goes-open-source Community builds can be found here: http://www.bit-blot.com/forum/index.php?topic=4313.0 Source: https://github.com/fgenesis/Aquaria_clean '''Bungie:''' Marathon series - Aleph One - http://marathon.sourceforge.net/ - Plays all three of the Marathon games. Also has support for mods and stand alone campaigns. '''Cryptic Sea''' Gish - http://www.crypticsea.com/download/gishsource153.zip - Source released as part of the original Humble Indie Bundle. Freegish provides an updated engine as well as a few levels of its own, entirely free content - https://github.com/freegish/freegish '''id Software:''' The Quake series, Doom series (including Doom 3: BFG Edition) and Wolfenstein (up to Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory) series all have source available at ftp://ftp.idsoftware.com/idstuff/source/ &amp; https://github.com/id-Software. There are numerous projects providing new ports, new features and bug fixes for these titles. Most notable are: * Doom series - Chocolate Doom (http://www.chocolate-doom.org/wiki/index.php/Chocolate_Doom), zDoom (http://zdoom.org/News) &amp; Doom Legacy (http://doomlegacy.sourceforge.net/) * Quake series - Darkplaces (https://icculus.org/twilight/darkplaces/), Yamagi Quake2 (http://www.yamagi.org/quake2/) and ioQuake3 (http://ioquake3.org/) * Doom 3 - ioDoom3 (http://github.com/iodoom/iod3), RBDoom3 (https://github.com/RobertBeckebans/RBDOOM-3-BFG) &amp; Dhewm3 (https://github.com/dhewm/dhewm3) * Return to Castle Wolfenstein - iortcw (https://github.com/iortcw/iortcw) and rtcwcoop (http://www.rtcwcoop.com/) for added online co-op * Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory - ET:Legacy (http://www.etlegacy.com/). In particular ET:Legacy could probably do with some help, as well as rtcwcoop. '''Frictional Games:''' Penumbra: Overture - https://github.com/FrictionalGames - Code for the Overture engine, including the source for the early, free Penumbra tech demo. More information on the release can be found here: http://frictionalgames.blogspot.co.uk/2010/05/penumbra-overture-goes-open-source.html '''Frozenbyte:''' * Shadowgrounds + Shadowgrounds: Survivor - http://frozenbyte.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=3597 - Updated source available (https://github.com/vayerx/shadowgrounds), cannot say what improvements or fixes have been applied overall. * Jack Claw - https://github.com/Frozenbyte/Jack-Claw - Abandoned prototype that was released and open sourced as part of the Humble Frozenbyte Bundle. Intended to be a game taken on by the community, but never seemed to gain traction. Could do with a serious revival. '''LucasArts:''' Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy + Jedi Outcast - see OpenJK for a project aimed at more general improvements and fixes - https://github.com/Razish/OpenJK For a quick 'n' dirty Linux port, see https://github.com/xLAva/JediAcademyLinux '''Parallax Studios:''' Descent 1 + 2 - Source released under a non-commercial license. See DXX-Rebirth - http://www.dxx-rebirth.com/ '''Raven Software:''' Hexen &amp; Heretic - http://sourceforge.net/projects/heretic/ - Both can be played by Zdoom (http://www.zdoom.org/) or Chocolate Doom (http://www.chocolate-doom.org/wiki/index.php/Chocolate_Doom) Hexen II + Portals of Praevus + HexenWorld - http://www.fileplanet.com/51987/50000/fileinfo/Hexen-2-Source-Code - Significantly updated and cross platform version available from Hammer of Thyrion/uHexen2 project (http://uhexen2.sourceforge.net/) '''Rebellion''' Aliens vs Predator - Released under a non-commerical license. Updated source available from here: https://icculus.org/avp/ '''Sir-Tech Canada:''' Jagged Alliance 2 - The source code was released by Strategy First-Inc. in 2004 under the Source Code License Agreement (CFI-SCLA). There are 3 notable projects, which are:   * JA2-Stracciatella http://tron.homeunix.org/ja2/ - This project has been defunct since 2010. The project is now superseded by... * JA2-Stracciatella Continued - https://bitbucket.org/gennady/ja2-stracciatella - Includes the expected bug fixes since the 2010 version, as well as some new features like high resolution support * JA2 v1.13 - http://ja2v113.pbworks.com/w/page/4218339/FrontPage - Includes many new features as well as vastly improved modding support, allowing the editing of many previously hard coded aspects of the game. For more information on various mods and possibly other engine projects, see The Bear Pits forums (http://www.ja-galaxy-forum.com/board/ubbthreads.php). '''Volition:''' Freespace 2 - https://icculus.org/freespace2/ - FreeSpace 2 source code project has been working on this for years, with many new features and enhancements. The engine is under a non-commercial license however - http://scp.indiegames.us/   Also of note is Diaspora: Shattered Armistice, a Free Culture, community made Battlestar Galactica game using the engine, complete with voice acting. '''Wolfire:''' Lugaru - https://hg.icculus.org/icculus/lugaru/ - Art assets are also under a non-commercial license. More info here: http://blog.wolfire.com/2010/05/Lugaru-goes-open-source Info on some of the first projects that sprung up here: http://blog.wolfire.com/2010/05/Zero-day-open-source-contributions == Engine Projects == These are for games with no official source release - these are games which had to be reverse engineered, source was discovered and unofficially released or otherwise: '''Activision''' Zork: Grand Inquisitor - ZEngine - https://github.com/marisa-chan/Zengine '''Bethesda Game Studios''' Elder Scrollls III: Morrowind - OpenMW - https://openmw.org/en/ - Currently in borderline Alpha/Beta Status. Still some features to implement before core game is complete. like any project they could use your help! '''Bioware''' Baldurs Gate and Planescape series - GemRB - http://www.gemrb.org/ '''Blizzard''' Diablo - Freeablo - https://github.com/wheybags/freeablo - Currently incomplete, still active at time of writing. '''Bullfrog''' Theme Hospital - https://code.google.com/p/corsix-th/ - source: https://github.com/CorsixTH - CorsixTH is not quite feature complete, but the game is largely playable. '''Century Interactive''' Bermuda Syndrome - http://cyxdown.free.fr/bs/ - Re-implementation of the engine behind Bermuda Syndrome. '''Chris Sawyer''' Rollercoaster Tycoon 2 - https://openrct2.org/ - Adds multiplayer co-op amongst many other new features and improvements. '''Core Design''' Tomb Raider series - There are several projects aimed at re-implementing the original Tomb Raider series: * OpenRaider - https://github.com/xythobuz/OpenRaider - Revived after previously being abandoned in 2003. Already has an OpenGL3 renderer and SDL2 support for gamepads. Inactive/Defunt * OpenTomb - https://opentomb.github.io/ - Works with the first 4 Tomb Raider games. Playable but not complete. * OpenLara - https://github.com/XProger/OpenLara - Mostly focused on support for the first Tomb Raider, playable. '''Ensemble Studios''' Age of Empires II - OpenAage - http://openage.sft.mx/ - Primarily aimed at Linux users, Also compatible with HD remake version. '''Interplay Entertainment''' Heart of the Alien - Heart of the Alien Redux - http://hota.sourceforge.net/ - Sequel to Another World Fallout 2 - Falltergeist - https://github.com/falltergeist/falltergeist '''Konami''' Metal Gear Solid: Integral - https://github.com/paulsapps/msgi - Reverse engineering project for the PC port of Metal Gear Solid with cross platform support planned '''Looking Glass Studios''' Thief 1 + 2 - OpenDarkEngine - https://github.com/volca02/openDarkEngine - Previously stalled due to lack of developer time (http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=102289&p=2121201&viewfull=1#post2121201). As of April 2014 the project has been revived by the original developer and is now hosted at Github [http://sourceforge.net/projects/opde/ instead of SourceForge]. '''LucasArts''' Grim Fandango - ResidualVM - http://www.residualvm.org/ - re-implementation of Grim Fandango. including new platform support, bug fixes and even mod support (allows for replacing of of game data like textures and models). It will likely work better than the original version on Windows too (it's infamously prone to crashing). Star Wars Episode I: Racer - OpenSWE1R - https://openswe1r.github.io/ - Part emulation and part re-implementation project. '''Micropose''' X-COM/UFO: Enemy Unknown - OpenXcom - http://openxcom.org/ '''New World Computing''' Heroes of Might and Magic II - Free Heroes2 engine - http://sourceforge.net/projects/fheroes2/ Heroes of Might and Magic III - VCMI Project - http://forum.vcmi.eu/ '''Origin''' Ultima VII + Expansions - http://exult.sourceforge.net Ultima 8 - http://pentagram.sourceforge.net/ - Game can apparently be completed, though there may be issues and missing features. According to the FAQ, they also want to add support for Crusader: No Remorse and Crusader: No Regret. '''Pixel''' Cave Story - NXEngine - http://nxengine.sourceforge.net/ - Refers to itself as a clone/rewrite. Supports ARM processors. '''Raven Software''' Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force - http://thilo.kickchat.com/efport-progress/ - Extended from ioQuake3, sadly multiplayer only '''Rockstar''' GTA III - OpenRW - https://github.com/rwengine/openrw - as of September 2016 a few missions are completable but no melee and no civilian collisions. '''Westwood Studios''' Command &amp; Conquer Series - OpenRA - http://openra.res0l.net/ - A re-implementation of the Red Alert engine - plays original C&amp;C and Red Alert. I'm not sure about expansions. Source: https://github.com/OpenRA/OpenRA Dune II - Dune Legacy - http://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/dunelegacy/ - Re-implements Dune II engine, with some gameplay differences compared to the original. '''Titus Interactive''' Titus the Fox - OpenTitus - https://github.com/stople/OpenTitus '''Xatrix Entertainment''' Redneck Rampage series - erampage - https://github.com/ttyborg/erampage - Extended from eDuke32, requires building from source for Linux version. '''Zombie LLC''' Zork Nemeis - ZEngine - https://github.com/marisa-chan/Zengine '''Various''' ScummVM - http://www.scummvm.org/ - Re-implements a large range of game engines, primarily for &quot;point and click&quot; adventure games, including many LucasArts and Sierra classics. XLEngine - http://xlengine.com/ - Re-implements various engines to support and improve certain older games. The supported list currently includes TES II: Daggerfall, Blood, Star Wars: Dark Forces and Outlaws. Xoreos - http://xoreos.org/ - Re-implementation of the Aurora engine by BioWare. The project currently aims to support:   * Neverwinter Nights + Neverwinter Nights 2 * Star Wars: Nights of the Old Republic I + II * Jade Empire * Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood * The Witcher * Dragon Age: Origins + 2   == FAQ ==   '''What is a game engine?'''   The software that drives pretty much everything you can see and do in a game. It's the code that handles input, display, rendering (graphics), AI, sound etc. It is usually created so that several or many games can be made with the same engine.   '''What is source code?'''   The human readable instructions that define any computer program, typically written in a programming language like C or C++ which are then compiled. If you wanted to make changes to a game engine, in the vast majority of cases it is easier if you have access to the source code. Modding communities, particularly ones that try to update or add new features to an older game, may require significant reverse engineering or hacks that are less likely to be maintainable over a long period of time if no engine source code is available.   '''Why is having the source code to a game important?'''   There are many reasons, including but not limited to:   Community improvement of a game or its engine - from improved visuals to support for more platforms, as well as entirely new features in some cases.   Cultural preservation - Can allow games to be updated so that they can continue to be played, or be better preserved, particularly for use in museums and libraries.   Cultural independence - Allows us to not be dependent on the will of commercial entities to continue to be able to play our games, or to improve and remix them without waiting on some timely &quot;HD&quot; edition or similar. Particularly true for niche and/or very old games, and instances when developers or publishers go bust and the copyright and trademarks become difficult or impossible to trace. Such a situation happened to System Shock 2 where for many years new copies of the game simply could not be sold, and was only available second hand or through piracy until it recently became available on GOG and Steam. For every SS2, there are many more games that simply get forgotten or become unplayable.   Having source code can benefit developers too. John Carmack has stated that the port of Doom to iPhone likely would not have been possible were it not for the engine being GPL'd (http://www.bethblog.com/2009/11/05/john-carmack-on-doom-classic-development-fan-questions/). Not only has the engine been publicly preserved, the many updated and improved variations of the doom engine meant he had many options to turn to as a basis for the iPhone port, making it commercially viable.   '''How do I make use of a source port?'''   Most source ports do not provide the game data (models, textures, audio etc.), as most developers do not release that for free. You will typically still need to have your copy of the original game for that data or you will need to buy the game. For where you need to put that data so the source port will see it, check that projects documentation or ask someone.   Also, some source ports may not provide Linux binaries, but are still compatible and will compile on Linux. Once again, check that projects documentation or ask someone.   '''Where can I get X game?'''   Second hand may be preferable as some games are cheaper that way than they are buying &quot;new&quot; from places like GOG or Steam. If you really feel you have to buy first hand, I would recommend GOG over Steam should a game be available on both. GOG gives you DRM free access to downloads of the installers straight from your browser, allowing you to extract the data immediately or install via Wine and copy the data that way. With Steam, it will not let you install games that do not have official support for your OS, meaning you will need to go through the pain of setting up and logging in to Steam via Wine, which may be unreliable or require you to log out of your Linux Steam client. 4ea85c7c9733b47f53740a1e6643d9521dc06e77 25 24 2022-01-15T01:24:03Z Slouchy 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Needs work|Problem=This page is heavily outdated}} = Source Ports = This is a list of proprietary (typically commercial) games which have Free Software/open source engines available. There are a number of such games with source code available for their engines, which can be useful for a variety of reasons, including porting to new platforms, bug fixes, new features or improved performance. Many games are only available on Linux thanks to source code releases which have enabled fans to port them when some developers wouldn't do so themselves. '''3D Realms:''' Duke Nukem 3D - ftp://ftp.3drealms.com/source/duke3dsource.zip - Most notable project is eDuke32 (http://www.eduke32.com/). Rise of the Triad - ftp://ftp.3drealms.com/source/rottsource.zip - An updated and cross platform version is available (https://icculus.org/rott/) '''Arkane Studios:''' Arx Fatalis - http://download.zenimax.com/arxfatalis/other/ArxFatalis_1.21_Sources.zip - Arx Libtertatis is a project aimed at bug fixes, new OS and platform support and also modding support, which can be found here: http://arx-libertatis.org/ '''Bit-Blot:''' Aquaria - Source was released as part of the original Humble Indie Bundle. Community has actually been producing updated engine builds for some time (including Linux versions). Original repository here: https://hg.icculus.org/icculus/aquaria/ More info here: http://infiniteammo.ca/blog/aquaria-source-released/ and here: http://blog.wolfire.com/2010/06/Aquaria-goes-open-source Community builds can be found here: http://www.bit-blot.com/forum/index.php?topic=4313.0 Source: https://github.com/fgenesis/Aquaria_clean '''Bungie:''' Marathon series - Aleph One - http://marathon.sourceforge.net/ - Plays all three of the Marathon games. Also has support for mods and stand alone campaigns. '''Cryptic Sea''' Gish - http://www.crypticsea.com/download/gishsource153.zip - Source released as part of the original Humble Indie Bundle. Freegish provides an updated engine as well as a few levels of its own, entirely free content - https://github.com/freegish/freegish '''id Software:''' The Quake series, Doom series (including Doom 3: BFG Edition) and Wolfenstein (up to Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory) series all have source available at ftp://ftp.idsoftware.com/idstuff/source/ &amp; https://github.com/id-Software. There are numerous projects providing new ports, new features and bug fixes for these titles. Most notable are: * Doom series - Chocolate Doom (http://www.chocolate-doom.org/wiki/index.php/Chocolate_Doom), zDoom (http://zdoom.org/News) &amp; Doom Legacy (http://doomlegacy.sourceforge.net/) * Quake series - Darkplaces (https://icculus.org/twilight/darkplaces/), Yamagi Quake2 (http://www.yamagi.org/quake2/) and ioQuake3 (http://ioquake3.org/) * Doom 3 - ioDoom3 (http://github.com/iodoom/iod3), RBDoom3 (https://github.com/RobertBeckebans/RBDOOM-3-BFG) &amp; Dhewm3 (https://github.com/dhewm/dhewm3) * Return to Castle Wolfenstein - iortcw (https://github.com/iortcw/iortcw) and rtcwcoop (http://www.rtcwcoop.com/) for added online co-op * Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory - ET:Legacy (http://www.etlegacy.com/). In particular ET:Legacy could probably do with some help, as well as rtcwcoop. '''Frictional Games:''' Penumbra: Overture - https://github.com/FrictionalGames - Code for the Overture engine, including the source for the early, free Penumbra tech demo. More information on the release can be found here: http://frictionalgames.blogspot.co.uk/2010/05/penumbra-overture-goes-open-source.html '''Frozenbyte:''' * Shadowgrounds + Shadowgrounds: Survivor - http://frozenbyte.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=3597 - Updated source available (https://github.com/vayerx/shadowgrounds), cannot say what improvements or fixes have been applied overall. * Jack Claw - https://github.com/Frozenbyte/Jack-Claw - Abandoned prototype that was released and open sourced as part of the Humble Frozenbyte Bundle. Intended to be a game taken on by the community, but never seemed to gain traction. Could do with a serious revival. '''LucasArts:''' Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy + Jedi Outcast - see OpenJK for a project aimed at more general improvements and fixes - https://github.com/Razish/OpenJK For a quick 'n' dirty Linux port, see https://github.com/xLAva/JediAcademyLinux '''Parallax Studios:''' Descent 1 + 2 - Source released under a non-commercial license. See DXX-Rebirth - http://www.dxx-rebirth.com/ '''Raven Software:''' Hexen &amp; Heretic - http://sourceforge.net/projects/heretic/ - Both can be played by Zdoom (http://www.zdoom.org/) or Chocolate Doom (http://www.chocolate-doom.org/wiki/index.php/Chocolate_Doom) Hexen II + Portals of Praevus + HexenWorld - http://www.fileplanet.com/51987/50000/fileinfo/Hexen-2-Source-Code - Significantly updated and cross platform version available from Hammer of Thyrion/uHexen2 project (http://uhexen2.sourceforge.net/) '''Rebellion''' Aliens vs Predator - Released under a non-commerical license. Updated source available from here: https://icculus.org/avp/ '''Sir-Tech Canada:''' Jagged Alliance 2 - The source code was released by Strategy First-Inc. in 2004 under the Source Code License Agreement (CFI-SCLA). There are 3 notable projects, which are: * JA2-Stracciatella http://tron.homeunix.org/ja2/ - This project has been defunct since 2010. The project is now superseded by... * JA2-Stracciatella Continued - https://bitbucket.org/gennady/ja2-stracciatella - Includes the expected bug fixes since the 2010 version, as well as some new features like high resolution support * JA2 v1.13 - http://ja2v113.pbworks.com/w/page/4218339/FrontPage - Includes many new features as well as vastly improved modding support, allowing the editing of many previously hard coded aspects of the game. For more information on various mods and possibly other engine projects, see The Bear Pits forums (http://www.ja-galaxy-forum.com/board/ubbthreads.php). '''Volition:''' Freespace 2 - https://icculus.org/freespace2/ - FreeSpace 2 source code project has been working on this for years, with many new features and enhancements. The engine is under a non-commercial license however - http://scp.indiegames.us/ Also of note is Diaspora: Shattered Armistice, a Free Culture, community made Battlestar Galactica game using the engine, complete with voice acting. '''Wolfire:''' Lugaru - https://hg.icculus.org/icculus/lugaru/ - Art assets are also under a non-commercial license. More info here: http://blog.wolfire.com/2010/05/Lugaru-goes-open-source Info on some of the first projects that sprung up here: http://blog.wolfire.com/2010/05/Zero-day-open-source-contributions == Engine Projects == These are for games with no official source release - these are games which had to be reverse engineered, source was discovered and unofficially released or otherwise: '''Activision''' Zork: Grand Inquisitor - ZEngine - https://github.com/marisa-chan/Zengine '''Bethesda Game Studios''' Elder Scrollls III: Morrowind - OpenMW - https://openmw.org/en/ - Currently in borderline Alpha/Beta Status. Still some features to implement before core game is complete. like any project they could use your help! '''Bioware''' Baldurs Gate and Planescape series - GemRB - http://www.gemrb.org/ '''Blizzard''' Diablo - Freeablo - https://github.com/wheybags/freeablo - Currently incomplete, still active at time of writing. '''Bullfrog''' Theme Hospital - https://code.google.com/p/corsix-th/ - source: https://github.com/CorsixTH - CorsixTH is not quite feature complete, but the game is largely playable. '''Century Interactive''' Bermuda Syndrome - http://cyxdown.free.fr/bs/ - Re-implementation of the engine behind Bermuda Syndrome. '''Chris Sawyer''' Rollercoaster Tycoon 2 - https://openrct2.org/ - Adds multiplayer co-op amongst many other new features and improvements. '''Core Design''' Tomb Raider series - There are several projects aimed at re-implementing the original Tomb Raider series: * OpenRaider - https://github.com/xythobuz/OpenRaider - Revived after previously being abandoned in 2003. Already has an OpenGL3 renderer and SDL2 support for gamepads. Inactive/Defunt * OpenTomb - https://opentomb.github.io/ - Works with the first 4 Tomb Raider games. Playable but not complete. * OpenLara - https://github.com/XProger/OpenLara - Mostly focused on support for the first Tomb Raider, playable. '''Ensemble Studios''' Age of Empires II - OpenAage - http://openage.sft.mx/ - Primarily aimed at Linux users, Also compatible with HD remake version. '''Interplay Entertainment''' Heart of the Alien - Heart of the Alien Redux - http://hota.sourceforge.net/ - Sequel to Another World Fallout 2 - Falltergeist - https://github.com/falltergeist/falltergeist '''Konami''' Metal Gear Solid: Integral - https://github.com/paulsapps/msgi - Reverse engineering project for the PC port of Metal Gear Solid with cross platform support planned '''Looking Glass Studios''' Thief 1 + 2 - OpenDarkEngine - https://github.com/volca02/openDarkEngine - Previously stalled due to lack of developer time (http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=102289&p=2121201&viewfull=1#post2121201). As of April 2014 the project has been revived by the original developer and is now hosted at Github [http://sourceforge.net/projects/opde/ instead of SourceForge]. '''LucasArts''' Grim Fandango - ResidualVM - http://www.residualvm.org/ - re-implementation of Grim Fandango. including new platform support, bug fixes and even mod support (allows for replacing of of game data like textures and models). It will likely work better than the original version on Windows too (it's infamously prone to crashing). Star Wars Episode I: Racer - OpenSWE1R - https://openswe1r.github.io/ - Part emulation and part re-implementation project. '''Micropose''' X-COM/UFO: Enemy Unknown - OpenXcom - http://openxcom.org/ '''New World Computing''' Heroes of Might and Magic II - Free Heroes2 engine - http://sourceforge.net/projects/fheroes2/ Heroes of Might and Magic III - VCMI Project - http://forum.vcmi.eu/ '''Origin''' Ultima VII + Expansions - http://exult.sourceforge.net Ultima 8 - http://pentagram.sourceforge.net/ - Game can apparently be completed, though there may be issues and missing features. According to the FAQ, they also want to add support for Crusader: No Remorse and Crusader: No Regret. '''Pixel''' Cave Story - NXEngine - http://nxengine.sourceforge.net/ - Refers to itself as a clone/rewrite. Supports ARM processors. '''Raven Software''' Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force - http://thilo.kickchat.com/efport-progress/ - Extended from ioQuake3, sadly multiplayer only '''Rockstar''' GTA III - OpenRW - https://github.com/rwengine/openrw - as of September 2016 a few missions are completable but no melee and no civilian collisions. '''Westwood Studios''' Command &amp; Conquer Series - OpenRA - http://openra.res0l.net/ - A re-implementation of the Red Alert engine - plays original C&amp;C and Red Alert. I'm not sure about expansions. Source: https://github.com/OpenRA/OpenRA Dune II - Dune Legacy - http://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/dunelegacy/ - Re-implements Dune II engine, with some gameplay differences compared to the original. '''Titus Interactive''' Titus the Fox - OpenTitus - https://github.com/stople/OpenTitus '''Xatrix Entertainment''' Redneck Rampage series - erampage - https://github.com/ttyborg/erampage - Extended from eDuke32, requires building from source for Linux version. '''Zombie LLC''' Zork Nemeis - ZEngine - https://github.com/marisa-chan/Zengine '''Various''' ScummVM - http://www.scummvm.org/ - Re-implements a large range of game engines, primarily for &quot;point and click&quot; adventure games, including many LucasArts and Sierra classics. XLEngine - http://xlengine.com/ - Re-implements various engines to support and improve certain older games. The supported list currently includes TES II: Daggerfall, Blood, Star Wars: Dark Forces and Outlaws. Xoreos - http://xoreos.org/ - Re-implementation of the Aurora engine by BioWare. The project currently aims to support: * Neverwinter Nights + Neverwinter Nights 2 * Star Wars: Nights of the Old Republic I + II * Jade Empire * Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood * The Witcher * Dragon Age: Origins + 2 == FAQ == '''What is a game engine?''' The software that drives pretty much everything you can see and do in a game. It's the code that handles input, display, rendering (graphics), AI, sound etc. It is usually created so that several or many games can be made with the same engine. '''What is source code?''' The human readable instructions that define any computer program, typically written in a programming language like C or C++ which are then compiled. If you wanted to make changes to a game engine, in the vast majority of cases it is easier if you have access to the source code. Modding communities, particularly ones that try to update or add new features to an older game, may require significant reverse engineering or hacks that are less likely to be maintainable over a long period of time if no engine source code is available. '''Why is having the source code to a game important?''' There are many reasons, including but not limited to: Community improvement of a game or its engine - from improved visuals to support for more platforms, as well as entirely new features in some cases. Cultural preservation - Can allow games to be updated so that they can continue to be played, or be better preserved, particularly for use in museums and libraries.  Cultural independence - Allows us to not be dependent on the will of commercial entities to continue to be able to play our games, or to improve and remix them without waiting on some timely &quot;HD&quot; edition or similar. Particularly true for niche and/or very old games, and instances when developers or publishers go bust and the copyright and trademarks become difficult or impossible to trace. Such a situation happened to System Shock 2 where for many years new copies of the game simply could not be sold, and was only available second hand or through piracy until it recently became available on GOG and Steam. For every SS2, there are many more games that simply get forgotten or become unplayable. Having source code can benefit developers too. John Carmack has stated that the port of Doom to iPhone likely would not have been possible were it not for the engine being GPL'd (http://www.bethblog.com/2009/11/05/john-carmack-on-doom-classic-development-fan-questions/). Not only has the engine been publicly preserved, the many updated and improved variations of the doom engine meant he had many options to turn to as a basis for the iPhone port, making it commercially viable. '''How do I make use of a source port?''' Most source ports do not provide the game data (models, textures, audio etc.), as most developers do not release that for free. You will typically still need to have your copy of the original game for that data or you will need to buy the game. For where you need to put that data so the source port will see it, check that projects documentation or ask someone. Also, some source ports may not provide Linux binaries, but are still compatible and will compile on Linux. Once again, check that projects documentation or ask someone. '''Where can I get X game?''' Second hand may be preferable as some games are cheaper that way than they are buying &quot;new&quot; from places like GOG or Steam. If you really feel you have to buy first hand, I would recommend GOG over Steam should a game be available on both. GOG gives you DRM free access to downloads of the installers straight from your browser, allowing you to extract the data immediately or install via Wine and copy the data that way. With Steam, it will not let you install games that do not have official support for your OS, meaning you will need to go through the pain of setting up and logging in to Steam via Wine, which may be unreliable or require you to log out of your Linux Steam client. a097b04db2976586ef8c4d88bca2ebaadced1ec6 4 13 28 2022-01-15T08:55:08Z Slouchy 1 Created page with "This wiki was created to contain all the scattered Linux gaming information across the web. Goal is to make one stop place to get all the information, tweaks, troubleshooting ideas from one place that will contain them in a classic Wiki format or at least link you to right direction to other wikis or pages on the web. Wiki was created by Aleš Nezbeda (slouchy/slouchybutton), if you have any ideas or requests you can contact me here [https://www.reddit.com/u/slouchybutt..." wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki was created to contain all the scattered Linux gaming information across the web. Goal is to make one stop place to get all the information, tweaks, troubleshooting ideas from one place that will contain them in a classic Wiki format or at least link you to right direction to other wikis or pages on the web. Wiki was created by Aleš Nezbeda (slouchy/slouchybutton), if you have any ideas or requests you can contact me here [https://www.reddit.com/u/slouchybutton /u/slouchybutton] or directly with company E-mail [http://mailto:ales.nezbeda@kwindu.eu ales.nezbeda@kwindu.eu]. Website is hosted on my company server located in Brno, Czech Republic, EU. Initial fork was made from Linux gaming subreddit's wiki https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/index Thank you, the great community of Linux gamers. 8bbfabc05332fe9672245d14359a3aa8be71b1f4 10 14 34 2022-01-16T14:12:55Z Slouchy 1 Created page with "<noinclude> <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 20px 0 20px 0; padding: 10px;">This is the "Warning" template. You can pass to it the field "Problem".</div> </noinclude> <includeonly> <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 20px 0 20px 0; padding: 10px;">{{{Problem|}}}</div> </includeonly>" wikitext text/x-wiki <noinclude> <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 20px 0 20px 0; padding: 10px;">This is the "Warning" template. You can pass to it the field "Problem".</div> </noinclude> <includeonly> <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 20px 0 20px 0; padding: 10px;">{{{Problem|}}}</div> </includeonly> bee6fd36a82f0ed9eb6cac178b9e674865a9a2ff 35 34 2022-01-16T14:15:11Z Slouchy 1 wikitext text/x-wiki <noinclude> <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;">This is the "Warning" template. You can pass to it the field "Problem".</div> </noinclude> <includeonly> <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;">{{{Problem|}}}</div> </includeonly> 6106f34a5c928d62185af594ca468587b96076c8 0 15 44 2022-01-18T00:13:06Z Marigold 7 started a lutris page! i want to upload graphics but the website isn't accepting them, will come back to this later once that's sorted wikitext text/x-wiki '''Lutris''' is a Linux app that lets you play games on Linux, especially those that aren't available on Steam. It also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam. == Installing Lutris == == Installing a game through Lutris == Navigate to Lutris in the sources tab. Then, click "Community Installers". Then, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. == Example == Let's install Overwatch. # Search 'Overwatch' in the "Search games" tab. # To-do: more steps once you can upload photos to the site a50c1c0e8ef29280babdf90544900d21c7557d16 45 44 2022-01-18T00:21:27Z Marigold 7 wondering, if we use an example game, whether we should use overwatch as that example wikitext text/x-wiki '''Lutris''' is a Linux app that lets you play games on Linux, especially those that aren't available on Steam. It also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam. == Installing Lutris == == Installing a game through Lutris == Navigate to Lutris in the sources tab. Then, click "Community Installers". Then, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. ==== Example ==== Let's install Overwatch. # Search 'Overwatch' in the "Search games" tab. # To-do: more steps once you can upload photos to the site == See also == https://lutris.net/ 85788c038f6ce24a9c281dd0ff3862f93b2d819e 46 45 2022-01-18T00:23:06Z Marigold 7 wikitext text/x-wiki '''Lutris''' is a Linux app that lets you play games on Linux, especially those that aren't available on Steam. It also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam. == Installing Lutris == == Installing a game through Lutris == Navigate to Lutris in the sources tab. Then, click "Community Installers". Then, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. ==== Example ==== Let's install Overwatch. # Search 'Overwatch' in the "Search games" tab. # To-do: more steps once you can upload photos to the site == See also == https://lutris.net/ [[Category:Popular linux gaming apps]] 66b88967b51f35fabe2980f2112e5397e7f524a4 47 46 2022-01-18T00:27:13Z Marigold 7 wikitext text/x-wiki '''Lutris''' is an app that lets you play games on Linux, providing installers for games not available on Steam. You can install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store through it. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam, so that you can have your whole game library in one place. == Installing Lutris == == Installing a game through Lutris == Navigate to Lutris in the sources tab. Then, click "Community Installers". Then, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. ==== Example ==== Let's install Overwatch. # Search 'Overwatch' in the "Search games" tab. # To-do: more steps once you can upload photos to the site == See also == https://lutris.net/ [[Category:Popular apps]] 45e4a21ae4f8460a272fd8228a358bf7988fdc48 48 47 2022-01-18T00:28:02Z Marigold 7 /* See also */ wikitext text/x-wiki '''Lutris''' is an app that lets you play games on Linux, providing installers for games not available on Steam. You can install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store through it. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam, so that you can have your whole game library in one place. == Installing Lutris == == Installing a game through Lutris == Navigate to Lutris in the sources tab. Then, click "Community Installers". Then, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. ==== Example ==== Let's install Overwatch. # Search 'Overwatch' in the "Search games" tab. # To-do: more steps once you can upload photos to the site == See also == [https://lutris.net/ Lutris's website] [[Category:Popular apps]] 7a058e31ce88e794d37873e7c00324f8ce39ae9d 49 48 2022-01-18T07:37:45Z Marigold 7 Formatting wikitext text/x-wiki '''Lutris''' is an app that lets you play games on Linux, providing installers for games not available on Steam. You can install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store through it. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam, so that you can have your whole game library in one place. == Installing Lutris == == Installing a game through Lutris == Navigate to Lutris in the sources tab. Then, click "Community Installers". Then, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. ==== Example ==== Let's install Overwatch. # Search 'Overwatch' in the "Search games" tab. # To-do: more steps once you can upload photos to the site == See also == [https://lutris.net/ Lutris's website] [[Category:Popular apps]] 18aca2d1562fd047277bf7109462092e9aed9c84 50 49 2022-01-18T07:39:41Z Marigold 7 Phrasing wikitext text/x-wiki '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that provides installers for games not available on Steam. You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store through it. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam, so that you can have your whole game library in one place. == Installing Lutris == == Installing a game through Lutris == Navigate to Lutris in the sources tab. Then, click "Community Installers". Then, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. ==== Example ==== Let's install Overwatch. # Search 'Overwatch' in the "Search games" tab. # To-do: more steps once you can upload photos to the site == See also == [https://lutris.net/ Lutris's website] [[Category:Popular apps]] b790a992ddc90636642bcdc9c7e7ada816615867 0 3 51 7 2022-01-18T07:51:03Z Marigold 7 /* Setup */ wikitext text/x-wiki FSR can be used to get better performance in games at the cost of visuals. It is comparable with DLSS, but can be applied to every game that runs with wine. There are several modes from ultra quality to maximum performance. For example, it is possible to double your FPS with close to no visual loss. FSR only works if the game is GPU limited (your GPU runs at 100%). == Setup == * Open [[Lutris]] * Right click your game, click Configure * Click ''System options'' and scroll down to ''Environment Variables'' * Click ''Add'' and input the following (the first word goes into the ''Key'' box, the second into ''Value''): <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR</code> <code>1</code> * In game set your setting according to the table on page 10 of [https://github.com/GPUOpen-Effects/FidelityFX-FSR/blob/master/docs/FidelityFX-FSR-Overview-Integration.pdf this] document: For example, if you want to have Ultra Quality, and your output resolution (the resolution of your actualy monitor) is 1920x1080, you set your ingame resolution to 1477x831. Setting your ingame resolution to your output resolution disables FSR. * In game ** Enable anti aliasing (TAA, MSAA, FXAA, ...) ** Disable effects that generate noise (like Motion Blur, Blur, Chromatic Aberration, Sharpening, etc.) * As of now you need to use the tkg version of wine, and MIP-Bias is not yet implemented. == More configuration options == You can add more options. Everything here goes in the same section as <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR</code>. * <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR_STRENGTH</code> <code>4</code> This sharpens the image. 4 is an example value. 0 is maximum sharpness, higher values mean less sharpening. (I think 5 is the maximum. If you know more, please edit this.) The default is 2 but this is probably too much for your game. Just experiment with different values. * <code>WINE_VULKAN_NEGATIVE_MIP_BIAS</code> <code>45</code> This results in textures with higher resolution. 45 is an example value. AMD recommends: {| class="wikitable" !Quality Setting !MIP Bias |- |Ultra Quality |38 |- |Quality |58 |- |Balanced |79 |- |Performance |100 |} * <code>WINE_VULKAN_BIAS_ALL_SAMPLERS</code> <code>1</code> This applies the MIP Bias to everything. 1 is enabled, 0 is disabled. This can result in weird game behaviour. == Examples == * [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/q3dl6y/witcher_3_fsr_is_working_great/ Witcher 3] 3feb747a28d556caf78ea5ebd66499aadafb766c 0 15 52 50 2022-01-18T15:33:55Z Aragorn 3 /* Installing Lutris */ add information about how to use Lutris, and what runners are wikitext text/x-wiki '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that provides installers for games not available on Steam. You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store through it. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam, so that you can have your whole game library in one place. == Installing Lutris == == Installing a game through Lutris == Select the source where you want to install the game from on the left side. For example select GOG if you want to install a game from GOG. If you want to use an install script from Lutris, select Lutris and click "Community Installers". Then, in the top bar, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install, click on it, and click "install" on the bottom left side. After that, just follow what's written on the screen. ==Runners== A runner is a method to start your game. Lutris supports several runners: Linux, Steam, and Wine. Linux is for native games, and Steam is for Steam games (you could as well just use Steam for Steam games). I advice using Steam to run Steam games. This is probably easier (This is the personal opinion of the author). Wine is what you want to use for every other game. ====Example==== Let's install Overwatch. #Search 'Overwatch' in the "Search games" tab. #To-do: more steps once you can upload photos to the site ==See also== [https://lutris.net/ Lutris's website] [[Category:Popular apps]] 1cc6b9469b582ae15fa77198818766d4a454c234 53 52 2022-01-18T15:34:44Z Aragorn 3 fix format wikitext text/x-wiki '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that provides installers for games not available on Steam. You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store through it. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam, so that you can have your whole game library in one place. == Installing Lutris == == Installing a game through Lutris == Select the source where you want to install the game from on the left side. For example select GOG if you want to install a game from GOG. If you want to use an install script from Lutris, select Lutris and click "Community Installers". Then, in the top bar, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install, click on it, and click "install" on the bottom left side. After that, just follow what's written on the screen. '''Example''' Let's install Overwatch. #Search 'Overwatch' in the "Search games" tab. #To-do: more steps once you can upload photos to the site ==Runners== A runner is a method to start your game. Lutris supports several runners: Linux, Steam, and Wine. Linux is for native games, and Steam is for Steam games (you could as well just use Steam for Steam games). I advice using Steam to run Steam games. This is probably easier (This is the personal opinion of the author). Wine is what you want to use for every other game. ==See also== [https://lutris.net/ Lutris's website] [[Category:Popular apps]] 78850c15fd22694e0546469bb6169b6693a70b3d 56 53 2022-01-18T15:39:00Z Aragorn 3 /* Runners */ wikitext text/x-wiki '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that provides installers for games not available on Steam. You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store through it. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam, so that you can have your whole game library in one place. == Installing Lutris == == Installing a game through Lutris == Select the source where you want to install the game from on the left side. For example select GOG if you want to install a game from GOG. If you want to use an install script from Lutris, select Lutris and click "Community Installers". Then, in the top bar, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install, click on it, and click "install" on the bottom left side. After that, just follow what's written on the screen. '''Example''' Let's install Overwatch. #Search 'Overwatch' in the "Search games" tab. #To-do: more steps once you can upload photos to the site ==Runners== A runner is a method to start your game. Lutris supports several runners: Linux, Steam, and Wine. Linux is for native games, and Steam is for Steam games. I advice using Steam to run Steam games. This is probably easier (This is the personal opinion of the author). Wine is what you want to use for every other game. ==See also== [https://lutris.net/ Lutris's website] [[Category:Popular apps]] 59c735b7ecaaee21d75168ada00981f603c2d588 65 56 2022-01-19T21:58:38Z Marigold 7 Added graphics and multiple explanations wikitext text/x-wiki [[File:Lutris icon.png|thumb|Lutris's icon.]] '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that primarily provides installers for games not available on Steam. It can also act as a singular app for your whole game library. You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store through it. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam. == Installing Lutris == You can usually install Lutris through your distribution's app store (e.g. GNOME Software, Discover, Pop Shop). For example, on Pop!_OS, go to the '''Pop Shop''' and search "Lutris". [[File:Pop Shop - Lutris.png|frameless|581x581px]] Then, click install. See Lutris's [https://lutris.net/downloads download page] for more ways to install it. == Installing a game through Lutris == The most important feature of Lutris is that you can install games and launchers not found on Steam using '''install scripts'''. If you want to use an install script, select Lutris in '''Sources''' and click "Community Installers". [[File:Communityinstallers.png|frameless|496x496px]] Then, in the top bar, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. [[File:Installscripts.png|frameless|430x430px]] Here, we'll click on the game with the photo, and click "install" on the bottom left side of Lutris. After that, we'll follow the prompts to install the game. If you encounter an issue installing your game, look up the game's name on the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/ Linux Gaming subreddit] to see if anyone's had the same issue and solved it. You should also check whether the game currently runs on Linux in the first place. === Install games that you own on GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam === Login to these stores by navigating to their tab in '''Sources''', and logging in to them by clicking the '''Connect''' icon. [[File:Lutrislogin.png|frameless]] After logging in, Lutris should display the games you own from that store. ==Runners== Sometimes, like if you download a game from GOG, you'll have a folder with all the game components. In this case, you'll use a runner to install it. A runner is a method to start your game. Lutris supports several runners: Linux, Steam, and Wine. '''Linux''' is for native Linux games. '''Steam''' is for Steam games - though, using Steam itself to run those games is easier. '''Wine''' is what you want to use for every other game. === Winetricks === ==See also== [https://lutris.net/ Lutris's website] [[Category:Popular apps]] ca34a4c1ad9488a3d1b8ecb874eaf4c97672883c 66 65 2022-01-19T21:59:18Z Marigold 7 wikitext text/x-wiki [[File:Lutris icon.png|thumb|Lutris's icon.]] '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that primarily provides installers for games not available on Steam. It can also act as a singular app for your whole game library. You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store through it. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam. == Installing Lutris == You can usually install Lutris through your distribution's app store (e.g. GNOME Software, Discover, Pop Shop). For example, on Pop!_OS, go to the '''Pop Shop''' and search "Lutris". Then, click install. [[File:Pop Shop - Lutris.png|frameless|581x581px]] See Lutris's [https://lutris.net/downloads download page] for more ways to install it. == Installing a game through Lutris == The most important feature of Lutris is that you can install games and launchers not found on Steam using '''install scripts'''. If you want to use an install script, select Lutris in '''Sources''' and click "Community Installers". [[File:Communityinstallers.png|frameless|496x496px]] Then, in the top bar, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. [[File:Installscripts.png|frameless|430x430px]] Here, we'll click on the game with the photo, and click "install" on the bottom left side of Lutris. After that, we'll follow the prompts to install the game. If you encounter an issue installing your game, look up the game's name on the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/ Linux Gaming subreddit] to see if anyone's had the same issue and solved it. You should also check whether the game currently runs on Linux in the first place. === Install games that you own on GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam === Login to these stores by navigating to their tab in '''Sources''', and logging in to them by clicking the '''Connect''' icon. [[File:Lutrislogin.png|frameless]] After logging in, Lutris should display the games you own from that store. ==Runners== Sometimes, like if you download a game from GOG, you'll have a folder with all the game components. In this case, you'll use a runner to install it. A runner is a method to start your game. Lutris supports several runners: Linux, Steam, and Wine. '''Linux''' is for native Linux games. '''Steam''' is for Steam games - though, using Steam itself to run those games is easier. '''Wine''' is what you want to use for every other game. === Winetricks === ==See also== [https://lutris.net/ Lutris's website] [[Category:Popular apps]] 743da80f26d43514114f688c2b0713ce85513adc 67 66 2022-01-19T21:59:44Z Marigold 7 wikitext text/x-wiki [[File:Lutris icon.png|thumb|Lutris's icon.]] '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that primarily provides installers for games not available on Steam. It can also act as a singular app for your whole game library. You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store through it. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam. == Installing Lutris == You can usually install Lutris through your distribution's app store (e.g. GNOME Software, Discover, Pop Shop). For example, on Pop!_OS, go to the '''Pop Shop''' and search "Lutris". [[File:Pop Shop - Lutris.png|frameless|581x581px]] Then, click install. See Lutris's [https://lutris.net/downloads download page] for more ways to install it. == Installing a game through Lutris == The most important feature of Lutris is that you can install games and launchers not found on Steam using '''install scripts'''. If you want to use an install script, select Lutris in '''Sources''' and click "Community Installers". [[File:Communityinstallers.png|frameless|496x496px]] Then, in the top bar, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. [[File:Installscripts.png|frameless|430x430px]] Here, we'll click on the game with the photo, and click "install" on the bottom left side of Lutris. After that, we'll follow the prompts to install the game. If you encounter an issue installing your game, look up the game's name on the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/ Linux Gaming subreddit] to see if anyone's had the same issue and solved it. You should also check whether the game currently runs on Linux in the first place. === Install games that you own on GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam === Login to these stores by navigating to their tab in '''Sources''', and logging in to them by clicking the '''Connect''' icon. [[File:Lutrislogin.png|frameless]] After logging in, Lutris should display the games you own from that store. ==Runners== Sometimes, like if you download a game from GOG, you'll have a folder with all the game components. In this case, you'll use a runner to install it. A runner is a method to start your game. Lutris supports several runners: Linux, Steam, and Wine. '''Linux''' is for native Linux games. '''Steam''' is for Steam games - though, using Steam itself to run those games is easier. '''Wine''' is what you want to use for every other game. === Winetricks === ==See also== [https://lutris.net/ Lutris's website] [[Category:Popular apps]] 2eebbe8695b4a1c333ee4ae44ce41b946b2a8659 68 67 2022-01-19T22:00:31Z Marigold 7 /* Installing Lutris */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[File:Lutris icon.png|thumb|Lutris's icon.]] '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that primarily provides installers for games not available on Steam. It can also act as a singular app for your whole game library. You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store through it. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam. == Installing Lutris == You can typically install Lutris through your distribution's app store (e.g. GNOME Software, Discover, Pop Shop). For example, on Pop!_OS, go to the '''Pop Shop''' and search "Lutris". [[File:Pop Shop - Lutris.png|frameless|581x581px]] Then, click install. See Lutris's [https://lutris.net/downloads download page] for more ways to install it. == Installing a game through Lutris == The most important feature of Lutris is that you can install games and launchers not found on Steam using '''install scripts'''. If you want to use an install script, select Lutris in '''Sources''' and click "Community Installers". [[File:Communityinstallers.png|frameless|496x496px]] Then, in the top bar, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. [[File:Installscripts.png|frameless|430x430px]] Here, we'll click on the game with the photo, and click "install" on the bottom left side of Lutris. After that, we'll follow the prompts to install the game. If you encounter an issue installing your game, look up the game's name on the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/ Linux Gaming subreddit] to see if anyone's had the same issue and solved it. You should also check whether the game currently runs on Linux in the first place. === Install games that you own on GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam === Login to these stores by navigating to their tab in '''Sources''', and logging in to them by clicking the '''Connect''' icon. [[File:Lutrislogin.png|frameless]] After logging in, Lutris should display the games you own from that store. ==Runners== Sometimes, like if you download a game from GOG, you'll have a folder with all the game components. In this case, you'll use a runner to install it. A runner is a method to start your game. Lutris supports several runners: Linux, Steam, and Wine. '''Linux''' is for native Linux games. '''Steam''' is for Steam games - though, using Steam itself to run those games is easier. '''Wine''' is what you want to use for every other game. === Winetricks === ==See also== [https://lutris.net/ Lutris's website] [[Category:Popular apps]] b4474fe88ec9f16cdb9062244fc99a7692966171 69 68 2022-01-19T22:01:38Z Marigold 7 /* Runners */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[File:Lutris icon.png|thumb|Lutris's icon.]] '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that primarily provides installers for games not available on Steam. It can also act as a singular app for your whole game library. You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store through it. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam. == Installing Lutris == You can typically install Lutris through your distribution's app store (e.g. GNOME Software, Discover, Pop Shop). For example, on Pop!_OS, go to the '''Pop Shop''' and search "Lutris". [[File:Pop Shop - Lutris.png|frameless|581x581px]] Then, click install. Then, click install. See Lutris's [https://lutris.net/downloads download page] for more ways to install it. == Installing a game through Lutris == The most important feature of Lutris is that you can install games and launchers not found on Steam using '''install scripts'''. If you want to use an install script, select Lutris in '''Sources''' and click "Community Installers". [[File:Communityinstallers.png|frameless|496x496px]] Then, in the top bar, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. Then, in the top bar, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. [[File:Installscripts.png|frameless|430x430px]] Here, we'll click on the game with the photo, and click "install" on the bottom left side of Lutris. After that, we'll follow the prompts to install the game. Here, we'll click on the game with the photo, and click "install" on the bottom left side of Lutris. After that, we'll follow the prompts to install the game. If you encounter an issue installing your game, look up the game's name on the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/ Linux Gaming subreddit] to see if anyone's had the same issue and solved it. You should also check whether the game currently runs on Linux in the first place. === Install games that you own on GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam === Login to these stores by navigating to their tab in '''Sources''', and logging in to them by clicking the '''Connect''' icon. [[File:Lutrislogin.png|frameless]] After logging in, Lutris should display the games you own from that store. ==Runners== Sometimes, like if you download a game from GOG, you'll have a folder with all the game components. In this case, you'll use a runner to install it. A runner is a method to start your game. Lutris supports several runners: Linux, Steam, and Wine. '''Linux''' is for native Linux games. '''Steam''' is for Steam games - though, using Steam itself to run those games is easier. '''Wine''' is what you want to use for every other game. === Winetricks === ==See also== [https://lutris.net/ Lutris's website] [[Category:Popular apps]] 725eab48a5f61285f0ead9b2f6c3057f6138fdc0 70 69 2022-01-19T22:04:03Z Marigold 7 I learned how to format images wikitext text/x-wiki '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that primarily provides installers for games not available on Steam. It can also act as a singular app for your whole game library.[[File:Lutris icon.png|thumb|Lutris's icon.]] You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store through it. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam. == Installing Lutris == You can typically install Lutris through your distribution's app store (e.g. GNOME Software, Discover, Pop Shop). For example, on Pop!_OS, go to the '''Pop Shop''' and search "Lutris". [[index.php?title=File:Pop_Shop_-_Lutris.png|left|frameless|581x581px]] Then, click install. See Lutris's [https://lutris.net/downloads download page] for more ways to install it. == Installing a game through Lutris == The most important feature of Lutris is that you can install games and launchers not found on Steam using '''install scripts'''. If you want to use an install script, select Lutris in '''Sources''' and click "Community Installers". [[index.php?title=File:Communityinstallers.png|left|frameless|496x496px]] Then, in the top bar, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. [[index.php?title=File:Installscripts.png|left|frameless|430x430px]] Here, we'll click on the game with the photo, and click "install" on the bottom left side of Lutris. After that, we'll follow the prompts to install the game. If you encounter an issue installing your game, look up the game's name on the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/ Linux Gaming subreddit] to see if anyone's had the same issue and solved it. You should also check whether the game currently runs on Linux in the first place. === Install games that you own on GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam === Login to these stores by navigating to their tab in '''Sources''', and logging in to them by clicking the '''Connect''' icon. [[index.php?title=File:Lutrislogin.png|left|frameless]] After logging in, Lutris should display the games you own from that store. ==Runners== Sometimes, like if you download a game from GOG, you'll have a folder with all the game components. In this case, you'll use a runner to install it. A runner is a method to start your game. Lutris supports several runners: Linux, Steam, and Wine. '''Linux''' is for native Linux games. '''Steam''' is for Steam games - though, using Steam itself to run those games is easier. '''Wine''' is what you want to use for every other game. === Winetricks === ==See also== [https://lutris.net/ Lutris's website] [[Category:Popular apps]] bb798ed7575c079ef77411b28e4111fff95d118c 71 70 2022-01-19T22:05:58Z Marigold 7 Undo revision 70 by [[Special:Contributions/Marigold|Marigold]] ([[User talk:Marigold|talk]]) wikitext text/x-wiki [[File:Lutris icon.png|thumb|Lutris's icon.]] '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that primarily provides installers for games not available on Steam. It can also act as a singular app for your whole game library. You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store through it. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam. == Installing Lutris == You can typically install Lutris through your distribution's app store (e.g. GNOME Software, Discover, Pop Shop). For example, on Pop!_OS, go to the '''Pop Shop''' and search "Lutris". [[File:Pop Shop - Lutris.png|frameless|581x581px]] Then, click install. Then, click install. See Lutris's [https://lutris.net/downloads download page] for more ways to install it. == Installing a game through Lutris == The most important feature of Lutris is that you can install games and launchers not found on Steam using '''install scripts'''. If you want to use an install script, select Lutris in '''Sources''' and click "Community Installers". [[File:Communityinstallers.png|frameless|496x496px]] Then, in the top bar, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. Then, in the top bar, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. [[File:Installscripts.png|frameless|430x430px]] Here, we'll click on the game with the photo, and click "install" on the bottom left side of Lutris. After that, we'll follow the prompts to install the game. Here, we'll click on the game with the photo, and click "install" on the bottom left side of Lutris. After that, we'll follow the prompts to install the game. If you encounter an issue installing your game, look up the game's name on the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/ Linux Gaming subreddit] to see if anyone's had the same issue and solved it. You should also check whether the game currently runs on Linux in the first place. === Install games that you own on GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam === Login to these stores by navigating to their tab in '''Sources''', and logging in to them by clicking the '''Connect''' icon. [[File:Lutrislogin.png|frameless]] After logging in, Lutris should display the games you own from that store. ==Runners== Sometimes, like if you download a game from GOG, you'll have a folder with all the game components. In this case, you'll use a runner to install it. A runner is a method to start your game. Lutris supports several runners: Linux, Steam, and Wine. '''Linux''' is for native Linux games. '''Steam''' is for Steam games - though, using Steam itself to run those games is easier. '''Wine''' is what you want to use for every other game. === Winetricks === ==See also== [https://lutris.net/ Lutris's website] [[Category:Popular apps]] 725eab48a5f61285f0ead9b2f6c3057f6138fdc0 72 71 2022-01-19T22:08:26Z Marigold 7 Learning how to format images wikitext text/x-wiki [[File:Lutris icon.png|thumb|Lutris's icon.]] '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that primarily provides installers for games not available on Steam. It can also act as a singular app for your whole game library. You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store through it. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam. == Installing Lutris == You can typically install Lutris through your distribution's app store (e.g. GNOME Software, Discover, Pop Shop). For example, on Pop!_OS, go to the '''Pop Shop''' and search "Lutris". [[index.php?title=File:Pop_Shop_-_Lutris.png|border|left|frameless|581x581px]] Then, click install. Then, click install. See Lutris's [https://lutris.net/downloads download page] for more ways to install it. == Installing a game through Lutris == The most important feature of Lutris is that you can install games and launchers not found on Steam using '''install scripts'''. If you want to use an install script, select Lutris in '''Sources''' and click "Community Installers". [[File:Communityinstallers.png|frameless|496x496px]] Then, in the top bar, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. Then, in the top bar, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. [[File:Installscripts.png|frameless|430x430px]] Here, we'll click on the game with the photo, and click "install" on the bottom left side of Lutris. After that, we'll follow the prompts to install the game. Here, we'll click on the game with the photo, and click "install" on the bottom left side of Lutris. After that, we'll follow the prompts to install the game. If you encounter an issue installing your game, look up the game's name on the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/ Linux Gaming subreddit] to see if anyone's had the same issue and solved it. You should also check whether the game currently runs on Linux in the first place. === Install games that you own on GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam === Login to these stores by navigating to their tab in '''Sources''', and logging in to them by clicking the '''Connect''' icon. [[File:Lutrislogin.png|frameless]] After logging in, Lutris should display the games you own from that store. ==Runners== Sometimes, like if you download a game from GOG, you'll have a folder with all the game components. In this case, you'll use a runner to install it. A runner is a method to start your game. Lutris supports several runners: Linux, Steam, and Wine. '''Linux''' is for native Linux games. '''Steam''' is for Steam games - though, using Steam itself to run those games is easier. '''Wine''' is what you want to use for every other game. === Winetricks === ==See also== [https://lutris.net/ Lutris's website] [[Category:Popular apps]] b66212f877bdac6d8848788a14bc70fa1e704cf9 73 72 2022-01-19T22:08:40Z Marigold 7 Undo revision 72 by [[Special:Contributions/Marigold|Marigold]] ([[User talk:Marigold|talk]]) wikitext text/x-wiki [[File:Lutris icon.png|thumb|Lutris's icon.]] '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that primarily provides installers for games not available on Steam. It can also act as a singular app for your whole game library. You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store through it. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam. == Installing Lutris == You can typically install Lutris through your distribution's app store (e.g. GNOME Software, Discover, Pop Shop). For example, on Pop!_OS, go to the '''Pop Shop''' and search "Lutris". [[File:Pop Shop - Lutris.png|frameless|581x581px]] Then, click install. Then, click install. See Lutris's [https://lutris.net/downloads download page] for more ways to install it. == Installing a game through Lutris == The most important feature of Lutris is that you can install games and launchers not found on Steam using '''install scripts'''. If you want to use an install script, select Lutris in '''Sources''' and click "Community Installers". [[File:Communityinstallers.png|frameless|496x496px]] Then, in the top bar, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. Then, in the top bar, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. [[File:Installscripts.png|frameless|430x430px]] Here, we'll click on the game with the photo, and click "install" on the bottom left side of Lutris. After that, we'll follow the prompts to install the game. Here, we'll click on the game with the photo, and click "install" on the bottom left side of Lutris. After that, we'll follow the prompts to install the game. If you encounter an issue installing your game, look up the game's name on the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/ Linux Gaming subreddit] to see if anyone's had the same issue and solved it. You should also check whether the game currently runs on Linux in the first place. === Install games that you own on GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam === Login to these stores by navigating to their tab in '''Sources''', and logging in to them by clicking the '''Connect''' icon. [[File:Lutrislogin.png|frameless]] After logging in, Lutris should display the games you own from that store. ==Runners== Sometimes, like if you download a game from GOG, you'll have a folder with all the game components. In this case, you'll use a runner to install it. A runner is a method to start your game. Lutris supports several runners: Linux, Steam, and Wine. '''Linux''' is for native Linux games. '''Steam''' is for Steam games - though, using Steam itself to run those games is easier. '''Wine''' is what you want to use for every other game. === Winetricks === ==See also== [https://lutris.net/ Lutris's website] [[Category:Popular apps]] 725eab48a5f61285f0ead9b2f6c3057f6138fdc0 74 73 2022-01-19T22:09:06Z Marigold 7 wikitext text/x-wiki [[File:Lutris icon.png|thumb|Lutris's icon.]] '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that primarily provides installers for games not available on Steam. It can also act as a singular app for your whole game library. You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store through it. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam. == Installing Lutris == You can typically install Lutris through your distribution's app store (e.g. GNOME Software, Discover, Pop Shop). For example, on Pop!_OS, go to the '''Pop Shop''' and search "Lutris". [[index.php?title=File:Pop_Shop_-_Lutris.png|left|frameless|581x581px]] Then, click install. See Lutris's [https://lutris.net/downloads download page] for more ways to install it. == Installing a game through Lutris == The most important feature of Lutris is that you can install games and launchers not found on Steam using '''install scripts'''. If you want to use an install script, select Lutris in '''Sources''' and click "Community Installers". [[File:Communityinstallers.png|frameless|496x496px]] Then, in the top bar, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. Then, in the top bar, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. [[File:Installscripts.png|frameless|430x430px]] Here, we'll click on the game with the photo, and click "install" on the bottom left side of Lutris. After that, we'll follow the prompts to install the game. Here, we'll click on the game with the photo, and click "install" on the bottom left side of Lutris. After that, we'll follow the prompts to install the game. If you encounter an issue installing your game, look up the game's name on the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/ Linux Gaming subreddit] to see if anyone's had the same issue and solved it. You should also check whether the game currently runs on Linux in the first place. === Install games that you own on GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam === Login to these stores by navigating to their tab in '''Sources''', and logging in to them by clicking the '''Connect''' icon. [[File:Lutrislogin.png|frameless]] After logging in, Lutris should display the games you own from that store. ==Runners== Sometimes, like if you download a game from GOG, you'll have a folder with all the game components. In this case, you'll use a runner to install it. A runner is a method to start your game. Lutris supports several runners: Linux, Steam, and Wine. '''Linux''' is for native Linux games. '''Steam''' is for Steam games - though, using Steam itself to run those games is easier. '''Wine''' is what you want to use for every other game. === Winetricks === ==See also== [https://lutris.net/ Lutris's website] [[Category:Popular apps]] 15456bd26f11197f84a6f2fee4b0147827184af9 75 74 2022-01-19T22:09:27Z Marigold 7 Undo revision 74 by [[Special:Contributions/Marigold|Marigold]] ([[User talk:Marigold|talk]]) wikitext text/x-wiki [[File:Lutris icon.png|thumb|Lutris's icon.]] '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that primarily provides installers for games not available on Steam. It can also act as a singular app for your whole game library. You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store through it. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam. == Installing Lutris == You can typically install Lutris through your distribution's app store (e.g. GNOME Software, Discover, Pop Shop). For example, on Pop!_OS, go to the '''Pop Shop''' and search "Lutris". [[File:Pop Shop - Lutris.png|frameless|581x581px]] Then, click install. Then, click install. See Lutris's [https://lutris.net/downloads download page] for more ways to install it. == Installing a game through Lutris == The most important feature of Lutris is that you can install games and launchers not found on Steam using '''install scripts'''. If you want to use an install script, select Lutris in '''Sources''' and click "Community Installers". [[File:Communityinstallers.png|frameless|496x496px]] Then, in the top bar, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. Then, in the top bar, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. [[File:Installscripts.png|frameless|430x430px]] Here, we'll click on the game with the photo, and click "install" on the bottom left side of Lutris. After that, we'll follow the prompts to install the game. Here, we'll click on the game with the photo, and click "install" on the bottom left side of Lutris. After that, we'll follow the prompts to install the game. If you encounter an issue installing your game, look up the game's name on the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/ Linux Gaming subreddit] to see if anyone's had the same issue and solved it. You should also check whether the game currently runs on Linux in the first place. === Install games that you own on GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam === Login to these stores by navigating to their tab in '''Sources''', and logging in to them by clicking the '''Connect''' icon. [[File:Lutrislogin.png|frameless]] After logging in, Lutris should display the games you own from that store. ==Runners== Sometimes, like if you download a game from GOG, you'll have a folder with all the game components. In this case, you'll use a runner to install it. A runner is a method to start your game. Lutris supports several runners: Linux, Steam, and Wine. '''Linux''' is for native Linux games. '''Steam''' is for Steam games - though, using Steam itself to run those games is easier. '''Wine''' is what you want to use for every other game. === Winetricks === ==See also== [https://lutris.net/ Lutris's website] [[Category:Popular apps]] 725eab48a5f61285f0ead9b2f6c3057f6138fdc0 76 75 2022-01-19T22:10:09Z Marigold 7 Formatting wikitext text/x-wiki [[File:Lutris icon.png|thumb|Lutris's icon.]] '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that primarily provides installers for games not available on Steam. It can also act as a singular app for your whole game library. You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store through it. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam. == Installing Lutris == You can typically install Lutris through your distribution's app store (e.g. GNOME Software, Discover, Pop Shop). For example, on Pop!_OS, go to the '''Pop Shop''' and search "Lutris". [[File:Pop Shop - Lutris.png|frameless|581x581px]] Then, click install. See Lutris's [https://lutris.net/downloads download page] for more ways to install it. == Installing a game through Lutris == The most important feature of Lutris is that you can install games and launchers not found on Steam using '''install scripts'''. If you want to use an install script, select Lutris in '''Sources''' and click "Community Installers". [[File:Communityinstallers.png|frameless|496x496px]] Then, in the top bar, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. [[File:Installscripts.png|frameless|430x430px]] Here, we'll click on the game with the photo, and click "install" on the bottom left side of Lutris. After that, we'll follow the prompts to install the game. If you encounter an issue installing your game, look up the game's name on the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/ Linux Gaming subreddit] to see if anyone's had the same issue and solved it. You should also check whether the game currently runs on Linux in the first place. === Install games that you own on GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam === Login to these stores by navigating to their tab in '''Sources''', and logging in to them by clicking the '''Connect''' icon. [[File:Lutrislogin.png|frameless]] After logging in, Lutris should display the games you own from that store. ==Runners== Sometimes, like if you download a game from GOG, you'll have a folder with all the game components. In this case, you'll use a runner to install it. A runner is a method to start your game. Lutris supports several runners: Linux, Steam, and Wine. '''Linux''' is for native Linux games. '''Steam''' is for Steam games - though, using Steam itself to run those games is easier. '''Wine''' is what you want to use for every other game. === Winetricks === ==See also== [https://lutris.net/ Lutris's website] [[Category:Popular apps]] 7938276d0316ad3c22ffa216bd02aee4a89d025b 78 76 2022-01-19T22:19:06Z Marigold 7 wikitext text/x-wiki [[File:Lutris icon.png|thumb|Lutris's icon.]] '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that primarily provides installers for games not available on Steam. It can also act as a single app for your whole game library. You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam. == Installing Lutris == You can typically install Lutris through your distribution's app store (e.g. GNOME Software, Discover, Pop Shop). For example, on Pop!_OS, go to the '''Pop Shop''' and search "Lutris". [[File:Pop Shop - Lutris.png|frameless|581x581px]] Then, click install. See Lutris's [https://lutris.net/downloads download page] for more ways to install it. == Installing a game through Lutris == The most important feature of Lutris is that you can install games and launchers not found on Steam using '''install scripts'''. If you want to use an install script, select Lutris in '''Sources''' and click "Community Installers". [[File:Communityinstallers.png|frameless|496x496px]] Then, in the top bar, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. [[File:Installscripts.png|frameless|430x430px]] Here, we'll click on the game with the photo, and click "install" on the bottom left side of Lutris. After that, we'll follow the prompts to install the game. === Installation === Typically, Lutris will ask if you want to download certain files during an installation process. [[File:Lutrisinstalls.png|none|thumb|384x384px|Installing Overwatch on Lutris.]] Review the files to make sure everything looks okay, and then just press '''continue'''. Don't worry about the download buttons. If you encounter an issue installing your game, look up the game's name on the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/ Linux Gaming subreddit] to see if anyone's had the same issue and solved it. You should also check whether the game currently runs on Linux in the first place. === Install games that you own on GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam === Login to these stores by navigating to their tab in '''Sources''', and logging in to them by clicking the '''Connect''' icon. [[File:Lutrislogin.png|frameless]] After logging in, Lutris should display the games you own from that store. ==Runners== Sometimes, like if you download a game from GOG, you'll have a folder with all the game components. In this case, you'll use a runner to install it. A runner is a method to start your game. Lutris supports several runners: Linux, Steam, and Wine. '''Linux''' is for native Linux games. '''Steam''' is for Steam games - though, using Steam itself to run those games is easier. '''Wine''' is what you want to use for every other game. === Winetricks === ==See also== [https://lutris.net/ Lutris's website] [[Category:Popular apps]] cd99f378670a0c1168b47011b5996ef3d1a1f3e5 79 78 2022-01-19T22:19:51Z Marigold 7 /* Installation */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[File:Lutris icon.png|thumb|Lutris's icon.]] '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that primarily provides installers for games not available on Steam. It can also act as a single app for your whole game library. You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam. == Installing Lutris == You can typically install Lutris through your distribution's app store (e.g. GNOME Software, Discover, Pop Shop). For example, on Pop!_OS, go to the '''Pop Shop''' and search "Lutris". [[File:Pop Shop - Lutris.png|frameless|581x581px]] Then, click install. See Lutris's [https://lutris.net/downloads download page] for more ways to install it. == Installing a game through Lutris == The most important feature of Lutris is that you can install games and launchers not found on Steam using '''install scripts'''. If you want to use an install script, select Lutris in '''Sources''' and click "Community Installers". [[File:Communityinstallers.png|frameless|496x496px]] Then, in the top bar, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. [[File:Installscripts.png|frameless|430x430px]] Here, we'll click on the game with the photo, and click "install" on the bottom left side of Lutris. After that, we'll follow the prompts to install the game. === Installation === Typically, Lutris will ask if you want to download certain files during an installation process. [[File:Lutrisinstalls.png|none|thumb|384x384px|Installing Overwatch on Lutris.]] Review the files to make sure everything looks okay, and then just press '''continue'''. Don't worry about the download buttons. Review the files to make sure everything looks okay, and then just press '''continue'''. Don't worry about the download buttons. If you encounter an issue installing your game, look up the game's name on the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/ Linux Gaming subreddit] to see if anyone's had the same issue and solved it. You should also check whether the game currently runs on Linux in the first place. === Install games that you own on GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam === Login to these stores by navigating to their tab in '''Sources''', and logging in to them by clicking the '''Connect''' icon. [[File:Lutrislogin.png|frameless]] After logging in, Lutris should display the games you own from that store. ==Runners== Sometimes, like if you download a game from GOG, you'll have a folder with all the game components. In this case, you'll use a runner to install it. A runner is a method to start your game. Lutris supports several runners: Linux, Steam, and Wine. '''Linux''' is for native Linux games. '''Steam''' is for Steam games - though, using Steam itself to run those games is easier. '''Wine''' is what you want to use for every other game. === Winetricks === ==See also== [https://lutris.net/ Lutris's website] [[Category:Popular apps]] 1279c695acf53602bd8d7d13c6808f2cfdf40130 80 79 2022-01-19T22:20:07Z Marigold 7 /* Installation */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[File:Lutris icon.png|thumb|Lutris's icon.]] '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that primarily provides installers for games not available on Steam. It can also act as a single app for your whole game library. You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam. == Installing Lutris == You can typically install Lutris through your distribution's app store (e.g. GNOME Software, Discover, Pop Shop). For example, on Pop!_OS, go to the '''Pop Shop''' and search "Lutris". [[File:Pop Shop - Lutris.png|frameless|581x581px]] Then, click install. See Lutris's [https://lutris.net/downloads download page] for more ways to install it. == Installing a game through Lutris == The most important feature of Lutris is that you can install games and launchers not found on Steam using '''install scripts'''. If you want to use an install script, select Lutris in '''Sources''' and click "Community Installers". [[File:Communityinstallers.png|frameless|496x496px]] Then, in the top bar, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. [[File:Installscripts.png|frameless|430x430px]] Here, we'll click on the game with the photo, and click "install" on the bottom left side of Lutris. After that, we'll follow the prompts to install the game. === Installation === Typically, Lutris will ask if you want to download certain files during an installation process. [[File:Lutrisinstalls.png|none|thumb|384x384px|Installing Overwatch on Lutris.]] Review the files to make sure everything looks okay, and then just press '''continue'''. Don't worry about the download buttons. If you encounter an issue installing your game, look up the game's name on the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/ Linux Gaming subreddit] to see if anyone's had the same issue and solved it. You should also check whether the game currently runs on Linux in the first place. === Install games that you own on GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam === Login to these stores by navigating to their tab in '''Sources''', and logging in to them by clicking the '''Connect''' icon. [[File:Lutrislogin.png|frameless]] After logging in, Lutris should display the games you own from that store. ==Runners== Sometimes, like if you download a game from GOG, you'll have a folder with all the game components. In this case, you'll use a runner to install it. A runner is a method to start your game. Lutris supports several runners: Linux, Steam, and Wine. '''Linux''' is for native Linux games. '''Steam''' is for Steam games - though, using Steam itself to run those games is easier. '''Wine''' is what you want to use for every other game. === Winetricks === ==See also== [https://lutris.net/ Lutris's website] [[Category:Popular apps]] ac083e17c91d48d243b5e8ab670923d99ed1efad 81 80 2022-01-19T22:26:15Z Marigold 7 /* Installation */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[File:Lutris icon.png|thumb|Lutris's icon.]] '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that primarily provides installers for games not available on Steam. It can also act as a single app for your whole game library. You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam. == Installing Lutris == You can typically install Lutris through your distribution's app store (e.g. GNOME Software, Discover, Pop Shop). For example, on Pop!_OS, go to the '''Pop Shop''' and search "Lutris". [[File:Pop Shop - Lutris.png|frameless|581x581px]] Then, click install. See Lutris's [https://lutris.net/downloads download page] for more ways to install it. == Installing a game through Lutris == The most important feature of Lutris is that you can install games and launchers not found on Steam using '''install scripts'''. If you want to use an install script, select Lutris in '''Sources''' and click "Community Installers". [[File:Communityinstallers.png|frameless|496x496px]] Then, in the top bar, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. [[File:Installscripts.png|frameless|430x430px]] Here, we'll click on the game with the photo, and click "install". There may be multiple install scripts options, so pick what seems most standard. If that one doesn't work, you could try the other ones. === Installation === Typically, when installing a game, Lutris will ask if you want to download certain files. [[File:Lutrisinstalls.png|none|thumb|384x384px|Installing Overwatch on Lutris.]] Review the files to make sure everything looks okay, and then just press '''continue'''. Don't worry about the individual download buttons. If you encounter an issue installing your game, look up the game's name on the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/ Linux Gaming subreddit] to see if anyone's had the same issue and solved it. You should also check whether the game currently runs on Linux in the first place. === Install games that you own on GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam === Login to these stores by navigating to their tab in '''Sources''', and logging in to them by clicking the '''Connect''' icon. [[File:Lutrislogin.png|frameless]] After logging in, Lutris should display the games you own from that store. ==Runners== Sometimes, like if you download a game from GOG, you'll have a folder with all the game components. In this case, you'll use a runner to install it. A runner is a method to start your game. Lutris supports several runners: Linux, Steam, and Wine. '''Linux''' is for native Linux games. '''Steam''' is for Steam games - though, using Steam itself to run those games is easier. '''Wine''' is what you want to use for every other game. === Winetricks === ==See also== [https://lutris.net/ Lutris's website] [[Category:Popular apps]] f7c4a9901d04b2e3e3977645e30e866c085600f8 82 81 2022-01-19T22:27:20Z Marigold 7 /* Installing a game through Lutris */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[File:Lutris icon.png|thumb|Lutris's icon.]] '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that primarily provides installers for games not available on Steam. It can also act as a single app for your whole game library. You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam. == Installing Lutris == You can typically install Lutris through your distribution's app store (e.g. GNOME Software, Discover, Pop Shop). For example, on Pop!_OS, go to the '''Pop Shop''' and search "Lutris". [[File:Pop Shop - Lutris.png|frameless|581x581px]] Then, click install. See Lutris's [https://lutris.net/downloads download page] for more ways to install it. == Installing a game through Lutris == The most important feature of Lutris is that you can install games and launchers not found on Steam using '''install scripts'''. If you want to use an install script, select Lutris in '''Sources''' and click "Community Installers". [[File:Communityinstallers.png|frameless|496x496px]] Then, in the top bar, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. [[File:Installscripts.png|frameless|430x430px]] Here, we'll click on the game with the photo, and click "install". There may be multiple install scripts options, so pick what seems most standard. If that one doesn't work, you could try the other ones. You can also [https://lutris.net/games look up install scripts] on Lutris's website. === Installation === Typically, when installing a game, Lutris will ask if you want to download certain files. [[File:Lutrisinstalls.png|none|thumb|384x384px|Installing Overwatch on Lutris.]] Review the files to make sure everything looks okay, and then just press '''continue'''. Don't worry about the individual download buttons. If you encounter an issue installing your game, look up the game's name on the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/ Linux Gaming subreddit] to see if anyone's had the same issue and solved it. You should also check whether the game currently runs on Linux in the first place. === Install games that you own on GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam === Login to these stores by navigating to their tab in '''Sources''', and logging in to them by clicking the '''Connect''' icon. [[File:Lutrislogin.png|frameless]] After logging in, Lutris should display the games you own from that store. ==Runners== Sometimes, like if you download a game from GOG, you'll have a folder with all the game components. In this case, you'll use a runner to install it. A runner is a method to start your game. Lutris supports several runners: Linux, Steam, and Wine. '''Linux''' is for native Linux games. '''Steam''' is for Steam games - though, using Steam itself to run those games is easier. '''Wine''' is what you want to use for every other game. === Winetricks === ==See also== [https://lutris.net/ Lutris's website] [[Category:Popular apps]] 9f261041681cae870afb626eb36081917a876c0c 83 82 2022-01-19T22:32:42Z Marigold 7 wikitext text/x-wiki [[File:Lutris icon.png|thumb|Lutris's icon.]] '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that primarily provides installers for games not available on Steam. It can also act as a single app for your whole game library. You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam. == Installing Lutris == You can typically install Lutris through your distribution's app store (e.g. GNOME Software, Discover, Pop Shop). For example, on Pop!_OS, go to the '''Pop Shop''' and search "Lutris". [[File:Pop Shop - Lutris.png|frameless|581x581px]] Then, click install. See Lutris's [https://lutris.net/downloads download page] for more ways to install it. == Installing a game through Lutris == The most important feature of Lutris is that you can install games and launchers not found on Steam using '''install scripts'''. If you want to use an install script, select Lutris in '''Sources''' and click "Community Installers". [[File:Communityinstallers.png|frameless|496x496px]] Then, in the top bar, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. [[File:Installscripts.png|frameless|430x430px]] Here, we'll click on the game with the photo, and click "install". There may be multiple install scripts options, so pick what seems most standard. If that one doesn't work, you could try the other ones. You can also [https://lutris.net/games look up install scripts] on Lutris's website. === Installation === Typically, when installing a game, Lutris will ask if you want to download certain files. [[File:Lutrisinstalls.png|none|thumb|384x384px|Installing Overwatch on Lutris.]] Review the files to make sure everything looks okay, and then just press '''continue'''. Don't worry about the individual download buttons. If you encounter an issue installing your game, look up the game's name on the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/ Linux Gaming subreddit] to see if anyone's had the same issue and solved it. You should also check whether the game currently runs on Linux in the first place. === Install games that you own on GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam === Login to these stores by navigating to their tab in '''Sources''', and logging in to them by clicking the '''Connect''' icon. [[File:Lutrislogin.png|frameless]] After logging in, Lutris should display the games you own from that store. === Video tutorial === You may find this video tutorial by Intelligent Gaming on [https://piped.kavin.rocks/watch?v=oFB-Ly8RcOw how to install a game through Lutris] useful. ==Runners== Sometimes, like if you download a game from GOG, you'll have a folder with all the game components. In this case, you'll use a runner to install it. A runner is a method to start your game. Lutris supports several runners: Linux, Steam, and Wine. '''Linux''' is for native Linux games. '''Steam''' is for Steam games - though, using Steam itself to run those games is easier. '''Wine''' is what you want to use for every other game. === Winetricks === ==See also== [https://lutris.net/ Lutris's website] [[Category:Popular apps]] 88306df1052348b41fae62a6886c79041cf15fd4 84 83 2022-01-19T22:39:30Z Marigold 7 /* Installing a game through Lutris */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[File:Lutris icon.png|thumb|Lutris's icon.]] '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that primarily provides installers for games not available on Steam. It can also act as a single app for your whole game library. You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam. == Installing Lutris == You can typically install Lutris through your distribution's app store (e.g. GNOME Software, Discover, Pop Shop). For example, on Pop!_OS, go to the '''Pop Shop''' and search "Lutris". [[File:Pop Shop - Lutris.png|frameless|581x581px]] Then, click install. See Lutris's [https://lutris.net/downloads download page] for more ways to install it. == Installing a game through Lutris == The most important feature of Lutris is that you can install games and launchers not found on Steam using '''install scripts'''. If you want to use an install script, select Lutris in '''Sources''' and click "Community Installers". [[File:Communityinstallers.png|frameless|496x496px]] Then, in the top bar, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. [[File:Installscripts.png|frameless|430x430px]] Here, we'll click on the game with the photo, and click "install". There may be multiple install scripts options, so pick what seems most standard. If your first choice doesn't work, you could try the other ones. You don't have to use the Lutris client to find install scripts - you can [https://lutris.net/games look up install scripts] on Lutris's website. === Installation === Typically, when installing a game, Lutris will ask if you want to download certain files. [[File:Lutrisinstalls.png|none|thumb|384x384px|Installing Overwatch on Lutris.]] Review the files to make sure everything looks okay, and then just press '''continue'''. Don't worry about the individual download buttons. If you encounter an issue installing your game, look up the game's name on the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/ Linux Gaming subreddit] to see if anyone's had the same issue and solved it. You should also check whether the game currently runs on Linux in the first place. === Install games that you own on GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam === Login to these stores by navigating to their tab in '''Sources''', and logging in to them by clicking the '''Connect''' icon. [[File:Lutrislogin.png|frameless]] After logging in, Lutris should display the games you own from that store. === Video tutorial === You may find this video tutorial by Intelligent Gaming on [https://piped.kavin.rocks/watch?v=oFB-Ly8RcOw how to install a game through Lutris] useful. ==Runners== Sometimes, like if you download a game from GOG, you'll have a folder with all the game components. In this case, you'll use a runner to install it. A runner is a method to start your game. Lutris supports several runners: Linux, Steam, and Wine. '''Linux''' is for native Linux games. '''Steam''' is for Steam games - though, using Steam itself to run those games is easier. '''Wine''' is what you want to use for every other game. === Winetricks === ==See also== [https://lutris.net/ Lutris's website] [[Category:Popular apps]] 290925f8b237cf040683f6ef4cca462a4e1062a3 85 84 2022-01-19T22:40:43Z Marigold 7 /* Video tutorial */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[File:Lutris icon.png|thumb|Lutris's icon.]] '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that primarily provides installers for games not available on Steam. It can also act as a single app for your whole game library. You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam. == Installing Lutris == You can typically install Lutris through your distribution's app store (e.g. GNOME Software, Discover, Pop Shop). For example, on Pop!_OS, go to the '''Pop Shop''' and search "Lutris". [[File:Pop Shop - Lutris.png|frameless|581x581px]] Then, click install. See Lutris's [https://lutris.net/downloads download page] for more ways to install it. == Installing a game through Lutris == The most important feature of Lutris is that you can install games and launchers not found on Steam using '''install scripts'''. If you want to use an install script, select Lutris in '''Sources''' and click "Community Installers". [[File:Communityinstallers.png|frameless|496x496px]] Then, in the top bar, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. [[File:Installscripts.png|frameless|430x430px]] Here, we'll click on the game with the photo, and click "install". There may be multiple install scripts options, so pick what seems most standard. If your first choice doesn't work, you could try the other ones. You don't have to use the Lutris client to find install scripts - you can [https://lutris.net/games look up install scripts] on Lutris's website. === Installation === Typically, when installing a game, Lutris will ask if you want to download certain files. [[File:Lutrisinstalls.png|none|thumb|384x384px|Installing Overwatch on Lutris.]] Review the files to make sure everything looks okay, and then just press '''continue'''. Don't worry about the individual download buttons. If you encounter an issue installing your game, look up the game's name on the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/ Linux Gaming subreddit] to see if anyone's had the same issue and solved it. You should also check whether the game currently runs on Linux in the first place. === Install games that you own on GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam === Login to these stores by navigating to their tab in '''Sources''', and logging in to them by clicking the '''Connect''' icon. [[File:Lutrislogin.png|frameless]] After logging in, Lutris should display the games you own from that store. === Video tutorial === Follow along with [https://piped.kavin.rocks/watch?v=oFB-Ly8RcOw this guide] to see how installing a game with Lutris works. ==Runners== Sometimes, like if you download a game from GOG, you'll have a folder with all the game components. In this case, you'll use a runner to install it. A runner is a method to start your game. Lutris supports several runners: Linux, Steam, and Wine. '''Linux''' is for native Linux games. '''Steam''' is for Steam games - though, using Steam itself to run those games is easier. '''Wine''' is what you want to use for every other game. === Winetricks === ==See also== [https://lutris.net/ Lutris's website] [[Category:Popular apps]] e0a1dc7f50922546a0f15659b5e573f78d316e7c 86 85 2022-01-19T22:43:30Z Marigold 7 /* Video tutorial */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[File:Lutris icon.png|thumb|Lutris's icon.]] '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that primarily provides installers for games not available on Steam. It can also act as a single app for your whole game library. You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam. == Installing Lutris == You can typically install Lutris through your distribution's app store (e.g. GNOME Software, Discover, Pop Shop). For example, on Pop!_OS, go to the '''Pop Shop''' and search "Lutris". [[File:Pop Shop - Lutris.png|frameless|581x581px]] Then, click install. See Lutris's [https://lutris.net/downloads download page] for more ways to install it. == Installing a game through Lutris == The most important feature of Lutris is that you can install games and launchers not found on Steam using '''install scripts'''. If you want to use an install script, select Lutris in '''Sources''' and click "Community Installers". [[File:Communityinstallers.png|frameless|496x496px]] Then, in the top bar, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. [[File:Installscripts.png|frameless|430x430px]] Here, we'll click on the game with the photo, and click "install". There may be multiple install scripts options, so pick what seems most standard. If your first choice doesn't work, you could try the other ones. You don't have to use the Lutris client to find install scripts - you can [https://lutris.net/games look up install scripts] on Lutris's website. === Installation === Typically, when installing a game, Lutris will ask if you want to download certain files. [[File:Lutrisinstalls.png|none|thumb|384x384px|Installing Overwatch on Lutris.]] Review the files to make sure everything looks okay, and then just press '''continue'''. Don't worry about the individual download buttons. === Troubleshooting === This [https://piped.kavin.rocks/watch?v=oFB-Ly8RcOw video guide] explains how to install a game with Lutris in more depth. If you encounter an issue installing your game, look up the game's name on the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/ Linux Gaming subreddit] to see if anyone's had the same issue and solved it. You should also check whether the game currently runs on Linux in the first place. === Install games that you own on GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam === Login to these stores by navigating to their tab in '''Sources''', and logging in to them by clicking the '''Connect''' icon. [[File:Lutrislogin.png|frameless]] After logging in, Lutris should display the games you own from that store. === Video tutorial === ==Runners== Sometimes, like if you download a game from GOG, you'll have a folder with all the game components. In this case, you'll use a runner to install it. A runner is a method to start your game. Lutris supports several runners: Linux, Steam, and Wine. '''Linux''' is for native Linux games. '''Steam''' is for Steam games - though, using Steam itself to run those games is easier. '''Wine''' is what you want to use for every other game. === Winetricks === ==See also== [https://lutris.net/ Lutris's website] [[Category:Popular apps]] f86c1e168a040e8cfc6ea7adb3b0906605ab9b10 87 86 2022-01-19T22:44:14Z Marigold 7 /* Troubleshooting */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[File:Lutris icon.png|thumb|Lutris's icon.]] '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that primarily provides installers for games not available on Steam. It can also act as a single app for your whole game library. You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam. == Installing Lutris == You can typically install Lutris through your distribution's app store (e.g. GNOME Software, Discover, Pop Shop). For example, on Pop!_OS, go to the '''Pop Shop''' and search "Lutris". [[File:Pop Shop - Lutris.png|frameless|581x581px]] Then, click install. See Lutris's [https://lutris.net/downloads download page] for more ways to install it. == Installing a game through Lutris == The most important feature of Lutris is that you can install games and launchers not found on Steam using '''install scripts'''. If you want to use an install script, select Lutris in '''Sources''' and click "Community Installers". [[File:Communityinstallers.png|frameless|496x496px]] Then, in the top bar, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. [[File:Installscripts.png|frameless|430x430px]] Here, we'll click on the game with the photo, and click "install". There may be multiple install scripts options, so pick what seems most standard. If your first choice doesn't work, you could try the other ones. You don't have to use the Lutris client to find install scripts - you can [https://lutris.net/games look up install scripts] on Lutris's website. === Installation === Typically, when installing a game, Lutris will ask if you want to download certain files. [[File:Lutrisinstalls.png|none|thumb|384x384px|Installing Overwatch on Lutris.]] Review the files to make sure everything looks okay, and then just press '''continue'''. Don't worry about the individual download buttons. === Troubleshooting === This [https://piped.kavin.rocks/watch?v=oFB-Ly8RcOw video guide] explains how to install a game with Lutris in more depth. If you encounter an issue installing your game, look up the game's name on the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/ Linux Gaming subreddit] to see if anyone's had the same issue and solved it. You should also check whether the game currently runs on Linux in the first place. === Install games that you own on GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam === Login to these stores by navigating to their tab in '''Sources''', and logging in to them by clicking the '''Connect''' icon. [[File:Lutrislogin.png|frameless]] After logging in, Lutris should display the games you own from that store. ==Runners== Sometimes, like if you download a game from GOG, you'll have a folder with all the game components. In this case, you'll use a runner to install it. A runner is a method to start your game. Lutris supports several runners: Linux, Steam, and Wine. '''Linux''' is for native Linux games. '''Steam''' is for Steam games - though, using Steam itself to run those games is easier. '''Wine''' is what you want to use for every other game. === Winetricks === ==See also== [https://lutris.net/ Lutris's website] [[Category:Popular apps]] 82c46e7673d2c34923cd8597051578513e934959 88 87 2022-01-19T22:44:38Z Marigold 7 /* Installation */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[File:Lutris icon.png|thumb|Lutris's icon.]] '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that primarily provides installers for games not available on Steam. It can also act as a single app for your whole game library. You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam. == Installing Lutris == You can typically install Lutris through your distribution's app store (e.g. GNOME Software, Discover, Pop Shop). For example, on Pop!_OS, go to the '''Pop Shop''' and search "Lutris". [[File:Pop Shop - Lutris.png|frameless|581x581px]] Then, click install. See Lutris's [https://lutris.net/downloads download page] for more ways to install it. == Installing a game through Lutris == The most important feature of Lutris is that you can install games and launchers not found on Steam using '''install scripts'''. If you want to use an install script, select Lutris in '''Sources''' and click "Community Installers". [[File:Communityinstallers.png|frameless|496x496px]] Then, in the top bar, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. [[File:Installscripts.png|frameless|430x430px]] Here, we'll click on the game with the photo, and click "install". There may be multiple install scripts options, so pick what seems most standard. If your first choice doesn't work, you could try the other ones. You don't have to use the Lutris client to find install scripts - you can [https://lutris.net/games look up install scripts] on Lutris's website. === Installation === Typically, when installing a game, Lutris will ask if you want to download certain files. [[index.php?title=File:Lutrisinstalls.png|frameless|384x384px]] Review the files to make sure everything looks okay, and then just press '''continue'''. Don't worry about the individual download buttons. === Troubleshooting === This [https://piped.kavin.rocks/watch?v=oFB-Ly8RcOw video guide] explains how to install a game with Lutris in more depth. If you encounter an issue installing your game, look up the game's name on the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/ Linux Gaming subreddit] to see if anyone's had the same issue and solved it. You should also check whether the game currently runs on Linux in the first place. === Install games that you own on GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam === Login to these stores by navigating to their tab in '''Sources''', and logging in to them by clicking the '''Connect''' icon. [[File:Lutrislogin.png|frameless]] After logging in, Lutris should display the games you own from that store. ==Runners== Sometimes, like if you download a game from GOG, you'll have a folder with all the game components. In this case, you'll use a runner to install it. A runner is a method to start your game. Lutris supports several runners: Linux, Steam, and Wine. '''Linux''' is for native Linux games. '''Steam''' is for Steam games - though, using Steam itself to run those games is easier. '''Wine''' is what you want to use for every other game. === Winetricks === ==See also== [https://lutris.net/ Lutris's website] [[Category:Popular apps]] bbbacfba198f9deac71323c3d73820783b3ef828 89 88 2022-01-19T22:44:54Z Marigold 7 Undo revision 88 by [[Special:Contributions/Marigold|Marigold]] ([[User talk:Marigold|talk]]) wikitext text/x-wiki [[File:Lutris icon.png|thumb|Lutris's icon.]] '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that primarily provides installers for games not available on Steam. It can also act as a single app for your whole game library. You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam. == Installing Lutris == You can typically install Lutris through your distribution's app store (e.g. GNOME Software, Discover, Pop Shop). For example, on Pop!_OS, go to the '''Pop Shop''' and search "Lutris". [[File:Pop Shop - Lutris.png|frameless|581x581px]] Then, click install. See Lutris's [https://lutris.net/downloads download page] for more ways to install it. == Installing a game through Lutris == The most important feature of Lutris is that you can install games and launchers not found on Steam using '''install scripts'''. If you want to use an install script, select Lutris in '''Sources''' and click "Community Installers". [[File:Communityinstallers.png|frameless|496x496px]] Then, in the top bar, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. [[File:Installscripts.png|frameless|430x430px]] Here, we'll click on the game with the photo, and click "install". There may be multiple install scripts options, so pick what seems most standard. If your first choice doesn't work, you could try the other ones. You don't have to use the Lutris client to find install scripts - you can [https://lutris.net/games look up install scripts] on Lutris's website. === Installation === Typically, when installing a game, Lutris will ask if you want to download certain files. [[File:Lutrisinstalls.png|none|thumb|384x384px|Installing Overwatch on Lutris.]] Review the files to make sure everything looks okay, and then just press '''continue'''. Don't worry about the individual download buttons. === Troubleshooting === This [https://piped.kavin.rocks/watch?v=oFB-Ly8RcOw video guide] explains how to install a game with Lutris in more depth. If you encounter an issue installing your game, look up the game's name on the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/ Linux Gaming subreddit] to see if anyone's had the same issue and solved it. You should also check whether the game currently runs on Linux in the first place. === Install games that you own on GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam === Login to these stores by navigating to their tab in '''Sources''', and logging in to them by clicking the '''Connect''' icon. [[File:Lutrislogin.png|frameless]] After logging in, Lutris should display the games you own from that store. ==Runners== Sometimes, like if you download a game from GOG, you'll have a folder with all the game components. In this case, you'll use a runner to install it. A runner is a method to start your game. Lutris supports several runners: Linux, Steam, and Wine. '''Linux''' is for native Linux games. '''Steam''' is for Steam games - though, using Steam itself to run those games is easier. '''Wine''' is what you want to use for every other game. === Winetricks === ==See also== [https://lutris.net/ Lutris's website] [[Category:Popular apps]] 82c46e7673d2c34923cd8597051578513e934959 90 89 2022-01-19T22:45:42Z Marigold 7 /* Installation */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[File:Lutris icon.png|thumb|Lutris's icon.]] '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that primarily provides installers for games not available on Steam. It can also act as a single app for your whole game library. You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam. == Installing Lutris == You can typically install Lutris through your distribution's app store (e.g. GNOME Software, Discover, Pop Shop). For example, on Pop!_OS, go to the '''Pop Shop''' and search "Lutris". [[File:Pop Shop - Lutris.png|frameless|581x581px]] Then, click install. See Lutris's [https://lutris.net/downloads download page] for more ways to install it. == Installing a game through Lutris == The most important feature of Lutris is that you can install games and launchers not found on Steam using '''install scripts'''. If you want to use an install script, select Lutris in '''Sources''' and click "Community Installers". [[File:Communityinstallers.png|frameless|496x496px]] Then, in the top bar, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. [[File:Installscripts.png|frameless|430x430px]] Here, we'll click on the game with the photo, and click "install". There may be multiple install scripts options, so pick what seems most standard. If your first choice doesn't work, you could try the other ones. You don't have to use the Lutris client to find install scripts - you can [https://lutris.net/games look up install scripts] on Lutris's website. === Installation === Typically, when installing a game, Lutris will ask if you want to download certain files. [[File:Lutrisinstalls.png|none|thumb|384x384px|Installing Overwatch on Lutris.]] Review the files to make sure everything looks okay, and then just press '''continue'''. Don't worry about the individual download buttons. === Install games that you own on GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam === Login to these stores by navigating to their tab in '''Sources''', and logging in to them by clicking the '''Connect''' icon. [[File:Lutrislogin.png|frameless]] After logging in, Lutris should display the games you own from that store. === Troubleshooting === This [https://piped.kavin.rocks/watch?v=oFB-Ly8RcOw video guide] explains how to install a game with a Lutris install script in more depth. If you encounter an issue installing your game, look up the game's name on the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/ Linux Gaming subreddit] to see if anyone's had the same issue and solved it. You should also check whether the game currently runs on Linux in the first place. ==Runners== Sometimes, like if you download a game from GOG, you'll have a folder with all the game components. In this case, you'll use a runner to install it. A runner is a method to start your game. Lutris supports several runners: Linux, Steam, and Wine. '''Linux''' is for native Linux games. '''Steam''' is for Steam games - though, using Steam itself to run those games is easier. '''Wine''' is what you want to use for every other game. === Winetricks === ==See also== [https://lutris.net/ Lutris's website] [[Category:Popular apps]] ac5cd23d101a695b2d781b96f6c30403730b2d57 91 90 2022-01-19T22:46:40Z Marigold 7 /* Installing a game through Lutris */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[File:Lutris icon.png|thumb|Lutris's icon.]] '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that primarily provides installers for games not available on Steam. It can also act as a single app for your whole game library. You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam. == Installing Lutris == You can typically install Lutris through your distribution's app store (e.g. GNOME Software, Discover, Pop Shop). For example, on Pop!_OS, go to the '''Pop Shop''' and search "Lutris". [[File:Pop Shop - Lutris.png|frameless|581x581px]] Then, click install. See Lutris's [https://lutris.net/downloads download page] for more ways to install it. == Finding a game on Lutris == The most important feature of Lutris is that you can install games and launchers not found on Steam using '''install scripts'''. If you want to use an install script, select Lutris in '''Sources''' and click "Community Installers". [[File:Communityinstallers.png|frameless|496x496px]] Then, in the top bar, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. [[File:Installscripts.png|frameless|430x430px]] Here, we'll click on the game with the photo, and click "install". There may be multiple install scripts options, so pick what seems most standard. If your first choice doesn't work, you could try the other ones. You don't have to use the Lutris client to find install scripts - you can [https://lutris.net/games look up install scripts] on Lutris's website. === Installation === Typically, when installing a game, Lutris will ask if you want to download certain files. [[File:Lutrisinstalls.png|none|thumb|384x384px|Installing Overwatch on Lutris.]] Review the files to make sure everything looks okay, and then just press '''continue'''. Don't worry about the individual download buttons. === Install games that you own on GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam === Login to these stores by navigating to their tab in '''Sources''', and logging in to them by clicking the '''Connect''' icon. [[File:Lutrislogin.png|frameless]] After logging in, Lutris should display the games you own from that store. === Troubleshooting === This [https://piped.kavin.rocks/watch?v=oFB-Ly8RcOw video guide] explains how to install a game with a Lutris install script in more depth. If you encounter an issue installing your game, look up the game's name on the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/ Linux Gaming subreddit] to see if anyone's had the same issue and solved it. You should also check whether the game currently runs on Linux in the first place. ==Runners== Sometimes, like if you download a game from GOG, you'll have a folder with all the game components. In this case, you'll use a runner to install it. A runner is a method to start your game. Lutris supports several runners: Linux, Steam, and Wine. '''Linux''' is for native Linux games. '''Steam''' is for Steam games - though, using Steam itself to run those games is easier. '''Wine''' is what you want to use for every other game. === Winetricks === ==See also== [https://lutris.net/ Lutris's website] [[Category:Popular apps]] d3705ea7c24fbd076d1b2b90aa2e4802b356529b 93 91 2022-01-20T00:57:25Z Marigold 7 /* Runners */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[File:Lutris icon.png|thumb|Lutris's icon.]] '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that primarily provides installers for games not available on Steam. It can also act as a single app for your whole game library. You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam. == Installing Lutris == You can typically install Lutris through your distribution's app store (e.g. GNOME Software, Discover, Pop Shop). For example, on Pop!_OS, go to the '''Pop Shop''' and search "Lutris". [[File:Pop Shop - Lutris.png|frameless|581x581px]] Then, click install. See Lutris's [https://lutris.net/downloads download page] for more ways to install it. == Finding a game on Lutris == The most important feature of Lutris is that you can install games and launchers not found on Steam using '''install scripts'''. If you want to use an install script, select Lutris in '''Sources''' and click "Community Installers". [[File:Communityinstallers.png|frameless|496x496px]] Then, in the top bar, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. [[File:Installscripts.png|frameless|430x430px]] Here, we'll click on the game with the photo, and click "install". There may be multiple install scripts options, so pick what seems most standard. If your first choice doesn't work, you could try the other ones. You don't have to use the Lutris client to find install scripts - you can [https://lutris.net/games look up install scripts] on Lutris's website. === Installation === Typically, when installing a game, Lutris will ask if you want to download certain files. [[File:Lutrisinstalls.png|none|thumb|384x384px|Installing Overwatch on Lutris.]] Review the files to make sure everything looks okay, and then just press '''continue'''. Don't worry about the individual download buttons. === Install games that you own on GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam === Login to these stores by navigating to their tab in '''Sources''', and logging in to them by clicking the '''Connect''' icon. [[File:Lutrislogin.png|frameless]] After logging in, Lutris should display the games you own from that store. === Troubleshooting === This [https://piped.kavin.rocks/watch?v=oFB-Ly8RcOw video guide] explains how to install a game with a Lutris install script in more depth. If you encounter an issue installing your game, look up the game's name on the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/ Linux Gaming subreddit] to see if anyone's had the same issue and solved it. You should also check whether the game currently runs on Linux. ==Runners== Sometimes, like if you download a game from GOG, you'll have a folder with all the game components. In this case, you'll use a runner to install it. A runner is a method to start your game. Lutris supports several runners: Linux, Steam, and Wine. '''Linux''' is for native Linux games. '''Steam''' is for Steam games - though, using Steam itself to run those games is easier. '''Wine''' is what you want to use for every other game. === Winetricks === ==See also== [https://lutris.net/ Lutris's website] [[Category:Popular apps]] 0623a37a5572c1c13dc4c200b964ff6bcadfdabc 94 93 2022-01-20T00:58:39Z Marigold 7 /* Runners */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[File:Lutris icon.png|thumb|Lutris's icon.]] '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that primarily provides installers for games not available on Steam. It can also act as a single app for your whole game library. You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam. == Installing Lutris == You can typically install Lutris through your distribution's app store (e.g. GNOME Software, Discover, Pop Shop). For example, on Pop!_OS, go to the '''Pop Shop''' and search "Lutris". [[File:Pop Shop - Lutris.png|frameless|581x581px]] Then, click install. See Lutris's [https://lutris.net/downloads download page] for more ways to install it. == Finding a game on Lutris == The most important feature of Lutris is that you can install games and launchers not found on Steam using '''install scripts'''. If you want to use an install script, select Lutris in '''Sources''' and click "Community Installers". [[File:Communityinstallers.png|frameless|496x496px]] Then, in the top bar, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. [[File:Installscripts.png|frameless|430x430px]] Here, we'll click on the game with the photo, and click "install". There may be multiple install scripts options, so pick what seems most standard. If your first choice doesn't work, you could try the other ones. You don't have to use the Lutris client to find install scripts - you can [https://lutris.net/games look up install scripts] on Lutris's website. === Installation === Typically, when installing a game, Lutris will ask if you want to download certain files. [[File:Lutrisinstalls.png|none|thumb|384x384px|Installing Overwatch on Lutris.]] Review the files to make sure everything looks okay, and then just press '''continue'''. Don't worry about the individual download buttons. === Install games that you own on GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam === Login to these stores by navigating to their tab in '''Sources''', and logging in to them by clicking the '''Connect''' icon. [[File:Lutrislogin.png|frameless]] After logging in, Lutris should display the games you own from that store. === Troubleshooting === This [https://piped.kavin.rocks/watch?v=oFB-Ly8RcOw video guide] explains how to install a game with a Lutris install script in more depth. If you encounter an issue installing your game, look up the game's name on the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/ Linux Gaming subreddit] to see if anyone's had the same issue and solved it. You should also check whether the game currently runs on Linux. ==Runners== Sometimes, like if you download a game from GOG, you'll have a folder with all the game components. In this case, you'll use a runner to install it. A runner is a method to start your game. Lutris supports several runners: Linux, Steam, and Wine. '''Linux''' is for native Linux games. '''Steam''' is for Steam games - though, using Steam itself to run those games is easier. '''Wine''' is what you want to use for every other game. === Winetricks === == Configuration Options == * Esync * Fsync * Gamemode * [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution]] ==See also== [https://lutris.net/ Lutris's website] [[Category:Popular apps]] a9f39fcc257eaacdc31208d530f3c19feaa42fcc 0 1 54 33 2022-01-18T15:35:24Z Aragorn 3 /* Where to start */ add Lutris page wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Where to start == * [[Getting started with Linux]] * [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - information about AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. This is a technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. * [[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. * [[Improving performance]] *[[Lutris]] The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://apps.ubuntu.com/cat/ Ubuntu Software Centre] - site / application store that has a large number of Linux games, though only usable at present on Ubuntu and it's derivatives *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - it's well made and maintained source of troubleshooting tips and tutorialsfor Arch Linux often applicable to Linux in general (nd not just Arch) (some content or pages might be too advanced for a new user tho) a1c7478aa14238302ffdd461fc8b8bcae5552172 57 54 2022-01-19T08:16:19Z 82.28.235.98 0 made the arch linux description more clear wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Where to start == * [[Getting started with Linux]] * [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - information about AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. This is a technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. * [[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. * [[Improving performance]] *[[Lutris]] The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://apps.ubuntu.com/cat/ Ubuntu Software Centre] - site / application store that has a large number of Linux games, though only usable at present on Ubuntu and it's derivatives *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. eeb8fd7e307b8bc0d6fea0c1c3368e96a2880fab 0 2 55 43 2022-01-18T15:36:32Z Aragorn 3 add links to wiki page wikitext text/x-wiki == 1. Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, here is a short version that should work: <ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. You will probably not be able to use the software that you're used to. But usually there is different software that might even be better.</li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have supported hardware. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you can choose your GPU, chose AMD. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] and [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use ''Steam (Runtime)'' for Steam games (if you don't know how to install it, watch the video linked above). Go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE]</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other Windows Games. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/Frogging-Family/wine-tkg-git/releases Wine-TKG]</li> <li><p>If you have an AMD GPU, install CoreCtrl. If you previously chose Pop!_OS, input the following in the terminal:</p> <pre>sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ernstp/mesarc sudo apt-get update sudo apt install corectrl</pre> <p>Otherwise look [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ here] for instructions. Open CoreCtrl, and add a profile for every game, or edit the global settings to your likings.</p></li> <li><p>When Linux gives you a warning, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Disable Composition: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it. Read more [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/improving_performance here].</p></li></ul> == 2. Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics than this one. == 3. The software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. If you've done that and there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. Bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto] * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == 4. The swap (Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux) == If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming. Is made to be user friendly. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. You might face problems here. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Feel free to browse [https://distrowatch.com/ distrowatch] if you're bored. |} '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clickin an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. == 5. The habit (what to do after the installation) == So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install Steam on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to [https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/ Chrome being considered spyware]. [https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome UbuntuUpdates.org] give the following instructions: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. == 6. Windows compatibility == So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exes) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. For Steam games you can just use Steam. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. Your last resort is the following: First, let's install Wine. <pre>sudo apt install wine</pre> On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you'll want to open a terminal and type (credit to [[u/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running): <pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> Remember to check the ratings and know issues in the wine AppDB so you know what you can expect, and you should be golden. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. === 6.1. DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D === What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[u/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and [[Lutris]] both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily optimized Linux install. Your default experience will be worse. == 7. Improving performance == The default settings are probably not the best for a flawless experience. Read more [[Improving performance|here]] == 8. Nice things == You don't need the following. But you might find them useful for special use cases. * [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] for downscaling * [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade * [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == 9. Downloading stuff from GitHub/GitLab == You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try to find a better solution (for example post here in the forum). But here is how to do it: # Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> # On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). # Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. # Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. == 10. Troubleshooting == * Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using * Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] * [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask here or in one of the linux subreddits] * Ask in forums * Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. === 10.1. Common issues === '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers * For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] == 11. Going further == If you want to learn more about Linux and the command line, this is a great resource to interactively learn: https://linuxjourney.com/ == 12. The end == u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. 700f580e8d263b9bd3c71ecca639764b4aa6c067 92 55 2022-01-20T00:01:43Z Aragorn 3 /* 1. Prelude */ wikitext text/x-wiki == 1. Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, here is a short version that should work: <ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. You will probably not be able to use the software that you're used to. But usually there is different software that might even be better.</li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have supported hardware. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you can choose your GPU, chose AMD. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] and [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use ''Steam (Runtime)'' for Steam games (if you don't know how to install it, watch the video linked above). Go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE]</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other Windows Games. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/Frogging-Family/wine-tkg-git/releases Wine-TKG]</li> <li><p>If you have an AMD GPU, install CoreCtrl. If you previously chose Pop!_OS, input the following in the terminal:</p> <pre>sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ernstp/mesarc sudo apt-get update sudo apt install corectrl</pre> <p>Otherwise look [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ here] for instructions. Open CoreCtrl, and add a profile for every game, or edit the global settings to your likings.</p></li> <li><p>Disable Composition: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it. Read more [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/improving_performance here].</p></li> <li><p>When Linux gives you a warning, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when asking for help.</p></li></ul> == 2. Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics than this one. == 3. The software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. If you've done that and there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. Bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto] * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == 4. The swap (Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux) == If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming. Is made to be user friendly. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. You might face problems here. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Feel free to browse [https://distrowatch.com/ distrowatch] if you're bored. |} '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clickin an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. == 5. The habit (what to do after the installation) == So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install Steam on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to [https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/ Chrome being considered spyware]. [https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome UbuntuUpdates.org] give the following instructions: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. == 6. Windows compatibility == So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exes) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. For Steam games you can just use Steam. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. Your last resort is the following: First, let's install Wine. <pre>sudo apt install wine</pre> On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you'll want to open a terminal and type (credit to [[u/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running): <pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> Remember to check the ratings and know issues in the wine AppDB so you know what you can expect, and you should be golden. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. === 6.1. DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D === What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[u/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and [[Lutris]] both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily optimized Linux install. Your default experience will be worse. == 7. Improving performance == The default settings are probably not the best for a flawless experience. Read more [[Improving performance|here]] == 8. Nice things == You don't need the following. But you might find them useful for special use cases. * [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] for downscaling * [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade * [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == 9. Downloading stuff from GitHub/GitLab == You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try to find a better solution (for example post here in the forum). But here is how to do it: # Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> # On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). # Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. # Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. == 10. Troubleshooting == * Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using * Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] * [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask here or in one of the linux subreddits] * Ask in forums * Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. === 10.1. Common issues === '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers * For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] == 11. Going further == If you want to learn more about Linux and the command line, this is a great resource to interactively learn: https://linuxjourney.com/ == 12. The end == u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. 828248527da7404ec34d39451effc097e9835086 6 16 58 2022-01-19T19:44:39Z Slouchy 1 Far cry 6 running on Arch linux with Wine. wikitext text/x-wiki == Summary == Far cry 6 running on Arch linux with Wine. c1df96d5dd2ac7808f1986e38da3d78e564e7f34 6 17 59 2022-01-19T21:07:12Z Marigold 7 wikitext text/x-wiki Where to find Lutris in the Pop Shop. f25c0a0303f76f5e831cc9bd20ea7b7b2aee9448 6 18 60 2022-01-19T21:12:26Z Marigold 7 wikitext text/x-wiki Picture of Lutris from Wikipedia https://wikiless.org/wiki/File:Lutris_Game_Platform_(Logo).svg?lang=en 9c72f0ed6cd17831f154fc0d1e39191d5dd86574 0 19 61 2022-01-19T21:22:02Z Marigold 7 Created page with "'''ProtonDB''' is a website that lets you check the compatibility of Steam games on Linux. If a game isn't perfectly compatible with Linux out of the box, you can look through user reports to see what people did to get a game working. == See more == [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB's website]" wikitext text/x-wiki '''ProtonDB''' is a website that lets you check the compatibility of Steam games on Linux. If a game isn't perfectly compatible with Linux out of the box, you can look through user reports to see what people did to get a game working. == See more == [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB's website] 49655baf4124c32fe92ffe51a1d16fa6eec0714e 6 20 62 2022-01-19T21:35:39Z Marigold 7 wikitext text/x-wiki How to login to a store on Lutris daacc58a939ba50c88bf1a897f4b27563e81b438 6 21 63 2022-01-19T21:37:40Z Marigold 7 wikitext text/x-wiki Lutris community installers c9fc760a2135b9a04b3f65133cf7b49db41cd390 6 22 64 2022-01-19T21:48:35Z Marigold 7 wikitext text/x-wiki Lutris install scripts 24af05272a0a11f37712b2e1e7bfe8534a5977e9 6 23 77 2022-01-19T22:17:52Z Marigold 7 wikitext text/x-wiki Installing Overwatch Lutris c4afba0c0863eb604fbb81a67ca8d44f826ec1f0 0 24 95 2022-01-20T04:53:46Z Marigold 7 Writing this off my memory, please correct any misinformation! wikitext text/x-wiki '''Anti-cheat software'' is software designed prevent cheating in videogames. Typically, client-side anticheat prevents games from running on Linux. EasyAntiCheat and BattleEye currently have support for Linux through Proton. This has resulted in some games enabling this Linux support. You can see which games have done so [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ here]. == EasyAntiCheat == EasyAntiCheat became supported in a recent Epic Games EasyAntiCheat SDK. Since many EasyAntiCheat games don't use this SDK, many games must update or change out their anticheat SDK to be able enable Proton support. == BattleEye == Developers can enable Proton support for their game in BattleEye by emailing BattleEye developers. 900666e707eab5c651cb60995e349605d496f64c 96 95 2022-01-20T04:55:05Z Marigold 7 wikitext text/x-wiki '''Anti-cheat software''' is software designed prevent cheating in videogames. Typically, client-side anticheat prevents games from running on Linux. VAC (created by Valve) natively supports Linux. Moreover, the anticheats EasyAntiCheat and BattleEye currently have support for Linux through Proton. This has resulted in some games enabling this Linux support. You can see which games have done so [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ here]. == EasyAntiCheat == EasyAntiCheat became supported in a recent Epic Games EasyAntiCheat SDK. Since many EasyAntiCheat games don't use this SDK, many games must update or change out their anticheat SDK to be able enable Proton support. == BattleEye == Developers can enable Proton support for their game in BattleEye by emailing BattleEye developers. e357c87aad494f0bac5d5056122a734745572423 97 96 2022-01-20T04:55:37Z Marigold 7 wikitext text/x-wiki '''Anti-cheat software''' is software designed prevent cheating in videogames. Typically, client-side anticheat prevents games from running on Linux. VAC (created by Valve) natively supports Linux. Moreover, the anticheats EasyAntiCheat and BattleEye currently have support for Linux through Proton. This has resulted in some games enabling this Linux support. You can see which games have done so [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ here]. == EasyAntiCheat == EasyAntiCheat became supported in a recent Epic Games EasyAntiCheat SDK. Since many EasyAntiCheat games don't use this SDK, many games must update or change out their anticheat SDK for the ability to enable Proton support. == BattleEye == Developers can enable Proton support for their game in BattleEye by emailing BattleEye developers. 963221870ac44737c6ff7b6e7de2bd68df1c7dd9 98 97 2022-01-20T05:00:02Z Marigold 7 wikitext text/x-wiki '''Anti-cheat software''' is software designed prevent cheating in videogames. Typically, client-side anticheat prevents games from running on Linux. VAC natively supports Linux. Moreover, the anticheats EasyAntiCheat and BattleEye currently have support for Linux through Proton. This has resulted in some games enabling this Linux support. You can see which games have done so [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ here]. == EasyAntiCheat == EasyAntiCheat became supported in a recent Epic Games EasyAntiCheat SDK. Since many EasyAntiCheat games don't use this SDK, many games must update or change out their anticheat SDK for the ability to enable Proton support. == BattleEye == Developers can enable Proton support for their game in BattleEye by emailing BattleEye developers. ce90a88faf89b67667ab0f7e361c68361af012cb 99 98 2022-01-20T05:02:42Z Marigold 7 wikitext text/x-wiki '''Anti-cheat software''' is software designed prevent cheating in videogames. Typically, client-side anticheat prevents games from running on Linux. VAC natively supports Linux. Moreover, the anticheats EasyAntiCheat and BattleEye currently have support for Linux through Proton. This has resulted in some games enabling this Linux support. You can see which games have done so [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ here]. == EasyAntiCheat == EasyAntiCheat became supported in a recent Epic Games EasyAntiCheat SDK. Since many EasyAntiCheat games don't use this SDK, many games must update or change out their anticheat SDK for the ability to enable Proton support. == BattleEye == Developers can enable Proton support for their game by emailing BattleEye developers. 9423418a47ce6da6df3f791d527abd4a23370dcf 100 99 2022-01-20T05:06:11Z Marigold 7 wikitext text/x-wiki '''Anti-cheat software''' is software designed prevent cheating in videogames. Typically, client-side anticheat prevents games from running on Linux. VAC natively supports Linux. Moreover, the anti-cheats EasyAntiCheat and BattleEye currently have support for Linux through Proton. This has resulted in some games enabling this Linux support. == Anti-cheat games with Linux support == You can see which games have enabled Proton support [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ here]. == Details of anti-cheat support == === EasyAntiCheat === EasyAntiCheat became supported in a recent Epic Games EasyAntiCheat SDK. Since many EasyAntiCheat games don't use this SDK, many games must update or change out their anticheat SDK for the ability to enable Proton support. === BattleEye === Developers can enable Proton support for their game by emailing BattleEye developers. 6b1eaa3ab3d3c8fe3093fdf90b23b03487c3a0f5 0 24 101 100 2022-01-20T05:07:16Z Marigold 7 /* Anti-cheat games with Linux support */ wikitext text/x-wiki '''Anti-cheat software''' is software designed prevent cheating in videogames. Typically, client-side anticheat prevents games from running on Linux. VAC natively supports Linux. Moreover, the anti-cheats EasyAntiCheat and BattleEye currently have support for Linux through Proton. This has resulted in some games enabling this Linux support. == Anti-cheat games with Linux support == You can see which games have support [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ here]. == Details of anti-cheat support == === EasyAntiCheat === EasyAntiCheat became supported in a recent Epic Games EasyAntiCheat SDK. Since many EasyAntiCheat games don't use this SDK, many games must update or change out their anticheat SDK for the ability to enable Proton support. === BattleEye === Developers can enable Proton support for their game by emailing BattleEye developers. 993315ad05a848602e37e5b8eec31bf1bdca9c00 102 101 2022-01-20T05:20:20Z Marigold 7 wikitext text/x-wiki '''Anti-cheat software''' is software designed prevent cheating in videogames. Typically, client-side anticheat prevents games from running on Linux. The most popular anti-cheat software is EasyAntiCheat, BattleEye, and VAC. VAC natively supports Linux. Moreover, the anti-cheats EasyAntiCheat and BattleEye currently have support for Linux through Proton. This has resulted in some games enabling this Linux support. == Anti-cheat games with Linux support == You can see which games have support [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ here]. == Details of anti-cheat support == === EasyAntiCheat === EasyAntiCheat became supported in a recent Epic Games EasyAntiCheat SDK. Since many EasyAntiCheat games don't use this SDK, many games must update or change out their anticheat SDK for the ability to enable Proton support. === BattleEye === Developers can enable Proton support for their game by emailing BattleEye developers. 008911830d4183260e998fe3f0e7aa3d6e35f5c8 105 102 2022-01-21T22:06:32Z Marigold 7 wikitext text/x-wiki '''Anti-cheat software''' are tools designed prevent cheating in games. Anti-cheat software oftentimes prevents games from running on Linux, since these anti-cheats don't have Linux support integrated. However, more games with anti-cheat are now becoming playable on Linux. == Anti-cheat games with Linux support == You can see which games have support [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ here]. == Details of anti-cheat support == The most popular anti-cheat software is EasyAntiCheat, BattleEye, and VAC. VAC natively supports Linux. Moreover, the anti-cheats EasyAntiCheat and BattleEye currently have support for Linux through Proton. This has resulted in some games enabling this Proton support, so that they're playable on Linux. === EasyAntiCheat === EasyAntiCheat became supported in a recent Epic Games EasyAntiCheat SDK. Since many EasyAntiCheat games don't use this SDK, many games must update or change out their anticheat SDK for the ability to enable Proton support. === BattleEye === Developers can enable Proton support for their game by emailing BattleEye developers. 1acbf60f8a140b82401b0f6fe59a4cde811de6d6 106 105 2022-01-21T22:13:35Z Marigold 7 /* EasyAntiCheat */ wikitext text/x-wiki '''Anti-cheat software''' are tools designed prevent cheating in games. Anti-cheat software oftentimes prevents games from running on Linux, since these anti-cheats don't have Linux support integrated. However, more games with anti-cheat are now becoming playable on Linux. == Anti-cheat games with Linux support == You can see which games have support [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ here]. == Details of Anti-cheat Linux support == The most popular anti-cheat software are '''Easy Anti-Cheat''', '''BattleEye''', and '''VAC'''. VAC natively supports Linux. Moreover, the anti-cheats EasyAntiCheat and BattleEye currently have support for Linux through Proton. This has resulted in some games enabling this Proton support, so that they're playable on Linux. === Easy Anti-Cheat === Easy Anti-Cheat became supported in late 2021 through a recent ''Epic Online Services'' Easy Anti-Cheat software development kit (SDK). Since many Easy Anti-Cheat games [https://archive.is/kQ9Yy don't use the ''Epic Online Services'' version of Easy Anti-Cheat], these games must update or change out their SDK for the ability to enable Proton support. This means it's likely that many Easy Anti-Cheat games will not support Linux for a substantial amount of time. === BattleEye === BattleEye Linux support became supported in late 2021. Developers can enable Proton support for their game by emailing BattleEye developers. ef963a8cb3af9e14afcdb7e0d2f6f5152ac8e96c 107 106 2022-01-21T22:14:12Z Marigold 7 /* Easy Anti-Cheat */ wikitext text/x-wiki '''Anti-cheat software''' are tools designed prevent cheating in games. Anti-cheat software oftentimes prevents games from running on Linux, since these anti-cheats don't have Linux support integrated. However, more games with anti-cheat are now becoming playable on Linux. == Anti-cheat games with Linux support == You can see which games have support [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ here]. == Details of Anti-cheat Linux support == The most popular anti-cheat software are '''Easy Anti-Cheat''', '''BattleEye''', and '''VAC'''. VAC natively supports Linux. Moreover, the anti-cheats EasyAntiCheat and BattleEye currently have support for Linux through Proton. This has resulted in some games enabling this Proton support, so that they're playable on Linux. === Easy Anti-Cheat === Easy Anti-Cheat became supported in late 2021 through a recent ''Epic Online Services'' Easy Anti-Cheat software development kit (SDK). Since many Easy Anti-Cheat games [https://archive.is/kQ9Yy don't use the ''Epic Online Services'' version of Easy Anti-Cheat], these games must update or change out their SDK for the ability to enable Proton support. This means it's likely that many Easy Anti-Cheat games will '''not''' support Linux for a substantial amount of time. === BattleEye === BattleEye Linux support became supported in late 2021. Developers can enable Proton support for their game by emailing BattleEye developers. 1fccc1c7902ebad814a2e30175100adb9c7688d6 108 107 2022-01-21T22:14:35Z Marigold 7 /* BattleEye */ wikitext text/x-wiki '''Anti-cheat software''' are tools designed prevent cheating in games. Anti-cheat software oftentimes prevents games from running on Linux, since these anti-cheats don't have Linux support integrated. However, more games with anti-cheat are now becoming playable on Linux. == Anti-cheat games with Linux support == You can see which games have support [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ here]. == Details of Anti-cheat Linux support == The most popular anti-cheat software are '''Easy Anti-Cheat''', '''BattleEye''', and '''VAC'''. VAC natively supports Linux. Moreover, the anti-cheats EasyAntiCheat and BattleEye currently have support for Linux through Proton. This has resulted in some games enabling this Proton support, so that they're playable on Linux. === Easy Anti-Cheat === Easy Anti-Cheat became supported in late 2021 through a recent ''Epic Online Services'' Easy Anti-Cheat software development kit (SDK). Since many Easy Anti-Cheat games [https://archive.is/kQ9Yy don't use the ''Epic Online Services'' version of Easy Anti-Cheat], these games must update or change out their SDK for the ability to enable Proton support. This means it's likely that many Easy Anti-Cheat games will '''not''' support Linux for a substantial amount of time. === BattleEye === BattleEye Proton support became supported in late 2021. Developers can enable Proton support for their game by emailing BattleEye developers. c2168a8eddd9a6d04317515412ef48c33691547b 109 108 2022-01-21T22:15:20Z Marigold 7 wikitext text/x-wiki '''Anti-cheat software''' are tools designed prevent cheating in games. Anti-cheat software typically prevents games from running on Linux, since these anti-cheats don't have Linux support integrated. However, more games with anti-cheat are now becoming playable on Linux. == Anti-cheat games with Linux support == You can see which games have support [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ here]. == Details of Anti-cheat Linux support == The most popular anti-cheat software are '''Easy Anti-Cheat''', '''BattleEye''', and '''VAC'''. VAC natively supports Linux. Moreover, the anti-cheats EasyAntiCheat and BattleEye currently have support for Linux through Proton. This has resulted in some games enabling this Proton support, so that they're playable on Linux. === Easy Anti-Cheat === Easy Anti-Cheat became supported in late 2021 through a recent ''Epic Online Services'' Easy Anti-Cheat software development kit (SDK). Since many Easy Anti-Cheat games [https://archive.is/kQ9Yy don't use the ''Epic Online Services'' version of Easy Anti-Cheat], these games must update or change out their SDK for the ability to enable Proton support. This means it's likely that many Easy Anti-Cheat games will '''not''' support Linux for a substantial amount of time. === BattleEye === BattleEye Proton support became supported in late 2021. Developers can enable Proton support for their game by emailing BattleEye developers. 9b0f6f7d65b8185a01a1947677e6d5cc65c7c584 0 15 103 94 2022-01-20T13:50:27Z Aragorn 3 /* Configuration Options */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[File:Lutris icon.png|thumb|Lutris's icon.]] '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that primarily provides installers for games not available on Steam. It can also act as a single app for your whole game library. You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam. == Installing Lutris == You can typically install Lutris through your distribution's app store (e.g. GNOME Software, Discover, Pop Shop). For example, on Pop!_OS, go to the '''Pop Shop''' and search "Lutris". [[File:Pop Shop - Lutris.png|frameless|581x581px]] Then, click install. See Lutris's [https://lutris.net/downloads download page] for more ways to install it. == Finding a game on Lutris == The most important feature of Lutris is that you can install games and launchers not found on Steam using '''install scripts'''. If you want to use an install script, select Lutris in '''Sources''' and click "Community Installers". [[File:Communityinstallers.png|frameless|496x496px]] Then, in the top bar, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. [[File:Installscripts.png|frameless|430x430px]] Here, we'll click on the game with the photo, and click "install". There may be multiple install scripts options, so pick what seems most standard. If your first choice doesn't work, you could try the other ones. You don't have to use the Lutris client to find install scripts - you can [https://lutris.net/games look up install scripts] on Lutris's website. === Installation === Typically, when installing a game, Lutris will ask if you want to download certain files. [[File:Lutrisinstalls.png|none|thumb|384x384px|Installing Overwatch on Lutris.]] Review the files to make sure everything looks okay, and then just press '''continue'''. Don't worry about the individual download buttons. === Install games that you own on GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam === Login to these stores by navigating to their tab in '''Sources''', and logging in to them by clicking the '''Connect''' icon. [[File:Lutrislogin.png|frameless]] After logging in, Lutris should display the games you own from that store. === Troubleshooting === This [https://piped.kavin.rocks/watch?v=oFB-Ly8RcOw video guide] explains how to install a game with a Lutris install script in more depth. If you encounter an issue installing your game, look up the game's name on the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/ Linux Gaming subreddit] to see if anyone's had the same issue and solved it. You should also check whether the game currently runs on Linux. ==Runners== Sometimes, like if you download a game from GOG, you'll have a folder with all the game components. In this case, you'll use a runner to install it. A runner is a method to start your game. Lutris supports several runners: Linux, Steam, and Wine. '''Linux''' is for native Linux games. '''Steam''' is for Steam games - though, using Steam itself to run those games is easier. '''Wine''' is what you want to use for every other game. === Winetricks === == Configuration Options == You might want to [[Improving performance|improve the performance]] of your games with stuff like: *Esync * Fsync * Gamemode * [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution]] You can also improve visuals with: *[https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] for downscaling *[https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade ==See also== [https://lutris.net/ Lutris's website] [[Category:Popular apps]] fd0b2413b40a9b52d62991b0e6616b816bb505dd 104 103 2022-01-21T00:07:46Z Slouchy 1 /* Runners */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[File:Lutris icon.png|thumb|Lutris's icon.]] '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that primarily provides installers for games not available on Steam. It can also act as a single app for your whole game library. You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam. == Installing Lutris == You can typically install Lutris through your distribution's app store (e.g. GNOME Software, Discover, Pop Shop). For example, on Pop!_OS, go to the '''Pop Shop''' and search "Lutris". [[File:Pop Shop - Lutris.png|frameless|581x581px]] Then, click install. See Lutris's [https://lutris.net/downloads download page] for more ways to install it. == Finding a game on Lutris == The most important feature of Lutris is that you can install games and launchers not found on Steam using '''install scripts'''. If you want to use an install script, select Lutris in '''Sources''' and click "Community Installers". [[File:Communityinstallers.png|frameless|496x496px]] Then, in the top bar, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. [[File:Installscripts.png|frameless|430x430px]] Here, we'll click on the game with the photo, and click "install". There may be multiple install scripts options, so pick what seems most standard. If your first choice doesn't work, you could try the other ones. You don't have to use the Lutris client to find install scripts - you can [https://lutris.net/games look up install scripts] on Lutris's website. === Installation === Typically, when installing a game, Lutris will ask if you want to download certain files. [[File:Lutrisinstalls.png|none|thumb|384x384px|Installing Overwatch on Lutris.]] Review the files to make sure everything looks okay, and then just press '''continue'''. Don't worry about the individual download buttons. === Install games that you own on GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam === Login to these stores by navigating to their tab in '''Sources''', and logging in to them by clicking the '''Connect''' icon. [[File:Lutrislogin.png|frameless]] After logging in, Lutris should display the games you own from that store. === Troubleshooting === This [https://piped.kavin.rocks/watch?v=oFB-Ly8RcOw video guide] explains how to install a game with a Lutris install script in more depth. If you encounter an issue installing your game, look up the game's name on the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/ Linux Gaming subreddit] to see if anyone's had the same issue and solved it. You should also check whether the game currently runs on Linux. ==Runners== Sometimes, like if you download a game from GOG, you'll have a folder with all the game components. In this case, you'll use a runner to install it. A runner is a method to start your game. Lutris supports several runners: Linux, Steam, and Wine. '''Linux''' is for native Linux games. '''Steam''' is for Steam games - though, using Steam itself to run those games is easier. '''Wine''' is what you want to use for every other Windows game. Other runners are available, these are mainly emulators for various consoles, or DOS (DosBox) === Winetricks === == Configuration Options == You might want to [[Improving performance|improve the performance]] of your games with stuff like: *Esync * Fsync * Gamemode * [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution]] You can also improve visuals with: *[https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] for downscaling *[https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade ==See also== [https://lutris.net/ Lutris's website] [[Category:Popular apps]] 10b899b40bfab8f25876255925b2b8cc99874114 0 25 110 2022-01-22T11:41:54Z Trueleo 8 Add Heroic wikitext text/x-wiki Heroic is an open-source game launcher that primarily supports launching games from the Epic Games Store by leveraging Legendary CLI tool. Heroic aims to be an easy to use game launcher, with features like per-game WINE prefix with ability to easily switch between WINE versions. d732d8141dcddd9760cc4a895b8f724f3c05a83e 111 110 2022-01-22T13:46:37Z Trueleo 8 add installation for heroic wikitext text/x-wiki Heroic is an open-source game launcher that primarily supports launching games from the Epic Games Store by leveraging Legendary CLI tool. Heroic aims to be an easy to use game launcher, with features like per-game [[WINE]] prefix with ability to easily switch between WINE versions. Heroic Game Launcher is built upon Electron and uses Legendary to interact with Epic Games Services. ==1. Installation== Heroic games launcher is not yet available for direct installation via any distribution's official application store. Although it is very easy to install it on your own. You can find suitable installation file for your distro at their Github Releases section [https://github.com/Heroic-Games-Launcher/HeroicGamesLauncher/releases here] ===Debian, Ubuntu and Derivatives such as Pop!_OS=== Download the <code>heroic_x.x.x_amd64.deb</code> from the GitHub Releases section. If your OS supports this, you can simply double click on <code>.deb</code> file to begin the installation. Otherwise you can install it via dpkg by bringing up a terminal and running following command sudo dpkg -i ''/path/to/''heroic_x.x.x_amd64.deb <small>Note: <code>amd64</code> here refers to system architecture which this package supports. Make sure that your system is compatible with the program you are trying to install.</small> ===Fedora=== Heroic for Fedora is available on the [https://copr.fedorainfracloud.org/coprs/atim/heroic-games-launcher/ COPR repo] or as the binary on the releases page ===Arch Linux (AUR)=== Heroic is available on Arch User Repository [https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/heroic-games-launcher-bin/ here] You can install it via your preferred AUR helper like yay or rua To install it manually use following commands git clone <nowiki>https://aur.archlinux.org/heroic-games-launcher-bin.git</nowiki> cd heroic-games-launcher-bin makepkg --cleanbuild --syncdeps --install --clean --rmdeps === Using AppImage === Download the <code>heroic-x.x.x.AppImage</code> from the GitHub Releases section. Make sure you have <code>curl</code> and <code>gawk</code> installed, normally it comes installed in most distros. To make the AppImage executable use: chmod +x heroic-x.x.x.AppImage To run it use ./heroic-x.x.x.AppImage == 2. Installing games == == 3. Installing custom WINE builds == == 4. See also == 048ead35ee68f328e60e0f7e3eff040f00cd8008 112 111 2022-01-22T13:59:16Z Trueleo 8 wikitext text/x-wiki Heroic is an open-source game launcher that primarily supports launching games from the Epic Games Store by leveraging Legendary CLI tool. Heroic aims to be an easy to use game launcher, with features like per-game [[WINE]] prefix with ability to easily switch between WINE versions. Heroic Game Launcher is built upon Electron and uses Legendary to interact with Epic Games Services. ==1. Installation== Heroic games launcher is not yet available for direct installation via any distribution's official application store. Although it is very easy to install it on your own. You can find suitable installation file for your distro at their Github Releases section [https://github.com/Heroic-Games-Launcher/HeroicGamesLauncher/releases here] ===Debian, Ubuntu and Derivatives such as Pop!_OS=== Download the <code>heroic_x.x.x_amd64.deb</code> from the GitHub Releases section. If your OS supports this, you can simply double click on <code>.deb</code> file to begin the installation. Otherwise you can install it via dpkg by bringing up a terminal and running following command sudo dpkg -i ''/path/to/''heroic_x.x.x_amd64.deb <small>Note: <code>amd64</code> here refers to system architecture which this package supports. Make sure that your system is compatible with the program you are trying to install.</small> ===Fedora=== Heroic for Fedora is available on the [https://copr.fedorainfracloud.org/coprs/atim/heroic-games-launcher/ COPR repo] or as the binary on the releases page ===Arch Linux (AUR)=== Heroic is available on Arch User Repository [https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/heroic-games-launcher-bin/ here] You can install it via your preferred AUR helper like yay or rua To install it manually use following commands git clone <nowiki>https://aur.archlinux.org/heroic-games-launcher-bin.git</nowiki> cd heroic-games-launcher-bin makepkg --cleanbuild --syncdeps --install --clean --rmdeps === Using AppImage === Download the <code>heroic-x.x.x.AppImage</code> from the GitHub Releases section. Make sure you have <code>curl</code> and <code>gawk</code> installed, normally it comes installed in most distros. To make the AppImage executable use: chmod +x heroic-x.x.x.AppImage To run it use ./heroic-x.x.x.AppImage == 2. Installing games == == 3. Installing custom WINE builds == == 4. See also == [https://github.com/Heroic-Games-Launcher/HeroicGamesLauncher Heroic Games Launcher Github] [https://github.com/derrod/legendary Legendary Github] <references /> c26ce67f6407524967fce1727892026c67614670 113 112 2022-01-22T14:25:12Z Trueleo 8 wikitext text/x-wiki Heroic is an open-source game launcher that primarily supports launching games from the Epic Games Store by leveraging Legendary CLI tool. Heroic aims to be an easy to use game launcher, with features like per-game [[WINE]] prefix with ability to easily switch between WINE versions. Heroic Games Launcher is built upon Electron and uses Legendary to interact with Epic Games Services. ==1. Installation== Heroic games launcher is not yet available for direct installation via any distribution's official application store. Although it is very easy to install it on your own. You can find a suitable installation file for your distro at their Github Releases section [https://github.com/Heroic-Games-Launcher/HeroicGamesLauncher/releases here] All installation methods are listed on their Github [https://github.com/Heroic-Games-Launcher/HeroicGamesLauncher#linux here] ===Debian, Ubuntu and Derivatives such as Pop!_OS=== Download the <code>heroic_x.x.x_amd64.deb</code> from the GitHub Releases section. If your OS supports this, you can simply open the downloaded <code>.deb</code> file to begin the installation. Otherwise you can install it via dpkg by bringing up a terminal and running following command sudo dpkg -i ''/path/to/''heroic_x.x.x_amd64.deb <small>Note: <code>amd64</code> here refers to system architecture which this package supports. Make sure that your system is compatible with the program you are trying to install.</small> === Using AppImage === Download the <code>heroic-x.x.x.AppImage</code> from the GitHub Releases section. Make sure you have <code>curl</code> and <code>gawk</code> installed, normally it comes installed in most distros. To make the AppImage executable use: chmod +x heroic-x.x.x.AppImage To run it use ./heroic-x.x.x.AppImage == 2. Installing and importing games == == 3. Installing custom WINE builds == == 4. See also == [https://github.com/Heroic-Games-Launcher/HeroicGamesLauncher Heroic Games Launcher Github] [https://github.com/derrod/legendary Legendary Github] <references /> 8fc36a4b657949cb87d883c5e8a7a3b37f5b873d 139 113 2022-01-24T13:04:15Z Trueleo 8 Add small installation section wikitext text/x-wiki Heroic is an open-source game launcher that primarily supports launching games from the Epic Games Store by leveraging Legendary CLI tool. Heroic aims to be an easy to use game launcher, with features like per-game [[WINE]] prefix with ability to easily switch between WINE versions. Heroic Games Launcher is built upon Electron and uses Legendary to interact with Epic Games Services. ==1. Installation== Heroic games launcher is not yet available for direct installation via any distribution's official application store. Although it is very easy to install it on your own. You can find a suitable installation file for your distro at their Github Releases section [https://github.com/Heroic-Games-Launcher/HeroicGamesLauncher/releases here] All installation methods are listed on their Github [https://github.com/Heroic-Games-Launcher/HeroicGamesLauncher#linux here] ===Debian, Ubuntu and Derivatives such as Pop!_OS=== Download the <code>heroic_x.x.x_amd64.deb</code> from the GitHub Releases section. If your OS supports this, you can simply open the downloaded <code>.deb</code> file to begin the installation. Otherwise you can install it via dpkg by bringing up a terminal and running following command sudo dpkg -i ''/path/to/''heroic_x.x.x_amd64.deb <small>Note: <code>amd64</code> here refers to system architecture which this package supports. Make sure that your system is compatible with the program you are trying to install.</small> === Using AppImage === Download the <code>heroic-x.x.x.AppImage</code> from the GitHub Releases section. Make sure you have <code>curl</code> and <code>gawk</code> installed, normally it comes installed in most distros. To make the AppImage executable use: chmod +x heroic-x.x.x.AppImage To run it use ./heroic-x.x.x.AppImage == 2. Installing and importing games == Installing games are as easy as going to the '''library''' and selecting a game that you want to play. If you have already downloaded the game and you just want to import it then press on '''Import Game''' otherwise press '''Install''' to start installation in the specified folder. [[File:Heroic install popup.png|none|thumb]] == 3. Installing custom WINE builds == == 4. See also == [https://github.com/Heroic-Games-Launcher/HeroicGamesLauncher Heroic Games Launcher Github] [https://github.com/derrod/legendary Legendary Github] <references /> 086d646157b95da32dafd40335de932c55c83015 0 1 114 57 2022-01-22T18:35:33Z Aragorn 3 /* Where to start */ wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Where to start == * [[Getting started with Linux]] * [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - information about AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. This is a technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. * [[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. * [[Improving performance]] *[[Lutris]] *[[Heroic]] The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://apps.ubuntu.com/cat/ Ubuntu Software Centre] - site / application store that has a large number of Linux games, though only usable at present on Ubuntu and it's derivatives *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. 80507bd522438f637a8f4086e5ecbe3c59f88559 146 114 2022-01-24T22:56:10Z Aragorn 3 /* Where to start */ wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Where to start == * [[Getting started with Linux]] * [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - information about AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. This is a technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. * [[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. * [[Improving performance]] *[[Lutris]] *[[Heroic]] *[[Reshade]] The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://apps.ubuntu.com/cat/ Ubuntu Software Centre] - site / application store that has a large number of Linux games, though only usable at present on Ubuntu and it's derivatives *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. 3bd242b7489e368ec72507c381fdaf02cbc30d39 6 26 115 2022-01-23T10:22:03Z Trueleo 8 wikitext text/x-wiki Login page which shows multiple sign in options for Epic Games 8d62f6752dd24c565ae22923121678cd68f1749f 6 27 116 2022-01-23T10:38:03Z Trueleo 8 wikitext text/x-wiki mark a file as executale 7aea6d5943cec594b4903d3e9c095dcc66f0a0dc 0 28 117 2022-01-24T04:28:08Z Marigold 7 A page to set newcomers' expectations about Linux gaming wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should you swap to Linux for gaming? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is if the games you care about work on Linux, and the amount of bandwidth (e.g. your level of technological literacy, patience for troubleshooting, and free time) that you personally have. Gaming on Windows is frequently better/easier than Linux. So, you really should see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Most Linux gamers game on Linux because they enjoy using Linux - not because Linux gaming works better for them compared to Windows gaming. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%. == Genres in Linux gaming == If you play mostly indie games, singleplayer games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix with some patience, or plain can't overcome: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a singleplayer AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work with the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game day one, Linux isn't the best platform for that. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index Headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing simulator equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== Game modding is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. Many mods are also Windows-only. ==== Conclusion ==== As aforementioned, things really depend game by game. Use [[ProtonDB]] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can definitely be overcome! Things to watch for: * The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ the Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) in February 2022. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. * And more... Additionally, Linux has so much potential as a gaming platform, depending on whether things goes its way. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. It can also be modified and optimized a lot more easily than Windows due to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations on a core system level. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. d38d585435972c51c9f253be7cb39a2851214e0a 118 117 2022-01-24T04:29:01Z Marigold 7 wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should you swap to Linux for gaming? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is if the games you care about work on Linux, and the amount of bandwidth (e.g. your level of technological literacy, patience for troubleshooting, and free time) that you personally have. Gaming on Windows is frequently better/easier than gaming on Linux. So, you really should see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Most Linux gamers game on Linux because they enjoy using Linux - not because Linux gaming works better for them compared to Windows gaming. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%. == Genres in Linux gaming == If you play mostly indie games, singleplayer games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix with some patience, or plain can't overcome: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a singleplayer AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work with the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game day one, Linux isn't the best platform for that. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index Headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing simulator equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== Game modding is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. Many mods are also Windows-only. ==== Conclusion ==== As aforementioned, things really depend game by game. Use [[ProtonDB]] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can definitely be overcome! Things to watch for: * The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ the Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) in February 2022. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. * And more... Additionally, Linux has so much potential as a gaming platform, depending on whether things goes its way. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. It can also be modified and optimized a lot more easily than Windows due to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations on a core system level. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. 3e804399a890460fe29052fd8e0d9207ed04436c 119 118 2022-01-24T04:31:06Z Marigold 7 /* General expectations */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should you swap to Linux for gaming? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is if the games you care about work on Linux, and the amount of bandwidth (e.g. your level of technological literacy, patience for troubleshooting, and free time) that you personally have. Gaming on Windows is frequently better/easier than gaming on Linux. So, you really should see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Most Linux gamers game on Linux because they enjoy using Linux - not because Linux gaming works better for them compared to Windows gaming. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways]. == Genres in Linux gaming == If you play mostly indie games, singleplayer games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix with some patience, or plain can't overcome: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a singleplayer AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work with the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game day one, Linux isn't the best platform for that. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index Headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing simulator equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== Game modding is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. Many mods are also Windows-only. ==== Conclusion ==== As aforementioned, things really depend game by game. Use [[ProtonDB]] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can definitely be overcome! Things to watch for: * The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ the Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) in February 2022. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. * And more... Additionally, Linux has so much potential as a gaming platform, depending on whether things goes its way. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. It can also be modified and optimized a lot more easily than Windows due to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations on a core system level. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. ede276516767db5f73351104d9867ce565c5136c 120 119 2022-01-24T04:35:47Z Marigold 7 wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should you swap to Linux for gaming? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is if the games you care about work on Linux, and the amount of time and patience you have to make any games that you want to play work. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Most Linux gamers game on Linux because they enjoy using Linux - not because Linux gaming works better for them or is easier for them compared to Windows gaming. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways]. == Genres in Linux gaming == If you play mostly indie games, singleplayer games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix with some patience, or plain can't overcome: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a singleplayer AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work with the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game day one, Linux isn't the best platform for that. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index Headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing simulator equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== Game modding is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. Many mods are also Windows-only. ==== Conclusion ==== As aforementioned, things really depend game by game. Use [[ProtonDB]] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can definitely be overcome! Things to watch for: * The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ the Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) in February 2022. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. * And more... Additionally, Linux has so much potential as a gaming platform, depending on whether things goes its way. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. It can also be modified and optimized a lot more easily than Windows due to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations on a core system level. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. f51b2fd7b911857144c7f02bba3499da8105dc86 121 120 2022-01-24T04:39:25Z Marigold 7 wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should you swap to Linux for gaming? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is if the games you care about work on Linux, and the amount of time and patience you have to make any games that you want to play work. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on than Linux, so the desktop experience is what would make it worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways]. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, singleplayer games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix with some patience, or plain can't overcome: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a singleplayer AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work with the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game day one, Linux isn't the best platform for that. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index Headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing simulator equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== Game modding is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. Many mods are also Windows-only. ==== Conclusion ==== As aforementioned, things really depend game by game. Use [[ProtonDB]] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can definitely be overcome! Things to watch for: * The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ the Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) in February 2022. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. * And more... Additionally, Linux has so much potential as a gaming platform, depending on whether things goes its way. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. It can also be modified and optimized a lot more easily than Windows due to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations on a core system level. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. 355b3d0812ce2d9b87d63ad0c6dfbeecc82ba5dd 122 121 2022-01-24T04:39:39Z Marigold 7 wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should you swap to Linux for gaming? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is if the games you care about work on Linux, and the amount of time and patience you have to make any games that you want to play work. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on than Linux, so Linux desktop experience is what would make it worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways]. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, singleplayer games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix with some patience, or plain can't overcome: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a singleplayer AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work with the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game day one, Linux isn't the best platform for that. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index Headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing simulator equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== Game modding is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. Many mods are also Windows-only. ==== Conclusion ==== As aforementioned, things really depend game by game. Use [[ProtonDB]] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can definitely be overcome! Things to watch for: * The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ the Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) in February 2022. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. * And more... Additionally, Linux has so much potential as a gaming platform, depending on whether things goes its way. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. It can also be modified and optimized a lot more easily than Windows due to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations on a core system level. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. 3856eb17e55334f5c6b625ee89e0d3402add30c1 123 122 2022-01-24T04:40:06Z Marigold 7 wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should you swap to Linux for gaming? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is if the games you care about work on Linux, and the amount of time and patience you have to make any games that you want to play work. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on than Linux, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways]. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, singleplayer games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix with some patience, or plain can't overcome: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a singleplayer AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work with the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game day one, Linux isn't the best platform for that. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index Headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing simulator equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== Game modding is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. Many mods are also Windows-only. ==== Conclusion ==== As aforementioned, things really depend game by game. Use [[ProtonDB]] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can definitely be overcome! Things to watch for: * The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ the Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) in February 2022. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. * And more... Additionally, Linux has so much potential as a gaming platform, depending on whether things goes its way. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. It can also be modified and optimized a lot more easily than Windows due to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations on a core system level. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. 671dced88c4d6ef27a52b2eed0d23043eb3bac3e 124 123 2022-01-24T04:41:44Z Marigold 7 /* Racing Simulators */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should you swap to Linux for gaming? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is if the games you care about work on Linux, and the amount of time and patience you have to make any games that you want to play work. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on than Linux, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways]. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, singleplayer games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix with some patience, or plain can't overcome: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a singleplayer AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work with the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game day one, Linux isn't the best platform for that. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index Headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== Game modding is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. Many mods are also Windows-only, so you'd have to try running them through WINE. ==== Conclusion ==== As aforementioned, things really depend game by game. Use [[ProtonDB]] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can definitely be overcome! Things to watch for: * The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ the Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) in February 2022. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. * And more... Additionally, Linux has so much potential as a gaming platform, depending on whether things goes its way. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. It can also be modified and optimized a lot more easily than Windows due to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations on a core system level. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. 61a94b627019cbb00f7e800d3f62fd251c4592e1 125 124 2022-01-24T04:43:21Z Marigold 7 /* Future */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should you swap to Linux for gaming? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is if the games you care about work on Linux, and the amount of time and patience you have to make any games that you want to play work. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on than Linux, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways]. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, singleplayer games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix with some patience, or plain can't overcome: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a singleplayer AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work with the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game day one, Linux isn't the best platform for that. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index Headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== Game modding is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. Many mods are also Windows-only, so you'd have to try running them through WINE. ==== Conclusion ==== As aforementioned, things really depend game by game. Use [[ProtonDB]] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can definitely be overcome! Things to watch for: * Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so things significantly improve year by year. *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ the Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) in February 2022. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. * And more... Additionally, Linux has so much potential as a gaming platform, depending on whether things goes its way. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. It can also be modified and optimized a lot more easily than Windows due to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations on a core system level. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. d0d0dcb4400f2f9bf963f583bdf168e81d7bb38c 126 125 2022-01-24T04:43:41Z Marigold 7 /* Future */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should you swap to Linux for gaming? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is if the games you care about work on Linux, and the amount of time and patience you have to make any games that you want to play work. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on than Linux, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways]. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, singleplayer games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix with some patience, or plain can't overcome: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a singleplayer AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work with the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game day one, Linux isn't the best platform for that. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index Headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== Game modding is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. Many mods are also Windows-only, so you'd have to try running them through WINE. ==== Conclusion ==== As aforementioned, things really depend game by game. Use [[ProtonDB]] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can definitely be overcome! Things to watch for: * Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so these softwares significantly improve year by year. *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ the Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) in February 2022. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. * And more... Additionally, Linux has so much potential as a gaming platform, depending on whether things goes its way. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. It can also be modified and optimized a lot more easily than Windows due to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations on a core system level. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. f7fd803d7289a8914d6c032866e28d3625ae9304 127 126 2022-01-24T04:44:53Z Marigold 7 /* Future */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should you swap to Linux for gaming? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is if the games you care about work on Linux, and the amount of time and patience you have to make any games that you want to play work. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on than Linux, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways]. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, singleplayer games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix with some patience, or plain can't overcome: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a singleplayer AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work with the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game day one, Linux isn't the best platform for that. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index Headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== Game modding is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. Many mods are also Windows-only, so you'd have to try running them through WINE. ==== Conclusion ==== As aforementioned, things really depend game by game. Use [[ProtonDB]] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can definitely be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) in February 2022. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so these softwares significantly improve year by year. Linux has so much potential as a gaming platform, depending on whether things goes its way. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. It can also be modified and optimized a lot more easily than Windows due to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations on a core system level. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. 5c743c7e226cc9c05476618623d803bd749990f5 128 127 2022-01-24T04:45:45Z Marigold 7 /* Future */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should you swap to Linux for gaming? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is if the games you care about work on Linux, and the amount of time and patience you have to make any games that you want to play work. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on than Linux, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways]. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, singleplayer games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix with some patience, or plain can't overcome: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a singleplayer AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work with the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game day one, Linux isn't the best platform for that. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index Headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== Game modding is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. Many mods are also Windows-only, so you'd have to try running them through WINE. ==== Conclusion ==== As aforementioned, things really depend game by game. Use [[ProtonDB]] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can definitely be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) in February 2022. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so these softwares significantly improve year by year. Linux has so much potential as a gaming platform, depending on the amount of work invested into it in these upcoming years. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. It can also be modified and optimized a lot more easily than Windows due to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations on a core system level. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. d2c552ffe7b4b14bcf86dae43a9027cfa8e05020 129 128 2022-01-24T04:47:35Z Marigold 7 /* Genres */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should you swap to Linux for gaming? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is if the games you care about work on Linux, and the amount of time and patience you have to make any games that you want to play work. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on than Linux, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways]. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, singleplayer games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a singleplayer AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work with the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game day one, Linux isn't the best platform for that. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index Headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== Game modding is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. Many mods are also Windows-only, so you'd have to try running them through WINE. ==== Conclusion ==== As aforementioned, things really depend game by game. Use [[ProtonDB]] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can definitely be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) in February 2022. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so these softwares significantly improve year by year. Linux has so much potential as a gaming platform, depending on the amount of work invested into it in these upcoming years. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. It can also be modified and optimized a lot more easily than Windows due to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations on a core system level. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. c55a943bc867ae0c188a4c2f5766f1583c690231 130 129 2022-01-24T04:48:02Z Marigold 7 /* AAA Games */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should you swap to Linux for gaming? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is if the games you care about work on Linux, and the amount of time and patience you have to make any games that you want to play work. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on than Linux, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways]. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, singleplayer games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a singleplayer AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work with the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game day one, Linux usually isn't the best platform for that. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index Headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== Game modding is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. Many mods are also Windows-only, so you'd have to try running them through WINE. ==== Conclusion ==== As aforementioned, things really depend game by game. Use [[ProtonDB]] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can definitely be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) in February 2022. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so these softwares significantly improve year by year. Linux has so much potential as a gaming platform, depending on the amount of work invested into it in these upcoming years. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. It can also be modified and optimized a lot more easily than Windows due to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations on a core system level. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. 76cc14b24cf5bfb0c78ceaa1badb5fd81524a2d1 131 130 2022-01-24T04:49:25Z Marigold 7 /* Future */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should you swap to Linux for gaming? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is if the games you care about work on Linux, and the amount of time and patience you have to make any games that you want to play work. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on than Linux, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways]. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, singleplayer games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a singleplayer AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work with the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game day one, Linux usually isn't the best platform for that. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index Headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== Game modding is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. Many mods are also Windows-only, so you'd have to try running them through WINE. ==== Conclusion ==== As aforementioned, things really depend game by game. Use [[ProtonDB]] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) in February 2022. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so these softwares significantly improve year by year. Linux has so much potential as a gaming platform, depending on the amount of work invested into it in these upcoming years. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. It can also be modified and optimized a lot more easily than Windows due to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations on a core system level. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. d3e4e350dd97a24628f7a833f8e9d25602a5262b 132 131 2022-01-24T04:49:56Z Marigold 7 /* Future */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should you swap to Linux for gaming? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is if the games you care about work on Linux, and the amount of time and patience you have to make any games that you want to play work. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on than Linux, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways]. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, singleplayer games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a singleplayer AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work with the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game day one, Linux usually isn't the best platform for that. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index Headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== Game modding is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. Many mods are also Windows-only, so you'd have to try running them through WINE. ==== Conclusion ==== As aforementioned, things really depend game by game. Use [[ProtonDB]] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) in February 2022. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so these softwares significantly improve year by year. Linux has so much potential as a gaming platform, depending on the amount of work invested into it in these upcoming years. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. It can also be modified and optimized a lot more easily than Windows due to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations on a core system level. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. 02527c7f246091c97a92f1ac58a33974c3f15def 133 132 2022-01-24T04:56:51Z Marigold 7 /* Future */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should you swap to Linux for gaming? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is if the games you care about work on Linux, and the amount of time and patience you have to make any games that you want to play work. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on than Linux, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways]. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, singleplayer games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a singleplayer AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work with the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game day one, Linux usually isn't the best platform for that. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index Headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== Game modding is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. Many mods are also Windows-only, so you'd have to try running them through WINE. ==== Conclusion ==== As aforementioned, things really depend game by game. Use [[ProtonDB]] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) in February 2022. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in several years or so. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. ad1a8a9cf9ea4e8c5a7fceafd797024e4baa222c 134 133 2022-01-24T09:15:09Z Aragorn 3 phrasing, syntax, etc., mention mod managers, Lutris scripts for NMM and Vortex wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways]. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux usually isn't the best platform for that. It mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== Game modding is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. Many mods are also Windows-only, so you'd have to try running them through WINE. If you're running your game through WINE, you can install mod managers as you would on Windows. However, some may not work, or may not work well. There are Lutris scripts to help with NMM<ref>https://lutris.net/games/nexus-mod-manager-community-edition/</ref> and Vortex<ref>https://lutris.net/games/vortex-mod-manager/</ref>, but they do not run flawlessly. ==== Conclusion ==== As mentioned, things really depend game by game. Use [[ProtonDB]] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) in February 2022. This lead to EAC and BattleEye generally working. However, Linux support has yet to be enabled by the developer of the specific games. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in several years or so. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. 6d9109e349382039b9298517922531afc8956a15 135 134 2022-01-24T09:19:15Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience (including freedom and privacy) is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways]. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux usually isn't the best platform for that. It mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== Game modding is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. Many mods are also Windows-only, so you'd have to try running them through WINE. If you're running your game through WINE, you can install mod managers as you would on Windows. However, some may not work, or may not work well. There are Lutris scripts to help with NMM<ref>https://lutris.net/games/nexus-mod-manager-community-edition/</ref> and Vortex<ref>https://lutris.net/games/vortex-mod-manager/</ref>, but they do not run flawlessly. ==== Conclusion ==== As mentioned, things really depend game by game. Use [[ProtonDB]] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) in February 2022. This lead to EAC and BattleEye generally working. However, Linux support has yet to be enabled by the developer of the specific games. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in several years or so. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. 9c4ccc66765e48ec059d64f24fc7ed906aaadcd4 136 135 2022-01-24T09:24:51Z Aragorn 3 mention FSR wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience (including freedom and privacy) is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways]. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux usually isn't the best platform for that. It mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== Game modding is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. Many mods are also Windows-only, so you'd have to try running them through WINE. If you're running your game through WINE, you can install mod managers as you would on Windows. However, some may not work, or may not work well. There are Lutris scripts to help with NMM<ref>https://lutris.net/games/nexus-mod-manager-community-edition/</ref> and Vortex<ref>https://lutris.net/games/vortex-mod-manager/</ref>, but they do not run flawlessly. ==== Conclusion ==== As mentioned, things really depend game by game. Use [[ProtonDB]] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) in February 2022. This lead to EAC and BattleEye generally working. However, Linux support has yet to be enabled by the developer of the specific games. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in several years or so. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. cbc156d712b4a944f5117c78ece58f0a1b0f838c 137 136 2022-01-24T09:28:27Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience (including freedom and privacy) is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways]. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note, that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux usually isn't the best platform for that. It mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== Game modding is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. Many mods are also Windows-only, so you'd have to try running them through WINE. If you're running your game through WINE, you can install mod managers as you would on Windows. However, some may not work, or may not work well. There are Lutris scripts to help with NMM<ref>https://lutris.net/games/nexus-mod-manager-community-edition/</ref> and Vortex<ref>https://lutris.net/games/vortex-mod-manager/</ref>, but they do not run flawlessly. ==== Conclusion ==== As mentioned, things really depend game by game. Use [[ProtonDB]] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) in February 2022. This lead to EAC and BattleEye generally working. However, Linux support has yet to be enabled by the developer of the specific games. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in several years or so. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. c35abd4fc568f66a806702ef6a327b2138c210dc 140 137 2022-01-24T20:12:49Z Marigold 7 Too hard to make a concise yet comprehensive pitch for the Linux desktop here, probably better somewhere else wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways]. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note, that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux usually isn't the best platform for that. It mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== Game modding is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. Many mods are also Windows-only, so you'd have to try running them through WINE. If you're running your game through WINE, you can install mod managers as you would on Windows. However, some may not work, or may not work well. There are Lutris scripts to help with NMM<ref>https://lutris.net/games/nexus-mod-manager-community-edition/</ref> and Vortex<ref>https://lutris.net/games/vortex-mod-manager/</ref>, but they do not run flawlessly. ==== Conclusion ==== As mentioned, things really depend game by game. Use [[ProtonDB]] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) in February 2022. This lead to EAC and BattleEye generally working. However, Linux support has yet to be enabled by the developer of the specific games. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in several years or so. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. 1b57c8f81b1493d22c50747db7fbd8e7b5c88180 141 140 2022-01-24T20:13:47Z Marigold 7 /* General expectations */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways]. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux usually isn't the best platform for that. It mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== Game modding is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. Many mods are also Windows-only, so you'd have to try running them through WINE. If you're running your game through WINE, you can install mod managers as you would on Windows. However, some may not work, or may not work well. There are Lutris scripts to help with NMM<ref>https://lutris.net/games/nexus-mod-manager-community-edition/</ref> and Vortex<ref>https://lutris.net/games/vortex-mod-manager/</ref>, but they do not run flawlessly. ==== Conclusion ==== As mentioned, things really depend game by game. Use [[ProtonDB]] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) in February 2022. This lead to EAC and BattleEye generally working. However, Linux support has yet to be enabled by the developer of the specific games. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in several years or so. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. 20453e771748a58e44e2939f4bd68b0cc29ca911 142 141 2022-01-24T20:16:25Z Marigold 7 /* Conclusion */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways]. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux usually isn't the best platform for that. It mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== Game modding is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. Many mods are also Windows-only, so you'd have to try running them through WINE. If you're running your game through WINE, you can install mod managers as you would on Windows. However, some may not work, or may not work well. There are Lutris scripts to help with NMM<ref>https://lutris.net/games/nexus-mod-manager-community-edition/</ref> and Vortex<ref>https://lutris.net/games/vortex-mod-manager/</ref>, but they do not run flawlessly. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) in February 2022. This lead to EAC and BattleEye generally working. However, Linux support has yet to be enabled by the developer of the specific games. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in several years or so. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. 3b6faaab13d25e1c147cf12ab9d78b9894095c92 143 142 2022-01-24T20:16:35Z Marigold 7 /* Conclusion */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways]. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux usually isn't the best platform for that. It mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== Game modding is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. Many mods are also Windows-only, so you'd have to try running them through WINE. If you're running your game through WINE, you can install mod managers as you would on Windows. However, some may not work, or may not work well. There are Lutris scripts to help with NMM<ref>https://lutris.net/games/nexus-mod-manager-community-edition/</ref> and Vortex<ref>https://lutris.net/games/vortex-mod-manager/</ref>, but they do not run flawlessly. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) in February 2022. This lead to EAC and BattleEye generally working. However, Linux support has yet to be enabled by the developer of the specific games. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in several years or so. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. 7ef1455df916a42f44caf2a0bb30b6b79269d331 144 143 2022-01-24T20:17:17Z Marigold 7 /* Game Modding */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways]. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux usually isn't the best platform for that. It mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== Game modding is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. Many mods are also Windows-only, so you'd have to try running them through WINE. If you're running your game through WINE, you can install mod managers as you would on Windows. However, some may not work, or may not work well. There are Lutris scripts to help with ''Nexus Mod Manager''<ref>https://lutris.net/games/nexus-mod-manager-community-edition/</ref> and ''Vortex''<ref>https://lutris.net/games/vortex-mod-manager/</ref>, but they do not run flawlessly. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) in February 2022. This lead to EAC and BattleEye generally working. However, Linux support has yet to be enabled by the developer of the specific games. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in several years or so. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. 5718ffcab56c8cdd6871b1b71b46ff455a2d4153 6 29 138 2022-01-24T13:02:36Z Trueleo 8 wikitext text/x-wiki Installation/Import popup for a game 9b20cb154586c8c53ddfd0501b468c9493299786 0 30 145 2022-01-24T22:55:06Z Aragorn 3 Created page with "Reshade let's you apply extra shaders. While it's theoretically possible to do this with vkBasalt, it's not yet fully working. You might also want to use some mods that are written for reshade. ===How to install=== ====Automatic==== You can use [https://github.com/kevinlekiller/reshade-steam-proton/blob/main/reshade-linux.sh this script]. Note, that executing external scripts is a security risk. You should always read and understand the content of the script before exe..." wikitext text/x-wiki Reshade let's you apply extra shaders. While it's theoretically possible to do this with vkBasalt, it's not yet fully working. You might also want to use some mods that are written for reshade. ===How to install=== ====Automatic==== You can use [https://github.com/kevinlekiller/reshade-steam-proton/blob/main/reshade-linux.sh this script]. Note, that executing external scripts is a security risk. You should always read and understand the content of the script before executing it. ====Manual==== *Get the architecture of your application. If you don't know it, run <code>file /path/to/your/game.exe</code>. The output will either contain '''x86-64''' (64 bit) or '''80386''' (32 bit). *Download: **If your game is 32 bit: https://download-installer.cdn.mozilla.net/pub/firefox/releases/62.0.3/win32/ach/Firefox%20Setup%2062.0.3.exe **If your game is 64 bit: https://download-installer.cdn.mozilla.net/pub/firefox/releases/62.0.3/win64/ach/Firefox%20Setup%2062.0.3.exe *Download the latest version of Reshade: https://reshade.me/ (alternatively download this older version, it should work: https://reshade.me/downloads/ReShade_Setup_4.9.1.exe) *Move both executables to some folder, and extract them with 7zip: **<code>7z e Firefox\ Setup\ 62.0.3.exe</code> **<code>7z e ReShade_Setup_x.y.z.exe</code> (modify x y and z according to the version you downloaded, for example <code>7z e ReShade_Setup_4.9.1.exe</code> for Reshade version 4.9.1) *From the extraced executables, copy following dlls to the folder your game executable is in: **<code>d3dcompiler.dll</code> (coming from Firefox) **<code>Reshade.dll</code> (coming from Reshade). Rename it to ***<code>d3d9.dll</code> if your game uses Directx9 (this is more likely for older games) ***<code>dxgi.dll</code> if your game uses Directx11 (this is more likely for newer games) *Set dll overrides in winecfg: **Open Lutris, click your game, on the bottom, click the up-arrow right next to the wine bottle icon, click <code>Wine configuration</code>, click <code>Libraries</code>, insert the name of the dll (without the .dll) in the text box under <code>New override for library</code>: ***<code>d3dcompiler_47</code> ***select it in the list, click <code>Edit</code> and select <code>native, then builtin</code> ***Depending on whether your game uses DX9 or DX11: ****<code>d3d9</code> for DX9 ****<code>dxgi</code> for DX11 ***select it in the list, click "Edit" and select <code>native (Windows)</code> *Get the shaders and textures: <code>git clone <nowiki>https://github.com/crosire/reshade-shaders.git</nowiki></code> and copy the folders <code>Shaders</code> and <code>Textures</code> into the folder where your game executable is in. *Run your application *Open Reshade (with by pressing <code>home</code> or <code>Pos1</code>) *Open settings tab, and add the path <code>./Shaders</code> for shaders and <code>./Textures</code> for textures. * aee599b8e02cab3d26a30e2a94bc06b66c0ae8aa 147 145 2022-01-24T22:57:59Z Aragorn 3 /* Manual */ wikitext text/x-wiki Reshade let's you apply extra shaders. While it's theoretically possible to do this with vkBasalt, it's not yet fully working. You might also want to use some mods that are written for reshade. ===How to install=== ====Automatic==== You can use [https://github.com/kevinlekiller/reshade-steam-proton/blob/main/reshade-linux.sh this script]. Note, that executing external scripts is a security risk. You should always read and understand the content of the script before executing it. ====Manual<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/b2hi3g/reshade_working_in_wine_43/</ref>==== *Get the architecture of your application. If you don't know it, run <code>file /path/to/your/game.exe</code>. The output will either contain '''x86-64''' (64 bit) or '''80386''' (32 bit). *Download: **If your game is 32 bit: https://download-installer.cdn.mozilla.net/pub/firefox/releases/62.0.3/win32/ach/Firefox%20Setup%2062.0.3.exe **If your game is 64 bit: https://download-installer.cdn.mozilla.net/pub/firefox/releases/62.0.3/win64/ach/Firefox%20Setup%2062.0.3.exe *Download the latest version of Reshade: https://reshade.me/ (alternatively download this older version, it should work: https://reshade.me/downloads/ReShade_Setup_4.9.1.exe) *Move both executables to some folder, and extract them with 7zip: **<code>7z e Firefox\ Setup\ 62.0.3.exe</code> **<code>7z e ReShade_Setup_x.y.z.exe</code> (modify x y and z according to the version you downloaded, for example <code>7z e ReShade_Setup_4.9.1.exe</code> for Reshade version 4.9.1) *From the extraced executables, copy following dlls to the folder your game executable is in: **<code>d3dcompiler.dll</code> (coming from Firefox) **<code>Reshade.dll</code> (coming from Reshade). Rename it to ***<code>d3d9.dll</code> if your game uses Directx9 (this is more likely for older games) ***<code>dxgi.dll</code> if your game uses Directx11 (this is more likely for newer games) *Set dll overrides in winecfg: **Open Lutris, click your game, on the bottom, click the up-arrow right next to the wine bottle icon, click <code>Wine configuration</code>, click <code>Libraries</code>, insert the name of the dll (without the .dll) in the text box under <code>New override for library</code>: ***<code>d3dcompiler_47</code> ***select it in the list, click <code>Edit</code> and select <code>native, then builtin</code> ***Depending on whether your game uses DX9 or DX11: ****<code>d3d9</code> for DX9 ****<code>dxgi</code> for DX11 ***select it in the list, click "Edit" and select <code>native (Windows)</code> *Get the shaders and textures: <code>git clone <nowiki>https://github.com/crosire/reshade-shaders.git</nowiki></code> and copy the folders <code>Shaders</code> and <code>Textures</code> into the folder where your game executable is in. *Run your application *Open Reshade (with by pressing <code>home</code> or <code>Pos1</code>) *Open settings tab, and add the path <code>./Shaders</code> for shaders and <code>./Textures</code> for textures. * 8416d1167de41962addfba8e7f9773da33177513 148 147 2022-01-24T22:59:32Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Reshade let's you apply extra shaders. While it's theoretically possible to do this with vkBasalt, it's not yet fully working. You might also want to use some mods that are written for reshade. ===How to install=== ====Automatic==== You can use [https://github.com/kevinlekiller/reshade-steam-proton/blob/main/reshade-linux.sh this script]. Note, that executing external scripts is a security risk. You should always read and understand the content of the script before executing it. ====Manual<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/b2hi3g/reshade_working_in_wine_43/</ref>==== *Get the architecture of your application. If you don't know it, run <code>file /path/to/your/game.exe</code>. The output will either contain '''x86-64''' (64 bit) or '''80386''' (32 bit). *Download: **If your game is 32 bit: https://download-installer.cdn.mozilla.net/pub/firefox/releases/62.0.3/win32/ach/Firefox%20Setup%2062.0.3.exe **If your game is 64 bit: https://download-installer.cdn.mozilla.net/pub/firefox/releases/62.0.3/win64/ach/Firefox%20Setup%2062.0.3.exe *Download the latest version of Reshade: https://reshade.me/ (alternatively download this older version, it should work: https://reshade.me/downloads/ReShade_Setup_4.9.1.exe) *Move both executables to some folder, and extract them with 7zip: **<code>7z e Firefox\ Setup\ 62.0.3.exe</code> **<code>7z e ReShade_Setup_x.y.z.exe</code> (modify x y and z according to the version you downloaded, for example <code>7z e ReShade_Setup_4.9.1.exe</code> for Reshade version 4.9.1) *From the extraced executables, copy following dlls to the folder your game executable is in: **<code>d3dcompiler.dll</code> (coming from Firefox) **<code>Reshade.dll</code> (coming from Reshade). Rename it to ***<code>d3d9.dll</code> if your game uses Directx9 (this is more likely for older games) ***<code>dxgi.dll</code> if your game uses Directx11 (this is more likely for newer games) *Set dll overrides in winecfg: **Open Lutris, click your game, on the bottom, click the up-arrow right next to the wine bottle icon, click <code>Wine configuration</code>, click <code>Libraries</code>, insert the name of the dll (without the .dll) in the text box under <code>New override for library</code>: ***<code>d3dcompiler_47</code> ***select it in the list, click <code>Edit</code> and select <code>native, then builtin</code> ***Depending on whether your game uses DX9 or DX11: ****<code>d3d9</code> for DX9 ****<code>dxgi</code> for DX11 ***select it in the list, click <code>Edit</code> and select <code>native (Windows)</code> *Get the shaders and textures: <code>git clone <nowiki>https://github.com/crosire/reshade-shaders.git</nowiki></code> and copy the folders <code>Shaders</code> and <code>Textures</code> into the folder where your game executable is in. *Run your application *Open Reshade (with by pressing <code>home</code> or <code>Pos1</code>) *Open settings tab, and add the path <code>./Shaders</code> for shaders and <code>./Textures</code> for textures. * 202aa45f47134da9edb6f5771e5eb3ea84539445 149 148 2022-01-24T22:59:52Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Reshade let's you apply extra shaders. While it's theoretically possible to do this with vkBasalt, it's not yet fully working. You might also want to use some mods that are written for reshade. ===How to install=== ====Automatic==== You can use [https://github.com/kevinlekiller/reshade-steam-proton/blob/main/reshade-linux.sh this script]. Note, that executing external scripts is a security risk. You should always read and understand the content of the script before executing it. ====Manual<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/b2hi3g/reshade_working_in_wine_43/</ref>==== *Get the architecture of your application. If you don't know it, run <code>file /path/to/your/game.exe</code>. The output will either contain '''x86-64''' (64 bit) or '''80386''' (32 bit). *Download: **If your game is 32 bit: https://download-installer.cdn.mozilla.net/pub/firefox/releases/62.0.3/win32/ach/Firefox%20Setup%2062.0.3.exe **If your game is 64 bit: https://download-installer.cdn.mozilla.net/pub/firefox/releases/62.0.3/win64/ach/Firefox%20Setup%2062.0.3.exe *Download the latest version of Reshade: https://reshade.me/ (alternatively download this older version, it should work: https://reshade.me/downloads/ReShade_Setup_4.9.1.exe) *Move both executables to some folder, and extract them with 7zip: **<code>7z e Firefox\ Setup\ 62.0.3.exe</code> **<code>7z e ReShade_Setup_x.y.z.exe</code> (modify x y and z according to the version you downloaded, for example <code>7z e ReShade_Setup_4.9.1.exe</code> for Reshade version 4.9.1) *From the extraced executables, copy following dlls to the folder your game executable is in: **<code>d3dcompiler.dll</code> (coming from Firefox) **<code>Reshade.dll</code> (coming from Reshade). Rename it to ***<code>d3d9.dll</code> if your game uses Directx9 (this is more likely for older games) ***<code>dxgi.dll</code> if your game uses Directx11 (this is more likely for newer games) *Set dll overrides in winecfg: **Open Lutris, click your game, on the bottom, click the up-arrow right next to the wine bottle icon, click <code>Wine configuration</code>, click <code>Libraries</code>, insert the name of the dll (without the .dll) in the text box under <code>New override for library</code>: ***<code>d3dcompiler_47</code> ***select it in the list, click <code>Edit</code> and select <code>native, then builtin</code> ***Depending on whether your game uses DX9 or DX11: ****<code>d3d9</code> for DX9 ****<code>dxgi</code> for DX11 ***select it in the list, click <code>Edit</code> and select <code>native (Windows)</code> *Get the shaders and textures: <code>git clone <nowiki>https://github.com/crosire/reshade-shaders.git</nowiki></code> and copy the folders <code>Shaders</code> and <code>Textures</code> into the folder where your game executable is in. *Run your application *Open Reshade (by pressing <code>home</code> or <code>Pos1</code>) *Open settings tab, and add the path <code>./Shaders</code> for shaders and <code>./Textures</code> for textures. * 84eaa54c57cdeb09ed940dbd4a990d5c616ec95a 150 149 2022-01-24T23:00:43Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Reshade let's you apply extra shaders. While it's theoretically possible to do this with vkBasalt, it's not yet fully working. You might also want to use some mods that are written for reshade. ===How to install=== ====Automatic==== You can use [https://github.com/kevinlekiller/reshade-steam-proton/blob/main/reshade-linux.sh this script]. Note, that executing external scripts is a security risk. You should always read and understand the content of the script before executing it. ====Manual<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/b2hi3g/reshade_working_in_wine_43/</ref>==== *Get the architecture of your application. If you don't know it, run <code>file /path/to/your/game.exe</code>. The output will either contain '''x86-64''' (64 bit) or '''80386''' (32 bit). *Download: **If your game is 32 bit: https://download-installer.cdn.mozilla.net/pub/firefox/releases/62.0.3/win32/ach/Firefox%20Setup%2062.0.3.exe **If your game is 64 bit: https://download-installer.cdn.mozilla.net/pub/firefox/releases/62.0.3/win64/ach/Firefox%20Setup%2062.0.3.exe *Download the latest version of Reshade: https://reshade.me/ (alternatively download this older version, it should work: https://reshade.me/downloads/ReShade_Setup_4.9.1.exe) *Move both executables to some folder, and extract them with 7zip: **<code>7z e Firefox\ Setup\ 62.0.3.exe</code> **<code>7z e ReShade_Setup_x.y.z.exe</code> (modify x y and z according to the version you downloaded, for example <code>7z e ReShade_Setup_4.9.1.exe</code> for Reshade version 4.9.1) *From the extracted executables, copy following dlls to the folder your game executable is in: **<code>d3dcompiler.dll</code> (coming from Firefox) **<code>Reshade.dll</code> (coming from Reshade). Rename it to ***<code>d3d9.dll</code> if your game uses Directx9 (this is more likely for older games) ***<code>dxgi.dll</code> if your game uses Directx11 (this is more likely for newer games) *Set dll overrides in winecfg: **Open Lutris, click your game, on the bottom, click the up-arrow right next to the wine bottle icon, click <code>Wine configuration</code>, click <code>Libraries</code>, insert the name of the dll (without the .dll) in the text box under <code>New override for library</code>: ***<code>d3dcompiler_47</code> ***select it in the list, click <code>Edit</code> and select <code>native, then builtin</code> ***Depending on whether your game uses DX9 or DX11: ****<code>d3d9</code> for DX9 ****<code>dxgi</code> for DX11 ***select it in the list, click <code>Edit</code> and select <code>native (Windows)</code> *Get the shaders and textures: <code>git clone <nowiki>https://github.com/crosire/reshade-shaders.git</nowiki></code> and copy the folders <code>Shaders</code> and <code>Textures</code> into the folder where your game executable is in. *Run your application *Open Reshade (by pressing <code>home</code> or <code>Pos1</code>) *Open settings tab, and add the path <code>./Shaders</code> for shaders and <code>./Textures</code> for textures. * 3d20c9eaeec77719085cdb26d543817246911904 0 1 151 146 2022-01-25T06:12:41Z Marigold 7 /* Where to start */ wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Where to start == * [[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] *[[Getting started with Linux]] * [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - information about AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. This is a technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. * [[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. * [[Improving performance]] *[[Lutris]] *[[Heroic]] *[[Reshade]] The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://apps.ubuntu.com/cat/ Ubuntu Software Centre] - site / application store that has a large number of Linux games, though only usable at present on Ubuntu and it's derivatives *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. efca72f39259fc76c98608dc29b548ecb3695e16 0 28 152 144 2022-01-25T06:25:06Z Marigold 7 /* Future */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways]. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux usually isn't the best platform for that. It mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== Game modding is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. Many mods are also Windows-only, so you'd have to try running them through WINE. If you're running your game through WINE, you can install mod managers as you would on Windows. However, some may not work, or may not work well. There are Lutris scripts to help with ''Nexus Mod Manager''<ref>https://lutris.net/games/nexus-mod-manager-community-edition/</ref> and ''Vortex''<ref>https://lutris.net/games/vortex-mod-manager/</ref>, but they do not run flawlessly. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) in February 2022, which has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]] * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in several years or so. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. be40e0ae5f4bbd9c364aaad610a64f8ac3d8ecab 153 152 2022-01-25T06:25:26Z Marigold 7 /* Future */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways]. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux usually isn't the best platform for that. It mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== Game modding is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. Many mods are also Windows-only, so you'd have to try running them through WINE. If you're running your game through WINE, you can install mod managers as you would on Windows. However, some may not work, or may not work well. There are Lutris scripts to help with ''Nexus Mod Manager''<ref>https://lutris.net/games/nexus-mod-manager-community-edition/</ref> and ''Vortex''<ref>https://lutris.net/games/vortex-mod-manager/</ref>, but they do not run flawlessly. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) in February 2022, which has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]] * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in several years or so. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == Read more == 3178acd4fe339cf0be982fac49a978be9afb22a9 154 153 2022-01-25T06:25:42Z Marigold 7 /* Read more */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways]. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux usually isn't the best platform for that. It mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== Game modding is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. Many mods are also Windows-only, so you'd have to try running them through WINE. If you're running your game through WINE, you can install mod managers as you would on Windows. However, some may not work, or may not work well. There are Lutris scripts to help with ''Nexus Mod Manager''<ref>https://lutris.net/games/nexus-mod-manager-community-edition/</ref> and ''Vortex''<ref>https://lutris.net/games/vortex-mod-manager/</ref>, but they do not run flawlessly. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) in February 2022, which has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]] * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in several years or so. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == 09a59d1aa93a49b5c74b7cf7867549dd9884e0de 175 154 2022-01-27T00:23:02Z Marigold 7 /* Future */ VR wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways]. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux usually isn't the best platform for that. It mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== Game modding is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. Many mods are also Windows-only, so you'd have to try running them through WINE. If you're running your game through WINE, you can install mod managers as you would on Windows. However, some may not work, or may not work well. There are Lutris scripts to help with ''Nexus Mod Manager''<ref>https://lutris.net/games/nexus-mod-manager-community-edition/</ref> and ''Vortex''<ref>https://lutris.net/games/vortex-mod-manager/</ref>, but they do not run flawlessly. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) in February 2022, which has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]] * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in several years or so. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == b1895b49ef1628846eb512b4f22e0042f7d70a59 176 175 2022-01-27T00:23:41Z Marigold 7 /* Future */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways]. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux usually isn't the best platform for that. It mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== Game modding is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. Many mods are also Windows-only, so you'd have to try running them through WINE. If you're running your game through WINE, you can install mod managers as you would on Windows. However, some may not work, or may not work well. There are Lutris scripts to help with ''Nexus Mod Manager''<ref>https://lutris.net/games/nexus-mod-manager-community-edition/</ref> and ''Vortex''<ref>https://lutris.net/games/vortex-mod-manager/</ref>, but they do not run flawlessly. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) in February 2022, which has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]] * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which, if it comes out, would improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in several years or so. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == e023b5e23ed9fd9019a4ce4a6bdd7e341722e455 177 176 2022-01-27T00:23:58Z Marigold 7 /* Future */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways]. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux usually isn't the best platform for that. It mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== Game modding is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. Many mods are also Windows-only, so you'd have to try running them through WINE. If you're running your game through WINE, you can install mod managers as you would on Windows. However, some may not work, or may not work well. There are Lutris scripts to help with ''Nexus Mod Manager''<ref>https://lutris.net/games/nexus-mod-manager-community-edition/</ref> and ''Vortex''<ref>https://lutris.net/games/vortex-mod-manager/</ref>, but they do not run flawlessly. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) in February 2022, which has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]] * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in several years or so. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == 1040e2f49e2095b795dc08b79d16819c3d6ef40f 0 3 155 51 2022-01-25T09:08:07Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki FSR can be used to get better performance in games at the cost of visuals. It is comparable with DLSS, but can be applied to every game that runs with wine. There are several modes from ultra quality to maximum performance. For example, it is possible to double your FPS with very little visual loss. FSR only works if the game is GPU limited (your GPU runs at 100%). Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Setup == * Open [[Lutris]] * Right click your game, click Configure * Click ''System options'' and scroll down to ''Environment Variables'' * Click ''Add'' and input the following (the first word goes into the ''Key'' box, the second into ''Value''): <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR</code> <code>1</code> * In game set your setting according to the table on page 10 of [https://github.com/GPUOpen-Effects/FidelityFX-FSR/blob/master/docs/FidelityFX-FSR-Overview-Integration.pdf this] document: For example, if you want to have Ultra Quality, and your output resolution (the resolution of your actualy monitor) is 1920x1080, you set your ingame resolution to 1477x831. Setting your ingame resolution to your output resolution disables FSR. * In game ** Enable anti aliasing (TAA, MSAA, FXAA, ...) ** Disable effects that generate noise (like Motion Blur, Blur, Chromatic Aberration, Sharpening, etc.) * As of now you need to use the tkg version of wine, and MIP-Bias is not yet implemented. == More configuration options == You can add more options. Everything here goes in the same section as <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR</code>. * <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR_STRENGTH</code> <code>4</code> This sharpens the image. 4 is an example value. 0 is maximum sharpness, higher values mean less sharpening. (I think 5 is the maximum. If you know more, please edit this.) The default is 2 but this is probably too much for your game. Just experiment with different values. * <code>WINE_VULKAN_NEGATIVE_MIP_BIAS</code> <code>45</code> This results in textures with higher resolution. 45 is an example value. AMD recommends: {| class="wikitable" !Quality Setting !MIP Bias |- |Ultra Quality |38 |- |Quality |58 |- |Balanced |79 |- |Performance |100 |} * <code>WINE_VULKAN_BIAS_ALL_SAMPLERS</code> <code>1</code> This applies the MIP Bias to everything. 1 is enabled, 0 is disabled. This can result in weird game behaviour. == Examples == * [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/q3dl6y/witcher_3_fsr_is_working_great/ Witcher 3] 69c6e505a73a9075b379865baf895f7f0462f14e 156 155 2022-01-25T09:08:44Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki FSR can be used to get better performance in games at the cost of visuals. It is comparable with DLSS, but can be applied to every game that runs with wine. There are several modes from ultra quality to maximum performance. For example, it is possible to double your FPS with very little visual loss. FSR only works if the game is GPU limited (your GPU runs at 100%). Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The performance difference might even be bigger if your VRAM is not big enough. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Setup == * Open [[Lutris]] * Right click your game, click Configure * Click ''System options'' and scroll down to ''Environment Variables'' * Click ''Add'' and input the following (the first word goes into the ''Key'' box, the second into ''Value''): <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR</code> <code>1</code> * In game set your setting according to the table on page 10 of [https://github.com/GPUOpen-Effects/FidelityFX-FSR/blob/master/docs/FidelityFX-FSR-Overview-Integration.pdf this] document: For example, if you want to have Ultra Quality, and your output resolution (the resolution of your actualy monitor) is 1920x1080, you set your ingame resolution to 1477x831. Setting your ingame resolution to your output resolution disables FSR. * In game ** Enable anti aliasing (TAA, MSAA, FXAA, ...) ** Disable effects that generate noise (like Motion Blur, Blur, Chromatic Aberration, Sharpening, etc.) * As of now you need to use the tkg version of wine, and MIP-Bias is not yet implemented. == More configuration options == You can add more options. Everything here goes in the same section as <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR</code>. * <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR_STRENGTH</code> <code>4</code> This sharpens the image. 4 is an example value. 0 is maximum sharpness, higher values mean less sharpening. (I think 5 is the maximum. If you know more, please edit this.) The default is 2 but this is probably too much for your game. Just experiment with different values. * <code>WINE_VULKAN_NEGATIVE_MIP_BIAS</code> <code>45</code> This results in textures with higher resolution. 45 is an example value. AMD recommends: {| class="wikitable" !Quality Setting !MIP Bias |- |Ultra Quality |38 |- |Quality |58 |- |Balanced |79 |- |Performance |100 |} * <code>WINE_VULKAN_BIAS_ALL_SAMPLERS</code> <code>1</code> This applies the MIP Bias to everything. 1 is enabled, 0 is disabled. This can result in weird game behaviour. == Examples == * [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/q3dl6y/witcher_3_fsr_is_working_great/ Witcher 3] 85e3beba66e5eaf2b18639537f7d6e7afab01c28 157 156 2022-01-25T09:08:56Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki FSR can be used to get better performance in games at the cost of visuals. It is comparable with DLSS, but can be applied to every game that runs with wine. There are several modes from ultra quality to maximum performance. For example, it is possible to double your FPS with very little visual loss. FSR only works if the game is GPU limited (your GPU runs at 100%). Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The performance difference might be even bigger if your VRAM is not big enough. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Setup == * Open [[Lutris]] * Right click your game, click Configure * Click ''System options'' and scroll down to ''Environment Variables'' * Click ''Add'' and input the following (the first word goes into the ''Key'' box, the second into ''Value''): <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR</code> <code>1</code> * In game set your setting according to the table on page 10 of [https://github.com/GPUOpen-Effects/FidelityFX-FSR/blob/master/docs/FidelityFX-FSR-Overview-Integration.pdf this] document: For example, if you want to have Ultra Quality, and your output resolution (the resolution of your actualy monitor) is 1920x1080, you set your ingame resolution to 1477x831. Setting your ingame resolution to your output resolution disables FSR. * In game ** Enable anti aliasing (TAA, MSAA, FXAA, ...) ** Disable effects that generate noise (like Motion Blur, Blur, Chromatic Aberration, Sharpening, etc.) * As of now you need to use the tkg version of wine, and MIP-Bias is not yet implemented. == More configuration options == You can add more options. Everything here goes in the same section as <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR</code>. * <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR_STRENGTH</code> <code>4</code> This sharpens the image. 4 is an example value. 0 is maximum sharpness, higher values mean less sharpening. (I think 5 is the maximum. If you know more, please edit this.) The default is 2 but this is probably too much for your game. Just experiment with different values. * <code>WINE_VULKAN_NEGATIVE_MIP_BIAS</code> <code>45</code> This results in textures with higher resolution. 45 is an example value. AMD recommends: {| class="wikitable" !Quality Setting !MIP Bias |- |Ultra Quality |38 |- |Quality |58 |- |Balanced |79 |- |Performance |100 |} * <code>WINE_VULKAN_BIAS_ALL_SAMPLERS</code> <code>1</code> This applies the MIP Bias to everything. 1 is enabled, 0 is disabled. This can result in weird game behaviour. == Examples == * [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/q3dl6y/witcher_3_fsr_is_working_great/ Witcher 3] 06e7d7837e5ba962f4c5564145bb0621e07f6e8b 0 30 158 150 2022-01-25T09:28:20Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Reshade let's you apply extra shaders. While it's theoretically possible to do this with vkBasalt, it's not yet fully working. You might also want to use some mods that are written for reshade. ==How to install== ===Automatic=== You can use [https://github.com/kevinlekiller/reshade-steam-proton/blob/main/reshade-linux.sh this script]. Note, that executing external scripts is a security risk. You should always read and understand the content of the script before executing it. ===Manual<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/b2hi3g/reshade_working_in_wine_43/</ref>=== *Get the architecture of your application. If you don't know it, run <code>file /path/to/your/game.exe</code>. The output will either contain '''x86-64''' (64 bit) or '''80386''' (32 bit). *Download: **If your game is 32 bit: https://download-installer.cdn.mozilla.net/pub/firefox/releases/62.0.3/win32/ach/Firefox%20Setup%2062.0.3.exe **If your game is 64 bit: https://download-installer.cdn.mozilla.net/pub/firefox/releases/62.0.3/win64/ach/Firefox%20Setup%2062.0.3.exe *Download the latest version of Reshade: https://reshade.me/ (alternatively download this older version, it should work: https://reshade.me/downloads/ReShade_Setup_4.9.1.exe) *Move both executables to some folder, and extract them with 7zip: **<code>7z e Firefox\ Setup\ 62.0.3.exe</code> **<code>7z e ReShade_Setup_x.y.z.exe</code> (modify x y and z according to the version you downloaded, for example <code>7z e ReShade_Setup_4.9.1.exe</code> for Reshade version 4.9.1) *From the extracted executables, copy following dlls to the folder your game executable is in: **<code>d3dcompiler.dll</code> (coming from Firefox) **<code>Reshade.dll</code> (coming from Reshade). Rename it to ***<code>d3d9.dll</code> if your game uses Directx9 (this is more likely for older games) ***<code>dxgi.dll</code> if your game uses Directx11 (this is more likely for newer games) *Set dll overrides in winecfg: **Open Lutris, click your game, on the bottom, click the up-arrow right next to the wine bottle icon, click <code>Wine configuration</code>, click <code>Libraries</code>, insert the name of the dll (without the .dll) in the text box under <code>New override for library</code>: ***<code>d3dcompiler_47</code> ***select it in the list, click <code>Edit</code> and select <code>native, then builtin</code> ***Depending on whether your game uses DX9 or DX11: ****<code>d3d9</code> for DX9 ****<code>dxgi</code> for DX11 ***select it in the list, click <code>Edit</code> and select <code>native (Windows)</code> *Get the shaders and textures: <code>git clone <nowiki>https://github.com/crosire/reshade-shaders.git</nowiki></code> and copy the folders <code>Shaders</code> and <code>Textures</code> into the folder where your game executable is in. * Run your application *Open Reshade (by pressing <code>home</code> or <code>Pos1</code>) *Open settings tab, and add the path <code>./Shaders</code> for shaders and <code>./Textures</code> for textures. <references /> 108d7f9546fe08ac045cbe65f031d1cbaf1f49bc 0 2 159 92 2022-01-25T09:29:27Z Aragorn 3 /* 8. Nice things */ wikitext text/x-wiki == 1. Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, here is a short version that should work: <ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. You will probably not be able to use the software that you're used to. But usually there is different software that might even be better.</li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have supported hardware. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you can choose your GPU, chose AMD. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] and [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use ''Steam (Runtime)'' for Steam games (if you don't know how to install it, watch the video linked above). Go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE]</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other Windows Games. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/Frogging-Family/wine-tkg-git/releases Wine-TKG]</li> <li><p>If you have an AMD GPU, install CoreCtrl. If you previously chose Pop!_OS, input the following in the terminal:</p> <pre>sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ernstp/mesarc sudo apt-get update sudo apt install corectrl</pre> <p>Otherwise look [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ here] for instructions. Open CoreCtrl, and add a profile for every game, or edit the global settings to your likings.</p></li> <li><p>Disable Composition: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it. Read more [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/improving_performance here].</p></li> <li><p>When Linux gives you a warning, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when asking for help.</p></li></ul> == 2. Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics than this one. == 3. The software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. If you've done that and there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. Bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto] * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == 4. The swap (Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux) == If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming. Is made to be user friendly. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. You might face problems here. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Feel free to browse [https://distrowatch.com/ distrowatch] if you're bored. |} '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clickin an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. == 5. The habit (what to do after the installation) == So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install Steam on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to [https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/ Chrome being considered spyware]. [https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome UbuntuUpdates.org] give the following instructions: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. == 6. Windows compatibility == So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exes) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. For Steam games you can just use Steam. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. Your last resort is the following: First, let's install Wine. <pre>sudo apt install wine</pre> On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you'll want to open a terminal and type (credit to [[u/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running): <pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> Remember to check the ratings and know issues in the wine AppDB so you know what you can expect, and you should be golden. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. === 6.1. DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D === What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[u/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and [[Lutris]] both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily optimized Linux install. Your default experience will be worse. == 7. Improving performance == The default settings are probably not the best for a flawless experience. Read more [[Improving performance|here]] == 8. Nice things == You don't need the following. But you might find them useful for special use cases. * [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] for downscaling * [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) * [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == 9. Downloading stuff from GitHub/GitLab == You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try to find a better solution (for example post here in the forum). But here is how to do it: # Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> # On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). # Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. # Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. == 10. Troubleshooting == * Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using * Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] * [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask here or in one of the linux subreddits] * Ask in forums * Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. === 10.1. Common issues === '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers * For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] == 11. Going further == If you want to learn more about Linux and the command line, this is a great resource to interactively learn: https://linuxjourney.com/ == 12. The end == u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. 5a7d8b90745e6bcb60b873959e1af687cbdb078c 173 159 2022-01-25T14:07:41Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, here is a short version that should work: <ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. You will probably not be able to use the software that you're used to. But usually there is different software that might even be better.</li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have supported hardware. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you can choose your GPU, chose AMD. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] and [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use ''Steam (Runtime)'' for Steam games (if you don't know how to install it, watch the video linked above). Go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE]</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other Windows Games. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/Frogging-Family/wine-tkg-git/releases Wine-TKG]</li> <li><p>If you have an AMD GPU, install CoreCtrl. If you previously chose Pop!_OS, input the following in the terminal:</p> <pre>sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ernstp/mesarc sudo apt-get update sudo apt install corectrl</pre> <p>Otherwise look [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ here] for instructions. Open CoreCtrl, and add a profile for every game, or edit the global settings to your likings.</p></li> <li><p>Disable Composition: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it. Read more [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/improving_performance here].</p></li> <li><p>When Linux gives you a warning, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when asking for help.</p></li></ul> == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics than this one. == The software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. If you've done that and there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. Bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto] * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == The swap (Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux) == If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming. Is made to be user friendly. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. You might face problems here. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Feel free to browse [https://distrowatch.com/ distrowatch] if you're bored. |} '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clickin an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. == The habit (what to do after the installation) == So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install Steam on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to [https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/ Chrome being considered spyware]. [https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome UbuntuUpdates.org] give the following instructions: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. == Windows compatibility == So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exes) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. For Steam games you can just use Steam. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. Your last resort is the following: First, let's install Wine. <pre>sudo apt install wine</pre> On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you'll want to open a terminal and type (credit to [[u/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running): <pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> Remember to check the ratings and know issues in the wine AppDB so you know what you can expect, and you should be golden. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. === DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D === What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[u/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and [[Lutris]] both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily optimized Linux install. Your default experience will be worse. == Improving performance == The default settings are probably not the best for a flawless experience. Read more [[Improving performance|here]] == Nice things == You don't need the following. But you might find them useful for special use cases. * [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] for downscaling * [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) * [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == Downloading stuff from GitHub/GitLab == You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try to find a better solution (for example post here in the forum). But here is how to do it: # Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> # On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). # Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. # Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. == Troubleshooting == * Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using * Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] * [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask here or in one of the linux subreddits] * Ask in forums * Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. === Common issues === '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers * For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] == Going further == If you want to learn more about Linux and the command line, this is a great resource to interactively learn: https://linuxjourney.com/ == The end == u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. daeee9139c78c14f40b53dc055f1b681ddea1713 181 173 2022-01-28T19:51:17Z Aragorn 3 /* Downloading stuff from GitHub/GitLab */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, here is a short version that should work: <ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. You will probably not be able to use the software that you're used to. But usually there is different software that might even be better.</li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have supported hardware. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you can choose your GPU, chose AMD. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] and [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use ''Steam (Runtime)'' for Steam games (if you don't know how to install it, watch the video linked above). Go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE]</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other Windows Games. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/Frogging-Family/wine-tkg-git/releases Wine-TKG]</li> <li><p>If you have an AMD GPU, install CoreCtrl. If you previously chose Pop!_OS, input the following in the terminal:</p> <pre>sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ernstp/mesarc sudo apt-get update sudo apt install corectrl</pre> <p>Otherwise look [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ here] for instructions. Open CoreCtrl, and add a profile for every game, or edit the global settings to your likings.</p></li> <li><p>Disable Composition: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it. Read more [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/improving_performance here].</p></li> <li><p>When Linux gives you a warning, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when asking for help.</p></li></ul> == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics than this one. == The software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. If you've done that and there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. Bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto] * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == The swap (Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux) == If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming. Is made to be user friendly. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. You might face problems here. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Feel free to browse [https://distrowatch.com/ distrowatch] if you're bored. |} '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clickin an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. == The habit (what to do after the installation) == So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install Steam on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to [https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/ Chrome being considered spyware]. [https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome UbuntuUpdates.org] give the following instructions: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. == Windows compatibility == So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exes) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. For Steam games you can just use Steam. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. Your last resort is the following: First, let's install Wine. <pre>sudo apt install wine</pre> On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you'll want to open a terminal and type (credit to [[u/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running): <pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> Remember to check the ratings and know issues in the wine AppDB so you know what you can expect, and you should be golden. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. === DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D === What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[u/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and [[Lutris]] both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily optimized Linux install. Your default experience will be worse. == Improving performance == The default settings are probably not the best for a flawless experience. Read more [[Improving performance|here]] == Nice things == You don't need the following. But you might find them useful for special use cases. * [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] for downscaling * [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) * [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == Downloading stuff from GitHub/GitLab == You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: # Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> # On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). # Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. # Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. == Troubleshooting == * Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using * Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] * [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask here or in one of the linux subreddits] * Ask in forums * Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. === Common issues === '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers * For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] == Going further == If you want to learn more about Linux and the command line, this is a great resource to interactively learn: https://linuxjourney.com/ == The end == u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. a7c13817ee8ffe27eaa874b923eb608df523419a 198 181 2022-01-30T21:44:06Z Aragorn 3 /* The swap (Distributions, or "versions" of Linux) */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, here is a short version that should work: <ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. You will probably not be able to use the software that you're used to. But usually there is different software that might even be better.</li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have supported hardware. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you can choose your GPU, chose AMD. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] and [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use ''Steam (Runtime)'' for Steam games (if you don't know how to install it, watch the video linked above). Go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE]</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other Windows Games. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/Frogging-Family/wine-tkg-git/releases Wine-TKG]</li> <li><p>If you have an AMD GPU, install CoreCtrl. If you previously chose Pop!_OS, input the following in the terminal:</p> <pre>sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ernstp/mesarc sudo apt-get update sudo apt install corectrl</pre> <p>Otherwise look [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ here] for instructions. Open CoreCtrl, and add a profile for every game, or edit the global settings to your likings.</p></li> <li><p>Disable Composition: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it. Read more [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/improving_performance here].</p></li> <li><p>When Linux gives you a warning, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when asking for help.</p></li></ul> == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics than this one. == The software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. If you've done that and there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. Bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto] * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == The swap (Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux) == If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. Some people might tell you to use Arch or Gentoo, but be aware, they are very complicated, and you will probably not like it. Using Arch-''based'' distributions ''can'' however be a very good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. You might face problems here, [[Improving performance|especially regarding performance and input lag]]. If you choose Mint, don't use Cinnamon. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clickin an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. == The habit (what to do after the installation) == So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install Steam on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to [https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/ Chrome being considered spyware]. [https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome UbuntuUpdates.org] give the following instructions: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. == Windows compatibility == So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exes) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. For Steam games you can just use Steam. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. Your last resort is the following: First, let's install Wine. <pre>sudo apt install wine</pre> On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you'll want to open a terminal and type (credit to [[u/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running): <pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> Remember to check the ratings and know issues in the wine AppDB so you know what you can expect, and you should be golden. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. === DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D === What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[u/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and [[Lutris]] both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily optimized Linux install. Your default experience will be worse. == Improving performance == The default settings are probably not the best for a flawless experience. Read more [[Improving performance|here]] == Nice things == You don't need the following. But you might find them useful for special use cases. * [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] for downscaling * [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) * [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == Downloading stuff from GitHub/GitLab == You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: # Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> # On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). # Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. # Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. == Troubleshooting == * Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using * Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] * [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask here or in one of the linux subreddits] * Ask in forums * Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. === Common issues === '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers * For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] == Going further == If you want to learn more about Linux and the command line, this is a great resource to interactively learn: https://linuxjourney.com/ == The end == u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. 52df18bd96d5c67248ee708c7f5600395bcde63d 199 198 2022-01-30T22:01:02Z Aragorn 3 /* The swap (Distributions, or "versions" of Linux) */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, here is a short version that should work: <ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. You will probably not be able to use the software that you're used to. But usually there is different software that might even be better.</li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have supported hardware. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you can choose your GPU, chose AMD. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] and [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use ''Steam (Runtime)'' for Steam games (if you don't know how to install it, watch the video linked above). Go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE]</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other Windows Games. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/Frogging-Family/wine-tkg-git/releases Wine-TKG]</li> <li><p>If you have an AMD GPU, install CoreCtrl. If you previously chose Pop!_OS, input the following in the terminal:</p> <pre>sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ernstp/mesarc sudo apt-get update sudo apt install corectrl</pre> <p>Otherwise look [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ here] for instructions. Open CoreCtrl, and add a profile for every game, or edit the global settings to your likings.</p></li> <li><p>Disable Composition: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it. Read more [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/improving_performance here].</p></li> <li><p>When Linux gives you a warning, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when asking for help.</p></li></ul> == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics than this one. == The software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. If you've done that and there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. Bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto] * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == The swap (Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux) == If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. Some people might tell you to use Arch or Gentoo, but be aware, they are very complicated, and you will probably not like it. Using Arch-''based'' distributions ''can'' however be a very good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. You might face problems here, [[Improving performance|especially regarding performance and input lag]]. If you choose Mint, don't use Cinnamon. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- |Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmongOS |It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- |Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |} '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clickin an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. == The habit (what to do after the installation) == So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install Steam on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to [https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/ Chrome being considered spyware]. [https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome UbuntuUpdates.org] give the following instructions: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. == Windows compatibility == So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exes) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. For Steam games you can just use Steam. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. Your last resort is the following: First, let's install Wine. <pre>sudo apt install wine</pre> On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you'll want to open a terminal and type (credit to [[u/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running): <pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> Remember to check the ratings and know issues in the wine AppDB so you know what you can expect, and you should be golden. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. === DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D === What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[u/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and [[Lutris]] both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily optimized Linux install. Your default experience will be worse. == Improving performance == The default settings are probably not the best for a flawless experience. Read more [[Improving performance|here]] == Nice things == You don't need the following. But you might find them useful for special use cases. * [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] for downscaling * [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) * [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == Downloading stuff from GitHub/GitLab == You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: # Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> # On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). # Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. # Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. == Troubleshooting == * Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using * Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] * [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask here or in one of the linux subreddits] * Ask in forums * Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. === Common issues === '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers * For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] == Going further == If you want to learn more about Linux and the command line, this is a great resource to interactively learn: https://linuxjourney.com/ == The end == u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. d95894e28500663e737542fcd59174fd8b49d041 200 199 2022-01-30T22:02:23Z Aragorn 3 /* The swap (Distributions, or "versions" of Linux) */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, here is a short version that should work: <ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. You will probably not be able to use the software that you're used to. But usually there is different software that might even be better.</li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have supported hardware. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you can choose your GPU, chose AMD. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] and [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use ''Steam (Runtime)'' for Steam games (if you don't know how to install it, watch the video linked above). Go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE]</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other Windows Games. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/Frogging-Family/wine-tkg-git/releases Wine-TKG]</li> <li><p>If you have an AMD GPU, install CoreCtrl. If you previously chose Pop!_OS, input the following in the terminal:</p> <pre>sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ernstp/mesarc sudo apt-get update sudo apt install corectrl</pre> <p>Otherwise look [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ here] for instructions. Open CoreCtrl, and add a profile for every game, or edit the global settings to your likings.</p></li> <li><p>Disable Composition: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it. Read more [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/improving_performance here].</p></li> <li><p>When Linux gives you a warning, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when asking for help.</p></li></ul> == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics than this one. == The software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. If you've done that and there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. Bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto] * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == The swap (Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux) == If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. Some people might tell you to use Arch or Gentoo, but be aware, they are very complicated, and you will probably not like it. Using Arch-''based'' distributions ''can'' however be a very good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. You might face problems here, [[Improving performance|especially regarding performance and input lag]]. If you choose Mint, don't use Cinnamon. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- |Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmongOS |It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- |Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |} '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clickin an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. == The habit (what to do after the installation) == So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install Steam on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to [https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/ Chrome being considered spyware]. [https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome UbuntuUpdates.org] give the following instructions: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. == Windows compatibility == So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exes) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. For Steam games you can just use Steam. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. Your last resort is the following: First, let's install Wine. <pre>sudo apt install wine</pre> On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you'll want to open a terminal and type (credit to [[u/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running): <pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> Remember to check the ratings and know issues in the wine AppDB so you know what you can expect, and you should be golden. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. === DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D === What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[u/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and [[Lutris]] both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily optimized Linux install. Your default experience will be worse. == Improving performance == The default settings are probably not the best for a flawless experience. Read more [[Improving performance|here]] == Nice things == You don't need the following. But you might find them useful for special use cases. * [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] for downscaling * [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) * [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == Downloading stuff from GitHub/GitLab == You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: # Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> # On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). # Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. # Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. == Troubleshooting == * Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using * Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] * [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask here or in one of the linux subreddits] * Ask in forums * Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. === Common issues === '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers * For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] == Going further == If you want to learn more about Linux and the command line, this is a great resource to interactively learn: https://linuxjourney.com/ == The end == u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. 2ff11b6dd289113fa54ec6929755c26b8b44e981 0 25 160 139 2022-01-25T11:35:16Z Trueleo 8 add EpicLinux wiki wikitext text/x-wiki Heroic is an open-source game launcher that primarily supports launching games from the Epic Games Store by leveraging [https://github.com/derrod/legendary Legendary CLI tool]. Heroic aims to be an easy to use game launcher, with features like per-game [[WINE]] prefix with ability to easily switch between WINE versions. Heroic Games Launcher is built upon Electron and uses Legendary to interact with Epic Games Services. ==1. Installation== Before installing Heroic it is recommended that you have a working install of '''WINE''' and '''winetricks''' on your system. All installation methods for Heroic are listed on their [https://github.com/Heroic-Games-Launcher/HeroicGamesLauncher#linux GitHub] You can find a suitable installation file for your distro at their GitHub Releases section [https://github.com/Heroic-Games-Launcher/HeroicGamesLauncher/releases here] ===Debian, Ubuntu and Derivatives such as Pop!_OS=== Download the <code>heroic_x.x.x_amd64.deb</code> from the GitHub Releases section. If your OS supports this, you can simply open the downloaded <code>.deb</code> file to begin the installation. Otherwise you can install it via dpkg by bringing up a terminal and running following command sudo dpkg -i ''/path/to/''heroic_x.x.x_amd64.deb <small>Note: <code>amd64</code> here refers to system architecture which this package supports. Make sure that your system is compatible with the program you are trying to install.</small> === Using AppImage === Download the <code>heroic-x.x.x.AppImage</code> from the GitHub Releases section. Make sure you have <code>curl</code> and <code>gawk</code> installed, normally it comes installed in most distros. Make AppImage executable by changing its file properties. [[File:Make Executable.png|none|thumb|Marking file as executable]] '''Or''' You can do the same using terminal chmod +x heroic-x.x.x.AppImage Now you can run the Heroic AppImage == 2. Installing and importing games == Installing games are as easy as going to the '''library''' and selecting a game that you want to play. If you have already downloaded the game and you just want to import it then press on '''Import Game''' otherwise press '''Install''' to start installation in the specified folder. [[File:Heroic install popup.png|none|thumb|Game installation popup]] == 4. See also == [https://github.com/Heroic-Games-Launcher/HeroicGamesLauncher Heroic Games Launcher Github] [https://github.com/derrod/legendary Legendary Github] [https://github.com/CommandMC/EpicLinux/wiki EpicLinux Wiki] <references /> f99468c05dceeb80978aa9ae2ec94ab8c40b92a5 161 160 2022-01-25T11:43:26Z Trueleo 8 minor changes to heroic page wikitext text/x-wiki Heroic is an open-source game launcher that primarily supports launching games from the Epic Games Store by leveraging Legendary CLI tool. Heroic aims to be an easy-to-use game launcher with features like a per-game [[WINE]] prefix with the ability to easily switch between WINE versions. Heroic Games Launcher is built upon Electron and uses Legendary to interact with Epic Games Services. ==1. Installation== Before installing Heroic it is recommended that you have a working installation of '''WINE''' and '''winetricks''' on your system. All installation methods for Heroic are listed on their [https://github.com/Heroic-Games-Launcher/HeroicGamesLauncher#linux GitHub] You can find a suitable installation file for your distro at their GitHub Releases section [https://github.com/Heroic-Games-Launcher/HeroicGamesLauncher/releases here] ===Debian, Ubuntu and Derivatives such as Pop!_OS=== Download the <code>heroic_x.x.x_amd64.deb</code> from the GitHub Releases section. If your OS supports this, you can simply open the downloaded <code>.deb</code> file to begin the installation. Otherwise, you can install it via dpkg by bringing up a terminal and running the following command sudo dpkg -i ''/path/to/''heroic_x.x.x_amd64.deb <small>Note: <code>amd64</code> here refers to system architecture which this package supports. Make sure that your system is compatible with the program you are trying to install.</small> === Using AppImage === Download the <code>heroic-x.x.x.AppImage</code> from the GitHub Releases section. Make sure you have <code>curl</code> and <code>gawk</code> installed, normally it comes installed in most distros. Make AppImage executable by changing its file properties. [[File:Make Executable.png|none|thumb|Marking file as executable]] '''Or''' You can do the same using terminal chmod +x heroic-x.x.x.AppImage Now you can run the Heroic AppImage == 2. Installing and importing games == Installing games are as easy as going to the '''library''' and selecting a game that you want to play. If you have already downloaded the game and you just want to import it then press on '''Import Game''' otherwise press '''Install''' to start installation in the specified folder. [[File:Heroic install popup.png|none|thumb|Game installation popup]] == 4. See also == [https://github.com/Heroic-Games-Launcher/HeroicGamesLauncher Heroic Games Launcher Github] [https://github.com/derrod/legendary Legendary Github] [https://github.com/CommandMC/EpicLinux/wiki EpicLinux Wiki] <references /> d0d5ed6fc7cb1fdf9c5af202c73ff7cb0cdf2c7e 162 161 2022-01-25T12:04:45Z Trueleo 8 wikitext text/x-wiki Heroic is an open-source game launcher that primarily supports launching games from the Epic Games Store by leveraging Legendary CLI tool. Heroic aims to be an easy-to-use game launcher with features like a per-game Wine prefix with the ability to easily switch between Wine versions. Heroic Games Launcher is built upon Electron and uses Legendary to interact with Epic Games Services. ==1. Installation== Before installing Heroic it is recommended that you have a working installation of '''Wine''' and '''winetricks''' on your system. All installation methods for Heroic are listed on their [https://github.com/Heroic-Games-Launcher/HeroicGamesLauncher#linux GitHub] You can find a suitable installation file for your distro at their GitHub Releases section [https://github.com/Heroic-Games-Launcher/HeroicGamesLauncher/releases here] ===Debian, Ubuntu and Derivatives such as Pop!_OS=== Download the <code>heroic_x.x.x_amd64.deb</code> from the GitHub Releases section. If your OS supports this, you can simply open the downloaded <code>.deb</code> file to begin the installation. Otherwise, you can install it via dpkg by bringing up a terminal and running the following command sudo dpkg -i ''/path/to/''heroic_x.x.x_amd64.deb <small>Note: <code>amd64</code> here refers to system architecture which this package supports. Make sure that your system is compatible with the program you are trying to install.</small> === Using AppImage === Download the <code>heroic-x.x.x.AppImage</code> from the GitHub Releases section. Make sure you have <code>curl</code> and <code>gawk</code> installed, normally it comes installed in most distros. Make AppImage executable by changing its file properties. [[File:Make Executable.png|none|thumb|Marking file as executable]] '''Or''' You can do the same using terminal chmod +x heroic-x.x.x.AppImage Now you can run the Heroic AppImage == 2. Installing and importing games == Installing games are as easy as going to the '''library''' and selecting a game that you want to play. If you have already downloaded the game and you just want to import it then press on '''Import Game''' otherwise press '''Install''' to start installation in the specified folder. [[File:Heroic install popup.png|none|thumb|Game installation popup]] == 4. See also == [https://github.com/Heroic-Games-Launcher/HeroicGamesLauncher Heroic Games Launcher Github] [https://github.com/derrod/legendary Legendary Github] [https://github.com/CommandMC/EpicLinux/wiki EpicLinux Wiki] <references /> b5adca7a315a2f1b6501f4107116ea2a1c90df40 182 162 2022-01-28T21:43:45Z Aragorn 3 /* 1. Installation */ wikitext text/x-wiki Heroic is an open-source game launcher that primarily supports launching games from the Epic Games Store by leveraging Legendary CLI tool. Heroic aims to be an easy-to-use game launcher with features like a per-game Wine prefix with the ability to easily switch between Wine versions. Heroic Games Launcher is built upon Electron and uses Legendary to interact with Epic Games Services. ==1. Installation== Before installing Heroic it is recommended that you have a working installation of '''Wine''' and '''winetricks''' on your system. All installation methods for Heroic are listed on their [https://github.com/Heroic-Games-Launcher/HeroicGamesLauncher#linux GitHub] You can find a suitable installation file for your distro at their GitHub Releases section [https://github.com/Heroic-Games-Launcher/HeroicGamesLauncher/releases here] === Arch, Manjaro, Garuda, and other Arch based distributions === Install it from the [https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/heroic-games-launcher-bin/ AUR], for example using <code>Pamac</code>: * Enable AUR support: https://wiki.manjaro.org/index.php/Arch_User_Repository#Using_GUI_Pamac * Search Heroic and install it Alternatively you can use an ''AUR helper'' of your choice, for example <code>paru</code>, or <code>yay</code>: * <code>paru -S heroic-games-launcher-bin</code> * <code>yay -S heroic-games-launcher-bin</code> ===Debian, Ubuntu and Derivatives such as Pop!_OS=== Download the <code>heroic_x.x.x_amd64.deb</code> from the GitHub Releases section. If your OS supports this, you can simply open the downloaded <code>.deb</code> file to begin the installation. Otherwise, you can install it via dpkg by bringing up a terminal and running the following command sudo dpkg -i ''/path/to/''heroic_x.x.x_amd64.deb <small>Note: <code>amd64</code> here refers to system architecture which this package supports. Make sure that your system is compatible with the program you are trying to install.</small> === Using AppImage === Download the <code>heroic-x.x.x.AppImage</code> from the GitHub Releases section. Make sure you have <code>curl</code> and <code>gawk</code> installed, normally it comes installed in most distros. Make AppImage executable by changing its file properties. [[File:Make Executable.png|none|thumb|Marking file as executable]] '''Or''' You can do the same using terminal chmod +x heroic-x.x.x.AppImage Now you can run the Heroic AppImage == 2. Installing and importing games == Installing games are as easy as going to the '''library''' and selecting a game that you want to play. If you have already downloaded the game and you just want to import it then press on '''Import Game''' otherwise press '''Install''' to start installation in the specified folder. [[File:Heroic install popup.png|none|thumb|Game installation popup]] == 4. See also == [https://github.com/Heroic-Games-Launcher/HeroicGamesLauncher Heroic Games Launcher Github] [https://github.com/derrod/legendary Legendary Github] [https://github.com/CommandMC/EpicLinux/wiki EpicLinux Wiki] <references /> c5b576269443a86924c3deb01ae81da0353f07c3 183 182 2022-01-28T21:47:02Z Aragorn 3 /* Arch, Manjaro, Garuda, and other Arch based distributions */ wikitext text/x-wiki Heroic is an open-source game launcher that primarily supports launching games from the Epic Games Store by leveraging Legendary CLI tool. Heroic aims to be an easy-to-use game launcher with features like a per-game Wine prefix with the ability to easily switch between Wine versions. Heroic Games Launcher is built upon Electron and uses Legendary to interact with Epic Games Services. ==1. Installation== Before installing Heroic it is recommended that you have a working installation of '''Wine''' and '''winetricks''' on your system. All installation methods for Heroic are listed on their [https://github.com/Heroic-Games-Launcher/HeroicGamesLauncher#linux GitHub] You can find a suitable installation file for your distro at their GitHub Releases section [https://github.com/Heroic-Games-Launcher/HeroicGamesLauncher/releases here] === Arch, Manjaro, Garuda, and other Arch based distributions === Install it from the [https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/heroic-games-launcher-bin/ AUR], for example using <code>Pamac</code>: * [https://wiki.manjaro.org/index.php/Arch_User_Repository#Using_GUI_Pamac Enable AUR support] * Search Heroic and install it Alternatively you can use an ''AUR helper'' of your choice, for example <code>paru</code>, or <code>yay</code>: * <code>paru -S heroic-games-launcher-bin</code> * <code>yay -S heroic-games-launcher-bin</code> ===Debian, Ubuntu and Derivatives such as Pop!_OS=== Download the <code>heroic_x.x.x_amd64.deb</code> from the GitHub Releases section. If your OS supports this, you can simply open the downloaded <code>.deb</code> file to begin the installation. Otherwise, you can install it via dpkg by bringing up a terminal and running the following command sudo dpkg -i ''/path/to/''heroic_x.x.x_amd64.deb <small>Note: <code>amd64</code> here refers to system architecture which this package supports. Make sure that your system is compatible with the program you are trying to install.</small> === Using AppImage === Download the <code>heroic-x.x.x.AppImage</code> from the GitHub Releases section. Make sure you have <code>curl</code> and <code>gawk</code> installed, normally it comes installed in most distros. Make AppImage executable by changing its file properties. [[File:Make Executable.png|none|thumb|Marking file as executable]] '''Or''' You can do the same using terminal chmod +x heroic-x.x.x.AppImage Now you can run the Heroic AppImage == 2. Installing and importing games == Installing games are as easy as going to the '''library''' and selecting a game that you want to play. If you have already downloaded the game and you just want to import it then press on '''Import Game''' otherwise press '''Install''' to start installation in the specified folder. [[File:Heroic install popup.png|none|thumb|Game installation popup]] == 4. See also == [https://github.com/Heroic-Games-Launcher/HeroicGamesLauncher Heroic Games Launcher Github] [https://github.com/derrod/legendary Legendary Github] [https://github.com/CommandMC/EpicLinux/wiki EpicLinux Wiki] <references /> 662cb62f017cf7e6aba601830ea6736404105478 0 5 163 39 2022-01-25T13:15:42Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == * Disable composition. This can be done with a switch in Lutris settings. Right click the game -> Configure -> System options -> Disable desktop effects. This dramatically improves input lag and ''"smoothness"'' (at least on KDE. If I understand it correctly, this is not necessary on Gnome. Please edit this if you have more information). If you use KDE, you can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code>. The same combination re-enables it. * Enable Esync. Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Esync. * Or, even better, enable Fsync. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like Zen, linux-tkg, or Xanmod; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Fsync == AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks == === AMD === * Set your CPU/GPU into performance mode. Use CoreCtrl to do this. Open CoreCtrl, and add a profile for every game, or edit the global settings to your likings. * Use Mesa drivers === Nvidia === == Optional == * Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. == Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland: == * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok, but you should avoid Cinnamon. This might be outdated, but I can't find newer data.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> * You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to be complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. 7db84e27b8e48b181af99722ee04380fb49189ed 164 163 2022-01-25T13:21:14Z Aragorn 3 /* Nvidia */ add nvidia wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == * Disable composition. This can be done with a switch in Lutris settings. Right click the game -> Configure -> System options -> Disable desktop effects. This dramatically improves input lag and ''"smoothness"'' (at least on KDE. If I understand it correctly, this is not necessary on Gnome. Please edit this if you have more information). If you use KDE, you can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code>. The same combination re-enables it. * Enable Esync. Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Esync. * Or, even better, enable Fsync. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like Zen, linux-tkg, or Xanmod; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Fsync == AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks == === AMD === * Set your CPU/GPU into performance mode. Use CoreCtrl to do this. Open CoreCtrl, and add a profile for every game, or edit the global settings to your likings. * Use Mesa drivers === Nvidia<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> === * The Arch Wiki is the best place to start: <nowiki>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling</nowiki> * Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner (You should also be recommending Radeon Profile or CoreCtrl for AMD GPUs). * Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: Make sure that you put in your Steam/Proton article that there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). * For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. * Use DKMS. Every distro that has proprietary nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. * Go to <nowiki>https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md</nowiki> to get minimal required drivers installed. * For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> repo, <nowiki>https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all</nowiki> with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>. == Optional == * Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. == Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland: == * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok, but you should avoid Cinnamon. This might be outdated, but I can't find newer data.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> * You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to be complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. 6f14dd6c831d79a82271debd678e66e9af0f0eff 165 164 2022-01-25T13:23:10Z Aragorn 3 /* Nvidia[1] */ fix links wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == * Disable composition. This can be done with a switch in Lutris settings. Right click the game -> Configure -> System options -> Disable desktop effects. This dramatically improves input lag and ''"smoothness"'' (at least on KDE. If I understand it correctly, this is not necessary on Gnome. Please edit this if you have more information). If you use KDE, you can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code>. The same combination re-enables it. * Enable Esync. Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Esync. * Or, even better, enable Fsync. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like Zen, linux-tkg, or Xanmod; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Fsync == AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks == === AMD === * Set your CPU/GPU into performance mode. Use CoreCtrl to do this. Open CoreCtrl, and add a profile for every game, or edit the global settings to your likings. * Use Mesa drivers === Nvidia<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> === * The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. * Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner (You should also be recommending Radeon Profile or CoreCtrl for AMD GPUs). * Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: Make sure that you put in your Steam/Proton article that there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). * For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. * Use DKMS. Every distro that has proprietary nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. * Go to <nowiki>https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md</nowiki> to get minimal required drivers installed. * For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>. == Optional == * Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. == Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland: == * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok, but you should avoid Cinnamon. This might be outdated, but I can't find newer data.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> * You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to be complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. c39bd0fbe8ea85db11e9936b4cf127cf1c31f768 166 165 2022-01-25T13:23:54Z Aragorn 3 /* Nvidia[1] */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == * Disable composition. This can be done with a switch in Lutris settings. Right click the game -> Configure -> System options -> Disable desktop effects. This dramatically improves input lag and ''"smoothness"'' (at least on KDE. If I understand it correctly, this is not necessary on Gnome. Please edit this if you have more information). If you use KDE, you can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code>. The same combination re-enables it. * Enable Esync. Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Esync. * Or, even better, enable Fsync. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like Zen, linux-tkg, or Xanmod; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Fsync == AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks == === AMD === * Set your CPU/GPU into performance mode. Use CoreCtrl to do this. Open CoreCtrl, and add a profile for every game, or edit the global settings to your likings. * Use Mesa drivers === Nvidia<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> === * The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. * Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner (You should also be recommending Radeon Profile or CoreCtrl for AMD GPUs). * Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: Make sure that you put in your Steam/Proton article that there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). * For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. * Use DKMS. Every distro that has proprietary nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. * Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. * For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>. == Optional == * Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. == Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland: == * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok, but you should avoid Cinnamon. This might be outdated, but I can't find newer data.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> * You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to be complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. 44687bdd22c3e721230a3abade7840d672980a1f 167 166 2022-01-25T13:27:04Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == *Disable composition. This can be done with a switch in Lutris settings. Right click the game -> Configure -> System options -> Disable desktop effects. This dramatically improves input lag and ''"smoothness"'' (at least on KDE. If I understand it correctly, this is not necessary on Gnome. Please edit this if you have more information). If you use KDE, you can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code>. The same combination re-enables it. *Enable Esync. Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Esync. * Or, even better, enable Fsync. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like Zen, linux-tkg, or Xanmod; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Fsync ==Optional== * Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland:== *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok, but you should avoid Cinnamon. This might be outdated, but I can't find newer data.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> * You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to be complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks == ===AMD === *Set your CPU/GPU into performance mode. Use CoreCtrl to do this. Open CoreCtrl, and add a profile for every game, or edit the global settings to your likings. *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref>=== *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. *Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner (You should also be recommending Radeon Profile or CoreCtrl for AMD GPUs). *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: Make sure that you put in your Steam/Proton article that there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use DKMS. Every distro that has proprietary nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>. <references /> c0b46b37f5a9f5a2cb718aeedcfbdd5fe54a5f98 168 167 2022-01-25T13:28:26Z Aragorn 3 /* Major tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == *Set CPU and GPU to maximum performance. Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *Disable composition. This can be done with a switch in Lutris settings. Right click the game -> Configure -> System options -> Disable desktop effects. This dramatically improves input lag and ''"smoothness"'' (at least on KDE. If I understand it correctly, this is not necessary on Gnome. Please edit this if you have more information). If you use KDE, you can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code>. The same combination re-enables it. *Enable Esync. Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Esync. * Or, even better, enable Fsync. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like Zen, linux-tkg, or Xanmod; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Fsync ==Optional== * Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland:== *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok, but you should avoid Cinnamon. This might be outdated, but I can't find newer data.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> * You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to be complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks == ===AMD === *Set your CPU/GPU into performance mode. Use CoreCtrl to do this. Open CoreCtrl, and add a profile for every game, or edit the global settings to your likings. *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref>=== *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. *Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner (You should also be recommending Radeon Profile or CoreCtrl for AMD GPUs). *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: Make sure that you put in your Steam/Proton article that there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use DKMS. Every distro that has proprietary nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>. <references /> 354c45e0b65de8982d4f5fbe5388d8e154d098ab 169 168 2022-01-25T13:50:10Z Aragorn 3 /* Nvidia[4] */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == {{Needs work|Problem=Contains speculation about composition on Gnome}} *Set CPU and GPU to maximum performance. Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. * Disable composition. This can be done with a switch in Lutris settings. Right click the game -> Configure -> System options -> Disable desktop effects. This dramatically improves input lag and ''"smoothness"'' (at least on KDE. If I understand it correctly, this is not necessary on Gnome.). If you use KDE, you can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code>. The same combination re-enables it. *Enable Esync. Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Esync. *Or, even better, enable Fsync. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like Zen, linux-tkg, or Xanmod; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Fsync ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok, but you should avoid Cinnamon. This might be outdated, but I can't find newer data.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to be complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== === AMD=== * Set your CPU/GPU into performance mode. Use CoreCtrl to do this. Open CoreCtrl, and add a profile for every game, or edit the global settings to your likings. *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and just copied from a reddit post}} *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. *Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner (You should also be recommending Radeon Profile or CoreCtrl for AMD GPUs). *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: Make sure that you put in your Steam/Proton article that there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use DKMS. Every distro that has proprietary nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>. <references /> fda60e8e7b36f4d33264e5db9549a3dc55b1e687 170 169 2022-01-25T14:00:55Z Aragorn 3 /* Nvidia[4] */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == {{Needs work|Problem=Contains speculation about composition on Gnome}} *Set CPU and GPU to maximum performance. Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. * Disable composition. This can be done with a switch in Lutris settings. Right click the game -> Configure -> System options -> Disable desktop effects. This dramatically improves input lag and ''"smoothness"'' (at least on KDE. If I understand it correctly, this is not necessary on Gnome.). If you use KDE, you can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code>. The same combination re-enables it. *Enable Esync. Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Esync. *Or, even better, enable Fsync. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like Zen, linux-tkg, or Xanmod; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Fsync ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok, but you should avoid Cinnamon. This might be outdated, but I can't find newer data.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to be complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== === AMD=== * Set your CPU/GPU into performance mode. Use CoreCtrl to do this. Open CoreCtrl, and add a profile for every game, or edit the global settings to your likings. *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and just copied from a reddit post}} *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner (You should also be recommending Radeon Profile or CoreCtrl for AMD GPUs). *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: Make sure that you put in your Steam/Proton article that there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use DKMS. Every distro that has proprietary nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>. <references /> 0c4087119daa227c509d9b31dd612f8624658258 171 170 2022-01-25T14:02:12Z Aragorn 3 /* Nvidia[4] */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == {{Needs work|Problem=Contains speculation about composition on Gnome}} *Set CPU and GPU to maximum performance. Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. * Disable composition. This can be done with a switch in Lutris settings. Right click the game -> Configure -> System options -> Disable desktop effects. This dramatically improves input lag and ''"smoothness"'' (at least on KDE. If I understand it correctly, this is not necessary on Gnome.). If you use KDE, you can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code>. The same combination re-enables it. *Enable Esync. Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Esync. *Or, even better, enable Fsync. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like Zen, linux-tkg, or Xanmod; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Fsync ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok, but you should avoid Cinnamon. This might be outdated, but I can't find newer data.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to be complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== === AMD=== * Set your CPU/GPU into performance mode. Use CoreCtrl to do this. Open CoreCtrl, and add a profile for every game, or edit the global settings to your likings. *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and just copied from a reddit post}} *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: Make sure that you put in your Steam/Proton article that there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use DKMS. Every distro that has proprietary nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>. <references /> afc4cab8b0a5a8ed6a652d1b8d7d7439cce601ca 172 171 2022-01-25T14:02:52Z Aragorn 3 /* Nvidia[4] */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == {{Needs work|Problem=Contains speculation about composition on Gnome}} *Set CPU and GPU to maximum performance. Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. * Disable composition. This can be done with a switch in Lutris settings. Right click the game -> Configure -> System options -> Disable desktop effects. This dramatically improves input lag and ''"smoothness"'' (at least on KDE. If I understand it correctly, this is not necessary on Gnome.). If you use KDE, you can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code>. The same combination re-enables it. *Enable Esync. Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Esync. *Or, even better, enable Fsync. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like Zen, linux-tkg, or Xanmod; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Fsync ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok, but you should avoid Cinnamon. This might be outdated, but I can't find newer data.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to be complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== === AMD=== * Set your CPU/GPU into performance mode. Use CoreCtrl to do this. Open CoreCtrl, and add a profile for every game, or edit the global settings to your likings. *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and just copied from a reddit post}} *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use DKMS. Every distro that has proprietary nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>. <references /> cb3c037ed47bc56a1025b1af5ce28a2cb72cf27e 178 172 2022-01-28T08:49:30Z Aragorn 3 /* Major tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == {{Needs work|Problem=Contains speculation about composition on Gnome}} *Set CPU and GPU to maximum performance. Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. * Disable composition. This can be done with a switch in Lutris settings. Right click the game -> Configure -> System options -> Disable desktop effects. This dramatically improves input lag and ''"smoothness"'' (at least on KDE. If I understand it correctly, this is not necessary on Gnome.). If you use KDE, you can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code>. The same combination re-enables it. *Enable Esync. Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Esync. *Or, even better, enable Fsync. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like Zen, linux-tkg, or Xanmod; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Fsync *Look at your thermals and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok, but you should avoid Cinnamon. This might be outdated, but I can't find newer data.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to be complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== === AMD=== * Use [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ CoreCtrl] **Add a profile for every game: ***For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting. ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' **You can also adapt fan speed for your GPU here. *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and just copied from a reddit post}} *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use DKMS. Every distro that has proprietary nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>. <references /> 4e716cc4bf042a74276fbdae81c328391647bd10 179 178 2022-01-28T08:50:52Z Aragorn 3 /* AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == {{Needs work|Problem=Contains speculation about composition on Gnome}} *Set CPU and GPU to maximum performance. Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. * Disable composition. This can be done with a switch in Lutris settings. Right click the game -> Configure -> System options -> Disable desktop effects. This dramatically improves input lag and ''"smoothness"'' (at least on KDE. If I understand it correctly, this is not necessary on Gnome.). If you use KDE, you can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code>. The same combination re-enables it. *Enable Esync. Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Esync. *Or, even better, enable Fsync. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like Zen, linux-tkg, or Xanmod; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Fsync *Look at your thermals and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok, but you should avoid Cinnamon. This might be outdated, but I can't find newer data.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to be complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== === AMD=== * Use [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ CoreCtrl] **Add a profile for every game: ***For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting ****You may also adapt fan speed for your GPU here ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and just copied from a reddit post}} *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use DKMS. Every distro that has proprietary nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>. <references /> a53556c80be50bbb57ff97784460d9fc61e6db61 180 179 2022-01-28T08:51:29Z Aragorn 3 /* AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == {{Needs work|Problem=Contains speculation about composition on Gnome}} *Set CPU and GPU to maximum performance. Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. * Disable composition. This can be done with a switch in Lutris settings. Right click the game -> Configure -> System options -> Disable desktop effects. This dramatically improves input lag and ''"smoothness"'' (at least on KDE. If I understand it correctly, this is not necessary on Gnome.). If you use KDE, you can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code>. The same combination re-enables it. *Enable Esync. Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Esync. *Or, even better, enable Fsync. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like Zen, linux-tkg, or Xanmod; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Fsync *Look at your thermals and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok, but you should avoid Cinnamon. This might be outdated, but I can't find newer data.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to be complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== === AMD=== * Use [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ CoreCtrl] **Add a profile for every game: ***For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and just copied from a reddit post}} *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use DKMS. Every distro that has proprietary nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>. <references /> 32aa361b97e3d2295328e3010ceb23f2f6b44f28 189 180 2022-01-30T21:15:28Z Aragorn 3 /* Major tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == {{Needs work|Problem=Contains speculation about composition on Gnome}} *Set CPU to maximum performance. You can use gamemode to do this. If you use CoreCtrl, you can also use this. *Set your GPU to maximum performance. Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. * Disable composition. This can be done with a switch in Lutris settings. Right click the game -> Configure -> System options -> Disable desktop effects. This dramatically improves input lag and ''"smoothness"'' (at least on KDE. If I understand it correctly, this is not necessary on Gnome.). If you use KDE, you can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code>. The same combination re-enables it. *Enable Esync. Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Esync. *Or, even better, enable Fsync. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like Zen, linux-tkg, or Xanmod; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Fsync *Look at your thermals and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok, but you should avoid Cinnamon. This might be outdated, but I can't find newer data.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to be complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== === AMD=== * Use [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ CoreCtrl] **Add a profile for every game: ***For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and just copied from a reddit post}} *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use DKMS. Every distro that has proprietary nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>. <references /> be7eddeb3f1de8c63becfbff22f03615407bf648 190 189 2022-01-30T21:15:43Z Aragorn 3 /* Major tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == {{Needs work|Problem=Contains speculation about composition on Gnome}} *Set your CPU to maximum performance. You can use gamemode to do this. If you use CoreCtrl, you can also use this. *Set your GPU to maximum performance. Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. * Disable composition. This can be done with a switch in Lutris settings. Right click the game -> Configure -> System options -> Disable desktop effects. This dramatically improves input lag and ''"smoothness"'' (at least on KDE. If I understand it correctly, this is not necessary on Gnome.). If you use KDE, you can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code>. The same combination re-enables it. *Enable Esync. Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Esync. *Or, even better, enable Fsync. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like Zen, linux-tkg, or Xanmod; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Fsync *Look at your thermals and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok, but you should avoid Cinnamon. This might be outdated, but I can't find newer data.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to be complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== === AMD=== * Use [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ CoreCtrl] **Add a profile for every game: ***For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and just copied from a reddit post}} *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use DKMS. Every distro that has proprietary nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>. <references /> 8fb5c9273b5f2d437cc50c156f063c3b17b7c149 191 190 2022-01-30T21:17:34Z Aragorn 3 /* Major tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == *Set your CPU to maximum performance. You can use gamemode to do this. If you use CoreCtrl, you can also use this. *Set your GPU to maximum performance. Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. * Disable composition. This can be done with a switch in Lutris settings. Right click the game -> Configure -> System options -> Disable desktop effects. This dramatically improves input lag and ''"smoothness"''. If you use KDE, you can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code>. The same combination re-enables it. This is not necessary on Gnome. *Enable Esync. Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Esync. *Or, even better, enable Fsync. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like Zen, linux-tkg, or Xanmod; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Fsync *Look at your thermals and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok, but you should avoid Cinnamon. This might be outdated, but I can't find newer data.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to be complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== === AMD=== * Use [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ CoreCtrl] **Add a profile for every game: ***For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and just copied from a reddit post}} *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use DKMS. Every distro that has proprietary nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>. <references /> 73eb48bb1c594811797789dd12346029bb0b0c76 192 191 2022-01-30T21:19:04Z Aragorn 3 /* Major tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == *Set your CPU to maximum performance. You can use gamemode to do this. If you use CoreCtrl, you can also use this. *Set your GPU to maximum performance. Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. * Disable composition: **If you use KDE: This can be done with a switch in Lutris settings. Right click the game -> Configure -> System options -> Disable desktop effects. This dramatically improves input lag and ''"smoothness"''. You can also manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code>. The same combination re-enables it. **If you use Gnome: You don't have to do anything. *Enable Esync. Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Esync. *Or, even better, enable Fsync. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like Zen, linux-tkg, or Xanmod; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Fsync *Look at your thermals and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok, but you should avoid Cinnamon. This might be outdated, but I can't find newer data.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to be complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== === AMD=== * Use [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ CoreCtrl] **Add a profile for every game: ***For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and just copied from a reddit post}} *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use DKMS. Every distro that has proprietary nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>. <references /> 00d86eafbf833af4e945a3c14891e31ed236ee65 193 192 2022-01-30T21:20:11Z Aragorn 3 /* Major tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == *Set your CPU to maximum performance. You can use gamemode to do this. If you use CoreCtrl, you can also use this. *Set your GPU to maximum performance. Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. * Disable composition: **If you use KDE: This can be done with a switch in Lutris settings. Right click the game -> Configure -> System options -> Disable desktop effects. This dramatically improves input lag and ''"smoothness"''. You can also manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code>. The same combination re-enables it. **If you use Gnome: You don't have to do anything. **If you use Cinnamon: This is not possible and you should switch the desktop environment. *Enable Esync. Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Esync. *Or, even better, enable Fsync. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like Zen, linux-tkg, or Xanmod; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Fsync *Look at your thermals and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok, but you should avoid Cinnamon. This might be outdated, but I can't find newer data.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to be complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== === AMD=== * Use [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ CoreCtrl] **Add a profile for every game: ***For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and just copied from a reddit post}} *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use DKMS. Every distro that has proprietary nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>. <references /> 5cfaec605c8ad8757a6fccfb0219d38f95093d0a 194 193 2022-01-30T21:22:02Z Aragorn 3 /* Major tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == *Set your CPU to maximum performance. You can use gamemode to do this. If you use CoreCtrl, you can also use this. *Set your GPU to maximum performance. Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. * Disable composition: **If you use KDE: This can be done with a switch in Lutris settings. Right click the game -> Configure -> System options -> Disable desktop effects. This dramatically improves input lag and ''"smoothness"''. If you use Steam or Heroic, you have to manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code>. The same combination re-enables it. **If you use Gnome: You don't have to do anything. **If you use Cinnamon: This is not possible and you should switch the desktop environment. *Enable Esync. Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Esync. *Or, even better, enable Fsync. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like Zen, linux-tkg, or Xanmod; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Fsync *Look at your thermals and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok, but you should avoid Cinnamon. This might be outdated, but I can't find newer data.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to be complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== === AMD=== * Use [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ CoreCtrl] **Add a profile for every game: ***For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and just copied from a reddit post}} *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use DKMS. Every distro that has proprietary nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>. <references /> 56aab2d3e381bb35f0b82b94864232ec865dec09 195 194 2022-01-30T21:22:57Z Aragorn 3 /* Major tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == *Set your CPU to maximum performance. You can use gamemode or CoreCtrl to do this. *Set your GPU to maximum performance. Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. * Disable composition: **If you use KDE: This can be done with a switch in Lutris settings. Right click the game -> Configure -> System options -> Disable desktop effects. This dramatically improves input lag and ''"smoothness"''. If you use Steam or Heroic, you have to manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code>. The same combination re-enables it. **If you use Gnome: You don't have to do anything. **If you use Cinnamon: This is not possible and you should switch the desktop environment. *Enable Esync. Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Esync. *Or, even better, enable Fsync. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like Zen, linux-tkg, or Xanmod; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Fsync *Look at your thermals and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok, but you should avoid Cinnamon. This might be outdated, but I can't find newer data.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to be complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== === AMD=== * Use [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ CoreCtrl] **Add a profile for every game: ***For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and just copied from a reddit post}} *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use DKMS. Every distro that has proprietary nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>. <references /> b0ff965fc6815a1cf248c78da689a600b721245b 196 195 2022-01-30T21:24:16Z Aragorn 3 /* Major tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == *Set your CPU to maximum performance. You can use [https://github.com/FeralInteractive/gamemode GameMode] or [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ CoreCtrl] to do this. *Set your GPU to maximum performance. Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. * Disable composition: **If you use KDE: This can be done with a switch in Lutris settings. Right click the game -> Configure -> System options -> Disable desktop effects. This dramatically improves input lag and ''"smoothness"''. If you use Steam or Heroic, you have to manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code>. The same combination re-enables it. **If you use Gnome: You don't have to do anything. **If you use Cinnamon: This is not possible and you should switch the desktop environment. *Enable Esync. Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Esync. *Or, even better, enable Fsync. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like Zen, linux-tkg, or Xanmod; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Fsync *Look at your thermals and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok, but you should avoid Cinnamon. This might be outdated, but I can't find newer data.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to be complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== === AMD=== * Use [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ CoreCtrl] **Add a profile for every game: ***For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and just copied from a reddit post}} *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use DKMS. Every distro that has proprietary nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>. <references /> 116afba32445347bf5005db22bb6d6bebefa558d 0 15 174 104 2022-01-27T00:20:57Z Marigold 7 /* Runners */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[File:Lutris icon.png|thumb|Lutris's icon.]] '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that primarily provides installers for games not available on Steam. It can also act as a single app for your whole game library. You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam. == Installing Lutris == You can typically install Lutris through your distribution's app store (e.g. GNOME Software, Discover, Pop Shop). For example, on Pop!_OS, go to the '''Pop Shop''' and search "Lutris". [[File:Pop Shop - Lutris.png|frameless|581x581px]] Then, click install. See Lutris's [https://lutris.net/downloads download page] for more ways to install it. == Finding a game on Lutris == The most important feature of Lutris is that you can install games and launchers not found on Steam using '''install scripts'''. If you want to use an install script, select Lutris in '''Sources''' and click "Community Installers". [[File:Communityinstallers.png|frameless|496x496px]] Then, in the top bar, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. [[File:Installscripts.png|frameless|430x430px]] Here, we'll click on the game with the photo, and click "install". There may be multiple install scripts options, so pick what seems most standard. If your first choice doesn't work, you could try the other ones. You don't have to use the Lutris client to find install scripts - you can [https://lutris.net/games look up install scripts] on Lutris's website. === Installation === Typically, when installing a game, Lutris will ask if you want to download certain files. [[File:Lutrisinstalls.png|none|thumb|384x384px|Installing Overwatch on Lutris.]] Review the files to make sure everything looks okay, and then just press '''continue'''. Don't worry about the individual download buttons. === Install games that you own on GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam === Login to these stores by navigating to their tab in '''Sources''', and logging in to them by clicking the '''Connect''' icon. [[File:Lutrislogin.png|frameless]] After logging in, Lutris should display the games you own from that store. === Troubleshooting === This [https://piped.kavin.rocks/watch?v=oFB-Ly8RcOw video guide] explains how to install a game with a Lutris install script in more depth. If you encounter an issue installing your game, look up the game's name on the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/ Linux Gaming subreddit] to see if anyone's had the same issue and solved it. You should also check whether the game currently runs on Linux. ==Runners== If you have a folder with all the game components (like if you download a game from GOG), you should use a runner to install it '''Linux''' is for native Linux games. '''Steam''' is for Steam games - though, using Steam itself to run those games is easier. '''Wine''' is what you want to use for every other Windows game. Other runners are available, these are mainly emulators for various consoles, or DOS (DosBox) === Winetricks === == Configuration Options == You might want to [[Improving performance|improve the performance]] of your games with stuff like: *Esync * Fsync * Gamemode * [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution]] You can also improve visuals with: *[https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] for downscaling *[https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade ==See also== [https://lutris.net/ Lutris's website] [[Category:Popular apps]] 5421af8ebe235e4ed07d53c55b16e5eb504aa9ad 184 174 2022-01-29T12:44:43Z Aragorn 3 /* Runners */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[File:Lutris icon.png|thumb|Lutris's icon.]] '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that primarily provides installers for games not available on Steam. It can also act as a single app for your whole game library. You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam. == Installing Lutris == You can typically install Lutris through your distribution's app store (e.g. GNOME Software, Discover, Pop Shop). For example, on Pop!_OS, go to the '''Pop Shop''' and search "Lutris". [[File:Pop Shop - Lutris.png|frameless|581x581px]] Then, click install. See Lutris's [https://lutris.net/downloads download page] for more ways to install it. == Finding a game on Lutris == The most important feature of Lutris is that you can install games and launchers not found on Steam using '''install scripts'''. If you want to use an install script, select Lutris in '''Sources''' and click "Community Installers". [[File:Communityinstallers.png|frameless|496x496px]] Then, in the top bar, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. [[File:Installscripts.png|frameless|430x430px]] Here, we'll click on the game with the photo, and click "install". There may be multiple install scripts options, so pick what seems most standard. If your first choice doesn't work, you could try the other ones. You don't have to use the Lutris client to find install scripts - you can [https://lutris.net/games look up install scripts] on Lutris's website. === Installation === Typically, when installing a game, Lutris will ask if you want to download certain files. [[File:Lutrisinstalls.png|none|thumb|384x384px|Installing Overwatch on Lutris.]] Review the files to make sure everything looks okay, and then just press '''continue'''. Don't worry about the individual download buttons. === Install games that you own on GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam === Login to these stores by navigating to their tab in '''Sources''', and logging in to them by clicking the '''Connect''' icon. [[File:Lutrislogin.png|frameless]] After logging in, Lutris should display the games you own from that store. === Troubleshooting === This [https://piped.kavin.rocks/watch?v=oFB-Ly8RcOw video guide] explains how to install a game with a Lutris install script in more depth. If you encounter an issue installing your game, look up the game's name on the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/ Linux Gaming subreddit] to see if anyone's had the same issue and solved it. You should also check whether the game currently runs on Linux. == Installing Windows games without an install script == * Click the plus on the top left * Select a name and select Wine as runner. * Select Game options, and select the executable ** Select the new folder as Wine prefix ** Select the prefix architecture (if you're not sure select 64-bit) *** Create a new folder where you want to install your game (for example <code>~/Games/MyNewGame</code>) * Select Runner options ** Select the Wine version (try different ones, including the ones from tkg and GE) * Click Save * Start your game ** Click through the installer * Right click the game in Lutris, click Configure ** Select Game options and modify the executable to be the actual game executable. (This could be <code>~/Games/MyNewGame/drive_c/Program Files(x86)/CoolGame/bin/CoolGame.exe</code>.) * Start your game It might not run. What to do now: * Close Lutris, open a terminal, type <code>lutris</code> and press enter. Lutris will now open, but you will see more information in the terminal. * Try running the game with different presets like other Wine version, with/without DXVK, with/without Esync, Fsync, Windowed (virtual desktop), etc. * Right click your game, go to Runner options, and set ''Output debugging info'' to ''Enabled''. * Start your game and pay close attention to the output in the terminal ** Try to understand the problem ** For example, you can use Winetricks to install missing dependencies ==Runners== ''Runners'' are "methods" to run your programs. '''Linux''' is for native Linux games. '''Steam''' is for Steam games - though, using Steam itself to run those games is easier. '''Wine''' is what you want to use for every other Windows game. Other runners are available, these are mainly emulators for various consoles, or DOS (DosBox) === Winetricks === Winetricks is an easy way to do various stuff with Wine, including but not limited to installing libraries and other dependencies for your games. == Configuration Options == You might want to [[Improving performance|improve the performance]] of your games with stuff like: *Esync * Fsync * Gamemode * [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution]] You can also improve visuals with: *[https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] for downscaling *[https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade ==See also== [https://lutris.net/ Lutris's website] [[Category:Popular apps]] 61b0699fb32cc75704a57159f546b14414d7f107 185 184 2022-01-29T12:45:22Z Aragorn 3 /* Installing Windows games without an install script */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[File:Lutris icon.png|thumb|Lutris's icon.]] '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that primarily provides installers for games not available on Steam. It can also act as a single app for your whole game library. You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam. == Installing Lutris == You can typically install Lutris through your distribution's app store (e.g. GNOME Software, Discover, Pop Shop). For example, on Pop!_OS, go to the '''Pop Shop''' and search "Lutris". [[File:Pop Shop - Lutris.png|frameless|581x581px]] Then, click install. See Lutris's [https://lutris.net/downloads download page] for more ways to install it. == Finding a game on Lutris == The most important feature of Lutris is that you can install games and launchers not found on Steam using '''install scripts'''. If you want to use an install script, select Lutris in '''Sources''' and click "Community Installers". [[File:Communityinstallers.png|frameless|496x496px]] Then, in the top bar, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. [[File:Installscripts.png|frameless|430x430px]] Here, we'll click on the game with the photo, and click "install". There may be multiple install scripts options, so pick what seems most standard. If your first choice doesn't work, you could try the other ones. You don't have to use the Lutris client to find install scripts - you can [https://lutris.net/games look up install scripts] on Lutris's website. === Installation === Typically, when installing a game, Lutris will ask if you want to download certain files. [[File:Lutrisinstalls.png|none|thumb|384x384px|Installing Overwatch on Lutris.]] Review the files to make sure everything looks okay, and then just press '''continue'''. Don't worry about the individual download buttons. === Install games that you own on GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam === Login to these stores by navigating to their tab in '''Sources''', and logging in to them by clicking the '''Connect''' icon. [[File:Lutrislogin.png|frameless]] After logging in, Lutris should display the games you own from that store. === Troubleshooting === This [https://piped.kavin.rocks/watch?v=oFB-Ly8RcOw video guide] explains how to install a game with a Lutris install script in more depth. If you encounter an issue installing your game, look up the game's name on the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/ Linux Gaming subreddit] to see if anyone's had the same issue and solved it. You should also check whether the game currently runs on Linux. == Installing Windows games without an install script == * Click the plus on the top left * Select a name and select Wine as runner. * Select Game options, and select the executable ** Select the new folder as Wine prefix ** Select the prefix architecture (if you're not sure select 64-bit) *** Create a new folder where you want to install your game (for example <code>~/Games/MyNewGame</code>) * Select Runner options ** Select the Wine version (try different ones, including the ones from tkg and GE) * Click Save * Start your game ** Click through the installer * Right click the game in Lutris, click Configure ** Select Game options and modify the executable to be the actual game executable. (This could be <code>~/Games/MyNewGame/drive_c/Program Files(x86)/CoolGame/bin/CoolGame.exe</code>) * Start your game It might not run. What to do now: * Close Lutris, open a terminal, type <code>lutris</code> and press enter. Lutris will now open, but you will see more information in the terminal. * Try running the game with different presets like other Wine version, with/without DXVK, with/without Esync, Fsync, Windowed (virtual desktop), etc. * Right click your game, go to Runner options, and set ''Output debugging info'' to ''Enabled''. * Start your game and pay close attention to the output in the terminal ** Try to understand the problem ** For example, you can use Winetricks to install missing dependencies ==Runners== ''Runners'' are "methods" to run your programs. '''Linux''' is for native Linux games. '''Steam''' is for Steam games - though, using Steam itself to run those games is easier. '''Wine''' is what you want to use for every other Windows game. Other runners are available, these are mainly emulators for various consoles, or DOS (DosBox) === Winetricks === Winetricks is an easy way to do various stuff with Wine, including but not limited to installing libraries and other dependencies for your games. == Configuration Options == You might want to [[Improving performance|improve the performance]] of your games with stuff like: *Esync * Fsync * Gamemode * [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution]] You can also improve visuals with: *[https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] for downscaling *[https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade ==See also== [https://lutris.net/ Lutris's website] [[Category:Popular apps]] 2c8d78b77e9de6ef02f7615c68483af9ad23cc34 186 185 2022-01-29T12:47:41Z Aragorn 3 /* Installing Windows games without an install script */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[File:Lutris icon.png|thumb|Lutris's icon.]] '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that primarily provides installers for games not available on Steam. It can also act as a single app for your whole game library. You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam. == Installing Lutris == You can typically install Lutris through your distribution's app store (e.g. GNOME Software, Discover, Pop Shop). For example, on Pop!_OS, go to the '''Pop Shop''' and search "Lutris". [[File:Pop Shop - Lutris.png|frameless|581x581px]] Then, click install. See Lutris's [https://lutris.net/downloads download page] for more ways to install it. == Finding a game on Lutris == The most important feature of Lutris is that you can install games and launchers not found on Steam using '''install scripts'''. If you want to use an install script, select Lutris in '''Sources''' and click "Community Installers". [[File:Communityinstallers.png|frameless|496x496px]] Then, in the top bar, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. [[File:Installscripts.png|frameless|430x430px]] Here, we'll click on the game with the photo, and click "install". There may be multiple install scripts options, so pick what seems most standard. If your first choice doesn't work, you could try the other ones. You don't have to use the Lutris client to find install scripts - you can [https://lutris.net/games look up install scripts] on Lutris's website. === Installation === Typically, when installing a game, Lutris will ask if you want to download certain files. [[File:Lutrisinstalls.png|none|thumb|384x384px|Installing Overwatch on Lutris.]] Review the files to make sure everything looks okay, and then just press '''continue'''. Don't worry about the individual download buttons. === Install games that you own on GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam === Login to these stores by navigating to their tab in '''Sources''', and logging in to them by clicking the '''Connect''' icon. [[File:Lutrislogin.png|frameless]] After logging in, Lutris should display the games you own from that store. === Troubleshooting === This [https://piped.kavin.rocks/watch?v=oFB-Ly8RcOw video guide] explains how to install a game with a Lutris install script in more depth. If you encounter an issue installing your game, look up the game's name on the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/ Linux Gaming subreddit] to see if anyone's had the same issue and solved it. You should also check whether the game currently runs on Linux. == Installing Windows games without an install script == '''This is NOT what you would usually do when installing a game! Only do the following if the methods described above are not available!''' *Click the plus on the top left * Select a name and select Wine as runner. * Select Game options, and select the executable ** Select the new folder as Wine prefix ** Select the prefix architecture (if you're not sure select 64-bit) *** Create a new folder where you want to install your game (for example <code>~/Games/MyNewGame</code>) * Select Runner options ** Select the Wine version (try different ones, including the ones from tkg and GE) * Click Save * Start your game ** Click through the installer * Right click the game in Lutris, click Configure ** Select Game options and modify the executable to be the actual game executable. (This could be <code>~/Games/MyNewGame/drive_c/Program Files(x86)/CoolGame/bin/CoolGame.exe</code>) * Start your game It might not run. What to do now: * Close Lutris, open a terminal, type <code>lutris</code> and press enter. Lutris will now open, but you will see more information in the terminal. * Try running the game with different presets like other Wine version, with/without DXVK, with/without Esync, Fsync, Windowed (virtual desktop), etc. * Right click your game, go to Runner options, and set ''Output debugging info'' to ''Enabled''. * Start your game and pay close attention to the output in the terminal ** Try to understand the problem ** For example, you can use Winetricks to install missing dependencies ==Runners== ''Runners'' are "methods" to run your programs. '''Linux''' is for native Linux games. '''Steam''' is for Steam games - though, using Steam itself to run those games is easier. '''Wine''' is what you want to use for every other Windows game. Other runners are available, these are mainly emulators for various consoles, or DOS (DosBox) === Winetricks === Winetricks is an easy way to do various stuff with Wine, including but not limited to installing libraries and other dependencies for your games. == Configuration Options == You might want to [[Improving performance|improve the performance]] of your games with stuff like: *Esync * Fsync * Gamemode * [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution]] You can also improve visuals with: *[https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] for downscaling *[https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade ==See also== [https://lutris.net/ Lutris's website] [[Category:Popular apps]] 2a34ee733f93f37ba1116d9ae23ba80bd12d8bac 187 186 2022-01-29T13:00:41Z Aragorn 3 /* Winetricks */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[File:Lutris icon.png|thumb|Lutris's icon.]] '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that primarily provides installers for games not available on Steam. It can also act as a single app for your whole game library. You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam. == Installing Lutris == You can typically install Lutris through your distribution's app store (e.g. GNOME Software, Discover, Pop Shop). For example, on Pop!_OS, go to the '''Pop Shop''' and search "Lutris". [[File:Pop Shop - Lutris.png|frameless|581x581px]] Then, click install. See Lutris's [https://lutris.net/downloads download page] for more ways to install it. == Finding a game on Lutris == The most important feature of Lutris is that you can install games and launchers not found on Steam using '''install scripts'''. If you want to use an install script, select Lutris in '''Sources''' and click "Community Installers". [[File:Communityinstallers.png|frameless|496x496px]] Then, in the top bar, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. [[File:Installscripts.png|frameless|430x430px]] Here, we'll click on the game with the photo, and click "install". There may be multiple install scripts options, so pick what seems most standard. If your first choice doesn't work, you could try the other ones. You don't have to use the Lutris client to find install scripts - you can [https://lutris.net/games look up install scripts] on Lutris's website. === Installation === Typically, when installing a game, Lutris will ask if you want to download certain files. [[File:Lutrisinstalls.png|none|thumb|384x384px|Installing Overwatch on Lutris.]] Review the files to make sure everything looks okay, and then just press '''continue'''. Don't worry about the individual download buttons. === Install games that you own on GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam === Login to these stores by navigating to their tab in '''Sources''', and logging in to them by clicking the '''Connect''' icon. [[File:Lutrislogin.png|frameless]] After logging in, Lutris should display the games you own from that store. == Configuration Options == You might want to [[Improving performance|improve the performance]] of your games with stuff like: *Esync * Fsync * Gamemode * [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution]] You can also improve visuals with: *[https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] for downscaling *[https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade == Installing Windows games without an install script == '''This is NOT what you would usually do when installing a game! Only do the following if there is no install script!''' *Click the plus on the top left * Select a name and select Wine as runner. * Select Game options, and select the executable ** Select the new folder as Wine prefix ** Select the prefix architecture (if you're not sure select 64-bit) *** Create a new folder where you want to install your game (for example <code>~/Games/MyNewGame</code>) * Select Runner options ** Select the Wine version (try different ones, including the ones from tkg and GE) * Click Save * Start your game ** Click through the installer * Right click the game in Lutris, click Configure ** Select Game options and modify the executable to be the actual game executable. (This could be <code>~/Games/MyNewGame/drive_c/Program Files(x86)/CoolGame/bin/CoolGame.exe</code>) * Start your game **It might not run. See ''troubleshooting'' section. == Troubleshooting == This [https://piped.kavin.rocks/watch?v=oFB-Ly8RcOw video guide] explains how to install a game with a Lutris install script in more depth. If you encounter an issue installing your game, look up the game's name on the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/ Linux Gaming subreddit] to see if anyone's had the same issue and solved it. You should also check whether the game currently runs on Linux. === General approach: === (if the above does not work) * Close Lutris, open a terminal, type <code>lutris</code> and press enter. Lutris will now open, but you will see more information in the terminal. * Try running the game with different presets like other Wine version, with/without DXVK, with/without Esync, Fsync, Windowed (virtual desktop), etc. * Right click your game, go to Runner options, and set ''Output debugging info'' to ''Enabled''. * Start your game and pay close attention to the output in the terminal ** Try to understand the problem ** For example, you can use Winetricks to install missing dependencies === Winetricks === Winetricks is an easy way to do various stuff with Wine, including but not limited to installing libraries and other dependencies for your games. ==FAQ== ====What are runners?==== ''Runners'' are "methods" to run your programs. '''Linux''' is for native Linux games. '''Steam''' is for Steam games - though, using Steam itself to run those games is easier. '''Wine''' is what you want to use for every other Windows game. Other runners are available, these are mainly emulators for various consoles, or DOS (DosBox) ==See also== [https://lutris.net/ Lutris's website] [[Category:Popular apps]] 4635398b0d16a306c7962e7e9b67a635eccb415e 188 187 2022-01-29T21:09:05Z Aragorn 3 /* Configuration Options */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[File:Lutris icon.png|thumb|Lutris's icon.]] '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that primarily provides installers for games not available on Steam. It can also act as a single app for your whole game library. You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam. == Installing Lutris == You can typically install Lutris through your distribution's app store (e.g. GNOME Software, Discover, Pop Shop). For example, on Pop!_OS, go to the '''Pop Shop''' and search "Lutris". [[File:Pop Shop - Lutris.png|frameless|581x581px]] Then, click install. See Lutris's [https://lutris.net/downloads download page] for more ways to install it. == Finding a game on Lutris == The most important feature of Lutris is that you can install games and launchers not found on Steam using '''install scripts'''. If you want to use an install script, select Lutris in '''Sources''' and click "Community Installers". [[File:Communityinstallers.png|frameless|496x496px]] Then, in the top bar, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. [[File:Installscripts.png|frameless|430x430px]] Here, we'll click on the game with the photo, and click "install". There may be multiple install scripts options, so pick what seems most standard. If your first choice doesn't work, you could try the other ones. You don't have to use the Lutris client to find install scripts - you can [https://lutris.net/games look up install scripts] on Lutris's website. === Installation === Typically, when installing a game, Lutris will ask if you want to download certain files. [[File:Lutrisinstalls.png|none|thumb|384x384px|Installing Overwatch on Lutris.]] Review the files to make sure everything looks okay, and then just press '''continue'''. Don't worry about the individual download buttons. === Install games that you own on GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam === Login to these stores by navigating to their tab in '''Sources''', and logging in to them by clicking the '''Connect''' icon. [[File:Lutrislogin.png|frameless]] After logging in, Lutris should display the games you own from that store. == Configuration Options == You might want to [[Improving performance|improve the performance]] of your games with stuff like: *Esync * Fsync * Gamemode * [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution]] You can also improve visuals with: *[https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] for downscaling *[https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or [[reshade]] == Installing Windows games without an install script == '''This is NOT what you would usually do when installing a game! Only do the following if there is no install script!''' *Click the plus on the top left * Select a name and select Wine as runner. * Select Game options, and select the executable ** Select the new folder as Wine prefix ** Select the prefix architecture (if you're not sure select 64-bit) *** Create a new folder where you want to install your game (for example <code>~/Games/MyNewGame</code>) * Select Runner options ** Select the Wine version (try different ones, including the ones from tkg and GE) * Click Save * Start your game ** Click through the installer * Right click the game in Lutris, click Configure ** Select Game options and modify the executable to be the actual game executable. (This could be <code>~/Games/MyNewGame/drive_c/Program Files(x86)/CoolGame/bin/CoolGame.exe</code>) * Start your game **It might not run. See ''troubleshooting'' section. == Troubleshooting == This [https://piped.kavin.rocks/watch?v=oFB-Ly8RcOw video guide] explains how to install a game with a Lutris install script in more depth. If you encounter an issue installing your game, look up the game's name on the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/ Linux Gaming subreddit] to see if anyone's had the same issue and solved it. You should also check whether the game currently runs on Linux. === General approach: === (if the above does not work) * Close Lutris, open a terminal, type <code>lutris</code> and press enter. Lutris will now open, but you will see more information in the terminal. * Try running the game with different presets like other Wine version, with/without DXVK, with/without Esync, Fsync, Windowed (virtual desktop), etc. * Right click your game, go to Runner options, and set ''Output debugging info'' to ''Enabled''. * Start your game and pay close attention to the output in the terminal ** Try to understand the problem ** For example, you can use Winetricks to install missing dependencies === Winetricks === Winetricks is an easy way to do various stuff with Wine, including but not limited to installing libraries and other dependencies for your games. ==FAQ== ====What are runners?==== ''Runners'' are "methods" to run your programs. '''Linux''' is for native Linux games. '''Steam''' is for Steam games - though, using Steam itself to run those games is easier. '''Wine''' is what you want to use for every other Windows game. Other runners are available, these are mainly emulators for various consoles, or DOS (DosBox) ==See also== [https://lutris.net/ Lutris's website] [[Category:Popular apps]] 6a8b5d9909fe476cad94469ffb469c31deadbda3 0 24 197 109 2022-01-30T21:27:03Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki '''Anti-cheat software''' are tools designed to prevent cheating in games. Anti-cheat software typically prevents games from running on Linux, since these anti-cheats don't have Linux support integrated. However, more games with anti-cheat are now becoming playable on Linux. == Anti-cheat games with Linux support == You can see which games have support [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ here]. == Details of Anti-cheat Linux support == The most popular anti-cheat software are '''Easy Anti-Cheat''', '''BattleEye''', and '''VAC'''. VAC natively supports Linux. Moreover, the anti-cheats EasyAntiCheat and BattleEye currently have support for Linux through Proton. This has resulted in some games enabling this Proton support, so that they're playable on Linux. === Easy Anti-Cheat === Easy Anti-Cheat became supported in late 2021 through a recent ''Epic Online Services'' Easy Anti-Cheat software development kit (SDK). Since many Easy Anti-Cheat games [https://archive.is/kQ9Yy don't use the ''Epic Online Services'' version of Easy Anti-Cheat], these games must update or change out their SDK for the ability to enable Proton support. This means it's likely that many Easy Anti-Cheat games will '''not''' support Linux for a substantial amount of time. === BattleEye === BattleEye Proton support became supported in late 2021. Developers can enable Proton support for their game by emailing BattleEye developers. d403c4ea11e6755814d44b3eaa53390dcb64659b 0 2 201 200 2022-01-30T22:05:01Z Aragorn 3 /* The swap (Distributions, or "versions" of Linux) */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, here is a short version that should work: <ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. You will probably not be able to use the software that you're used to. But usually there is different software that might even be better.</li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have supported hardware. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you can choose your GPU, chose AMD. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] and [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use ''Steam (Runtime)'' for Steam games (if you don't know how to install it, watch the video linked above). Go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE]</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other Windows Games. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/Frogging-Family/wine-tkg-git/releases Wine-TKG]</li> <li><p>If you have an AMD GPU, install CoreCtrl. If you previously chose Pop!_OS, input the following in the terminal:</p> <pre>sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ernstp/mesarc sudo apt-get update sudo apt install corectrl</pre> <p>Otherwise look [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ here] for instructions. Open CoreCtrl, and add a profile for every game, or edit the global settings to your likings.</p></li> <li><p>Disable Composition: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it. Read more [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/improving_performance here].</p></li> <li><p>When Linux gives you a warning, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when asking for help.</p></li></ul> == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics than this one. == The software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. If you've done that and there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. Bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto] * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == The swap (Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux) == If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. You might face problems here, [[Improving performance|especially regarding performance and input lag]]. If you choose Mint, don't use Cinnamon. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- |Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmongOS |It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- |Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |} '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clickin an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. == The habit (what to do after the installation) == So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install Steam on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to [https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/ Chrome being considered spyware]. [https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome UbuntuUpdates.org] give the following instructions: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. == Windows compatibility == So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exes) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. For Steam games you can just use Steam. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. Your last resort is the following: First, let's install Wine. <pre>sudo apt install wine</pre> On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you'll want to open a terminal and type (credit to [[u/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running): <pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> Remember to check the ratings and know issues in the wine AppDB so you know what you can expect, and you should be golden. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. === DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D === What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[u/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and [[Lutris]] both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily optimized Linux install. Your default experience will be worse. == Improving performance == The default settings are probably not the best for a flawless experience. Read more [[Improving performance|here]] == Nice things == You don't need the following. But you might find them useful for special use cases. * [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] for downscaling * [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) * [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == Downloading stuff from GitHub/GitLab == You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: # Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> # On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). # Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. # Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. == Troubleshooting == * Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using * Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] * [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask here or in one of the linux subreddits] * Ask in forums * Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. === Common issues === '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers * For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] == Going further == If you want to learn more about Linux and the command line, this is a great resource to interactively learn: https://linuxjourney.com/ == The end == u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. 112c400e1b9678ac307836e9f36f2618214e05a6 202 201 2022-01-31T06:23:35Z Marigold 7 /* Prelude */ Wine-tkg is outdated wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, here is a short version that should work: <ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. You will probably not be able to use the software that you're used to. But usually there is different software that might even be better.</li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have supported hardware. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you can choose your GPU, chose AMD. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] and [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use ''Steam (Runtime)'' for Steam games (if you don't know how to install it, watch the video linked above). Go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE]</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other games.</li> <li><p>If you have an AMD GPU, install CoreCtrl. If you previously chose Pop!_OS, input the following in the terminal:</p> <pre>sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ernstp/mesarc sudo apt-get update sudo apt install corectrl</pre> <p>Otherwise look [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ here] for instructions. Open CoreCtrl, and add a profile for every game, or edit the global settings to your likings.</p></li> <li><p>Disable Composition: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it. Read more [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/improving_performance here].</p></li> <li><p>When Linux gives you a warning, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when asking for help.</p></li></ul> == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics than this one. == The software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. If you've done that and there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. Bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto] * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == The swap (Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux) == If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. You might face problems here, [[Improving performance|especially regarding performance and input lag]]. If you choose Mint, don't use Cinnamon. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- |Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmongOS |It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- |Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |} '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clickin an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. == The habit (what to do after the installation) == So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install Steam on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to [https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/ Chrome being considered spyware]. [https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome UbuntuUpdates.org] give the following instructions: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. == Windows compatibility == So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exes) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. For Steam games you can just use Steam. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. Your last resort is the following: First, let's install Wine. <pre>sudo apt install wine</pre> On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you'll want to open a terminal and type (credit to [[u/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running): <pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> Remember to check the ratings and know issues in the wine AppDB so you know what you can expect, and you should be golden. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. === DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D === What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[u/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and [[Lutris]] both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily optimized Linux install. Your default experience will be worse. == Improving performance == The default settings are probably not the best for a flawless experience. Read more [[Improving performance|here]] == Nice things == You don't need the following. But you might find them useful for special use cases. * [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] for downscaling * [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) * [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == Downloading stuff from GitHub/GitLab == You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: # Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> # On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). # Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. # Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. == Troubleshooting == * Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using * Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] * [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask here or in one of the linux subreddits] * Ask in forums * Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. === Common issues === '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers * For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] == Going further == If you want to learn more about Linux and the command line, this is a great resource to interactively learn: https://linuxjourney.com/ == The end == u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. 4b3744a780b89e656418729fbaf540b98e978891 204 202 2022-01-31T18:15:05Z Aragorn 3 /* The swap (Distributions, or "versions" of Linux) */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, here is a short version that should work: <ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. You will probably not be able to use the software that you're used to. But usually there is different software that might even be better.</li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have supported hardware. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you can choose your GPU, chose AMD. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] and [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use ''Steam (Runtime)'' for Steam games (if you don't know how to install it, watch the video linked above). Go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE]</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other games.</li> <li><p>If you have an AMD GPU, install CoreCtrl. If you previously chose Pop!_OS, input the following in the terminal:</p> <pre>sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ernstp/mesarc sudo apt-get update sudo apt install corectrl</pre> <p>Otherwise look [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ here] for instructions. Open CoreCtrl, and add a profile for every game, or edit the global settings to your likings.</p></li> <li><p>Disable Composition: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it. Read more [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/improving_performance here].</p></li> <li><p>When Linux gives you a warning, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when asking for help.</p></li></ul> == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics than this one. == The software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. If you've done that and there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. Bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto] * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == The swap (Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux) == If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. You might face problems here, [[Improving performance|especially regarding performance and input lag]]. If you choose Mint, don't use Cinnamon. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- |Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmongOS |It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- |Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |} '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clickin an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. == The habit (what to do after the installation) == So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install Steam on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to [https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/ Chrome being considered spyware]. [https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome UbuntuUpdates.org] give the following instructions: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. == Windows compatibility == So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exes) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. For Steam games you can just use Steam. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. Your last resort is the following: First, let's install Wine. <pre>sudo apt install wine</pre> On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you'll want to open a terminal and type (credit to [[u/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running): <pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> Remember to check the ratings and know issues in the wine AppDB so you know what you can expect, and you should be golden. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. === DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D === What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[u/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and [[Lutris]] both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily optimized Linux install. Your default experience will be worse. == Improving performance == The default settings are probably not the best for a flawless experience. Read more [[Improving performance|here]] == Nice things == You don't need the following. But you might find them useful for special use cases. * [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] for downscaling * [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) * [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == Downloading stuff from GitHub/GitLab == You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: # Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> # On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). # Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. # Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. == Troubleshooting == * Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using * Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] * [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask here or in one of the linux subreddits] * Ask in forums * Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. === Common issues === '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers * For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] == Going further == If you want to learn more about Linux and the command line, this is a great resource to interactively learn: https://linuxjourney.com/ == The end == u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. b6fa015f8ac3867e4457251852d8e83b7fdacd1e 216 204 2022-02-04T18:25:58Z Aragorn 3 /* The swap (Distributions, or "versions" of Linux) */ add section about DEs wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, here is a short version that should work: <ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. You will probably not be able to use the software that you're used to. But usually there is different software that might even be better.</li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have supported hardware. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you can choose your GPU, chose AMD. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] and [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use ''Steam (Runtime)'' for Steam games (if you don't know how to install it, watch the video linked above). Go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE]</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other games.</li> <li><p>If you have an AMD GPU, install CoreCtrl. If you previously chose Pop!_OS, input the following in the terminal:</p> <pre>sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ernstp/mesarc sudo apt-get update sudo apt install corectrl</pre> <p>Otherwise look [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ here] for instructions. Open CoreCtrl, and add a profile for every game, or edit the global settings to your likings.</p></li> <li><p>Disable Composition: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it. Read more [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/improving_performance here].</p></li> <li><p>When Linux gives you a warning, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when asking for help.</p></li></ul> == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics than this one. == The software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. If you've done that and there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. Bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto] * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == The swap (Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux) == If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, Xfce, and Pantheon (this one is special, it's only available on ElementaryOS for some reason). Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. You might face problems here, [[Improving performance|especially regarding performance and input lag]]. If you choose Mint, don't use Cinnamon. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- |Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmongOS |It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- |Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |} '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clickin an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. == The habit (what to do after the installation) == So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install Steam on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to [https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/ Chrome being considered spyware]. [https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome UbuntuUpdates.org] give the following instructions: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. == Windows compatibility == So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exes) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. For Steam games you can just use Steam. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. Your last resort is the following: First, let's install Wine. <pre>sudo apt install wine</pre> On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you'll want to open a terminal and type (credit to [[u/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running): <pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> Remember to check the ratings and know issues in the wine AppDB so you know what you can expect, and you should be golden. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. === DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D === What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[u/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and [[Lutris]] both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily optimized Linux install. Your default experience will be worse. == Improving performance == The default settings are probably not the best for a flawless experience. Read more [[Improving performance|here]] == Nice things == You don't need the following. But you might find them useful for special use cases. * [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] for downscaling * [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) * [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == Downloading stuff from GitHub/GitLab == You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: # Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> # On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). # Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. # Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. == Troubleshooting == * Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using * Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] * [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask here or in one of the linux subreddits] * Ask in forums * Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. === Common issues === '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers * For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] == Going further == If you want to learn more about Linux and the command line, this is a great resource to interactively learn: https://linuxjourney.com/ == The end == u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. 5fe441c4425eff51c4ba96536bc0cff4c37d5f6c 217 216 2022-02-04T18:28:15Z Aragorn 3 /* The swap (Distributions, or "versions" of Linux) */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, here is a short version that should work: <ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. You will probably not be able to use the software that you're used to. But usually there is different software that might even be better.</li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have supported hardware. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you can choose your GPU, chose AMD. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] and [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use ''Steam (Runtime)'' for Steam games (if you don't know how to install it, watch the video linked above). Go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE]</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other games.</li> <li><p>If you have an AMD GPU, install CoreCtrl. If you previously chose Pop!_OS, input the following in the terminal:</p> <pre>sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ernstp/mesarc sudo apt-get update sudo apt install corectrl</pre> <p>Otherwise look [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ here] for instructions. Open CoreCtrl, and add a profile for every game, or edit the global settings to your likings.</p></li> <li><p>Disable Composition: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it. Read more [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/improving_performance here].</p></li> <li><p>When Linux gives you a warning, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when asking for help.</p></li></ul> == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics than this one. == The software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. If you've done that and there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. Bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto] * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == The swap (Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux) == If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. You might face problems here, [[Improving performance|especially regarding performance and input lag]]. If you choose Mint, don't use Cinnamon. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- |Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmongOS |It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- |Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |} '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clickin an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. == The habit (what to do after the installation) == So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install Steam on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to [https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/ Chrome being considered spyware]. [https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome UbuntuUpdates.org] give the following instructions: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. == Windows compatibility == So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exes) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. For Steam games you can just use Steam. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. Your last resort is the following: First, let's install Wine. <pre>sudo apt install wine</pre> On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you'll want to open a terminal and type (credit to [[u/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running): <pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> Remember to check the ratings and know issues in the wine AppDB so you know what you can expect, and you should be golden. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. === DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D === What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[u/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and [[Lutris]] both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily optimized Linux install. Your default experience will be worse. == Improving performance == The default settings are probably not the best for a flawless experience. Read more [[Improving performance|here]] == Nice things == You don't need the following. But you might find them useful for special use cases. * [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] for downscaling * [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) * [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == Downloading stuff from GitHub/GitLab == You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: # Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> # On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). # Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. # Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. == Troubleshooting == * Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using * Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] * [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask here or in one of the linux subreddits] * Ask in forums * Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. === Common issues === '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers * For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] == Going further == If you want to learn more about Linux and the command line, this is a great resource to interactively learn: https://linuxjourney.com/ == The end == u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. f61cecdbc44a77bbc0248964da5d541dc8dc4460 0 15 203 188 2022-01-31T06:24:22Z Marigold 7 /* Configuration Options */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[File:Lutris icon.png|thumb|Lutris's icon.]] '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that primarily provides installers for games not available on Steam. It can also act as a single app for your whole game library. You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam. == Installing Lutris == You can typically install Lutris through your distribution's app store (e.g. GNOME Software, Discover, Pop Shop). For example, on Pop!_OS, go to the '''Pop Shop''' and search "Lutris". [[File:Pop Shop - Lutris.png|frameless|581x581px]] Then, click install. See Lutris's [https://lutris.net/downloads download page] for more ways to install it. == Finding a game on Lutris == The most important feature of Lutris is that you can install games and launchers not found on Steam using '''install scripts'''. If you want to use an install script, select Lutris in '''Sources''' and click "Community Installers". [[File:Communityinstallers.png|frameless|496x496px]] Then, in the top bar, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. [[File:Installscripts.png|frameless|430x430px]] Here, we'll click on the game with the photo, and click "install". There may be multiple install scripts options, so pick what seems most standard. If your first choice doesn't work, you could try the other ones. You don't have to use the Lutris client to find install scripts - you can [https://lutris.net/games look up install scripts] on Lutris's website. === Installation === Typically, when installing a game, Lutris will ask if you want to download certain files. [[File:Lutrisinstalls.png|none|thumb|384x384px|Installing Overwatch on Lutris.]] Review the files to make sure everything looks okay, and then just press '''continue'''. Don't worry about the individual download buttons. === Install games that you own on GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam === Login to these stores by navigating to their tab in '''Sources''', and logging in to them by clicking the '''Connect''' icon. [[File:Lutrislogin.png|frameless]] After logging in, Lutris should display the games you own from that store. == Configuration Options == You might want to [[Improving performance|improve the performance]] of your games with stuff like: *Esync * Fsync * Gamemode * [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution]] *[https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/wine-ge-custom/releases Wine-GE], instead of using Lutris's WINE You can also improve visuals with: *[https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] for downscaling *[https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or [[reshade]] == Installing Windows games without an install script == '''This is NOT what you would usually do when installing a game! Only do the following if there is no install script!''' *Click the plus on the top left * Select a name and select Wine as runner. * Select Game options, and select the executable ** Select the new folder as Wine prefix ** Select the prefix architecture (if you're not sure select 64-bit) *** Create a new folder where you want to install your game (for example <code>~/Games/MyNewGame</code>) * Select Runner options ** Select the Wine version (try different ones, including the ones from tkg and GE) * Click Save * Start your game ** Click through the installer * Right click the game in Lutris, click Configure ** Select Game options and modify the executable to be the actual game executable. (This could be <code>~/Games/MyNewGame/drive_c/Program Files(x86)/CoolGame/bin/CoolGame.exe</code>) * Start your game **It might not run. See ''troubleshooting'' section. == Troubleshooting == This [https://piped.kavin.rocks/watch?v=oFB-Ly8RcOw video guide] explains how to install a game with a Lutris install script in more depth. If you encounter an issue installing your game, look up the game's name on the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/ Linux Gaming subreddit] to see if anyone's had the same issue and solved it. You should also check whether the game currently runs on Linux. === General approach: === (if the above does not work) * Close Lutris, open a terminal, type <code>lutris</code> and press enter. Lutris will now open, but you will see more information in the terminal. * Try running the game with different presets like other Wine version, with/without DXVK, with/without Esync, Fsync, Windowed (virtual desktop), etc. * Right click your game, go to Runner options, and set ''Output debugging info'' to ''Enabled''. * Start your game and pay close attention to the output in the terminal ** Try to understand the problem ** For example, you can use Winetricks to install missing dependencies === Winetricks === Winetricks is an easy way to do various stuff with Wine, including but not limited to installing libraries and other dependencies for your games. ==FAQ== ====What are runners?==== ''Runners'' are "methods" to run your programs. '''Linux''' is for native Linux games. '''Steam''' is for Steam games - though, using Steam itself to run those games is easier. '''Wine''' is what you want to use for every other Windows game. Other runners are available, these are mainly emulators for various consoles, or DOS (DosBox) ==See also== [https://lutris.net/ Lutris's website] [[Category:Popular apps]] bc61de59b77496ef56ee62dcc702569940349fc4 205 203 2022-01-31T18:38:02Z Marigold 7 /* Install games that you own on GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[File:Lutris icon.png|thumb|Lutris's icon.]] '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that primarily provides installers for games not available on Steam. It can also act as a single app for your whole game library. You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam. == Installing Lutris == You can typically install Lutris through your distribution's app store (e.g. GNOME Software, Discover, Pop Shop). For example, on Pop!_OS, go to the '''Pop Shop''' and search "Lutris". [[File:Pop Shop - Lutris.png|frameless|581x581px]] Then, click install. See Lutris's [https://lutris.net/downloads download page] for more ways to install it. == Finding a game on Lutris == The most important feature of Lutris is that you can install games and launchers not found on Steam using '''install scripts'''. If you want to use an install script, select Lutris in '''Sources''' and click "Community Installers". [[File:Communityinstallers.png|frameless|496x496px]] Then, in the top bar, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. [[File:Installscripts.png|frameless|430x430px]] Here, we'll click on the game with the photo, and click "install". There may be multiple install scripts options, so pick what seems most standard. If your first choice doesn't work, you could try the other ones. You don't have to use the Lutris client to find install scripts - you can [https://lutris.net/games look up install scripts] on Lutris's website. === Installation === Typically, when installing a game, Lutris will ask if you want to download certain files. [[File:Lutrisinstalls.png|none|thumb|384x384px|Installing Overwatch on Lutris.]] Review the files to make sure everything looks okay, and then just press '''continue'''. Don't worry about the individual download buttons. === Install games that you own on GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam === Login to these stores by navigating to their tab in '''Sources''', and logging in to them by clicking the '''Connect''' icon. [[File:Lutrislogin.png|frameless]] After logging in, Lutris should display the games you own from that store. You can also enable the Epic Games Store as a source, but using [[Heroic|the Heroic Games launcher]] or just installing the Epic Games Store itself through Lutris are probably easier options. == Configuration Options == You might want to [[Improving performance|improve the performance]] of your games with stuff like: *Esync * Fsync * Gamemode * [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution]] *[https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/wine-ge-custom/releases Wine-GE], instead of using Lutris's WINE You can also improve visuals with: *[https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] for downscaling *[https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or [[reshade]] == Installing Windows games without an install script == '''This is NOT what you would usually do when installing a game! Only do the following if there is no install script!''' *Click the plus on the top left * Select a name and select Wine as runner. * Select Game options, and select the executable ** Select the new folder as Wine prefix ** Select the prefix architecture (if you're not sure select 64-bit) *** Create a new folder where you want to install your game (for example <code>~/Games/MyNewGame</code>) * Select Runner options ** Select the Wine version (try different ones, including the ones from tkg and GE) * Click Save * Start your game ** Click through the installer * Right click the game in Lutris, click Configure ** Select Game options and modify the executable to be the actual game executable. (This could be <code>~/Games/MyNewGame/drive_c/Program Files(x86)/CoolGame/bin/CoolGame.exe</code>) * Start your game **It might not run. See ''troubleshooting'' section. == Troubleshooting == This [https://piped.kavin.rocks/watch?v=oFB-Ly8RcOw video guide] explains how to install a game with a Lutris install script in more depth. If you encounter an issue installing your game, look up the game's name on the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/ Linux Gaming subreddit] to see if anyone's had the same issue and solved it. You should also check whether the game currently runs on Linux. === General approach: === (if the above does not work) * Close Lutris, open a terminal, type <code>lutris</code> and press enter. Lutris will now open, but you will see more information in the terminal. * Try running the game with different presets like other Wine version, with/without DXVK, with/without Esync, Fsync, Windowed (virtual desktop), etc. * Right click your game, go to Runner options, and set ''Output debugging info'' to ''Enabled''. * Start your game and pay close attention to the output in the terminal ** Try to understand the problem ** For example, you can use Winetricks to install missing dependencies === Winetricks === Winetricks is an easy way to do various stuff with Wine, including but not limited to installing libraries and other dependencies for your games. ==FAQ== ====What are runners?==== ''Runners'' are "methods" to run your programs. '''Linux''' is for native Linux games. '''Steam''' is for Steam games - though, using Steam itself to run those games is easier. '''Wine''' is what you want to use for every other Windows game. Other runners are available, these are mainly emulators for various consoles, or DOS (DosBox) ==See also== [https://lutris.net/ Lutris's website] [[Category:Popular apps]] 3a3935c7c588ccc910128ed32d3c756bc4fc58e8 207 205 2022-01-31T18:44:54Z Marigold 7 /* Configuration Options */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[File:Lutris icon.png|thumb|Lutris's icon.]] '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that primarily provides installers for games not available on Steam. It can also act as a single app for your whole game library. You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam. == Installing Lutris == You can typically install Lutris through your distribution's app store (e.g. GNOME Software, Discover, Pop Shop). For example, on Pop!_OS, go to the '''Pop Shop''' and search "Lutris". [[File:Pop Shop - Lutris.png|frameless|581x581px]] Then, click install. See Lutris's [https://lutris.net/downloads download page] for more ways to install it. == Finding a game on Lutris == The most important feature of Lutris is that you can install games and launchers not found on Steam using '''install scripts'''. If you want to use an install script, select Lutris in '''Sources''' and click "Community Installers". [[File:Communityinstallers.png|frameless|496x496px]] Then, in the top bar, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. [[File:Installscripts.png|frameless|430x430px]] Here, we'll click on the game with the photo, and click "install". There may be multiple install scripts options, so pick what seems most standard. If your first choice doesn't work, you could try the other ones. You don't have to use the Lutris client to find install scripts - you can [https://lutris.net/games look up install scripts] on Lutris's website. === Installation === Typically, when installing a game, Lutris will ask if you want to download certain files. [[File:Lutrisinstalls.png|none|thumb|384x384px|Installing Overwatch on Lutris.]] Review the files to make sure everything looks okay, and then just press '''continue'''. Don't worry about the individual download buttons. === Install games that you own on GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam === Login to these stores by navigating to their tab in '''Sources''', and logging in to them by clicking the '''Connect''' icon. [[File:Lutrislogin.png|frameless]] After logging in, Lutris should display the games you own from that store. You can also enable the Epic Games Store as a source, but using [[Heroic|the Heroic Games launcher]] or just installing the Epic Games Store itself through Lutris are probably easier options. == Configuration Options == You might want to [[Improving performance|improve the performance]] of your games with stuff like: *Esync * Fsync * [[Gamemode]] * [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution]] *[https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/wine-ge-custom/releases Wine-GE], instead of using Lutris's WINE You can also improve visuals with: *[https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] for downscaling *[https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or [[reshade]] == Installing Windows games without an install script == '''This is NOT what you would usually do when installing a game! Only do the following if there is no install script!''' *Click the plus on the top left * Select a name and select Wine as runner. * Select Game options, and select the executable ** Select the new folder as Wine prefix ** Select the prefix architecture (if you're not sure select 64-bit) *** Create a new folder where you want to install your game (for example <code>~/Games/MyNewGame</code>) * Select Runner options ** Select the Wine version (try different ones, including the ones from tkg and GE) * Click Save * Start your game ** Click through the installer * Right click the game in Lutris, click Configure ** Select Game options and modify the executable to be the actual game executable. (This could be <code>~/Games/MyNewGame/drive_c/Program Files(x86)/CoolGame/bin/CoolGame.exe</code>) * Start your game **It might not run. See ''troubleshooting'' section. == Troubleshooting == This [https://piped.kavin.rocks/watch?v=oFB-Ly8RcOw video guide] explains how to install a game with a Lutris install script in more depth. If you encounter an issue installing your game, look up the game's name on the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/ Linux Gaming subreddit] to see if anyone's had the same issue and solved it. You should also check whether the game currently runs on Linux. === General approach: === (if the above does not work) * Close Lutris, open a terminal, type <code>lutris</code> and press enter. Lutris will now open, but you will see more information in the terminal. * Try running the game with different presets like other Wine version, with/without DXVK, with/without Esync, Fsync, Windowed (virtual desktop), etc. * Right click your game, go to Runner options, and set ''Output debugging info'' to ''Enabled''. * Start your game and pay close attention to the output in the terminal ** Try to understand the problem ** For example, you can use Winetricks to install missing dependencies === Winetricks === Winetricks is an easy way to do various stuff with Wine, including but not limited to installing libraries and other dependencies for your games. ==FAQ== ====What are runners?==== ''Runners'' are "methods" to run your programs. '''Linux''' is for native Linux games. '''Steam''' is for Steam games - though, using Steam itself to run those games is easier. '''Wine''' is what you want to use for every other Windows game. Other runners are available, these are mainly emulators for various consoles, or DOS (DosBox) ==See also== [https://lutris.net/ Lutris's website] [[Category:Popular apps]] 7e929fd0266610de77b54835e1744a3a2e63a324 0 31 206 2022-01-31T18:44:38Z Marigold 7 Created page with "Feral Interactive's '''Gamemode''' is one of the best and easiest tools you can use to improve game performance on Linux. It ensures that all of your computer processor's cores are enabled when you launch a game. == Setup == (TO-DO: Gamemode installation) You often have to manually enable gamemode on a per-game basis, so if you're struggling with performance in a game, make sure to check whether gamemode is enabled." wikitext text/x-wiki Feral Interactive's '''Gamemode''' is one of the best and easiest tools you can use to improve game performance on Linux. It ensures that all of your computer processor's cores are enabled when you launch a game. == Setup == (TO-DO: Gamemode installation) You often have to manually enable gamemode on a per-game basis, so if you're struggling with performance in a game, make sure to check whether gamemode is enabled. 5e05f0945976cfcd956381f7a2d8827e65017722 210 206 2022-01-31T18:48:35Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Feral Interactive's '''[https://github.com/FeralInteractive/gamemode Gamemode]''' is one of the best and easiest tools you can use to improve game performance on Linux. It ensures that all of your computer processor's cores are enabled when you launch a game. == Setup == (TO-DO: Gamemode installation) You often have to manually enable gamemode on a per-game basis, so if you're struggling with performance in a game, make sure to check whether gamemode is enabled. 9fb7c91963e636af31684443e21b44936a70106d 211 210 2022-01-31T18:49:37Z Marigold 7 wikitext text/x-wiki Feral Interactive's '''[https://github.com/FeralInteractive/gamemode Gamemode]''' is one of the best and easiest tools you can use to improve game performance on Linux. It ensures that all of your computer processor's cores are enabled when you launch a game. == Setup == (TO-DO: Gamemode installation) You often have to manually enable gamemode on a per-game basis, so if you're struggling with performance in a game, make sure to check whether gamemode is enabled. == See more == [https://github.com/FeralInteractive/gamemode Gamemode's website] c5efe4e017df14084193f828086dd60253ab30b6 0 1 208 151 2022-01-31T18:47:23Z Aragorn 3 /* Where to start */ wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Where to start == * [[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] *[[Getting started with Linux]] * [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - information about AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. This is a technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. * [[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. * [[Improving performance]] *[[Lutris]] *[[Heroic]] *[[Reshade]] *[[Gamemode]] The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://apps.ubuntu.com/cat/ Ubuntu Software Centre] - site / application store that has a large number of Linux games, though only usable at present on Ubuntu and it's derivatives *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. 13dfabe757bdddf47194d0313980455dcfe86906 215 208 2022-02-01T15:46:16Z Aragorn 3 /* Where to start */ wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Where to start == * [[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] *[[Getting started with Linux]] * [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - information about AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. This is a technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. * [[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. * [[Improving performance]] *[[Lutris]] *[[Heroic]] *[[Reshade]] *[[Gamemode]] *[[Compositor]] The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://apps.ubuntu.com/cat/ Ubuntu Software Centre] - site / application store that has a large number of Linux games, though only usable at present on Ubuntu and it's derivatives *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. 02d30f1f4212ede3d711bbd95c837b2b34c7651f 220 215 2022-02-06T00:02:57Z 82.28.235.98 0 replaced ubuntu software centre (now redirecting to snapcraft) with flathub wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Where to start == * [[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] *[[Getting started with Linux]] * [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - information about AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. This is a technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. * [[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. * [[Improving performance]] *[[Lutris]] *[[Heroic]] *[[Reshade]] *[[Gamemode]] *[[Compositor]] The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. ccb60e49f2177885a6e500f1029be78651d3cdbd 0 5 209 196 2022-01-31T18:48:00Z Aragorn 3 /* Major tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == *Set your CPU to maximum performance. You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ CoreCtrl] to do this. *Set your GPU to maximum performance. Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. * Disable composition: **If you use KDE: This can be done with a switch in Lutris settings. Right click the game -> Configure -> System options -> Disable desktop effects. This dramatically improves input lag and ''"smoothness"''. If you use Steam or Heroic, you have to manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code>. The same combination re-enables it. **If you use Gnome: You don't have to do anything. **If you use Cinnamon: This is not possible and you should switch the desktop environment. *Enable Esync. Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Esync. *Or, even better, enable Fsync. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like Zen, linux-tkg, or Xanmod; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Fsync *Look at your thermals and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok, but you should avoid Cinnamon. This might be outdated, but I can't find newer data.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to be complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== === AMD=== * Use [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ CoreCtrl] **Add a profile for every game: ***For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and just copied from a reddit post}} *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use DKMS. Every distro that has proprietary nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>. <references /> aea437f6e8b910be24db72d6ee0e859a2ebd7749 212 209 2022-02-01T15:43:47Z Aragorn 3 /* Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == *Set your CPU to maximum performance. You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ CoreCtrl] to do this. *Set your GPU to maximum performance. Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. * If you use X11, disable composition:<!-- If you use a DE with X11, then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadow and effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. --> **If you use KDE: This can be done with a switch in Lutris settings. Right click the game -> Configure -> System options -> Disable desktop effects. This dramatically improves input lag and ''"smoothness"''. If you use Steam or Heroic, you have to manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code>. The same combination re-enables it. **If you use Gnome: You don't have to do anything. **If you use Cinnamon: This is not possible and you should switch the desktop environment. *Enable Esync. Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Esync. *Or, even better, enable Fsync. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like Zen, linux-tkg, or Xanmod; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Fsync *Look at your thermals and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok, but you should avoid Cinnamon. This might be outdated, but I can't find newer data.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to be complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== === AMD=== * Use [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ CoreCtrl] **Add a profile for every game: ***For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and just copied from a reddit post}} *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use DKMS. Every distro that has proprietary nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>. <references /> 970fa788ff7d6098123c3c4e5f5a5ff79d03d310 214 212 2022-02-01T15:45:26Z Aragorn 3 /* Major tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == *Set your CPU to maximum performance. You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ CoreCtrl] to do this. *Set your GPU to maximum performance. Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. * If you use X11, disable [[Compositor|composition]]: **If you use KDE: This can be done with a switch in Lutris settings. Right click the game -> Configure -> System options -> Disable desktop effects. This dramatically improves input lag and ''"smoothness"''. If you use Steam or Heroic, you have to manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code>. The same combination re-enables it. **If you use Gnome: You don't have to do anything. **If you use Cinnamon: This is not possible and you should switch the desktop environment. *Enable Esync. Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Esync. *Or, even better, enable Fsync. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like Zen, linux-tkg, or Xanmod; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Fsync *Look at your thermals and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok, but you should avoid Cinnamon. This might be outdated, but I can't find newer data.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to be complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== === AMD=== * Use [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ CoreCtrl] **Add a profile for every game: ***For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and just copied from a reddit post}} *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use DKMS. Every distro that has proprietary nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>. <references /> 8b1104d2e623493c85e90b9acfcd83069ad1798b 218 214 2022-02-05T00:57:32Z Slouchy 1 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/Aragorn|Aragorn]] ([[User talk:Aragorn|talk]]) to last revision by [[User:Slouchy|Slouchy]] wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == * Set your CPU/GPU into performance mode. For AMD GPUs this can be achieved with CoreCtrl. Open CoreCtrl, and add a profile for every game, or edit the global settings to your likings. * Disable composition. This can be done with a switch in Lutris settings. Right click the game -> Configure -> System options -> Disable desktop effects. This dramatically improves input lag and ''"smoothness"'' (at least on KDE. If I understand it correctly, this is not necessary on Gnome. Please edit this if you have more information). If you use KDE, you can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code>. The same combination re-enables it. * Enable Esync. Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Esync. * Or, even better, enable Fsync. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like Zen, linux-tkg, or Xanmod; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Fsync == Optional == * Use FSR. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. == Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland: == * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok, but you should avoid Cinnamon. This might be outdated, but I can't find newer data: <nowiki>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</nowiki> * You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled: <nowiki>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</nowiki> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to be complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland: <nowiki>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</nowiki> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. 8e97178511156b2d1ea8f9ae0d1b2f94ea5bbfb9 219 218 2022-02-05T01:03:33Z Slouchy 1 Undo revision 218 by [[Special:Contributions/Slouchy|Slouchy]] ([[User talk:Slouchy|talk]]) wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == *Set your CPU to maximum performance. You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ CoreCtrl] to do this. *Set your GPU to maximum performance. Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. * If you use X11, disable [[Compositor|composition]]: **If you use KDE: This can be done with a switch in Lutris settings. Right click the game -> Configure -> System options -> Disable desktop effects. This dramatically improves input lag and ''"smoothness"''. If you use Steam or Heroic, you have to manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code>. The same combination re-enables it. **If you use Gnome: You don't have to do anything. **If you use Cinnamon: This is not possible and you should switch the desktop environment. *Enable Esync. Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Esync. *Or, even better, enable Fsync. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like Zen, linux-tkg, or Xanmod; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Fsync *Look at your thermals and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok, but you should avoid Cinnamon. This might be outdated, but I can't find newer data.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to be complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== === AMD=== * Use [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ CoreCtrl] **Add a profile for every game: ***For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and just copied from a reddit post}} *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use DKMS. Every distro that has proprietary nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>. <references /> 8b1104d2e623493c85e90b9acfcd83069ad1798b 221 219 2022-02-06T23:21:03Z Aragorn 3 /* Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == *Set your CPU to maximum performance. You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ CoreCtrl] to do this. *Set your GPU to maximum performance. Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. * If you use X11, disable [[Compositor|composition]]: **If you use KDE: This can be done with a switch in Lutris settings. Right click the game -> Configure -> System options -> Disable desktop effects. This dramatically improves input lag and ''"smoothness"''. If you use Steam or Heroic, you have to manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code>. The same combination re-enables it. **If you use Gnome: You don't have to do anything. **If you use Cinnamon: This is not possible and you should switch the desktop environment. *Enable Esync. Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Esync. *Or, even better, enable Fsync. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like Zen, linux-tkg, or Xanmod; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Fsync *Look at your thermals and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok, but you should avoid Cinnamon.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to be complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== === AMD=== * Use [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ CoreCtrl] **Add a profile for every game: ***For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and just copied from a reddit post}} *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use DKMS. Every distro that has proprietary nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>. <references /> 3bb2f38b371e15303ab7df9f262b1bfdedb38cba 222 221 2022-02-06T23:21:30Z Aragorn 3 /* Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == *Set your CPU to maximum performance. You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ CoreCtrl] to do this. *Set your GPU to maximum performance. Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. * If you use X11, disable [[Compositor|composition]]: **If you use KDE: This can be done with a switch in Lutris settings. Right click the game -> Configure -> System options -> Disable desktop effects. This dramatically improves input lag and ''"smoothness"''. If you use Steam or Heroic, you have to manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code>. The same combination re-enables it. **If you use Gnome: You don't have to do anything. **If you use Cinnamon: This is not possible and you should switch the desktop environment. *Enable Esync. Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Esync. *Or, even better, enable Fsync. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like Zen, linux-tkg, or Xanmod; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> Runner options -> Enable Fsync *Look at your thermals and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok, but you should avoid Cinnamon.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== === AMD=== * Use [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ CoreCtrl] **Add a profile for every game: ***For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and just copied from a reddit post}} *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use DKMS. Every distro that has proprietary nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>. <references /> b95e1c2b2ee71ed7ef2829ca8994c355f4869f45 223 222 2022-02-07T13:39:12Z Aragorn 3 /* Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == *Set your CPU to maximum performance. You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ CoreCtrl] to do this. *Set your GPU to maximum performance. Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. * If you use X11, disable [[Compositor|composition]]: **If you use KDE: This can be done with a switch in Lutris settings. Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. This dramatically improves input lag and ''"smoothness"''. If you use Steam or Heroic, you have to manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code>. The same combination re-enables it. **If you use Gnome: You don't have to do anything. **If you use Cinnamon: Go to <code>settings</code> -> <code>general</code> -> <code>disable compositing for full-screen window</code> {{Needs work|Problem=I don't know whether the procedure for Cinnamon actually works. Please edit if you know more.}} *Enable Esync. Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Esync</code>. *Or, even better, enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code> * Look at your thermals and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. == Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks == ===AMD=== *Use [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ CoreCtrl] **Add a profile for every game: ***For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> === {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and just copied from a reddit post}} *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use DKMS. Every distro that has proprietary nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>. <references /> d14293a7d731186a47bcf7a563c28ce4592daece 224 223 2022-02-07T13:41:07Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == {{Needs work|Problem=I don't know whether the procedure for disabling composition in Cinnamon actually works. Please edit if you know more}} *Set your CPU to maximum performance. You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ CoreCtrl] to do this. *Set your GPU to maximum performance. Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *If you use X11, disable [[Compositor|composition]]: **If you use KDE: This can be done with a switch in Lutris settings. Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. This dramatically improves input lag and ''"smoothness"''. If you use Steam or Heroic, you have to manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code>. The same combination re-enables it. **If you use Gnome: You don't have to do anything. ** If you use Cinnamon: Go to <code>settings</code> -> <code>general</code> -> <code>disable compositing for full-screen window</code> *Enable Esync. Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Esync</code>. *Or, even better, enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code> * Look at your thermals and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ CoreCtrl] **Add a profile for every game: ***For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' * Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and just copied from a reddit post}} * The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use DKMS. Every distro that has proprietary nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>. <references /> 42dfca066ac7ec5267157c08770d5b9dc0dd9220 225 224 2022-02-08T13:24:37Z Aragorn 3 /* Major tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == {{Needs work|Problem=I don't know whether the procedure for disabling composition in Cinnamon actually works. Please edit if you know more}}You should ''definitely'' do ''all'' of the following tweaks: These will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. We're talking about magnitudes like 200% or 300%: *Set your CPU to maximum performance. You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ CoreCtrl] to do this. *Set your GPU to maximum performance. Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *If you use X11, disable [[Compositor|composition]]: **If you use KDE: This can be done with a switch in Lutris settings. Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. This dramatically improves input lag and ''"smoothness"''. If you use Steam or Heroic, you have to manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code>. The same combination re-enables it. **If you use Gnome: You don't have to do anything. ** If you use Cinnamon: Go to <code>settings</code> -> <code>general</code> -> <code>disable compositing for full-screen window</code> * Look at your thermals and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. == Minor tweaks == This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ CoreCtrl] **Add a profile for every game: ***For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' * Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and just copied from a reddit post}} * The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use DKMS. Every distro that has proprietary nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>. <references /> 0c5599ac2a3fb36d9513318135a0ae4cad700e7e 226 225 2022-02-08T13:25:24Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == {{Needs work|Problem=I don't know whether the procedure for disabling composition in Cinnamon actually works. Please edit if you know more}}You should definitely do ''all'' of the following tweaks. This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. We're talking about magnitudes like 200% or 300%: *Set your CPU to maximum performance. You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ CoreCtrl] to do this. *Set your GPU to maximum performance. Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *If you use X11, disable [[Compositor|composition]]: **If you use KDE: This can be done with a switch in Lutris settings. Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. This dramatically improves input lag and ''"smoothness"''. If you use Steam or Heroic, you have to manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code>. The same combination re-enables it. **If you use Gnome: You don't have to do anything. ** If you use Cinnamon: Go to <code>settings</code> -> <code>general</code> -> <code>disable compositing for full-screen window</code> * Look at your thermals and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. == Minor tweaks == This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ CoreCtrl] **Add a profile for every game: ***For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' * Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and just copied from a reddit post}} * The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use DKMS. Every distro that has proprietary nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>. <references /> 00cadb4fa44c4e415613680315e36e0dc968ee7d 227 226 2022-02-08T13:26:36Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == {{Needs work|Problem=I don't know whether the procedure for disabling composition in Cinnamon actually works. Please edit if you know more}}You should definitely do ''all'' of the following tweaks. This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this might be as big as 200% or 300%: *Set your CPU to maximum performance. You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ CoreCtrl] to do this. *Set your GPU to maximum performance. Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *If you use X11, disable [[Compositor|composition]]: **If you use KDE: This can be done with a switch in Lutris settings. Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. This dramatically improves input lag and ''"smoothness"''. If you use Steam or Heroic, you have to manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code>. The same combination re-enables it. **If you use Gnome: You don't have to do anything. ** If you use Cinnamon: Go to <code>settings</code> -> <code>general</code> -> <code>disable compositing for full-screen window</code> * Look at your thermals and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. == Minor tweaks == This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ CoreCtrl] **Add a profile for every game: ***For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' * Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and just copied from a reddit post}} * The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use DKMS. Every distro that has proprietary nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>. <references /> 09b0892cc4edaab72e9db62e217eb40824802a93 228 227 2022-02-08T13:27:12Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == {{Needs work|Problem=I don't know whether the procedure for disabling composition in Cinnamon actually works. Please edit if you know more}}You should definitely do ''all'' of the following tweaks. This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this might be as much as 300% more FPS: *Set your CPU to maximum performance. You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ CoreCtrl] to do this. *Set your GPU to maximum performance. Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *If you use X11, disable [[Compositor|composition]]: **If you use KDE: This can be done with a switch in Lutris settings. Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. This dramatically improves input lag and ''"smoothness"''. If you use Steam or Heroic, you have to manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code>. The same combination re-enables it. **If you use Gnome: You don't have to do anything. ** If you use Cinnamon: Go to <code>settings</code> -> <code>general</code> -> <code>disable compositing for full-screen window</code> * Look at your thermals and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. == Minor tweaks == This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ CoreCtrl] **Add a profile for every game: ***For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' * Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and just copied from a reddit post}} * The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use DKMS. Every distro that has proprietary nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>. <references /> f603257e2ee4d921d18287a65bb5af1fb9e8fb17 229 228 2022-02-08T13:28:40Z Aragorn 3 /* Major tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == {{Needs work|Problem=I don't know whether the procedure for disabling composition in Cinnamon actually works. Please edit if you know more}}You should definitely do ''all'' of the following tweaks. This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this might be as much as 300% more FPS: *Set your CPU to maximum performance. You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ CoreCtrl] to do this. *Set your GPU to maximum performance. Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *If you use X11, disable [[Compositor|composition]]: **If you use KDE: This can be done with a switch in Lutris settings. Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. If you use Steam or Heroic, you have to manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code>. The same combination re-enables it. **If you use Gnome: You don't have to do anything. ** If you use Cinnamon: Go to <code>settings</code> -> <code>general</code> -> <code>disable compositing for full-screen window</code> * Look at your thermals and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. == Minor tweaks == This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ CoreCtrl] **Add a profile for every game: ***For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' * Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and just copied from a reddit post}} * The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use DKMS. Every distro that has proprietary nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>. <references /> de417d3d918749fe35968a5f2244529e6a74480d 232 229 2022-02-08T13:31:54Z Aragorn 3 /* Major tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == {{Needs work|Problem=I don't know whether the procedure for disabling composition in Cinnamon actually works. Please edit if you know more}}You should definitely do ''all'' of the following tweaks. This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this might be as much as 300% more FPS: *Set your CPU to maximum performance. You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ CoreCtrl] to do this. *Set your GPU to maximum performance. Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. * Look at your thermals and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. == Minor tweaks == This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ CoreCtrl] **Add a profile for every game: ***For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' * Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and just copied from a reddit post}} * The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use DKMS. Every distro that has proprietary nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>. <references /> 68a5e700cfcfee19377edc2557db5fb483f45fd1 233 232 2022-02-08T13:33:30Z Aragorn 3 /* Major tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == You should definitely do ''all'' of the following tweaks. This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this might be as much as 300% more FPS: *Set your CPU to maximum performance. You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ CoreCtrl] to do this. *Set your GPU to maximum performance. Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Look at your thermals and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland == {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. == AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ CoreCtrl] **Add a profile for every game: *** For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and just copied from a reddit post}} *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use DKMS. Every distro that has proprietary nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>. <references /> 2ade0a9dea4f17e2bb96ceb49ce9d3fcea44fb4e 238 233 2022-02-08T13:40:57Z Aragorn 3 /* Major tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == You should definitely do ''all'' of the following tweaks. This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this might be in the magnitude of 300% more FPS: *Set your CPU to maximum performance. You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ CoreCtrl] to do this. *Set your GPU to maximum performance. Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Look at your thermals and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland == {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. == AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ CoreCtrl] **Add a profile for every game: *** For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and just copied from a reddit post}} *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use DKMS. Every distro that has proprietary nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>. <references /> f8d3fe5d279d45f624978ea04782ab90a307c3a1 0 32 213 2022-02-01T15:45:18Z Aragorn 3 Created page with "If you use a DE with X11, then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadow and effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game." wikitext text/x-wiki If you use a DE with X11, then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadow and effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. 805894d58a11a166a0a1ffe0e1525237f08da018 230 213 2022-02-08T13:29:07Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki If you use a DE with X11, then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadow and effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. This will dramatically improve input lag and ''"smoothness"''. e2a12ffd4a9af035020f4f9a065193c143a3abd2 231 230 2022-02-08T13:30:35Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki If you use a DE with X11, then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadow and effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. == Disabling composition for your games == Disabling composition will dramatically improve input lag and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: * If you use KDE: This can be done with a switch in Lutris settings. Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. If you use Steam or Heroic, you have to manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code>. The same combination re-enables it. * If you use Gnome: You don't have to do anything. * If you use Cinnamon: Go to <code>settings</code> -> <code>general</code> -> <code>disable compositing for full-screen window</code> 519f3ce4e621a85cebd8a941da1781d6506dc75e 234 231 2022-02-08T13:33:50Z Aragorn 3 /* Disabling composition for your games */ wikitext text/x-wiki If you use a DE with X11, then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadow and effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. == Disabling composition for your games == {{Needs work|Problem=I don't know whether the procedure for disabling composition in Cinnamon actually works. Please edit if you know more}} Disabling composition will dramatically improve input lag and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: *If you use KDE: This can be done with a switch in Lutris settings. Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. If you use Steam or Heroic, you have to manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code>. The same combination re-enables it. *If you use Gnome: You don't have to do anything. *If you use Cinnamon: Go to <code>settings</code> -> <code>general</code> -> <code>disable compositing for full-screen window</code> f274f7eeb66aa37010b8403ef5f141f80162b724 235 234 2022-02-08T13:34:32Z Aragorn 3 /* Disabling composition for your games */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{Needs work|Problem=I don't know whether the procedure for disabling composition in Cinnamon actually works. Please edit if you know more}} If you use a DE with X11, then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadow and effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. ==Disabling composition for your games== Disabling composition will dramatically improve input lag and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: *If you use KDE: This can be done with a switch in Lutris settings. Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. If you use Steam or Heroic, you have to manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code>. The same combination re-enables it. *If you use Gnome: You don't have to do anything. *If you use Cinnamon: Go to <code>settings</code> -> <code>general</code> -> <code>disable compositing for full-screen window</code> ab857ee9c9a608ad89236f7d038976f6c25e0007 236 235 2022-02-08T13:35:15Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki If you use a DE with X11, then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadow and effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. ==Disabling composition for your games== {{Needs work|Problem=I don't know whether the procedure for disabling composition in Cinnamon actually works. Please edit if you know more}} Disabling composition will dramatically improve input lag and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: *If you use KDE: This can be done with a switch in Lutris settings. Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. If you use Steam or Heroic, you have to manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code>. The same combination re-enables it. *If you use Gnome: You don't have to do anything. *If you use Cinnamon: Go to <code>settings</code> -> <code>general</code> -> <code>disable compositing for full-screen window</code> 21c652f6abccdb81e41ad20ed50cef7b6d1b9fa1 237 236 2022-02-08T13:37:54Z Aragorn 3 /* Disabling composition for your games */ wikitext text/x-wiki If you use a DE with X11, then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadow and effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. ==Disabling composition for your games== {{Needs work|Problem=I don't know whether the procedure for disabling composition in Cinnamon actually works. In case this does not work, you should not be using Cinnamon. If you want a DE that looks a bit like Windows, you should choose KDE Plasma instead. Please edit if you know more}} Disabling composition will dramatically improve input lag and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: *If you use KDE: This can be done with a switch in Lutris settings. Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. If you use Steam or Heroic, you have to manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code>. The same combination re-enables it. *If you use Gnome: You don't have to do anything. *If you use Cinnamon: Go to <code>settings</code> -> <code>general</code> -> <code>disable compositing for full-screen window</code> 2bed57926ca3001b93371b5e5632fdf3eed51b54 239 237 2022-02-11T16:31:53Z Aragorn 3 /* Disabling composition for your games */ wikitext text/x-wiki If you use a DE with X11, then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadow and effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. ==Disabling composition for your games== {{Needs work|Problem=I don't know whether the procedure for disabling composition in Cinnamon actually works. In case this does not work, you should not be using Cinnamon. If you want a DE that looks a bit like Windows, you should choose KDE Plasma instead. Please edit if you know more}} Disabling composition will dramatically improve input lag and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: *If you use KDE: **For Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. **For Steam, Heroic or others: You have to manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code>. The same combination re-enables it. *If you use Gnome: You don't have to do anything. *If you use Cinnamon: Go to <code>settings</code> -> <code>general</code> -> <code>disable compositing for full-screen window</code> d3d0b963637bc06b8621a10a029bb0db100c532d 240 239 2022-02-11T16:32:24Z Aragorn 3 /* Disabling composition for your games */ wikitext text/x-wiki If you use a DE with X11, then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadow and effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. ==Disabling composition for your games== {{Needs work|Problem=I don't know whether the procedure for disabling composition in Cinnamon actually works. In case this does not work, you should not be using Cinnamon. If you want a DE that looks a bit like Windows, you should choose KDE Plasma instead. Please edit if you know more}} Disabling composition will dramatically improve input lag and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: *If you use KDE: **For Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. **For Steam, Heroic or others: Manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code> before launching the game. The same combination re-enables it. *If you use Gnome: You don't have to do anything. *If you use Cinnamon: Go to <code>settings</code> -> <code>general</code> -> <code>disable compositing for full-screen window</code> e2de6f0847c5687f0334b3a14a6ecc696a10af82 241 240 2022-02-11T16:33:21Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki If you use a DE with X11, then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadow and effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. ==Disabling composition for your games== {{Needs work|Problem=I don't know whether the procedure for disabling composition in Cinnamon actually works. In case this does not work, you should not be using Cinnamon. If you want a DE that looks a bit like Windows, you should choose KDE Plasma instead. Please edit if you know more}} Disabling composition will dramatically improve input lag and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: *If you use KDE: **For Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. **For Steam, Heroic or others: Manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code> before launching the game. The same combination re-enables it. *If you use Gnome (the default DE on Pop!_OS): You don't have to do anything. *If you use Cinnamon: Go to <code>settings</code> -> <code>general</code> -> <code>disable compositing for full-screen window</code> aafbca827066e14ddd8476edd555e0f327a62d2c 0 33 242 2022-02-15T07:50:36Z Aragorn 3 Created page with "The terminal is the black thing with text you probably have already seen in some hacker movies. It might look scary, but it basically works like a voice assistant with text input. If you see instructions in the form of `sudo pacman -Q | grep -i -C 10 "apt"`, then this is something you have to copy and paste into the terminal." wikitext text/x-wiki The terminal is the black thing with text you probably have already seen in some hacker movies. It might look scary, but it basically works like a voice assistant with text input. If you see instructions in the form of `sudo pacman -Q | grep -i -C 10 "apt"`, then this is something you have to copy and paste into the terminal. b6ff40b832bfc75cf47cf4a6f65979afec4d1650 243 242 2022-02-15T08:07:43Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki The terminal is the black thing with text you probably have already seen in some hacker movies. It might look scary, but it basically works like a voice assistant with text input. If you see instructions in the form of <code>sudo pacman -Q | grep -i -C 10 "apt"</code>, then this is something you have to copy and paste into the terminal. === How does the terminal work? === You write a line of text, you press enter, and you look at what happens. The terminal usually tells you if something goes wrong. Sometimes you need to press additional buttons like <code>y</code> for "yes" or <code>n</code> for "no". === Is the terminal dangerous? === It might look scary, but it's not dangerous. If you write something wrong, it will just tell you that it's wrong - your computer will not explode. However, you should not copy/paste stuff from untrusted sources (like this wiki - everyone can edit it) that you don't understand. The commands might be malicious. For example, if you would type the following you would delete everything on your computer, and potentially destroy your motherboard. '''<big>DO NOT DO THIS!</big>''' <code>sudo rm -rf / --no-preserve-root</code>'''<big>DO NOT DO THIS!</big>''' Other commands may uninstall your graphical user interface, or install a remote access for hackers. However, it's not easy to input these commands by accident. You might type <code>sudo rm -rf /</code> by accident, but you won't type the <code>--no-preserve-root</code> if you don't actually want to harm your computer. You should be careful when running <code>sudo</code> though. This is the equivalent to "Administrator access", but much more powerful. You should always avoid running a ''root-shell'' (a shell where you have sudo access without typing sudo). You would detect it by the # symbol at the beginning of each line. 5eedc0264c4740e35eec8063c4f2a69650587b52 244 243 2022-02-15T08:09:26Z Aragorn 3 /* Is the terminal dangerous? */ wikitext text/x-wiki The terminal is the black thing with text you probably have already seen in some hacker movies. It might look scary, but it basically works like a voice assistant with text input. If you see instructions in the form of <code>sudo pacman -Q | grep -i -C 10 "apt"</code>, then this is something you have to copy and paste into the terminal. === How does the terminal work? === You write a line of text, you press enter, and you look at what happens. The terminal usually tells you if something goes wrong. Sometimes you need to press additional buttons like <code>y</code> for "yes" or <code>n</code> for "no". === Is the terminal dangerous? === It might look scary, but it's not dangerous. If you write something wrong, it will just tell you that it's wrong - your computer will not explode. === So should you just input whatever you find at some random place in the internet? === NO! You should not copy/paste stuff from untrusted sources (like this wiki - everyone can edit it) if you don't understand what you're doing. The commands might be malicious. For example, if you would type the following you would delete everything on your computer, and potentially destroy your motherboard. '''<big>DO NOT DO THIS!</big>''' <code>sudo rm -rf / --no-preserve-root</code>'''<big>DO NOT DO THIS!</big>''' Other commands may uninstall your graphical user interface, or install a remote access for hackers. However, it's not easy to input these commands by accident. You might type <code>sudo rm -rf /</code> by accident, but you won't type the <code>--no-preserve-root</code> if you don't actually want to harm your computer. You should be careful when running <code>sudo</code> though. This is the equivalent to "Administrator access", but much more powerful. You should always avoid running a ''root-shell'' (a shell where you have sudo access without typing sudo). You would detect it by the # symbol at the beginning of each line. 9f92e6f6f4045830bbbadca4c36c02f91ab9d016 245 244 2022-02-15T08:12:58Z Aragorn 3 /* So should you just input whatever you find at some random place in the internet? */ wikitext text/x-wiki The terminal is the black thing with text you probably have already seen in some hacker movies. It might look scary, but it basically works like a voice assistant with text input. If you see instructions in the form of <code>sudo pacman -Q | grep -i -C 10 "apt"</code>, then this is something you have to copy and paste into the terminal. === How does the terminal work? === You write a line of text, you press enter, and you look at what happens. The terminal usually tells you if something goes wrong. Sometimes you need to press additional buttons like <code>y</code> for "yes" or <code>n</code> for "no". === Is the terminal dangerous? === It might look scary, but it's not dangerous. If you write something wrong, it will just tell you that it's wrong - your computer will not explode. === So should you just input whatever you find at some random place in the internet? === NO! You should not copy/paste stuff from untrusted sources (like this wiki - everyone can edit it) if you don't understand what you're doing. The commands might be malicious. For example, if you would type the following you would delete everything on your computer, and potentially destroy your motherboard. '''<big>DO NOT DO THIS!</big>''' <code>sudo rm -rf / --no-preserve-root</code>'''<big>DO NOT DO THIS!</big>''' Other commands may uninstall your graphical user interface, or install a remote access for hackers. However, it's not easy to input these commands by accident. You might type <code>sudo rm -rf /</code> by accident, but you won't type the <code>--no-preserve-root</code> if you don't actually want to harm your computer. You should be careful when running <code>sudo</code> though. This is the equivalent to "Administrator access", but much more powerful. You should always avoid running a ''root-shell'' (a shell where you have sudo access without typing sudo). You would detect it by the # symbol at the beginning of each line. There might be instances where you copy a command from some website, and you also copy the "enter command". This might lead to ''enter'' being automatically pressed at the end of the line, and the command being executed without additional interaction by you. If you want to modify the command before executing it, this would be unintended behavior. To prevent it, you can copy to a text editor first, modify the commands, and then copy to the terminal. 9d5afe3f5ac06e6a31c813e298814ffd84ff10da 246 245 2022-02-15T08:14:11Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki The terminal is the black thing with text you probably have already seen in some hacker movies. It might look scary, but it basically works like a voice assistant with text input. If you see instructions in the form of <code>sudo pacman -Q | grep -i -C 10 "apt"</code>, then this is something you have to copy and paste into the terminal. === How does the terminal work? === You write a line of text, you press enter, and you look at what happens. The terminal usually tells you if something goes wrong. Sometimes you need to press additional buttons like <code>y</code> for "yes" or <code>n</code> for "no". === Is the terminal dangerous? === It might look scary, but it's not dangerous. If you write something wrong, it will just tell you that it's wrong - your computer will not explode. === So should you just input whatever you find at some random place in the internet? === NO! You should not copy/paste stuff from untrusted sources (like this wiki - everyone can edit it) if you don't understand what you're doing. The commands might be malicious. For example, if you would type the following, you would delete everything on your computer, and potentially destroy your motherboard. '''<big>DO NOT DO THIS!</big>''' <code>sudo rm -rf / --no-preserve-root</code>'''<big>DO NOT DO THIS!</big>''' Other commands may uninstall your graphical user interface, or install a remote access for hackers. However, it's not easy to input these commands by accident. You might type <code>sudo rm -rf /</code> by accident, but you won't type the <code>--no-preserve-root</code> if you don't actually want to harm your computer. You should be careful when running <code>sudo</code> though. This is the equivalent to "Administrator access", but much more powerful. You should always avoid running a ''root-shell'' (a shell where you have sudo access without typing sudo). You would detect it by the # symbol at the beginning of each line. There might be instances where you copy a command from some website, and you also copy the "enter command". This might lead to ''enter'' being automatically pressed at the end of the line, and the command being executed without additional interaction by you. If you want to modify the command before executing it, this would be unintended behavior. To prevent it, you can copy to a text editor first, modify the commands, and then copy to the terminal. a2059c7cae3d42132f11eb2a88237fb794f942fd 247 246 2022-02-15T08:19:48Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki The terminal is the black thing with text you probably have already seen in some hacker movies. It might look scary, but it basically works like a voice assistant with text input. If you see instructions in the form of <code>sudo pacman -Q | grep -i -C 10 "apt"</code>, then this is something you have to copy and paste into the terminal. === How does the terminal work? === You write a line of text, you press enter, and you look at what happens. The terminal usually tells you if something goes wrong. Sometimes you need to press additional buttons like <code>y</code> for "yes" or <code>n</code> for "no". === Is the terminal dangerous? === It might look scary, but it's not dangerous. If you write something wrong, it will just tell you that it's wrong - your computer will not explode. === So should you just input whatever you find at some random place in the internet? === NO! You should not copy/paste stuff from untrusted sources (like this wiki - everyone can edit it) if you don't understand what you're doing. The commands might be malicious. For example, if you would type the following, you would delete everything on your computer, and potentially destroy your motherboard. '''<big>DO NOT DO THIS!</big>''' <code>sudo rm -rf / --no-preserve-root</code>'''<big>DO NOT DO THIS!</big>''' {{Warning|Warning=DO NOT DO THIS! <code>sudo rm -rf / --no-preserve-root</code>}} Other commands may uninstall your graphical user interface, or install a remote access for hackers. However, it's not easy to input these commands by accident. You might type <code>sudo rm -rf /</code> by accident, but you won't type the <code>--no-preserve-root</code> if you don't actually want to harm your computer. You should be careful when running <code>sudo</code> though. This is the equivalent to "Administrator access", but much more powerful. You should always avoid running a ''root-shell'' (a shell where you have sudo access without typing sudo). You would detect it by the # symbol at the beginning of each line. There might be instances where you copy a command from some website, and you also copy the "enter command". This might lead to ''enter'' being automatically pressed at the end of the line, and the command being executed without additional interaction by you. If you want to modify the command before executing it, this would be unintended behavior. To prevent it, you can copy to a text editor first, modify the commands, and then copy to the terminal. e52c9318061e21199cc5a1a8488e43fc69d234b6 248 247 2022-02-15T08:28:38Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki The terminal is the black thing with text you probably have already seen in some hacker movies. It might look scary, but it basically works like a voice assistant with text input. If you see instructions in the form of <code>sudo pacman -Q | grep -i -C 10 "apt"</code>, then this is something you have to copy and paste into the terminal. === How does the terminal work? === You write a line of text, you press enter, and you look at what happens. The terminal usually tells you if something goes wrong. Sometimes you need to press additional buttons like <code>y</code> for "yes" or <code>n</code> for "no". === Is the terminal dangerous? === It might look scary, but it's not dangerous. If you write something wrong, it will just tell you that it's wrong - your computer will not explode. === So should you just input whatever you find at some random place in the internet? === NO! You should not copy/paste stuff from untrusted sources (like this wiki - everyone can edit it) if you don't understand what you're doing. The commands might be malicious. For example, if you would type the following, you would delete everything on your computer, and potentially destroy your motherboard. <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> '''DO NOT DO THIS!''' <code>sudo rm -rf / --no-preserve-root</code> </div> Other commands may uninstall your graphical user interface, or install a remote access for hackers. However, it's not easy to input these commands by accident. You might type <code>sudo rm -rf /</code> by accident, but you won't type the <code>--no-preserve-root</code> if you don't actually want to harm your computer. You should be careful when running <code>sudo</code> though. This is the equivalent to "Administrator access", but much more powerful. You should always avoid running a ''root-shell'' (a shell where you have sudo access without typing sudo). You would detect it by the # symbol at the beginning of each line. There might be instances where you copy a command from some website, and you also copy the "enter command". This might lead to ''enter'' being automatically pressed at the end of the line, and the command being executed without additional interaction by you. If you want to modify the command before executing it, this would be unintended behavior. To prevent it, you can copy to a text editor first, modify the commands, and then copy to the terminal. 40ec2aadfe4595c33d244ba13c515e8685cf3e9b 249 248 2022-02-15T08:30:15Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki The terminal is the black thing with text you probably have already seen in some hacker movies. It might look scary, but it basically works like a voice assistant with text input. If you see instructions in the form of <code>sudo pacman -Q | grep -i -C 10 "apt"</code>, then this is something you have to put into the terminal. === How does the terminal work? === You write a line of text, you press enter, and you look at what happens. The terminal usually tells you if something goes wrong. Sometimes you need to press additional buttons like <code>y</code> for "yes" or <code>n</code> for "no". === Is the terminal dangerous? === It might look scary, but it's not dangerous. If you write something wrong, it will just tell you that it's wrong - your computer will not explode. === So should you just input whatever you find at some random place in the internet? === NO! You should not copy/paste stuff from untrusted sources (like this wiki - everyone can edit it) if you don't understand what you're doing. The commands might be malicious. For example, if you would type the following, you would delete everything on your computer, and potentially destroy your motherboard. <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> '''DO NOT DO THIS!''' <code>sudo rm -rf / --no-preserve-root</code> </div> Other commands may uninstall your graphical user interface, or install a remote access for hackers. However, it's not easy to input these commands by accident. You might type <code>sudo rm -rf /</code> by accident, but you won't type the <code>--no-preserve-root</code> if you don't actually want to harm your computer. You should be careful when running <code>sudo</code> though. This is the equivalent to "Administrator access", but much more powerful. You should always avoid running a ''root-shell'' (a shell where you have sudo access without typing sudo). You would detect it by the # symbol at the beginning of each line. There might be instances where you copy a command from some website, and you also copy the "enter command". This might lead to ''enter'' being automatically pressed at the end of the line, and the command being executed without additional interaction by you. If you want to modify the command before executing it, this would be unintended behavior. To prevent it, you can copy to a text editor first, modify the commands, and then copy to the terminal. 0bb42dc63a4b502db96d4add1dd9aae7ade02492 250 249 2022-02-15T08:39:44Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki The terminal is the black thing with text you probably have already seen in some hacker movies. It might look scary, but it basically works like a voice assistant with text input. If you see instructions in the form of <code>sudo pacman -Q | grep -i -C 10 "apt"</code>, then this is something you have to put into the terminal. === How does the terminal work? === You write a line of text, you press enter, and you look at what happens. The terminal usually tells you if something goes wrong. Sometimes you need to press additional buttons like <code>y</code> for "yes" or <code>n</code> for "no". === Is the terminal dangerous? === It might look scary, but it's not dangerous. If you write something wrong, it will just tell you that it's wrong - your computer will not explode. === So should I just input whatever I find at some random place in the internet? === NO! You should not copy/paste stuff from untrusted sources (like this wiki - everyone can edit it) if you don't understand what you're doing. The commands might be malicious. For example, if you would type the following, you would delete everything on your computer, and potentially destroy your motherboard: <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> '''DO NOT DO THIS!''' <code>sudo rm -rf / --no-preserve-root</code> </div> Other commands may uninstall your graphical user interface, or install a remote access for hackers. But don't be afraid. Malicious tutorials for Linux are rarer than malware for Windows, and if someone put malicious code into a wiki like this, it would probably get noticed. === Could I harm my computer if I type malicious commands by accident? === Probably no. It's not easy to input these commands by accident. You might type <code>sudo rm -rf /</code> by accident, but you won't type the <code>--no-preserve-root</code> if you don't actually want to harm your computer. You should be careful when running <code>sudo</code> though. This is the equivalent to "Administrator access", but much more powerful. You should always avoid running a ''root-shell'' (a shell where you have sudo access without typing sudo). You would detect it by the # symbol at the beginning of each line. === What else can go wrong? === There might be instances where you copy a command from some website, and you also copy the "enter command". This might lead to ''enter'' being automatically pressed at the end of the line, and the command being executed without additional interaction by you. If you want to modify the command before executing it, this would be unintended behavior. To prevent it, you can copy to a text editor first, modify the commands, and then copy to the terminal. 701b0d319363eafe6a227f9fd1b9405ab03c65cf 0 33 251 250 2022-02-15T08:40:33Z Aragorn 3 /* So should I just input whatever I find at some random place in the internet? */ wikitext text/x-wiki The terminal is the black thing with text you probably have already seen in some hacker movies. It might look scary, but it basically works like a voice assistant with text input. If you see instructions in the form of <code>sudo pacman -Q | grep -i -C 10 "apt"</code>, then this is something you have to put into the terminal. === How does the terminal work? === You write a line of text, you press enter, and you look at what happens. The terminal usually tells you if something goes wrong. Sometimes you need to press additional buttons like <code>y</code> for "yes" or <code>n</code> for "no". === Is the terminal dangerous? === It might look scary, but it's not dangerous. If you write something wrong, it will just tell you that it's wrong - your computer will not explode. === So should I just input whatever I find at some random place in the internet? === NO! You should not copy/paste stuff from untrusted sources (like this wiki - everyone can edit it) if you don't understand what you're doing. The commands might be malicious. For example, if you would type the following, you would delete everything on your computer, and potentially destroy your motherboard: <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> '''DO NOT DO THIS!''' <code>sudo rm -rf / --no-preserve-root</code> </div> Other commands may uninstall your graphical user interface, or install a remote access for hackers. But don't be afraid. Malicious tutorials for Linux are rarer than malware for Windows (I don't even know if this ever happened somewhere), and if someone did, it would probably get noticed. === Could I harm my computer if I type malicious commands by accident? === Probably no. It's not easy to input these commands by accident. You might type <code>sudo rm -rf /</code> by accident, but you won't type the <code>--no-preserve-root</code> if you don't actually want to harm your computer. You should be careful when running <code>sudo</code> though. This is the equivalent to "Administrator access", but much more powerful. You should always avoid running a ''root-shell'' (a shell where you have sudo access without typing sudo). You would detect it by the # symbol at the beginning of each line. === What else can go wrong? === There might be instances where you copy a command from some website, and you also copy the "enter command". This might lead to ''enter'' being automatically pressed at the end of the line, and the command being executed without additional interaction by you. If you want to modify the command before executing it, this would be unintended behavior. To prevent it, you can copy to a text editor first, modify the commands, and then copy to the terminal. 8f5b9e26e4958c5a636ad07dd4b1d5abbd4a6d8b 252 251 2022-02-15T08:44:46Z Aragorn 3 /* So should I just input whatever I find at some random place in the internet? */ wikitext text/x-wiki The terminal is the black thing with text you probably have already seen in some hacker movies. It might look scary, but it basically works like a voice assistant with text input. If you see instructions in the form of <code>sudo pacman -Q | grep -i -C 10 "apt"</code>, then this is something you have to put into the terminal. === How does the terminal work? === You write a line of text, you press enter, and you look at what happens. The terminal usually tells you if something goes wrong. Sometimes you need to press additional buttons like <code>y</code> for "yes" or <code>n</code> for "no". === Is the terminal dangerous? === It might look scary, but it's not dangerous. If you write something wrong, it will just tell you that it's wrong - your computer will not explode. === So should I just input whatever I find at some random place in the internet? === NO! You should not copy/paste stuff from untrusted sources (like this wiki - everyone can edit it) if you don't understand what you're doing. The commands might be malicious. For example, if you would type the following, you would delete everything on your computer, and potentially destroy your motherboard: <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> '''DO NOT DO THIS!''' <code>sudo rm -rf / --no-preserve-root</code> </div> Other commands may uninstall your graphical user interface, or install a remote access for hackers. === This sounds scary! === Don't be afraid. Malicious tutorials for Linux are rarer than malware for Windows (I don't even know if this ever happened somewhere), and if someone did, it would probably get noticed very fast. If you're fine with installing software on Windows, you should be fine with tutorials for Linux. But still. Be wary. === Could I harm my computer if I type malicious commands by accident? === Probably no. It's not easy to input these commands by accident. You might type <code>sudo rm -rf /</code> by accident, but you won't type the <code>--no-preserve-root</code> if you don't actually want to harm your computer. You should be careful when running <code>sudo</code> though. This is the equivalent to "Administrator access", but much more powerful. You should always avoid running a ''root-shell'' (a shell where you have sudo access without typing sudo). You would detect it by the # symbol at the beginning of each line. === What else can go wrong? === There might be instances where you copy a command from some website, and you also copy the "enter command". This might lead to ''enter'' being automatically pressed at the end of the line, and the command being executed without additional interaction by you. If you want to modify the command before executing it, this would be unintended behavior. To prevent it, you can copy to a text editor first, modify the commands, and then copy to the terminal. 6887db46bc70f6d857ff5a8fafde6eba4bd06a18 253 252 2022-02-15T08:45:10Z Aragorn 3 /* Could I harm my computer if I type malicious commands by accident? */ wikitext text/x-wiki The terminal is the black thing with text you probably have already seen in some hacker movies. It might look scary, but it basically works like a voice assistant with text input. If you see instructions in the form of <code>sudo pacman -Q | grep -i -C 10 "apt"</code>, then this is something you have to put into the terminal. === How does the terminal work? === You write a line of text, you press enter, and you look at what happens. The terminal usually tells you if something goes wrong. Sometimes you need to press additional buttons like <code>y</code> for "yes" or <code>n</code> for "no". === Is the terminal dangerous? === It might look scary, but it's not dangerous. If you write something wrong, it will just tell you that it's wrong - your computer will not explode. === So should I just input whatever I find at some random place in the internet? === NO! You should not copy/paste stuff from untrusted sources (like this wiki - everyone can edit it) if you don't understand what you're doing. The commands might be malicious. For example, if you would type the following, you would delete everything on your computer, and potentially destroy your motherboard: <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> '''DO NOT DO THIS!''' <code>sudo rm -rf / --no-preserve-root</code> </div> Other commands may uninstall your graphical user interface, or install a remote access for hackers. === This sounds scary! === Don't be afraid. Malicious tutorials for Linux are rarer than malware for Windows (I don't even know if this ever happened somewhere), and if someone did, it would probably get noticed very fast. If you're fine with installing software on Windows, you should be fine with tutorials for Linux. But still. Be wary. === Could I harm my computer if I type malicious commands by accident? === Probably not. It's not easy to input these commands by accident. You might type <code>sudo rm -rf /</code> by accident, but you won't type the <code>--no-preserve-root</code> if you don't actually want to harm your computer. You should be careful when running <code>sudo</code> though. This is the equivalent to "Administrator access", but much more powerful. You should always avoid running a ''root-shell'' (a shell where you have sudo access without typing sudo). You would detect it by the # symbol at the beginning of each line. === What else can go wrong? === There might be instances where you copy a command from some website, and you also copy the "enter command". This might lead to ''enter'' being automatically pressed at the end of the line, and the command being executed without additional interaction by you. If you want to modify the command before executing it, this would be unintended behavior. To prevent it, you can copy to a text editor first, modify the commands, and then copy to the terminal. cc9fed561eaa9fe5b50d37cd82a2be667ad98c22 254 253 2022-02-15T08:49:11Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki The terminal is the black thing with text you probably have already seen in some hacker movies. It might look scary, but it basically works like a voice assistant with text input. If you see instructions in the form of <code>sudo pacman -Q | grep -i -C 10 "apt"</code>, then this is something you have to put into the terminal. === Where do I find the terminal? === You will probably find it somewhere in your menu. It might have a name like Gnome-Terminal, Konsole, Xterm, Terminator, or something else. It will probably have an icon that looks vaguely like a terminal (black background, white text). === How does the terminal work? === You write a line of text, you press enter, and you look at what happens. The terminal usually tells you if something goes wrong. Sometimes you need to press additional buttons like <code>y</code> for "yes" or <code>n</code> for "no". === Is the terminal dangerous? === It might look scary, but it's not dangerous. If you write something wrong, it will just tell you that it's wrong - your computer will not explode. === So should I just input whatever I find at some random place in the internet? === NO! You should not copy/paste stuff from untrusted sources (like this wiki - everyone can edit it) if you don't understand what you're doing. The commands might be malicious. For example, if you would type the following, you would delete everything on your computer, and potentially destroy your motherboard: <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> '''DO NOT DO THIS!''' <code>sudo rm -rf / --no-preserve-root</code> </div> Other commands may uninstall your graphical user interface, or install a remote access for hackers. === This sounds scary! === Don't be afraid. Malicious tutorials for Linux are rarer than malware for Windows (I don't even know if this ever happened somewhere), and if someone did, it would probably get noticed very fast. If you're fine with installing software on Windows, you should be fine with tutorials for Linux. But still. Be wary. === Could I harm my computer if I type malicious commands by accident? === Probably not. It's not easy to input these commands by accident. You might type <code>sudo rm -rf /</code> by accident, but you won't type the <code>--no-preserve-root</code> if you don't actually want to harm your computer. You should be careful when running <code>sudo</code> though. This is the equivalent to "Administrator access", but much more powerful. You should always avoid running a ''root-shell'' (a shell where you have sudo access without typing sudo). You would detect it by the # symbol at the beginning of each line. === What else can go wrong? === There might be instances where you copy a command from some website, and you also copy the "enter command". This might lead to ''enter'' being automatically pressed at the end of the line, and the command being executed without additional interaction by you. If you want to modify the command before executing it, this would be unintended behavior. To prevent it, you can copy to a text editor first, modify the commands, and then copy to the terminal. 24e4c9619452bcb1817875f23e17a7d4496f89fb 255 254 2022-02-15T08:50:44Z Aragorn 3 /* Where do I find the terminal? */ wikitext text/x-wiki The terminal is the black thing with text you probably have already seen in some hacker movies. It might look scary, but it basically works like a voice assistant with text input. If you see instructions in the form of <code>sudo pacman -Q | grep -i -C 10 "apt"</code>, then this is something you have to put into the terminal. === How to use the terminal === '''Where do I find the terminal?''' You will probably find it somewhere in your menu. It might have a name like Gnome-Terminal, Konsole, Xterm, Terminator, or something else. It will probably have an icon that looks vaguely like a terminal (black background, white text). '''How does the terminal work?''' You write a line of text, you press enter, and you look at what happens. The terminal usually tells you if something goes wrong. Sometimes you need to press additional buttons like <code>y</code> for "yes" or <code>n</code> for "no". === Dangers of the terminal === '''Is the terminal dangerous?''' It might look scary, but it's not dangerous. If you write something wrong, it will just tell you that it's wrong - your computer will not explode. '''So should I just input whatever I find at some random place in the internet?''' NO! You should not copy/paste stuff from untrusted sources (like this wiki - everyone can edit it) if you don't understand what you're doing. The commands might be malicious. For example, if you would type the following, you would delete everything on your computer, and potentially destroy your motherboard: <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> '''DO NOT DO THIS!''' <code>sudo rm -rf / --no-preserve-root</code> </div> Other commands may uninstall your graphical user interface, or install a remote access for hackers. '''This sounds scary!''' Don't be afraid. Malicious tutorials for Linux are rarer than malware for Windows (I don't even know if this ever happened somewhere), and if someone did, it would probably get noticed very fast. If you're fine with installing software on Windows, you should be fine with tutorials for Linux. But still. Be wary. '''Could I harm my computer if I type malicious commands by accident?''' Probably not. It's not easy to input these commands by accident. You might type <code>sudo rm -rf /</code> by accident, but you won't type the <code>--no-preserve-root</code> if you don't actually want to harm your computer. You should be careful when running <code>sudo</code> though. This is the equivalent to "Administrator access", but much more powerful. You should always avoid running a ''root-shell'' (a shell where you have sudo access without typing sudo). You would detect it by the # symbol at the beginning of each line. '''What else can go wrong?''' There might be instances where you copy a command from some website, and you also copy the "enter command". This might lead to ''enter'' being automatically pressed at the end of the line, and the command being executed without additional interaction by you. If you want to modify the command before executing it, this would be unintended behavior. To prevent it, you can copy to a text editor first, modify the commands, and then copy to the terminal. 985db802f0e8fba80bb829c055d8362418b37a9d 256 255 2022-02-15T08:50:59Z Aragorn 3 /* How to use the terminal */ wikitext text/x-wiki The terminal is the black thing with text you probably have already seen in some hacker movies. It might look scary, but it basically works like a voice assistant with text input. If you see instructions in the form of <code>sudo pacman -Q | grep -i -C 10 "apt"</code>, then this is something you have to put into the terminal. == How to use the terminal == '''Where do I find the terminal?''' You will probably find it somewhere in your menu. It might have a name like Gnome-Terminal, Konsole, Xterm, Terminator, or something else. It will probably have an icon that looks vaguely like a terminal (black background, white text). '''How does the terminal work?''' You write a line of text, you press enter, and you look at what happens. The terminal usually tells you if something goes wrong. Sometimes you need to press additional buttons like <code>y</code> for "yes" or <code>n</code> for "no". == Dangers of the terminal == '''Is the terminal dangerous?''' It might look scary, but it's not dangerous. If you write something wrong, it will just tell you that it's wrong - your computer will not explode. '''So should I just input whatever I find at some random place in the internet?''' NO! You should not copy/paste stuff from untrusted sources (like this wiki - everyone can edit it) if you don't understand what you're doing. The commands might be malicious. For example, if you would type the following, you would delete everything on your computer, and potentially destroy your motherboard: <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> '''DO NOT DO THIS!''' <code>sudo rm -rf / --no-preserve-root</code> </div> Other commands may uninstall your graphical user interface, or install a remote access for hackers. '''This sounds scary!''' Don't be afraid. Malicious tutorials for Linux are rarer than malware for Windows (I don't even know if this ever happened somewhere), and if someone did, it would probably get noticed very fast. If you're fine with installing software on Windows, you should be fine with tutorials for Linux. But still. Be wary. '''Could I harm my computer if I type malicious commands by accident?''' Probably not. It's not easy to input these commands by accident. You might type <code>sudo rm -rf /</code> by accident, but you won't type the <code>--no-preserve-root</code> if you don't actually want to harm your computer. You should be careful when running <code>sudo</code> though. This is the equivalent to "Administrator access", but much more powerful. You should always avoid running a ''root-shell'' (a shell where you have sudo access without typing sudo). You would detect it by the # symbol at the beginning of each line. '''What else can go wrong?''' There might be instances where you copy a command from some website, and you also copy the "enter command". This might lead to ''enter'' being automatically pressed at the end of the line, and the command being executed without additional interaction by you. If you want to modify the command before executing it, this would be unintended behavior. To prevent it, you can copy to a text editor first, modify the commands, and then copy to the terminal. 94a6f7fd137ce5c3a8f1ac7bcd89fc6a466b6a16 257 256 2022-02-15T08:52:05Z Aragorn 3 /* Dangers of the terminal */ wikitext text/x-wiki The terminal is the black thing with text you probably have already seen in some hacker movies. It might look scary, but it basically works like a voice assistant with text input. If you see instructions in the form of <code>sudo pacman -Q | grep -i -C 10 "apt"</code>, then this is something you have to put into the terminal. == How to use the terminal == '''Where do I find the terminal?''' You will probably find it somewhere in your menu. It might have a name like Gnome-Terminal, Konsole, Xterm, Terminator, or something else. It will probably have an icon that looks vaguely like a terminal (black background, white text). '''How does the terminal work?''' You write a line of text, you press enter, and you look at what happens. The terminal usually tells you if something goes wrong. Sometimes you need to press additional buttons like <code>y</code> for "yes" or <code>n</code> for "no". '''Is the terminal dangerous?''' It might look scary, but it's not dangerous. If you write something wrong, it will just tell you that it's wrong - your computer will not explode. == Dangers of the terminal == '''So should I just input whatever I find at some random place in the internet?''' NO! You should not copy/paste stuff from untrusted sources (like this wiki - everyone can edit it) if you don't understand what you're doing. The commands might be malicious. For example, if you would type the following, you would delete everything on your computer, and potentially destroy your motherboard: <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> '''DO NOT DO THIS!''' <code>sudo rm -rf / --no-preserve-root</code> </div> Other commands may uninstall your graphical user interface, or install a remote access for hackers. '''This sounds scary!''' Don't be afraid. Malicious tutorials for Linux are rarer than malware for Windows (I don't even know if this ever happened somewhere), and if someone did, it would probably get noticed very fast. If you're fine with installing software on Windows, you should be fine with tutorials for Linux. But still. Be wary. '''Could I harm my computer if I type malicious commands by accident?''' Probably not. It's not easy to input these commands by accident. You might type <code>sudo rm -rf /</code> by accident, but you won't type the <code>--no-preserve-root</code> if you don't actually want to harm your computer. You should be careful when running <code>sudo</code> though. This is the equivalent to "Administrator access", but much more powerful. You should always avoid running a ''root-shell'' (a shell where you have sudo access without typing sudo). You would detect it by the # symbol at the beginning of each line. '''What else can go wrong?''' There might be instances where you copy a command from some website, and you also copy the "enter command". This might lead to ''enter'' being automatically pressed at the end of the line, and the command being executed without additional interaction by you. If you want to modify the command before executing it, this would be unintended behavior. To prevent it, you can copy to a text editor first, modify the commands, and then copy to the terminal. 077cb32e86aa6a2bea4345d157298927dd1d784a 258 257 2022-02-15T08:53:34Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki The terminal is the black thing with text you probably have already seen in some hacker movies. It might look scary, but it basically works like a voice assistant with text input. If you see instructions in the form of <code>sudo pacman -Q | grep -i -C 10 "apt"</code>, then this is something you have to put into the terminal. == How to use the terminal == '''Where do I find the terminal?''' You will probably find it somewhere in your menu. It might have a name like Gnome-Terminal, Konsole, Xterm, Terminator, or something else. It will probably have an icon that looks vaguely like a terminal (black background, white text). '''How does the terminal work?''' You write a line of text, you press enter, and you look at what happens. The terminal usually tells you if something goes wrong. Sometimes you need to press additional buttons like <code>y</code> for "yes" or <code>n</code> for "no". '''Is the terminal dangerous?''' It might look scary, but it's not dangerous. If you write something wrong, it will just tell you that it's wrong - your computer will not explode. But be wary, the terminal is a way to operate your computer. In the same way you might harm your computer with the GUI, you might as well harm it with the terminal. More on this topic in the next section. == Dangers of the terminal == '''So should I just input whatever I find at some random place in the internet?''' NO! You should not copy/paste stuff from untrusted sources (like this wiki - everyone can edit it) if you don't understand what you're doing. The commands might be malicious. For example, if you would type the following, you would delete everything on your computer, and potentially destroy your motherboard: <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> '''DO NOT DO THIS!''' <code>sudo rm -rf / --no-preserve-root</code> </div> Other commands may uninstall your graphical user interface, or install a remote access for hackers. '''This sounds scary!''' Don't be afraid. Malicious tutorials for Linux are rarer than malware for Windows (I don't even know if this ever happened somewhere), and if someone did, it would probably get noticed very fast. If you're fine with installing software on Windows, you should be fine with tutorials for Linux. But still. Be wary. '''Could I harm my computer if I type malicious commands by accident?''' Probably not. It's not easy to input these commands by accident. You might type <code>sudo rm -rf /</code> by accident, but you won't type the <code>--no-preserve-root</code> if you don't actually want to harm your computer. You should be careful when running <code>sudo</code> though. This is the equivalent to "Administrator access", but much more powerful. You should always avoid running a ''root-shell'' (a shell where you have sudo access without typing sudo). You would detect it by the # symbol at the beginning of each line. '''What else can go wrong?''' There might be instances where you copy a command from some website, and you also copy the "enter command". This might lead to ''enter'' being automatically pressed at the end of the line, and the command being executed without additional interaction by you. If you want to modify the command before executing it, this would be unintended behavior. To prevent it, you can copy to a text editor first, modify the commands, and then copy to the terminal. 8a956a2eb82923df499248816ed740ddccaa903c 261 258 2022-02-15T09:02:10Z Aragorn 3 /* How to use the terminal */ wikitext text/x-wiki The terminal is the black thing with text you probably have already seen in some hacker movies. It might look scary, but it basically works like a voice assistant with text input. If you see instructions in the form of <code>sudo pacman -Q | grep -i -C 10 "apt"</code>, then this is something you have to put into the terminal. == How to use the terminal == '''Where do I find the terminal?''' You will probably find it somewhere in your menu. It might have a name like Gnome-Terminal, Konsole, Xterm, Terminator, or something else. It will probably have an icon that looks vaguely like a terminal (black background, white text). '''How does the terminal work?''' You write a line of text, you press enter, and you look at what happens. The terminal usually tells you if something goes wrong. Sometimes you need to press additional buttons like <code>y</code> for "yes" or <code>n</code> for "no". '''Should I read the whole output?''' Yes, it might contain warnings. '''Should I take warnings seriously?''' YES! [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average "You could harm your computer" bullshit you are used to from Windows.] '''Is the terminal dangerous?''' It might look scary, but it's not dangerous. If you write something wrong, it will just tell you that it's wrong - your computer will not explode. But be wary, the terminal is a way to operate your computer. In the same way you might harm your computer with the GUI, you might as well harm it with the terminal. (That's why you should read the output.) More on this topic in the next section. == Dangers of the terminal == '''So should I just input whatever I find at some random place in the internet?''' NO! You should not copy/paste stuff from untrusted sources (like this wiki - everyone can edit it) if you don't understand what you're doing. The commands might be malicious. For example, if you would type the following, you would delete everything on your computer, and potentially destroy your motherboard: <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> '''DO NOT DO THIS!''' <code>sudo rm -rf / --no-preserve-root</code> </div> Other commands may uninstall your graphical user interface, or install a remote access for hackers. '''This sounds scary!''' Don't be afraid. Malicious tutorials for Linux are rarer than malware for Windows (I don't even know if this ever happened somewhere), and if someone did, it would probably get noticed very fast. If you're fine with installing software on Windows, you should be fine with tutorials for Linux. But still. Be wary. '''Could I harm my computer if I type malicious commands by accident?''' Probably not. It's not easy to input these commands by accident. You might type <code>sudo rm -rf /</code> by accident, but you won't type the <code>--no-preserve-root</code> if you don't actually want to harm your computer. You should be careful when running <code>sudo</code> though. This is the equivalent to "Administrator access", but much more powerful. You should always avoid running a ''root-shell'' (a shell where you have sudo access without typing sudo). You would detect it by the # symbol at the beginning of each line. '''What else can go wrong?''' There might be instances where you copy a command from some website, and you also copy the "enter command". This might lead to ''enter'' being automatically pressed at the end of the line, and the command being executed without additional interaction by you. If you want to modify the command before executing it, this would be unintended behavior. To prevent it, you can copy to a text editor first, modify the commands, and then copy to the terminal. 6b3854e8303f477673b73dd23729a48621cd2a83 262 261 2022-02-15T09:04:29Z Aragorn 3 /* How to use the terminal */ wikitext text/x-wiki The terminal is the black thing with text you probably have already seen in some hacker movies. It might look scary, but it basically works like a voice assistant with text input. If you see instructions in the form of <code>sudo pacman -Q | grep -i -C 10 "apt"</code>, then this is something you have to put into the terminal. == How to use the terminal == '''Where do I find the terminal?''' You will probably find it somewhere in your menu. It might have a name like Gnome-Terminal, Konsole, Xterm, Terminator, or something else. It will probably have an icon that looks vaguely like a terminal (black background, white text). '''How does the terminal work?''' You write a line of text, you press enter, and you look at what happens. The terminal usually tells you if something goes wrong. Sometimes you need to press additional buttons like <code>y</code> for "yes" or <code>n</code> for "no". '''Should I read the output?''' Yes, it might contain warnings. However: Sometimes the output is very long, for example if you install software. In this case, you don't have to read everything. The important stuff will be at the end. '''Should I take warnings seriously?''' YES! [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average "You could harm your computer" bullshit you are used to from Windows.] '''Is the terminal dangerous?''' It might look scary, but it's not dangerous. If you write something wrong, it will just tell you that it's wrong - your computer will not explode. But be wary, the terminal is a way to operate your computer. In the same way you might harm your computer with the GUI, you might as well harm it with the terminal. (That's why you should read the output.) More on this topic in the next section. == Dangers of the terminal == '''So should I just input whatever I find at some random place in the internet?''' NO! You should not copy/paste stuff from untrusted sources (like this wiki - everyone can edit it) if you don't understand what you're doing. The commands might be malicious. For example, if you would type the following, you would delete everything on your computer, and potentially destroy your motherboard: <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> '''DO NOT DO THIS!''' <code>sudo rm -rf / --no-preserve-root</code> </div> Other commands may uninstall your graphical user interface, or install a remote access for hackers. '''This sounds scary!''' Don't be afraid. Malicious tutorials for Linux are rarer than malware for Windows (I don't even know if this ever happened somewhere), and if someone did, it would probably get noticed very fast. If you're fine with installing software on Windows, you should be fine with tutorials for Linux. But still. Be wary. '''Could I harm my computer if I type malicious commands by accident?''' Probably not. It's not easy to input these commands by accident. You might type <code>sudo rm -rf /</code> by accident, but you won't type the <code>--no-preserve-root</code> if you don't actually want to harm your computer. You should be careful when running <code>sudo</code> though. This is the equivalent to "Administrator access", but much more powerful. You should always avoid running a ''root-shell'' (a shell where you have sudo access without typing sudo). You would detect it by the # symbol at the beginning of each line. '''What else can go wrong?''' There might be instances where you copy a command from some website, and you also copy the "enter command". This might lead to ''enter'' being automatically pressed at the end of the line, and the command being executed without additional interaction by you. If you want to modify the command before executing it, this would be unintended behavior. To prevent it, you can copy to a text editor first, modify the commands, and then copy to the terminal. bdf85209ad6a4bab2c4339b5dc4b4a29856bfbcc 263 262 2022-02-15T09:05:10Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki The terminal is the black thing with text you probably have already seen in some hacker movies. It might look scary, but it basically works like a voice assistant with text input. If you see instructions in the form of <code>sudo pacman -Q | grep -i -C 10 "apt"</code>, then this is something you have to put into the terminal. == How to use the terminal == '''Where do I find the terminal?''' You will probably find it somewhere in your menu. It might have a name like Gnome-Terminal, Konsole, Xterm, Terminator, or something else. It will probably have an icon that looks vaguely like a terminal (black background, white text). '''How does the terminal work?''' You write a line of text, you press enter, and you look at what happens. The terminal usually tells you if something goes wrong. Sometimes you need to press additional buttons like <code>y</code> for "yes" or <code>n</code> for "no". '''Should I read the output?''' Yes, it might contain warnings. However: Sometimes the output is very long, for example if you install software. In this case, you don't have to read everything. The important stuff will be at the end. If you have problems and look for help in forums, always include the output from the terminal. '''Should I take warnings seriously?''' YES! [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average "You could harm your computer" bullshit you are used to from Windows.] '''Is the terminal dangerous?''' It might look scary, but it's not dangerous. If you write something wrong, it will just tell you that it's wrong - your computer will not explode. But be wary, the terminal is a way to operate your computer. In the same way you might harm your computer with the GUI, you might as well harm it with the terminal. (That's why you should read the output.) More on this topic in the next section. == Dangers of the terminal == '''So should I just input whatever I find at some random place in the internet?''' NO! You should not copy/paste stuff from untrusted sources (like this wiki - everyone can edit it) if you don't understand what you're doing. The commands might be malicious. For example, if you would type the following, you would delete everything on your computer, and potentially destroy your motherboard: <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> '''DO NOT DO THIS!''' <code>sudo rm -rf / --no-preserve-root</code> </div> Other commands may uninstall your graphical user interface, or install a remote access for hackers. '''This sounds scary!''' Don't be afraid. Malicious tutorials for Linux are rarer than malware for Windows (I don't even know if this ever happened somewhere), and if someone did, it would probably get noticed very fast. If you're fine with installing software on Windows, you should be fine with tutorials for Linux. But still. Be wary. '''Could I harm my computer if I type malicious commands by accident?''' Probably not. It's not easy to input these commands by accident. You might type <code>sudo rm -rf /</code> by accident, but you won't type the <code>--no-preserve-root</code> if you don't actually want to harm your computer. You should be careful when running <code>sudo</code> though. This is the equivalent to "Administrator access", but much more powerful. You should always avoid running a ''root-shell'' (a shell where you have sudo access without typing sudo). You would detect it by the # symbol at the beginning of each line. '''What else can go wrong?''' There might be instances where you copy a command from some website, and you also copy the "enter command". This might lead to ''enter'' being automatically pressed at the end of the line, and the command being executed without additional interaction by you. If you want to modify the command before executing it, this would be unintended behavior. To prevent it, you can copy to a text editor first, modify the commands, and then copy to the terminal. 6e1cfeae653908a290c926327f5366072d8eb06d 264 263 2022-02-15T09:13:30Z Aragorn 3 /* Dangers of the terminal */ wikitext text/x-wiki The terminal is the black thing with text you probably have already seen in some hacker movies. It might look scary, but it basically works like a voice assistant with text input. If you see instructions in the form of <code>sudo pacman -Q | grep -i -C 10 "apt"</code>, then this is something you have to put into the terminal. == How to use the terminal == '''Where do I find the terminal?''' You will probably find it somewhere in your menu. It might have a name like Gnome-Terminal, Konsole, Xterm, Terminator, or something else. It will probably have an icon that looks vaguely like a terminal (black background, white text). '''How does the terminal work?''' You write a line of text, you press enter, and you look at what happens. The terminal usually tells you if something goes wrong. Sometimes you need to press additional buttons like <code>y</code> for "yes" or <code>n</code> for "no". '''Should I read the output?''' Yes, it might contain warnings. However: Sometimes the output is very long, for example if you install software. In this case, you don't have to read everything. The important stuff will be at the end. If you have problems and look for help in forums, always include the output from the terminal. '''Should I take warnings seriously?''' YES! [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average "You could harm your computer" bullshit you are used to from Windows.] '''Is the terminal dangerous?''' It might look scary, but it's not dangerous. If you write something wrong, it will just tell you that it's wrong - your computer will not explode. But be wary, the terminal is a way to operate your computer. In the same way you might harm your computer with the GUI, you might as well harm it with the terminal. (That's why you should read the output.) More on this topic in the next section. == Dangers of the terminal == '''So should I just input whatever I find at some random place in the internet?''' NO! You should not copy/paste stuff from untrusted sources (like this wiki - everyone can edit it) if you don't understand what you're doing. The commands might be malicious. For example, if you would type the following, you would delete everything on your computer, and potentially destroy your motherboard: <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> '''DO NOT DO THIS!''' There is no situation where it would be a good thing to input the following command. It will delete your system, it will delete other mounted drives (like Windows, external drives, your game drive, whatever), and it might '''permanently''' '''destroy''' your motherboard. <code>sudo rm -rf / --no-preserve-root</code> </div> Other commands may uninstall your graphical user interface, or install a remote access for hackers. '''This sounds scary!''' Don't be afraid. Malicious tutorials for Linux are rarer than malware for Windows (I don't even know if this ever happened somewhere), and if someone did, it would probably get noticed very fast. If you're fine with installing software on Windows, you should be fine with tutorials for Linux. But still. Be wary. '''Could I harm my computer if I type malicious commands by accident?''' Probably not. It's not easy to input these commands by accident. You might type <code>sudo rm -rf /</code> by accident, but you won't type the <code>--no-preserve-root</code> if you don't actually want to harm your computer. You should be careful when running <code>sudo</code> though. This is the equivalent to "Administrator access", but much more powerful. You should always avoid running a ''root-shell'' (a shell where you have sudo access without typing sudo). You would detect it by the # symbol at the beginning of each line. '''What else can go wrong?''' There might be instances where you copy a command from some website, and you also copy the "enter command". This might lead to ''enter'' being automatically pressed at the end of the line, and the command being executed without additional interaction by you. If you want to modify the command before executing it, this would be unintended behavior. To prevent it, you can copy to a text editor first, modify the commands, and then copy to the terminal. d3480b94301f5222708e5e26508eca7c2afcc8f5 265 264 2022-02-15T09:14:46Z Aragorn 3 /* Dangers of the terminal */ wikitext text/x-wiki The terminal is the black thing with text you probably have already seen in some hacker movies. It might look scary, but it basically works like a voice assistant with text input. If you see instructions in the form of <code>sudo pacman -Q | grep -i -C 10 "apt"</code>, then this is something you have to put into the terminal. == How to use the terminal == '''Where do I find the terminal?''' You will probably find it somewhere in your menu. It might have a name like Gnome-Terminal, Konsole, Xterm, Terminator, or something else. It will probably have an icon that looks vaguely like a terminal (black background, white text). '''How does the terminal work?''' You write a line of text, you press enter, and you look at what happens. The terminal usually tells you if something goes wrong. Sometimes you need to press additional buttons like <code>y</code> for "yes" or <code>n</code> for "no". '''Should I read the output?''' Yes, it might contain warnings. However: Sometimes the output is very long, for example if you install software. In this case, you don't have to read everything. The important stuff will be at the end. If you have problems and look for help in forums, always include the output from the terminal. '''Should I take warnings seriously?''' YES! [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average "You could harm your computer" bullshit you are used to from Windows.] '''Is the terminal dangerous?''' It might look scary, but it's not dangerous. If you write something wrong, it will just tell you that it's wrong - your computer will not explode. But be wary, the terminal is a way to operate your computer. In the same way you might harm your computer with the GUI, you might as well harm it with the terminal. (That's why you should read the output.) More on this topic in the next section. == Dangers of the terminal == '''So should I just input whatever I find at some random place in the internet?''' NO! You should not copy/paste stuff from untrusted sources (like this wiki - everyone can edit it) if you don't understand what you're doing. The commands might be malicious. For example, if you would type the following, you would delete everything on your computer, and potentially destroy your motherboard: <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> '''<big>DO NOT DO THIS!</big>''' There is no situation where it would be a good thing to input the following command. It will delete your system, it will delete other mounted drives (like Windows, external drives, your game drive, whatever), and it might '''permanently''' '''destroy''' your motherboard. <code>sudo rm -rf / --no-preserve-root</code> </div> Other commands may uninstall your graphical user interface, or install a remote access for hackers. '''This sounds scary!''' Don't be afraid. Malicious tutorials for Linux are rarer than malware for Windows (I don't even know if this ever happened somewhere), and if someone did, it would probably get noticed very fast. If you're fine with installing software on Windows, you should be fine with tutorials for Linux. But still. Be wary. '''Could I harm my computer if I type malicious commands by accident?''' Probably not. It's not easy to input these commands by accident. You might type <code>sudo rm -rf /</code> by accident, but you won't type the <code>--no-preserve-root</code> if you don't actually want to harm your computer. You should be careful when running <code>sudo</code> though. This is the equivalent to "Administrator access", but much more powerful. You should always avoid running a ''root-shell'' (a shell where you have sudo access without typing sudo). You would detect it by the # symbol at the beginning of each line. '''What else can go wrong?''' There might be instances where you copy a command from some website, and you also copy the "enter command". This might lead to ''enter'' being automatically pressed at the end of the line, and the command being executed without additional interaction by you. If you want to modify the command before executing it, this would be unintended behavior. To prevent it, you can copy to a text editor first, modify the commands, and then copy to the terminal. 5de3735105fb24afeff68f5135374890c622682c 266 265 2022-02-15T09:16:34Z Aragorn 3 /* Dangers of the terminal */ wikitext text/x-wiki The terminal is the black thing with text you probably have already seen in some hacker movies. It might look scary, but it basically works like a voice assistant with text input. If you see instructions in the form of <code>sudo pacman -Q | grep -i -C 10 "apt"</code>, then this is something you have to put into the terminal. == How to use the terminal == '''Where do I find the terminal?''' You will probably find it somewhere in your menu. It might have a name like Gnome-Terminal, Konsole, Xterm, Terminator, or something else. It will probably have an icon that looks vaguely like a terminal (black background, white text). '''How does the terminal work?''' You write a line of text, you press enter, and you look at what happens. The terminal usually tells you if something goes wrong. Sometimes you need to press additional buttons like <code>y</code> for "yes" or <code>n</code> for "no". '''Should I read the output?''' Yes, it might contain warnings. However: Sometimes the output is very long, for example if you install software. In this case, you don't have to read everything. The important stuff will be at the end. If you have problems and look for help in forums, always include the output from the terminal. '''Should I take warnings seriously?''' YES! [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average "You could harm your computer" bullshit you are used to from Windows.] '''Is the terminal dangerous?''' It might look scary, but it's not dangerous. If you write something wrong, it will just tell you that it's wrong - your computer will not explode. But be wary, the terminal is a way to operate your computer. In the same way you might harm your computer with the GUI, you might as well harm it with the terminal. (That's why you should read the output.) More on this topic in the next section. == Dangers of the terminal == '''So should I just input whatever I find at some random place in the internet?''' NO! You should not copy/paste stuff from untrusted sources (like this wiki - everyone can edit it) if you don't understand what you're doing. The commands might be malicious. For example, if you would type the following, you would delete everything on your computer, and potentially destroy your motherboard: <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> '''<big>DO NOT DO THIS!</big>''' There is no situation where it would be a good thing to input the following command. It will delete your system, it will delete other mounted drives (like Windows, external drives, your game drive, whatever), and it might '''permanently''' '''destroy''' your motherboard. <code>sudo rm -rf / --no-preserve-root</code> </div> Other commands may uninstall your graphical user interface, or install a remote access for hackers. '''This sounds scary!''' Don't be afraid. Malicious tutorials for Linux are rarer than malware for Windows (I don't even know if this ever happened somewhere), and if someone did write one, it would probably get noticed and removed very fast. If you're fine with installing software on Windows, you should be fine with tutorials for Linux. But still. Be wary. '''Could I harm my computer if I type malicious commands by accident?''' Probably not. It's not easy to input these commands by accident. You might type <code>sudo rm -rf /</code> by accident, but you won't type the <code>--no-preserve-root</code> if you don't actually want to harm your computer. You should be careful when running <code>sudo</code> though. This is the equivalent to "Administrator access", but much more powerful. You should always avoid running a ''root-shell'' (a shell where you have sudo access without typing sudo). You would detect it by the # symbol at the beginning of each line. '''What else can go wrong?''' There might be instances where you copy a command from some website, and you also copy the "enter command". This might lead to ''enter'' being automatically pressed at the end of the line, and the command being executed without additional interaction by you. If you want to modify the command before executing it, this would be unintended behavior. To prevent it, you can copy to a text editor first, modify the commands, and then copy to the terminal. 77ebb83379e113818bdb21986230590c10ee7dca 267 266 2022-02-15T09:18:35Z Aragorn 3 /* Dangers of the terminal */ wikitext text/x-wiki The terminal is the black thing with text you probably have already seen in some hacker movies. It might look scary, but it basically works like a voice assistant with text input. If you see instructions in the form of <code>sudo pacman -Q | grep -i -C 10 "apt"</code>, then this is something you have to put into the terminal. == How to use the terminal == '''Where do I find the terminal?''' You will probably find it somewhere in your menu. It might have a name like Gnome-Terminal, Konsole, Xterm, Terminator, or something else. It will probably have an icon that looks vaguely like a terminal (black background, white text). '''How does the terminal work?''' You write a line of text, you press enter, and you look at what happens. The terminal usually tells you if something goes wrong. Sometimes you need to press additional buttons like <code>y</code> for "yes" or <code>n</code> for "no". '''Should I read the output?''' Yes, it might contain warnings. However: Sometimes the output is very long, for example if you install software. In this case, you don't have to read everything. The important stuff will be at the end. If you have problems and look for help in forums, always include the output from the terminal. '''Should I take warnings seriously?''' YES! [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average "You could harm your computer" bullshit you are used to from Windows.] '''Is the terminal dangerous?''' It might look scary, but it's not dangerous. If you write something wrong, it will just tell you that it's wrong - your computer will not explode. But be wary, the terminal is a way to operate your computer. In the same way you might harm your computer with the GUI, you might as well harm it with the terminal. (That's why you should read the output.) More on this topic in the next section. == Dangers of the terminal == '''So should I just input whatever I find at some random place in the internet?''' NO! You should not copy/paste stuff from untrusted sources (like this wiki - everyone can edit it) if you don't understand what you're doing. The commands might be malicious. For example, if you would type the following, you would delete everything on your computer, and potentially destroy your motherboard: <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> '''<big>DO NOT DO THIS!</big>''' There is no situation where it would be a good thing to input the following command. It will delete your system, it will delete other mounted drives (like Windows, external drives, your game drive, whatever), and it might '''permanently''' '''destroy''' your motherboard. <code>sudo rm -rf / --no-preserve-root</code> Don't do it. Seriously. Not for fun, not because you don't need your system anymore. Just don't. </div> Other commands may uninstall your graphical user interface, or install a remote access for hackers. '''This sounds scary!''' Don't be afraid. Malicious tutorials for Linux are rarer than malware for Windows (I don't even know if this ever happened somewhere), and if someone did write one, it would probably get noticed and removed very fast. If you're fine with installing software on Windows, you should be fine with tutorials for Linux. But still. Be wary. '''Could I harm my computer if I type malicious commands by accident?''' Probably not. It's not easy to input these commands by accident. You might type <code>sudo rm -rf /</code> by accident, but you won't type the <code>--no-preserve-root</code> if you don't actually want to harm your computer. You should be careful when running <code>sudo</code> though. This is the equivalent to "Administrator access", but much more powerful. You should always avoid running a ''root-shell'' (a shell where you have sudo access without typing sudo). You would detect it by the # symbol at the beginning of each line. '''What else can go wrong?''' There might be instances where you copy a command from some website, and you also copy the "enter command". This might lead to ''enter'' being automatically pressed at the end of the line, and the command being executed without additional interaction by you. If you want to modify the command before executing it, this would be unintended behavior. To prevent it, you can copy to a text editor first, modify the commands, and then copy to the terminal. 25d1a9c3209d71b871f8d192bb3054dc17d5bffe 270 267 2022-02-15T13:21:00Z Aragorn 3 /* Dangers of the terminal */ wikitext text/x-wiki The terminal is the black thing with text you probably have already seen in some hacker movies. It might look scary, but it basically works like a voice assistant with text input. If you see instructions in the form of <code>sudo pacman -Q | grep -i -C 10 "apt"</code>, then this is something you have to put into the terminal. == How to use the terminal == '''Where do I find the terminal?''' You will probably find it somewhere in your menu. It might have a name like Gnome-Terminal, Konsole, Xterm, Terminator, or something else. It will probably have an icon that looks vaguely like a terminal (black background, white text). '''How does the terminal work?''' You write a line of text, you press enter, and you look at what happens. The terminal usually tells you if something goes wrong. Sometimes you need to press additional buttons like <code>y</code> for "yes" or <code>n</code> for "no". '''Should I read the output?''' Yes, it might contain warnings. However: Sometimes the output is very long, for example if you install software. In this case, you don't have to read everything. The important stuff will be at the end. If you have problems and look for help in forums, always include the output from the terminal. '''Should I take warnings seriously?''' YES! [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average "You could harm your computer" bullshit you are used to from Windows.] '''Is the terminal dangerous?''' It might look scary, but it's not dangerous. If you write something wrong, it will just tell you that it's wrong - your computer will not explode. But be wary, the terminal is a way to operate your computer. Linux will do exactly what you tell it to do. If you tell Linux to remove all your important files, it will do just that. In the same way you might harm your computer with the GUI, you might as well harm it with the terminal. (That's why you should read the output.) More on this topic in the next section. == Dangers of the terminal == '''So should I just input whatever I find at some random place in the internet?''' NO! You should not copy/paste stuff from untrusted sources (like this wiki - everyone can edit it) if you don't understand what you're doing. The commands might be malicious. For example, if you would type the following, you would delete everything on your computer, and potentially destroy your motherboard: <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> '''<big>DO NOT DO THIS!</big>''' There is no situation where it would be a good thing to input the following command. It will delete your system, it will delete other mounted drives (like Windows, external drives, your game drive, whatever), and it might '''permanently''' '''destroy''' your motherboard. <code>sudo rm -rf / --no-preserve-root</code> Don't do it. Seriously. Not for fun, not because you don't need your system anymore. Just don't. </div> Other commands may uninstall your graphical user interface, or install a remote access for hackers. '''This sounds scary!''' Don't be afraid. Malicious tutorials for Linux are rarer than malware for Windows (I don't even know if this ever happened somewhere), and if someone did write one, it would probably get noticed and removed very fast. If you're fine with installing software on Windows, you should be fine with tutorials for Linux. But still. Be wary. '''Could I harm my computer if I type malicious commands by accident?''' Probably not. It's not easy to input these commands by accident. You might type <code>sudo rm -rf /</code> by accident, but you won't type the <code>--no-preserve-root</code> if you don't actually want to harm your computer. You should be careful when running <code>sudo</code> though. This is the equivalent to "Administrator access", but much more powerful. You should always avoid running a ''root-shell'' (a shell where you have sudo access without typing sudo). You would detect it by the # symbol at the beginning of each line. Also note, that <code>rm</code> actually ''removes'' files, and doesn't just move them to the trash bin. If you want to have that extra safety, you can use <code>trash</code> instead. '''What else can go wrong?''' There might be instances where you copy a command from some website, and you also copy the "enter command". This might lead to ''enter'' being automatically pressed at the end of the line, and the command being executed without additional interaction by you. If you want to modify the command before executing it, this would be unintended behavior. To prevent it, you can copy to a text editor first, modify the commands, and then copy to the terminal. 1e2027dc8f88a3f3cc07fc70a489c783d939284d 271 270 2022-02-15T13:21:26Z Aragorn 3 /* How to use the terminal */ wikitext text/x-wiki The terminal is the black thing with text you probably have already seen in some hacker movies. It might look scary, but it basically works like a voice assistant with text input. If you see instructions in the form of <code>sudo pacman -Q | grep -i -C 10 "apt"</code>, then this is something you have to put into the terminal. == How to use the terminal == '''Where do I find the terminal?''' You will probably find it somewhere in your menu. It might have a name like Gnome-Terminal, Konsole, Xterm, Terminator, or something else. It will probably have an icon that looks vaguely like a terminal (black background, white text). '''How does the terminal work?''' You write a line of text, you press enter, and you look at what happens. The terminal usually tells you if something goes wrong. Sometimes you need to press additional buttons like <code>y</code> for "yes" or <code>n</code> for "no". '''Should I read the output?''' Yes, it might contain warnings. However: Sometimes the output is very long, for example if you install software. In this case, you don't have to read everything. The important stuff will be at the end. If you have problems and look for help in forums, always include the output from the terminal. '''Should I take warnings seriously?''' YES! [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average "You could harm your computer" bullshit you are used to from Windows.] '''Is the terminal dangerous?''' It might look scary, but it's not dangerous. If you write something wrong, it will just tell you that it's wrong - your computer will not explode. But be wary, the terminal is a way to operate your computer. Linux will do exactly what you tell it to do. If you tell Linux to remove all your important files, it will do just that. In the same way you might harm your computer with the GUI, you might as well harm it with the terminal. More on this topic in the next section. == Dangers of the terminal == '''So should I just input whatever I find at some random place in the internet?''' NO! You should not copy/paste stuff from untrusted sources (like this wiki - everyone can edit it) if you don't understand what you're doing. The commands might be malicious. For example, if you would type the following, you would delete everything on your computer, and potentially destroy your motherboard: <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> '''<big>DO NOT DO THIS!</big>''' There is no situation where it would be a good thing to input the following command. It will delete your system, it will delete other mounted drives (like Windows, external drives, your game drive, whatever), and it might '''permanently''' '''destroy''' your motherboard. <code>sudo rm -rf / --no-preserve-root</code> Don't do it. Seriously. Not for fun, not because you don't need your system anymore. Just don't. </div> Other commands may uninstall your graphical user interface, or install a remote access for hackers. '''This sounds scary!''' Don't be afraid. Malicious tutorials for Linux are rarer than malware for Windows (I don't even know if this ever happened somewhere), and if someone did write one, it would probably get noticed and removed very fast. If you're fine with installing software on Windows, you should be fine with tutorials for Linux. But still. Be wary. '''Could I harm my computer if I type malicious commands by accident?''' Probably not. It's not easy to input these commands by accident. You might type <code>sudo rm -rf /</code> by accident, but you won't type the <code>--no-preserve-root</code> if you don't actually want to harm your computer. You should be careful when running <code>sudo</code> though. This is the equivalent to "Administrator access", but much more powerful. You should always avoid running a ''root-shell'' (a shell where you have sudo access without typing sudo). You would detect it by the # symbol at the beginning of each line. Also note, that <code>rm</code> actually ''removes'' files, and doesn't just move them to the trash bin. If you want to have that extra safety, you can use <code>trash</code> instead. '''What else can go wrong?''' There might be instances where you copy a command from some website, and you also copy the "enter command". This might lead to ''enter'' being automatically pressed at the end of the line, and the command being executed without additional interaction by you. If you want to modify the command before executing it, this would be unintended behavior. To prevent it, you can copy to a text editor first, modify the commands, and then copy to the terminal. 322d6a9d1c87d263242dc97cef05d0a78051c5f7 272 271 2022-02-15T13:28:46Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki The terminal is the black thing with text you probably have already seen in some hacker movies. It might look scary, but it basically works like a voice assistant with text input. If you see instructions in the form of <code>sudo pacman -Q | grep -i -C 10 "apt"</code>, then this is something you have to put into the terminal. == How to use the terminal == '''Where do I find the terminal?''' You will probably find it somewhere in your menu. It might have a name like Gnome-Terminal, Konsole, Xterm, Terminator, or something else. It will probably have an icon that looks vaguely like a terminal (black background, white text). '''How does the terminal work?''' You write a line of text, you press enter, and you look at what happens. The terminal usually tells you if something goes wrong. Sometimes you need to press additional buttons like <code>y</code> for "yes" or <code>n</code> for "no". '''Should I read the output?''' Yes, it might contain warnings. However: Sometimes the output is very long, for example if you install software. In this case, you don't have to read everything. The important stuff will be at the end. If you have problems and look for help in forums, always include the output from the terminal. '''Should I take warnings seriously?''' YES! [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average "You could harm your computer" bullshit you are used to from Windows.] '''Is the terminal dangerous?''' It might look scary, but it's not dangerous. If you write something wrong, it will just tell you that it's wrong - your computer will not explode. == Dangers of the terminal == '''So should I just input whatever I find at some random place in the internet?''' NO! You should not copy/paste stuff from untrusted sources (like this wiki - everyone can edit it) if you don't understand what you're doing. The commands might be malicious. For example, if you would type the following, you would delete everything on your computer, and potentially destroy your motherboard: <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> '''<big>DO NOT DO THIS!</big>''' There is no situation where it would be a good thing to input the following command. It will delete your system, it will delete other mounted drives (like Windows, external drives, your game drive, whatever), and it might '''permanently''' '''destroy''' your motherboard. <code>sudo rm -rf / --no-preserve-root</code> Don't do it. Seriously. Not for fun, not because you don't need your system anymore. Just don't. </div> Other commands may uninstall your graphical user interface, or install a remote access for hackers. '''This sounds scary!''' Don't be afraid. Malicious tutorials for Linux are rarer than malware for Windows (I don't even know if this ever happened somewhere), and if someone did write one, it would probably get noticed and removed very fast. If you're fine with installing software on Windows, you should be fine with tutorials for Linux. But still. Be wary. '''Could I harm my computer if I type malicious commands by accident?''' Probably not. It's not easy to input these commands by accident. You might type <code>sudo rm -rf /</code> by accident, but you won't type the <code>--no-preserve-root</code> if you don't actually want to harm your computer. Accidentally typing a command that installs malware is near impossible. '''So if I don't type --no-preserve-root, everything is fine?''' No. The terminal is a way to operate your computer. It will do exactly what you tell it to do. If you tell it to remove all your important files, it will do just that. In the same way you might harm your computer with the GUI, you might as well harm it with the terminal. However, you definitely have more options to fuck things up when using the terminal. For example, always be careful, when running <code>sudo</code>. This is the equivalent to "Administrator access", but much more powerful. You should always avoid running a ''root-shell'' (a shell where you have sudo access without typing sudo). You would detect it by the # symbol at the beginning of each line. But note, that you can do all kind of bad stuff in your home directory (the place where all your important files are), without typing <code>sudo</code>. Always think before typing something, and especially think before pressing enter. Also note, that <code>rm</code> actually ''removes'' files, and doesn't just move them to the trash bin. If you want to have that extra safety, you can use <code>trash</code> instead. '''What else can go wrong?''' There might be instances where you copy a command from some website, and you also copy the "enter command". This might lead to ''enter'' being automatically pressed at the end of the line, and the command being executed without additional interaction by you. If you want to modify the command before executing it, this would be unintended behavior. To prevent it, you can copy to a text editor first, modify the commands, and then copy to the terminal. d221e061af36b3085dff22ceb1d2fc6da74ec9cf 273 272 2022-02-15T13:29:02Z Aragorn 3 /* Dangers of the terminal */ wikitext text/x-wiki The terminal is the black thing with text you probably have already seen in some hacker movies. It might look scary, but it basically works like a voice assistant with text input. If you see instructions in the form of <code>sudo pacman -Q | grep -i -C 10 "apt"</code>, then this is something you have to put into the terminal. == How to use the terminal == '''Where do I find the terminal?''' You will probably find it somewhere in your menu. It might have a name like Gnome-Terminal, Konsole, Xterm, Terminator, or something else. It will probably have an icon that looks vaguely like a terminal (black background, white text). '''How does the terminal work?''' You write a line of text, you press enter, and you look at what happens. The terminal usually tells you if something goes wrong. Sometimes you need to press additional buttons like <code>y</code> for "yes" or <code>n</code> for "no". '''Should I read the output?''' Yes, it might contain warnings. However: Sometimes the output is very long, for example if you install software. In this case, you don't have to read everything. The important stuff will be at the end. If you have problems and look for help in forums, always include the output from the terminal. '''Should I take warnings seriously?''' YES! [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average "You could harm your computer" bullshit you are used to from Windows.] '''Is the terminal dangerous?''' It might look scary, but it's not dangerous. If you write something wrong, it will just tell you that it's wrong - your computer will not explode. == Dangers of the terminal == '''So should I just input whatever I find at some random place in the internet?''' NO! You should not copy/paste stuff from untrusted sources (like this wiki - everyone can edit it) if you don't understand what you're doing. The commands might be malicious. For example, if you would type the following, you would delete everything on your computer, and potentially destroy your motherboard: <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> '''<big>DO NOT DO THIS!</big>''' There is no situation where it would be a good thing to input the following command. It will delete your system, it will delete other mounted drives (like Windows, external drives, your game drive, whatever), and it might '''permanently''' '''destroy''' your motherboard. <code>sudo rm -rf / --no-preserve-root</code> Don't do it. Seriously. Not for fun, not because you don't need your system anymore. Just don't. </div> Other commands may uninstall your graphical user interface, or install a remote access for hackers. '''This sounds scary!''' Don't be afraid. Malicious tutorials for Linux are rarer than malware for Windows (I don't even know if this ever happened somewhere), and if someone did write one, it would probably get noticed and removed very fast. If you're fine with installing software on Windows, you should be fine with tutorials for Linux. But still. Be wary. '''Could I harm my computer if I type malicious commands by accident?''' Probably not. It's not easy to input these commands by accident. You might type <code>sudo rm -rf /</code> by accident, but you won't type the <code>--no-preserve-root</code> if you don't actually want to harm your computer. Accidentally typing a command that installs malware is near impossible. '''So as long as I don't type --no-preserve-root, everything is fine?''' No. The terminal is a way to operate your computer. It will do exactly what you tell it to do. If you tell it to remove all your important files, it will do just that. In the same way you might harm your computer with the GUI, you might as well harm it with the terminal. However, you definitely have more options to fuck things up when using the terminal. For example, always be careful, when running <code>sudo</code>. This is the equivalent to "Administrator access", but much more powerful. You should always avoid running a ''root-shell'' (a shell where you have sudo access without typing sudo). You would detect it by the # symbol at the beginning of each line. But note, that you can do all kind of bad stuff in your home directory (the place where all your important files are), without typing <code>sudo</code>. Always think before typing something, and especially think before pressing enter. Also note, that <code>rm</code> actually ''removes'' files, and doesn't just move them to the trash bin. If you want to have that extra safety, you can use <code>trash</code> instead. '''What else can go wrong?''' There might be instances where you copy a command from some website, and you also copy the "enter command". This might lead to ''enter'' being automatically pressed at the end of the line, and the command being executed without additional interaction by you. If you want to modify the command before executing it, this would be unintended behavior. To prevent it, you can copy to a text editor first, modify the commands, and then copy to the terminal. 251d2cf0bb071488660bf068c86dbb8e30606311 274 273 2022-02-15T13:29:49Z Aragorn 3 /* How to use the terminal */ wikitext text/x-wiki The terminal is the black thing with text you probably have already seen in some hacker movies. It might look scary, but it basically works like a voice assistant with text input. If you see instructions in the form of <code>sudo pacman -Q | grep -i -C 10 "apt"</code>, then this is something you have to put into the terminal. == How to use the terminal == '''Where do I find the terminal?''' You will probably find it somewhere in your menu. It might have a name like Gnome-Terminal, Konsole, Xterm, Terminator, or something else. It will probably have an icon that looks vaguely like a terminal (black background, white text). '''How does the terminal work?''' You write a line of text, you press enter, and you look at what happens. The terminal usually tells you if something goes wrong. Sometimes you need to press additional buttons like <code>y</code> for "yes" or <code>n</code> for "no". '''Should I read the output?''' Yes, it might contain warnings. However: Sometimes the output is very long, for example if you install software. In this case, you don't have to read everything. The important stuff will be at the end. If you have problems and look for help in forums, always include the output from the terminal. '''Should I take warnings seriously?''' YES! [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average "You could harm your computer" bullshit you are used to from Windows.] '''Is the terminal dangerous?''' It might look scary, but it's not dangerous. If you write something wrong, it will just tell you that it's wrong - your computer will not explode. However, things can go wrong, more in the next section. == Dangers of the terminal == '''So should I just input whatever I find at some random place in the internet?''' NO! You should not copy/paste stuff from untrusted sources (like this wiki - everyone can edit it) if you don't understand what you're doing. The commands might be malicious. For example, if you would type the following, you would delete everything on your computer, and potentially destroy your motherboard: <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> '''<big>DO NOT DO THIS!</big>''' There is no situation where it would be a good thing to input the following command. It will delete your system, it will delete other mounted drives (like Windows, external drives, your game drive, whatever), and it might '''permanently''' '''destroy''' your motherboard. <code>sudo rm -rf / --no-preserve-root</code> Don't do it. Seriously. Not for fun, not because you don't need your system anymore. Just don't. </div> Other commands may uninstall your graphical user interface, or install a remote access for hackers. '''This sounds scary!''' Don't be afraid. Malicious tutorials for Linux are rarer than malware for Windows (I don't even know if this ever happened somewhere), and if someone did write one, it would probably get noticed and removed very fast. If you're fine with installing software on Windows, you should be fine with tutorials for Linux. But still. Be wary. '''Could I harm my computer if I type malicious commands by accident?''' Probably not. It's not easy to input these commands by accident. You might type <code>sudo rm -rf /</code> by accident, but you won't type the <code>--no-preserve-root</code> if you don't actually want to harm your computer. Accidentally typing a command that installs malware is near impossible. '''So as long as I don't type --no-preserve-root, everything is fine?''' No. The terminal is a way to operate your computer. It will do exactly what you tell it to do. If you tell it to remove all your important files, it will do just that. In the same way you might harm your computer with the GUI, you might as well harm it with the terminal. However, you definitely have more options to fuck things up when using the terminal. For example, always be careful, when running <code>sudo</code>. This is the equivalent to "Administrator access", but much more powerful. You should always avoid running a ''root-shell'' (a shell where you have sudo access without typing sudo). You would detect it by the # symbol at the beginning of each line. But note, that you can do all kind of bad stuff in your home directory (the place where all your important files are), without typing <code>sudo</code>. Always think before typing something, and especially think before pressing enter. Also note, that <code>rm</code> actually ''removes'' files, and doesn't just move them to the trash bin. If you want to have that extra safety, you can use <code>trash</code> instead. '''What else can go wrong?''' There might be instances where you copy a command from some website, and you also copy the "enter command". This might lead to ''enter'' being automatically pressed at the end of the line, and the command being executed without additional interaction by you. If you want to modify the command before executing it, this would be unintended behavior. To prevent it, you can copy to a text editor first, modify the commands, and then copy to the terminal. 64f116b89af828127cdd0db623435e989a749e6b 275 274 2022-02-15T13:35:46Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki The terminal is the black thing with text you probably have already seen in some hacker movies. It might look scary, but it basically works like a voice assistant with text input. If you see instructions in the form of <code>sudo pacman -Q | grep -i -C 10 "apt"</code>, then this is something you have to put into the terminal. == How to use the terminal == '''Where do I find the terminal?''' You will probably find it somewhere in your menu. It might have a name like Gnome-Terminal, Konsole, Xterm, Terminator, or something else. It will probably have an icon that looks vaguely like a terminal (black background, white text). '''How does the terminal work?''' You write a line of text, you press enter, and you look at what happens. The terminal usually tells you if something goes wrong. Sometimes you need to press additional buttons like <code>y</code> for "yes" or <code>n</code> for "no". '''Should I read the output?''' Yes, it might contain warnings. However: Sometimes the output is very long, for example if you install software. In this case, you don't have to read everything. The important stuff will be at the end. If you have problems and look for help in forums, always include the output from the terminal. '''Should I take warnings seriously?''' YES! [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average "You could harm your computer" bullshit you are used to from Windows.] '''Is the terminal dangerous?''' It might look scary, but it's not dangerous. If you write something wrong, it will just tell you that it's wrong - your computer will not explode. However, things can go wrong, more in the next section. '''How can I learn using it?''' Look here: https://linuxjourney.com/ == Dangers of the terminal == '''So should I just input whatever I find at some random place in the internet?''' NO! You should not copy/paste stuff from untrusted sources (like this wiki - everyone can edit it) if you don't understand what you're doing. The commands might be malicious. For example, if you would type the following, you would delete everything on your computer, and potentially destroy your motherboard: <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> '''<big>DO NOT DO THIS!</big>''' There is no situation where it would be a good thing to input the following command. It will delete your system, it will delete other mounted drives (like Windows, external drives, your game drive, whatever), and it might '''permanently''' '''destroy''' your motherboard. <code>sudo rm -rf / --no-preserve-root</code> Don't do it. Seriously. Not for fun, not because you don't need your system anymore. Just don't. </div> Other commands may uninstall your graphical user interface, or install a remote access for hackers. '''This sounds scary!''' Don't be afraid. Malicious tutorials for Linux are rarer than malware for Windows (I don't even know if this ever happened somewhere), and if someone did write one, it would probably get noticed and removed very fast. If you're fine with installing software on Windows, you should be fine with tutorials for Linux. But still. Be wary. '''Could I harm my computer if I type malicious commands by accident?''' Probably not. It's not easy to input these commands by accident. You might type <code>sudo rm -rf /</code> by accident, but you won't type the <code>--no-preserve-root</code> if you don't actually want to harm your computer. Accidentally typing a command that installs malware is near impossible. '''So as long as I don't type --no-preserve-root, everything is fine?''' No. The terminal is a way to operate your computer. It will do exactly what you tell it to do. If you tell it to remove all your important files, it will do just that. In the same way you might harm your computer with the GUI, you might as well harm it with the terminal. However, you definitely have more options to fuck things up when using the terminal. For example, always be careful, when running <code>sudo</code>. This is the equivalent to "Administrator access", but much more powerful. You should always avoid running a ''root-shell'' (a shell where you have sudo access without typing sudo). You would detect it by the # symbol at the beginning of each line. But note, that you can do all kind of bad stuff in your home directory (the place where all your important files are), without typing <code>sudo</code>. Always think before typing something, and especially think before pressing enter. Also note, that <code>rm</code> actually ''removes'' files, and doesn't just move them to the trash bin. If you want to have that extra safety, you can use <code>trash</code> instead. '''What else can go wrong?''' There might be instances where you copy a command from some website, and you also copy the "enter command". This might lead to ''enter'' being automatically pressed at the end of the line, and the command being executed without additional interaction by you. If you want to modify the command before executing it, this would be unintended behavior. To prevent it, you can copy to a text editor first, modify the commands, and then copy to the terminal. cd7420c45c2d6afd2fd7a6e18915bae1ac4b6e9f 0 2 259 217 2022-02-15T08:55:37Z Aragorn 3 /* Prelude */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, here is a short version that should work: <ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. You will probably not be able to use the software that you're used to. But usually there is different software that might even be better.</li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have supported hardware. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you can choose your GPU, chose AMD. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] and [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use ''Steam (Runtime)'' for Steam games (if you don't know how to install it, watch the video linked above). Go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE]</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other games.</li> <li><p>If you have an AMD GPU, install CoreCtrl. If you previously chose Pop!_OS, input the following in [[Terminal|the terminal]]:</p> <pre>sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ernstp/mesarc sudo apt-get update sudo apt install corectrl</pre> <p>Otherwise look [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ here] for instructions. Open CoreCtrl, and add a profile for every game, or edit the global settings to your likings.</p></li> <li><p>Disable Composition: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it. Read more [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/improving_performance here].</p></li> <li><p>When Linux gives you a warning, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when asking for help.</p></li></ul> == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics than this one. == The software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. If you've done that and there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. Bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto] * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == The swap (Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux) == If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. You might face problems here, [[Improving performance|especially regarding performance and input lag]]. If you choose Mint, don't use Cinnamon. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- |Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmongOS |It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- |Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |} '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clickin an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. == The habit (what to do after the installation) == So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install Steam on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to [https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/ Chrome being considered spyware]. [https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome UbuntuUpdates.org] give the following instructions: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. == Windows compatibility == So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exes) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. For Steam games you can just use Steam. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. Your last resort is the following: First, let's install Wine. <pre>sudo apt install wine</pre> On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you'll want to open a terminal and type (credit to [[u/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running): <pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> Remember to check the ratings and know issues in the wine AppDB so you know what you can expect, and you should be golden. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. === DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D === What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[u/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and [[Lutris]] both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily optimized Linux install. Your default experience will be worse. == Improving performance == The default settings are probably not the best for a flawless experience. Read more [[Improving performance|here]] == Nice things == You don't need the following. But you might find them useful for special use cases. * [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] for downscaling * [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) * [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == Downloading stuff from GitHub/GitLab == You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: # Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> # On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). # Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. # Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. == Troubleshooting == * Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using * Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] * [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask here or in one of the linux subreddits] * Ask in forums * Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. === Common issues === '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers * For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] == Going further == If you want to learn more about Linux and the command line, this is a great resource to interactively learn: https://linuxjourney.com/ == The end == u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. 544e7b6f9ed9425ad5507e68bd19ffe5d951b178 276 259 2022-02-15T13:36:46Z Aragorn 3 /* Going further */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, here is a short version that should work: <ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. You will probably not be able to use the software that you're used to. But usually there is different software that might even be better.</li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have supported hardware. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you can choose your GPU, chose AMD. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] and [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use ''Steam (Runtime)'' for Steam games (if you don't know how to install it, watch the video linked above). Go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE]</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other games.</li> <li><p>If you have an AMD GPU, install CoreCtrl. If you previously chose Pop!_OS, input the following in [[Terminal|the terminal]]:</p> <pre>sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ernstp/mesarc sudo apt-get update sudo apt install corectrl</pre> <p>Otherwise look [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ here] for instructions. Open CoreCtrl, and add a profile for every game, or edit the global settings to your likings.</p></li> <li><p>Disable Composition: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it. Read more [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/improving_performance here].</p></li> <li><p>When Linux gives you a warning, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when asking for help.</p></li></ul> == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics than this one. == The software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. If you've done that and there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. Bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto] * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == The swap (Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux) == If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. You might face problems here, [[Improving performance|especially regarding performance and input lag]]. If you choose Mint, don't use Cinnamon. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- |Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmongOS |It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- |Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |} '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clickin an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. == The habit (what to do after the installation) == So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install Steam on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to [https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/ Chrome being considered spyware]. [https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome UbuntuUpdates.org] give the following instructions: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. == Windows compatibility == So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exes) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. For Steam games you can just use Steam. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. Your last resort is the following: First, let's install Wine. <pre>sudo apt install wine</pre> On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you'll want to open a terminal and type (credit to [[u/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running): <pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> Remember to check the ratings and know issues in the wine AppDB so you know what you can expect, and you should be golden. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. === DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D === What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[u/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and [[Lutris]] both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily optimized Linux install. Your default experience will be worse. == Improving performance == The default settings are probably not the best for a flawless experience. Read more [[Improving performance|here]] == Nice things == You don't need the following. But you might find them useful for special use cases. * [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] for downscaling * [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) * [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == Downloading stuff from GitHub/GitLab == You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: # Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> # On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). # Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. # Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. == Troubleshooting == * Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using * Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] * [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask here or in one of the linux subreddits] * Ask in forums * Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. === Common issues === '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers * For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] == Going further == Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. == The end == u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. f1ef45752ca5fe3abd99fbaf4e1c63d6baac38ae 280 276 2022-02-15T13:49:59Z Aragorn 3 /* Prelude */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics than this one. == The software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. If you've done that and there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. Bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto] * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == The swap (Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux) == If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. You might face problems here, [[Improving performance|especially regarding performance and input lag]]. If you choose Mint, don't use Cinnamon. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- |Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmongOS |It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- |Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |} '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clickin an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. == The habit (what to do after the installation) == So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install Steam on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to [https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/ Chrome being considered spyware]. [https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome UbuntuUpdates.org] give the following instructions: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. == Windows compatibility == So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exes) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. For Steam games you can just use Steam. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. Your last resort is the following: First, let's install Wine. <pre>sudo apt install wine</pre> On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you'll want to open a terminal and type (credit to [[u/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running): <pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> Remember to check the ratings and know issues in the wine AppDB so you know what you can expect, and you should be golden. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. === DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D === What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[u/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and [[Lutris]] both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily optimized Linux install. Your default experience will be worse. == Improving performance == The default settings are probably not the best for a flawless experience. Read more [[Improving performance|here]] == Nice things == You don't need the following. But you might find them useful for special use cases. * [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] for downscaling * [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) * [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == Downloading stuff from GitHub/GitLab == You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: # Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> # On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). # Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. # Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. == Troubleshooting == * Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using * Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] * [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask here or in one of the linux subreddits] * Ask in forums * Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. === Common issues === '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers * For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] == Going further == Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. == The end == u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. ba57561436f31bcbe8f2a40f6d3f9969d059405f 283 280 2022-02-15T13:52:40Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics than this one. == The software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. If you've done that and there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. Bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto] * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == The swap (Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux) == If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. You might face problems here, [[Improving performance|especially regarding performance and input lag]]. If you choose Mint, don't use Cinnamon. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- |Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmongOS |It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- |Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |} '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clickin an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. == The habit (what to do after the installation) == So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install Steam on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to [https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/ Chrome being considered spyware]. [https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome UbuntuUpdates.org] give the following instructions: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. == Windows compatibility == So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exes) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. For Steam games you can just use Steam. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. Your last resort is the following: First, let's install Wine. <pre>sudo apt install wine</pre> On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you'll want to open a terminal and type (credit to [[u/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running): <pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> Remember to check the ratings and know issues in the wine AppDB so you know what you can expect, and you should be golden. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. === DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D === What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[u/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and [[Lutris]] both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily optimized Linux install. Your default experience will be worse. == Improving performance == The default settings are probably not the best for a flawless experience. Read more [[Improving performance|here]] == Nice things == You don't need the following. But you might find them useful for special use cases. * [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] for downscaling * [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) * [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == Downloading stuff from GitHub/GitLab == You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: # Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> # On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). # Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. # Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. == Troubleshooting == * Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using * Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] * [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask here or in one of the linux subreddits] * Ask in forums * Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. === Common issues === '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers * For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] == Going further == Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. == The end == u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. 116fa68538a5d7f58e85ae7063ed7b818dba10cb 297 283 2022-02-18T09:57:46Z Aragorn 3 /* The swap (Distributions, or "versions" of Linux) */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics than this one. == The software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. If you've done that and there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. Bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto] * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == The swap (Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux) == If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. You might face problems here, [[Improving performance|especially regarding performance and input lag]]. If you choose Mint, don't use Cinnamon. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! ! Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- | Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmongOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- | Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clickin an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==The habit (what to do after the installation)== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install Steam on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to [https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/ Chrome being considered spyware]. [https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome UbuntuUpdates.org] give the following instructions: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. == Windows compatibility== So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exes) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. For Steam games you can just use Steam. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. Your last resort is the following: First, let's install Wine. <pre>sudo apt install wine</pre> On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you'll want to open a terminal and type (credit to [[u/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running): <pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> Remember to check the ratings and know issues in the wine AppDB so you know what you can expect, and you should be golden. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. ===DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D=== What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[u/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and [[Lutris]] both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily optimized Linux install. Your default experience will be worse. ==Improving performance== The default settings are probably not the best for a flawless experience. Read more [[Improving performance|here]] ==Nice things== You don't need the following. But you might find them useful for special use cases. *[https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] for downscaling *[https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) *[https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] ==Downloading stuff from GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. ==Troubleshooting== *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask here or in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==Going further == Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. 5627472f385e5d375ac5d884a3d49cbe4b4e5c29 298 297 2022-02-18T09:58:59Z Aragorn 3 /* The swap (Distributions, or "versions" of Linux) */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics than this one. == The software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. If you've done that and there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. Bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto] * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == The swap (Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux) == If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. You might face problems here, [[Improving performance|especially regarding performance and input lag]]. If you choose Mint, don't use Cinnamon. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! ! Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- | Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- | Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clickin an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==The habit (what to do after the installation)== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install Steam on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to [https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/ Chrome being considered spyware]. [https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome UbuntuUpdates.org] give the following instructions: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. == Windows compatibility== So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exes) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. For Steam games you can just use Steam. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. Your last resort is the following: First, let's install Wine. <pre>sudo apt install wine</pre> On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you'll want to open a terminal and type (credit to [[u/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running): <pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> Remember to check the ratings and know issues in the wine AppDB so you know what you can expect, and you should be golden. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. ===DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D=== What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[u/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and [[Lutris]] both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily optimized Linux install. Your default experience will be worse. ==Improving performance== The default settings are probably not the best for a flawless experience. Read more [[Improving performance|here]] ==Nice things== You don't need the following. But you might find them useful for special use cases. *[https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] for downscaling *[https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) *[https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] ==Downloading stuff from GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. ==Troubleshooting== *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask here or in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==Going further == Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. d20a03a3d887325b419aba8e07167585ebf3165b 0 1 260 220 2022-02-15T08:55:51Z Aragorn 3 /* Where to start */ wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Where to start == * [[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] *[[Getting started with Linux]] * [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - information about AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. This is a technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. * [[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. * [[Improving performance]] *[[Lutris]] *[[Heroic]] *[[Reshade]] *[[Gamemode]] *[[Compositor]] *[[Terminal]] The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. 664371e657ccea447796098745bfba8f70b395dc 282 260 2022-02-15T13:51:36Z Aragorn 3 /* Where to start */ wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Where to start == * [[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] *[[Getting started with Linux]] *[[Getting started (short version)]] * [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - information about AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. This is a technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. * [[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. * [[Improving performance]] *[[Lutris]] *[[Heroic]] *[[Reshade]] *[[Gamemode]] *[[Compositor]] *[[Terminal]] The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. 55ae7b72a24d45b37e07733e92ee9848d55183d1 293 282 2022-02-16T03:41:29Z Marigold 7 /* Where to start */ wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Where to start == * [[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] *[[Getting started with Linux]] *[[Getting started (short version)]] * [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - information about AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. This is a technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. * [[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. * [[Improving performance]] *[[Lutris]] *[[Heroic]] *[[Reshade]] *[[Gamemode]] *[[Compositor]] *[[Terminal]] *[[CoreCtrl]] The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. 607a13b965879051be3ee5cbded37a55c0f398cc 0 25 268 183 2022-02-15T09:23:27Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Heroic is an open-source game launcher that primarily supports launching games from the Epic Games Store by leveraging Legendary CLI tool. Heroic aims to be an easy-to-use game launcher with features like a per-game Wine prefix with the ability to easily switch between Wine versions. Heroic Games Launcher is built upon Electron and uses Legendary to interact with Epic Games Services. ==1. Installation== Before installing Heroic it is recommended that you have a working installation of '''Wine''' and '''winetricks''' on your system. All installation methods for Heroic are listed on their [https://github.com/Heroic-Games-Launcher/HeroicGamesLauncher#linux GitHub] You can find a suitable installation file for your distro at their GitHub Releases section [https://github.com/Heroic-Games-Launcher/HeroicGamesLauncher/releases here] === Arch, Manjaro, Garuda, and other Arch based distributions === Install it from the [https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/heroic-games-launcher-bin/ AUR], for example using <code>Pamac</code>: * [https://wiki.manjaro.org/index.php/Arch_User_Repository#Using_GUI_Pamac Enable AUR support] * Search Heroic and install it Alternatively you can use an ''AUR helper'' of your choice, for example <code>paru</code>, or <code>yay</code>: * <code>paru -S heroic-games-launcher-bin</code> * <code>yay -S heroic-games-launcher-bin</code> ===Debian, Ubuntu and Derivatives such as Pop!_OS=== Download the <code>heroic_x.x.x_amd64.deb</code> from the GitHub Releases section. If your OS supports this, you can simply open the downloaded <code>.deb</code> file to begin the installation. Otherwise, you can install it via dpkg by bringing up a [[terminal]] and running the following command sudo dpkg -i ''/path/to/''heroic_x.x.x_amd64.deb <small>Note: <code>amd64</code> here refers to system architecture which this package supports. Make sure that your system is compatible with the program you are trying to install.</small> === Using AppImage === Download the <code>heroic-x.x.x.AppImage</code> from the GitHub Releases section. Make sure you have <code>curl</code> and <code>gawk</code> installed, normally it comes installed in most distros. Make AppImage executable by changing its file properties. [[File:Make Executable.png|none|thumb|Marking file as executable]] '''Or''' You can do the same using terminal chmod +x heroic-x.x.x.AppImage Now you can run the Heroic AppImage == 2. Installing and importing games == Installing games are as easy as going to the '''library''' and selecting a game that you want to play. If you have already downloaded the game and you just want to import it then press on '''Import Game''' otherwise press '''Install''' to start installation in the specified folder. [[File:Heroic install popup.png|none|thumb|Game installation popup]] == 4. See also == [https://github.com/Heroic-Games-Launcher/HeroicGamesLauncher Heroic Games Launcher Github] [https://github.com/derrod/legendary Legendary Github] [https://github.com/CommandMC/EpicLinux/wiki EpicLinux Wiki] <references /> 69f1bfe030d2d2dcb05c646bcccacd52e168cfc8 0 4 269 37 2022-02-15T09:24:23Z Aragorn 3 /* Epiphany/Gnome Web */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Introduction == Hardware accelerated video makes it possible for the video card to decode/encode video, thus offloading the CPU and saving power. This article gives detail on enabling hardware video acceleration in browsers used in linux. This article details them for Firefox and Chromium, but similar instructions apply to other browsers based on the above two. == Firefox == Firefox currently supports hardware acceleration on both x11 and wayland. This is tested on firefox 96 (nightly).The following settings need to be changed in <code>about:config</code>:<syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> media.ffmpeg.vaapi.enabled true gfx.webrender.all true media.ffvpx.enabled false </syntaxhighlight>In addition, while running X11, firefox should be launched with variable <code>MOZ_X11_EGL=1</code> . Also, users should ensure that vaapi is available by installing/running <code>vainfo</code> in terminal. In cases where gpu only supports h.264 decode, its beneficial to install [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/h264ify/ h.264ify]. What works: # both 30fps/60fps or higher videos play smoothly at resolutions supported by gpu decoder. # CPU usage is significantly reduced while playing videos The problems: # The colour of videos appears washed out. (0,0,0) is mapped to (16,16,16) and (255,255,255) to (235,235,235). [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1726186 Bug 1726186] (Fixed on Firefox 96+!) # Nvidia users out of luck (for now) == Chromium == Chromium also supports hardware acceleration in x11 and wayland. This too was tested in chromium-dev 97. To enable it, first set <code>chrome://flags/#ignore-gpu-blocklist</code> to <code>disabled</code>. Then launch chromium with the following flags:<syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> --use-gl=desktop --enable-features=VaapiVideoDecoder </syntaxhighlight>In theory, <code>--use-gl=desktop</code> should not be required in wayland, but the wiki editor couldn't get it to work without it. Also h.264ify will be required as stated above. What works: # both 30fps/60fps or higher videos play smoothly at resolutions supported by gpu decoder, unless vulkan backend is enabled through flags. However there is little reason to enable it for now # Videos are played colour accurately The problems: # CPU usage reduction is minimal. I could not observe significant improvement in reduction of cpu load or improved battery life ( on different machine) despite confirming that hardware video acceleration was working while playing videos # Nvidia users out of luck again === Google chrome and other flavors === Same should work for google chrome (and other chromium-based browsers like Brave, Vivaldi, edge etc.) There is a config file for google chrome located at ''$HOME/.config/chrome-flags.conf'' (if file does not exist, create it), where you can put flags that chrome should start with by default (because starting browser with parameters sometimes can be hard/pain). {{Warning|Problem='''NEEDS SPECIFYING:''' Does this file work for other chromium based browsers and chromium itself?}} $HOME/.config/chrome-flags.conf: <pre> --enable-features=VaapiVideoDecoder --use-gl=desktop </pre> === nVidia GPUs === For full GPU acceleration with nVidia GPUs it's required to set 2 additional flags:<syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> --ignore-gpu-blocklist --enable-zero-copy </syntaxhighlight> === Optimizing performance === For better performance it is recommended to set 2 additional flags:<syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> --enable-gpu-rasterization --canvas-oop-rasterization </syntaxhighlight> == Epiphany/Gnome Web == Based on GTKwebkit, it provides another option for users that may be not as powerful as chrome or firefox, but still fairly usable for modern web. To enable hardware accelerated video, first install <code>gstreamer-vaapi</code> for amd/intel gpus or <code>gst-plugins-bad</code> and <code>nvidia-utils</code> for nvidia GPUs. Then [[Terminal|run]]:<syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> gsettings set org.gnome.Epiphany.web:/ hardware-acceleration-policy 'always' </syntaxhighlight>What works: # both 30fps/60fps or higher videos play smoothly at resolutions supported by gpu decoder # Videos are color accurate # Works for nVidia users # Good reduction in CPU usage The problems: # Lack of extensions # No simple way to limit video codec to h.264, hence older GPUs will lack hardware video acceleration in most videos with codecs other than h.264 == Alternatives == VLC and MPV both support proper hardware accelerated video in linux. They can be set to launch when a video is played in a browser. This can be done in firefox with [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/open-in-vlc/ Open in vlc] or [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/ff2mpv/ ff2mpv] extension or other similar extensions. Similarly for chromium, [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/play-with-mpv/hahklcmnfgffdlchjigehabfbiigleji Play with MPV] or [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/open-in-vlc-media-player/ihpiinojhnfhpdmmacgmpoonphhimkaj?hl=en Play with VLC] or similar. What works: # CPU utilisation better than firefox and chrome # Videos are played with accurate colours # Works for NVIDIA users The problems: # Many sites with DRM (such as most paid streaming services) and those using custom video players may not work. == Further Reading == * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Hardware_video_acceleration Arch Wiki - Hardware Accelerated Video] - Resource on setting up hardware video acceleration and installing <code>vainfo</code> * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/List_of_applications/Internet#Web_browsers Arch Wiki - Web Browsers] - List of web browsers available in Linux f393181a8724cda7a03c6b684b632db395fb424e 0 34 277 2022-02-15T13:47:34Z Aragorn 3 Created page with "<ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. You will probably not be able to use the software that you're used to. But usually there is different software that might even be better.</li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have supported hardware. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI o..." wikitext text/x-wiki <ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. You will probably not be able to use the software that you're used to. But usually there is different software that might even be better.</li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have supported hardware. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you can choose your GPU, chose AMD. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] and [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use ''Steam (Runtime)'' for Steam games (if you don't know how to install it, watch the video linked above). Go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE]</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other games.</li> <li><p>If you have an AMD GPU, install CoreCtrl. If you previously chose Pop!_OS, input the following in [[Terminal|the terminal]]:</p> <pre>sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ernstp/mesarc sudo apt-get update sudo apt install corectrl</pre> <p>Otherwise look [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ here] for instructions. Open CoreCtrl, and add a profile for every game, or edit the global settings to your likings.</p></li> <li><p>Disable Composition: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it. Read more [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/improving_performance here].</p></li> <li><p>When Linux gives you a warning, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when asking for help.</p></li></ul> f808adcf86d6340981efb8fdc0f0a8a5b79cd28b 278 277 2022-02-15T13:49:35Z Aragorn 3 Aragorn moved page [[Getting started tldr]] to [[Getting started (short version)]] wikitext text/x-wiki <ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. You will probably not be able to use the software that you're used to. But usually there is different software that might even be better.</li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have supported hardware. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you can choose your GPU, chose AMD. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] and [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use ''Steam (Runtime)'' for Steam games (if you don't know how to install it, watch the video linked above). Go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE]</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other games.</li> <li><p>If you have an AMD GPU, install CoreCtrl. If you previously chose Pop!_OS, input the following in [[Terminal|the terminal]]:</p> <pre>sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ernstp/mesarc sudo apt-get update sudo apt install corectrl</pre> <p>Otherwise look [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ here] for instructions. Open CoreCtrl, and add a profile for every game, or edit the global settings to your likings.</p></li> <li><p>Disable Composition: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it. Read more [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/improving_performance here].</p></li> <li><p>When Linux gives you a warning, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when asking for help.</p></li></ul> f808adcf86d6340981efb8fdc0f0a8a5b79cd28b 281 278 2022-02-15T13:50:59Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki It is recommended to read the [[Getting started with Linux|long version]], but you should be fine if you just do the following:<ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. You will probably not be able to use the software that you're used to. But usually there is different software that might even be better.</li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have supported hardware. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you can choose your GPU, chose AMD. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] and [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use ''Steam (Runtime)'' for Steam games (if you don't know how to install it, watch the video linked above). Go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE]</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other games.</li> <li><p>If you have an AMD GPU, install CoreCtrl. If you previously chose Pop!_OS, input the following in [[Terminal|the terminal]]:</p> <pre>sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ernstp/mesarc sudo apt-get update sudo apt install corectrl</pre> <p>Otherwise look [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ here] for instructions. Open CoreCtrl, and add a profile for every game, or edit the global settings to your likings.</p></li> <li><p>Disable Composition: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it. Read more [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/improving_performance here].</p></li> <li><p>When Linux gives you a warning, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when asking for help.</p></li></ul> 529d365c3f719b8a08ff48deb296c9bb5055477a 294 281 2022-02-16T03:41:58Z Marigold 7 wikitext text/x-wiki It is recommended to read the [[Getting started with Linux|long version]], but you should be fine if you just do the following:<ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. You will probably not be able to use the software that you're used to. But usually there is different software that might even be better.</li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have supported hardware. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you can choose your GPU, chose AMD. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] and [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use ''Steam (Runtime)'' for Steam games (if you don't know how to install it, watch the video linked above). Go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE]</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other games.</li> <li><p>If you have an AMD GPU, install [[CoreCtrl]].</p></li> <li><p>Disable Composition: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it. Read more [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/improving_performance here].</p></li> <li><p>When Linux gives you a warning, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when asking for help.</p></li></ul> 6bbf72c23d8699cb492fc0613dd82b4ee624d8a7 0 35 279 2022-02-15T13:49:35Z Aragorn 3 Aragorn moved page [[Getting started tldr]] to [[Getting started (short version)]] wikitext text/x-wiki #REDIRECT [[Getting started (short version)]] 4e325a26abd203b73dc7bd9c4165de7cdad91c24 6 36 284 2022-02-16T03:26:07Z Marigold 7 wikitext text/x-wiki CoreCtrl cecdafabd965c329f3c93ec832da9355ed7f2d72 6 37 285 2022-02-16T03:33:34Z Marigold 7 wikitext text/x-wiki GPU Settings 1 b679fe172c852602f1c06464304202c18647e764 6 38 286 2022-02-16T03:34:11Z Marigold 7 wikitext text/x-wiki GPU Settings 2 58f023000f7efd8f6bfe41dfa3039981a319880a 6 39 287 2022-02-16T03:36:59Z Marigold 7 wikitext text/x-wiki Cpu corectrl 1b86439ffb64a9938eebda803053d62be01ab297 0 40 288 2022-02-16T03:37:17Z Marigold 7 Created page with "'''CoreCtrl''' lets you set your AMD GPU and/or CPU to high performance when you play games. This application does '''not''' work for Nvidia hardware. == Installation == Search CoreCtrl in your respective app store: <gallery> Screenshot 20220215 222453.png </gallery> If you don't see it there, and you're on a Ubuntu-based distribution like Pop!_OS, input the following in the terminal: <pre>sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ernstp/mesarc sudo apt-get update sudo apt insta..." wikitext text/x-wiki '''CoreCtrl''' lets you set your AMD GPU and/or CPU to high performance when you play games. This application does '''not''' work for Nvidia hardware. == Installation == Search CoreCtrl in your respective app store: <gallery> Screenshot 20220215 222453.png </gallery> If you don't see it there, and you're on a Ubuntu-based distribution like Pop!_OS, input the following in the terminal: <pre>sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ernstp/mesarc sudo apt-get update sudo apt install corectrl</pre> Otherwise, look [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ here] for instructions! == Usage == Set your GPU to Performance mode: Fixed > High. [[File:GPU Settings 1.png|thumb]] [[File:GPU Settings 2.png|thumb]] Set your CPU to Performance scaling: Custom & Frequency governor: Performance [[File:Cpu.png|thumb]] ae17b69f4998dfd9a07f21b6eddd93499f27c52b 289 288 2022-02-16T03:39:15Z Marigold 7 wikitext text/x-wiki '''CoreCtrl''' lets you set your AMD GPU and/or CPU to high performance when you play games. This application does '''not''' work for Nvidia hardware. == Installation == Search CoreCtrl in your respective app store: [[Screenshot 20220215 222453.png|frameless]] If you don't see it there, and you're on a Ubuntu-based distribution like Pop!_OS, input the following in the terminal: <pre>sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ernstp/mesarc sudo apt-get update sudo apt install corectrl</pre> Otherwise, look [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ here] for instructions! == Usage == Set your GPU to Performance mode: Fixed > High. [[File:GPU Settings 1.png|frameless]] [[File:GPU Settings 2.png|frameless]] Set your CPU to Performance scaling: Custom & Frequency governor: Performance [[File:Cpu.png|frameless]] 5944fc42b2cc5bcb08c1873260c40b91e2ad3b40 290 289 2022-02-16T03:39:55Z Marigold 7 /* Usage */ wikitext text/x-wiki '''CoreCtrl''' lets you set your AMD GPU and/or CPU to high performance when you play games. This application does '''not''' work for Nvidia hardware. == Installation == Search CoreCtrl in your respective app store: [[Screenshot 20220215 222453.png|frameless]] If you don't see it there, and you're on a Ubuntu-based distribution like Pop!_OS, input the following in the terminal: <pre>sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ernstp/mesarc sudo apt-get update sudo apt install corectrl</pre> Otherwise, look [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ here] for instructions! == Usage == Set your GPU to Performance mode: Fixed > High. [[File:GPU Settings 1.png|frameless]] [[File:GPU Settings 2.png|frameless]] Set your CPU to Performance scaling > Custom. Then, set your frequency governor > Performance. [[File:Cpu.png|frameless]] f45e5278ad4fb16276fc60db0290b0541580223e 291 290 2022-02-16T03:41:03Z Marigold 7 /* Installation */ wikitext text/x-wiki '''CoreCtrl''' lets you set your AMD GPU and/or CPU to high performance when you play games. This application does '''not''' work for Nvidia hardware. == Installation == Search CoreCtrl in your respective app store: [[File:Screenshot 20220215 222453.png|frameless|581x581px]] If you don't see it there, and you're on a Ubuntu-based distribution like Pop!_OS, input the following in the terminal: <pre>sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ernstp/mesarc sudo apt-get update sudo apt install corectrl</pre> Otherwise, look [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ here] for additional installation instructions! == Usage == Set your GPU to Performance mode: Fixed > High. [[File:GPU Settings 1.png|frameless]] [[File:GPU Settings 2.png|frameless]] Set your CPU to Performance scaling > Custom. Then, set your frequency governor > Performance. [[File:Cpu.png|frameless]] faffe09ead51f052934c2f7846fdd14e8ea16bc7 292 291 2022-02-16T03:41:14Z Marigold 7 wikitext text/x-wiki '''CoreCtrl''' lets you set your AMD GPU and/or CPU to high performance when you play games. Please note: this application does '''not''' work for Nvidia hardware. == Installation == Search CoreCtrl in your respective app store: [[File:Screenshot 20220215 222453.png|frameless|581x581px]] If you don't see it there, and you're on a Ubuntu-based distribution like Pop!_OS, input the following in the terminal: <pre>sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ernstp/mesarc sudo apt-get update sudo apt install corectrl</pre> Otherwise, look [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ here] for additional installation instructions! == Usage == Set your GPU to Performance mode: Fixed > High. [[File:GPU Settings 1.png|frameless]] [[File:GPU Settings 2.png|frameless]] Set your CPU to Performance scaling > Custom. Then, set your frequency governor > Performance. [[File:Cpu.png|frameless]] c7cb3b24e037ac8cbffa966453a74ed120e59410 300 292 2022-02-18T10:02:09Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki '''[https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ CoreCtrl]''' lets you set your AMD GPU and/or CPU to high performance when you play games. Please note: this application does '''not''' work for Nvidia hardware. == Installation == Search CoreCtrl in your respective app store: [[File:Screenshot 20220215 222453.png|frameless|581x581px]] If you don't see it there, and you're on a Ubuntu-based distribution like Pop!_OS, input the following in the terminal: <pre>sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ernstp/mesarc sudo apt-get update sudo apt install corectrl</pre> Otherwise, look [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ here] for additional installation instructions! == Usage == Set your GPU to Performance mode: Fixed > High. [[File:GPU Settings 1.png|frameless]] [[File:GPU Settings 2.png|frameless]] Set your CPU to Performance scaling > Custom. Then, set your frequency governor > Performance. [[File:Cpu.png|frameless]] 694d589f99531893605635126f26e29d840132cb 0 5 295 238 2022-02-17T19:02:01Z Aragorn 3 /* Minor tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == You should definitely do ''all'' of the following tweaks. This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this might be in the magnitude of 300% more FPS: *Set your CPU to maximum performance. You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ CoreCtrl] to do this. *Set your GPU to maximum performance. Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Look at your thermals and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. (<code>tkg-pds</code> seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, but you have to compile it yourself) ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland == {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. == AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ CoreCtrl] **Add a profile for every game: *** For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and just copied from a reddit post}} *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use DKMS. Every distro that has proprietary nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>. <references /> 50de613bc93126a49945277bb767d3a4d9aefe5a 296 295 2022-02-17T19:04:39Z Aragorn 3 /* Minor tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == You should definitely do ''all'' of the following tweaks. This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this might be in the magnitude of 300% more FPS: *Set your CPU to maximum performance. You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ CoreCtrl] to do this. *Set your GPU to maximum performance. Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Look at your thermals and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. (<code>tkg-pds</code> seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, but you have to compile it yourself) ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland == {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. == AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ CoreCtrl] **Add a profile for every game: *** For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and just copied from a reddit post}} *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use DKMS. Every distro that has proprietary nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>. <references /> 66320f36b047adb62d224f8d50f6ea0c435fdeb9 299 296 2022-02-18T10:01:54Z Aragorn 3 /* Major tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == You should definitely do ''all'' of the following tweaks. This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this might be in the magnitude of 300% more FPS: *Set your CPU to maximum performance. You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. *Set your GPU to maximum performance. Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Look at your thermals and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. (<code>tkg-pds</code> seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, but you have to compile it yourself) ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland == {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. == AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] **Add a profile for every game: *** For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and just copied from a reddit post}} *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use DKMS. Every distro that has proprietary nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>. <references /> 183baeeac3df5c0c342ca46e773e6c327afd51bf 0 40 301 300 2022-02-18T10:05:25Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki '''[https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ CoreCtrl]''' lets you set your AMD GPU and/or CPU to high performance when you play games. Please note: this application does '''not''' work for Nvidia hardware. == Installation == Search CoreCtrl in your respective app store: [[File:Screenshot 20220215 222453.png|frameless|581x581px]] If you don't see it there, and you're on a Ubuntu-based distribution like Pop!_OS, input the following in the terminal: <pre>sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ernstp/mesarc sudo apt-get update sudo apt install corectrl</pre> Otherwise, look [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ here] for installation instructions. == Usage == Set your GPU to Performance mode: Fixed > High. [[File:GPU Settings 1.png|frameless]] [[File:GPU Settings 2.png|frameless]] Set your CPU to Performance scaling > Custom. Then, set your frequency governor > Performance. [[File:Cpu.png|frameless]] == Advanced Usage == You can do more with it, for example overclocking, or undervolting. You have to do the [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/-/wikis/Setup setup] first. b2473891390c6646176ed36d77f6b5992eaf57aa 302 301 2022-02-18T10:09:13Z Aragorn 3 /* Installation */ wikitext text/x-wiki '''[https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ CoreCtrl]''' lets you set your AMD GPU and/or CPU to high performance when you play games. Please note: this application does '''not''' work for Nvidia hardware. == Installation == Search CoreCtrl in your respective app store: [[File:Screenshot 20220215 222453.png|frameless|581x581px]] If you don't see it there, and you're on a Ubuntu-based distribution like Pop!_OS, input the following in the terminal: <pre>sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ernstp/mesarc sudo apt-get update sudo apt install corectrl</pre> On Arch-based distributions you can install it from the AUR, for example with paru: <code>paru -S corectrl</code> Otherwise, look [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ here] for installation instructions. == Usage == Set your GPU to Performance mode: Fixed > High. [[File:GPU Settings 1.png|frameless]] [[File:GPU Settings 2.png|frameless]] Set your CPU to Performance scaling > Custom. Then, set your frequency governor > Performance. [[File:Cpu.png|frameless]] == Advanced Usage == You can do more with it, for example overclocking, or undervolting. You have to do the [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/-/wikis/Setup setup] first. a9eb7bc0c3fb2d2110d8ddcd35bfbdfd40f86dd4 303 302 2022-02-18T10:11:01Z Aragorn 3 /* Installation */ wikitext text/x-wiki '''[https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ CoreCtrl]''' lets you set your AMD GPU and/or CPU to high performance when you play games. Please note: this application does '''not''' work for Nvidia hardware. == Installation == Search CoreCtrl in your respective app store: [[File:Screenshot 20220215 222453.png|frameless|581x581px]] If you don't see it there, and you're on a Ubuntu-based distribution like Pop!_OS, input the following in the terminal: <pre>sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ernstp/mesarc sudo apt-get update sudo apt install corectrl</pre> Otherwise, look [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ here] for installation instructions. == Usage == Set your GPU to Performance mode: Fixed > High. [[File:GPU Settings 1.png|frameless]] [[File:GPU Settings 2.png|frameless]] Set your CPU to Performance scaling > Custom. Then, set your frequency governor > Performance. [[File:Cpu.png|frameless]] == Advanced Usage == You can do more with it, for example overclocking, or undervolting. You have to do the [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/-/wikis/Setup setup] first. b2473891390c6646176ed36d77f6b5992eaf57aa 304 303 2022-02-18T10:11:40Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki '''[https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ CoreCtrl]''' lets you set your AMD GPU and/or CPU to high performance when you play games. Please note: Controlling the GPU does '''not''' work for Nvidia hardware. == Installation == Search CoreCtrl in your respective app store: [[File:Screenshot 20220215 222453.png|frameless|581x581px]] If you don't see it there, and you're on a Ubuntu-based distribution like Pop!_OS, input the following in the terminal: <pre>sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ernstp/mesarc sudo apt-get update sudo apt install corectrl</pre> Otherwise, look [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ here] for installation instructions. == Usage == Set your GPU to Performance mode: Fixed > High. [[File:GPU Settings 1.png|frameless]] [[File:GPU Settings 2.png|frameless]] Set your CPU to Performance scaling > Custom. Then, set your frequency governor > Performance. [[File:Cpu.png|frameless]] == Advanced Usage == You can do more with it, for example overclocking, or undervolting. You have to do the [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/-/wikis/Setup setup] first. 5220de69f6336ac32948470a18acd92189d2d24a 325 304 2022-02-21T09:55:15Z Aragorn 3 /* Usage */ wikitext text/x-wiki '''[https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ CoreCtrl]''' lets you set your AMD GPU and/or CPU to high performance when you play games. Please note: Controlling the GPU does '''not''' work for Nvidia hardware. == Installation == Search CoreCtrl in your respective app store: [[File:Screenshot 20220215 222453.png|frameless|581x581px]] If you don't see it there, and you're on a Ubuntu-based distribution like Pop!_OS, input the following in the terminal: <pre>sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ernstp/mesarc sudo apt-get update sudo apt install corectrl</pre> Otherwise, look [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ here] for installation instructions. == Usage == (Optional:) Create a profile for each game. Set your GPU to Performance mode: Fixed > High. [[File:GPU Settings 1.png|frameless]] [[File:GPU Settings 2.png|frameless]] Set your CPU to Performance scaling > Custom. Then, set your frequency governor > Performance. [[File:Cpu.png|frameless]] == Advanced Usage == You can do more with it, for example overclocking, or undervolting. You have to do the [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/-/wikis/Setup setup] first. 73eb8264e9ccd5f56367011ac0721dc099257c74 337 325 2022-03-02T17:45:16Z Marigold 7 wikitext text/x-wiki '''[https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ CoreCtrl]''' lets you set your AMD GPU and CPU to high performance mode when you play games. Please note: Controlling the GPU does '''not''' work for Nvidia hardware. == Installation == Search CoreCtrl in your respective app store: [[File:Screenshot 20220215 222453.png|frameless|581x581px]] If you don't see it there, and you're on a Ubuntu-based distribution like Pop!_OS, input the following in the terminal: <pre>sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ernstp/mesarc sudo apt-get update sudo apt install corectrl</pre> Otherwise, look [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ here] for installation instructions. == Usage == (Optional:) Create a profile for each game. Set your GPU to Performance mode: Fixed > High. [[File:GPU Settings 1.png|frameless]] [[File:GPU Settings 2.png|frameless]] Set your CPU to Performance scaling > Custom. Then, set your frequency governor > Performance. [[File:Cpu.png|frameless]] == Advanced Usage == You can do more with it, for example overclocking, or undervolting. You have to do the [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/-/wikis/Setup setup] first. 8a7b0451eefa17bf45c56b2e63d5c0f1c20b666a 0 5 305 299 2022-02-18T11:12:36Z Aragorn 3 /* Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == You should definitely do ''all'' of the following tweaks. This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this might be in the magnitude of 300% more FPS: *Set your CPU to maximum performance. You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. *Set your GPU to maximum performance. Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Look at your thermals and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. (<code>tkg-pds</code> seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, but you have to compile it yourself) ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland == {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable composition. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. == AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] **Add a profile for every game: *** For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and just copied from a reddit post}} *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use DKMS. Every distro that has proprietary nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>. <references /> 342d467185177233d9243566d215b78c3e7725f9 321 305 2022-02-21T08:13:58Z Aragorn 3 /* Minor tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == You should definitely do ''all'' of the following tweaks. This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this might be in the magnitude of 300% more FPS: *Set your CPU to maximum performance. You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. *Set your GPU to maximum performance. Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Look at your thermals and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. (<code>tkg-pds</code> seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, but you have to compile it yourself<!-- I think, it also gives better input lag. It just feels better. Maybe someone finds a source for this. -->) ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland == {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable composition. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. == AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] **Add a profile for every game: *** For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and just copied from a reddit post}} *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use DKMS. Every distro that has proprietary nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>. <references /> 18a1029a68813548c4213fa63f50b3c02510be69 322 321 2022-02-21T09:48:45Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == You should definitely do ''all'' of the following tweaks. This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this might be in the magnitude of 300% more FPS: *Set your CPU to maximum performance. You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. *Set your GPU to maximum performance. Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Look at your thermals and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. (<code>tkg-pds</code> seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, but you have to compile it yourself<!-- I think, it also gives better input lag. It just feels better. Maybe someone finds a source for this. -->) ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland == {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable composition. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. == AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] **Add a profile for every game: *** For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and just copied from a reddit post}} *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use DKMS. Every distro that has proprietary nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>. <references /> == Troubleshooting == * Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) 46eceac5741b4ba08c076be08821084131140399 323 322 2022-02-21T09:49:48Z Aragorn 3 /* Troubleshooting */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == You should definitely do ''all'' of the following tweaks. This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this might be in the magnitude of 300% more FPS: *Set your CPU to maximum performance. You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. *Set your GPU to maximum performance. Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Look at your thermals and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. (<code>tkg-pds</code> seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, but you have to compile it yourself<!-- I think, it also gives better input lag. It just feels better. Maybe someone finds a source for this. -->) ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland == {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable composition. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. == AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] **Add a profile for every game: *** For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and just copied from a reddit post}} *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use DKMS. Every distro that has proprietary nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>. <references /> 18a1029a68813548c4213fa63f50b3c02510be69 324 323 2022-02-21T09:50:15Z Aragorn 3 /* AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == You should definitely do ''all'' of the following tweaks. This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this might be in the magnitude of 300% more FPS: *Set your CPU to maximum performance. You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. *Set your GPU to maximum performance. Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Look at your thermals and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. (<code>tkg-pds</code> seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, but you have to compile it yourself<!-- I think, it also gives better input lag. It just feels better. Maybe someone finds a source for this. -->) ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland == {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable composition. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. == AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] **Add a profile for every game: *** For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and just copied from a reddit post}} *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use DKMS. Every distro that has proprietary nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>. == Troubleshooting == *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) <references /> 482df9834bdeda4649b6ce1c22e8ae8ff2dafcd4 326 324 2022-02-21T13:52:00Z Aragorn 3 /* Minor tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == You should definitely do ''all'' of the following tweaks. This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this might be in the magnitude of 300% more FPS: *Set your CPU to maximum performance. You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. *Set your GPU to maximum performance. Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Look at your thermals and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. (<code>tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with pds scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, but you have to compile it yourself<!-- I think, it also gives better input lag. It just feels better. Maybe someone finds a source for this. -->) ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland == {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable composition. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. == AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] **Add a profile for every game: *** For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and just copied from a reddit post}} *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use DKMS. Every distro that has proprietary nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>. == Troubleshooting == *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) <references /> 153e7deccdd630957265b287c947448e6155a98d 327 326 2022-02-21T13:52:56Z Aragorn 3 /* Minor tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == You should definitely do ''all'' of the following tweaks. This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this might be in the magnitude of 300% more FPS: *Set your CPU to maximum performance. You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. *Set your GPU to maximum performance. Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Look at your thermals and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. (<code>tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with pds scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, but you have to compile it yourself. Alternatively you could also get it from chaotic AUR.<!-- I think, it also gives better input lag. It just feels better. Maybe someone finds a source for this. -->) ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland == {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable composition. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. == AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] **Add a profile for every game: *** For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and just copied from a reddit post}} *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use DKMS. Every distro that has proprietary nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>. == Troubleshooting == *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) <references /> 2dbaf0b91d77b803a78c0a9be032d5d2454645a1 328 327 2022-02-21T13:53:10Z Aragorn 3 /* Minor tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == You should definitely do ''all'' of the following tweaks. This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this might be in the magnitude of 300% more FPS: *Set your CPU to maximum performance. You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. *Set your GPU to maximum performance. Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Look at your thermals and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. <code>tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with pds scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, but you have to compile it yourself. Alternatively you could also get it from chaotic AUR.<!-- I think, it also gives better input lag. It just feels better. Maybe someone finds a source for this. --> ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland == {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable composition. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. == AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] **Add a profile for every game: *** For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and just copied from a reddit post}} *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use DKMS. Every distro that has proprietary nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>. == Troubleshooting == *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) <references /> ff1a53591d25431df676d1e0dbad0261df2da65e 329 328 2022-02-21T15:59:48Z 156.146.63.153 0 /* Nvidia[5] */ Added bullet point explaining that you should not use the Nouveau open source driver for gaming. Added more detail to DKMS. wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == You should definitely do ''all'' of the following tweaks. This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this might be in the magnitude of 300% more FPS: *Set your CPU to maximum performance. You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. *Set your GPU to maximum performance. Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Look at your thermals and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. <code>tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with pds scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, but you have to compile it yourself. Alternatively you could also get it from chaotic AUR.<!-- I think, it also gives better input lag. It just feels better. Maybe someone finds a source for this. --> ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland == {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable composition. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. == AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] **Add a profile for every game: *** For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and just copied from a reddit post}} *Use the proprietary Nvidia driver. In almost every case the proprietary Nvidia driver will offer much better performance than the open source driver, Nouveau.<ref>[https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=2 https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=3]</ref><ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=2</ref> In addition, Nouveau does not support many features available on newer Nvidia cards.<ref>https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/FeatureMatrix.html</ref> *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>. == Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) <references /> 911bd3222df761e74d77885a28f14036ba770a79 334 329 2022-03-01T18:17:21Z Aragorn 3 /* Major tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this might be in the magnitude of 300% more FPS: *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give very big improvements in some cases: **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *Look at your thermals and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. <code>tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with pds scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, but you have to compile it yourself. Alternatively you could also get it from chaotic AUR.<!-- I think, it also gives better input lag. It just feels better. Maybe someone finds a source for this. --> ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland == {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable composition. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. == AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] **Add a profile for every game: *** For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and just copied from a reddit post}} *Use the proprietary Nvidia driver. In almost every case the proprietary Nvidia driver will offer much better performance than the open source driver, Nouveau.<ref>[https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=2 https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=3]</ref><ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=2</ref> In addition, Nouveau does not support many features available on newer Nvidia cards.<ref>https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/FeatureMatrix.html</ref> *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>. == Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) <references /> 9d92755d67b4f4f62ba26cb25f372476bb088c99 335 334 2022-03-01T18:19:28Z Aragorn 3 /* Major tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this might be in the magnitude of 300% more FPS: *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give you large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *Look at your thermals and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. <code>tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with pds scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, but you have to compile it yourself. Alternatively you could also get it from chaotic AUR.<!-- I think, it also gives better input lag. It just feels better. Maybe someone finds a source for this. --> ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland == {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable composition. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. == AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] **Add a profile for every game: *** For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and just copied from a reddit post}} *Use the proprietary Nvidia driver. In almost every case the proprietary Nvidia driver will offer much better performance than the open source driver, Nouveau.<ref>[https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=2 https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=3]</ref><ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=2</ref> In addition, Nouveau does not support many features available on newer Nvidia cards.<ref>https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/FeatureMatrix.html</ref> *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>. == Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) <references /> 6c78985f271de0b7a31ed46014df3245c0bcdbcc 336 335 2022-03-01T18:19:39Z Aragorn 3 /* Major tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this might be in the magnitude of 300% more FPS: *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *Look at your thermals and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. <code>tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with pds scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, but you have to compile it yourself. Alternatively you could also get it from chaotic AUR.<!-- I think, it also gives better input lag. It just feels better. Maybe someone finds a source for this. --> ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland == {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable composition. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. == AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] **Add a profile for every game: *** For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and just copied from a reddit post}} *Use the proprietary Nvidia driver. In almost every case the proprietary Nvidia driver will offer much better performance than the open source driver, Nouveau.<ref>[https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=2 https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=3]</ref><ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=2</ref> In addition, Nouveau does not support many features available on newer Nvidia cards.<ref>https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/FeatureMatrix.html</ref> *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>. == Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) <references /> 338673707ece6b2d06613d1b3b9da57c2170f832 342 336 2022-03-03T07:55:45Z Aragorn 3 /* Minor tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this might be in the magnitude of 300% more FPS: *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *Look at your thermals and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and seems to have a lower input lag. Some people also recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. Alternatively you could also get it from chaotic AUR. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland == {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable composition. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. == AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] **Add a profile for every game: *** For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and just copied from a reddit post}} *Use the proprietary Nvidia driver. In almost every case the proprietary Nvidia driver will offer much better performance than the open source driver, Nouveau.<ref>[https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=2 https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=3]</ref><ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=2</ref> In addition, Nouveau does not support many features available on newer Nvidia cards.<ref>https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/FeatureMatrix.html</ref> *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>. == Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) <references /> 986f22a9db4b7defa2eb8f0c570ec9ee9947a10b 343 342 2022-03-03T07:59:28Z Aragorn 3 /* Minor tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this might be in the magnitude of 300% more FPS: *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *Look at your thermals and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and seems to have a lower input lag. Some people also recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. Alternatively you could also get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR]. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland == {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable composition. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. == AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] **Add a profile for every game: *** For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and just copied from a reddit post}} *Use the proprietary Nvidia driver. In almost every case the proprietary Nvidia driver will offer much better performance than the open source driver, Nouveau.<ref>[https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=2 https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=3]</ref><ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=2</ref> In addition, Nouveau does not support many features available on newer Nvidia cards.<ref>https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/FeatureMatrix.html</ref> *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>. == Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) <references /> 3f34639130d2926e3f41f6485e4cc5db6486dce0 344 343 2022-03-03T08:00:18Z Aragorn 3 /* Minor tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this might be in the magnitude of 300% more FPS: *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *Look at your thermals and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and seems to have a lower input lag. Some people also recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. Alternatively you could also get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland == {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable composition. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. == AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] **Add a profile for every game: *** For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and just copied from a reddit post}} *Use the proprietary Nvidia driver. In almost every case the proprietary Nvidia driver will offer much better performance than the open source driver, Nouveau.<ref>[https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=2 https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=3]</ref><ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=2</ref> In addition, Nouveau does not support many features available on newer Nvidia cards.<ref>https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/FeatureMatrix.html</ref> *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>. == Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) <references /> bf705f5f991e56e8e4c2291cb03a5b824971dc7f 345 344 2022-03-03T08:02:08Z Aragorn 3 /* Minor tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this might be in the magnitude of 300% more FPS: *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *Look at your thermals and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and seems to have a lower input lag. Some people also recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland == {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable composition. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. == AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] **Add a profile for every game: *** For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and just copied from a reddit post}} *Use the proprietary Nvidia driver. In almost every case the proprietary Nvidia driver will offer much better performance than the open source driver, Nouveau.<ref>[https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=2 https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=3]</ref><ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=2</ref> In addition, Nouveau does not support many features available on newer Nvidia cards.<ref>https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/FeatureMatrix.html</ref> *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>. == Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) <references /> 0f32d8afa7aedd7685b04df9a0cb5fd969e69476 346 345 2022-03-03T08:02:31Z Aragorn 3 /* Minor tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this might be in the magnitude of 300% more FPS: *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *Look at your thermals and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and seems to have a lower input lag. Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland == {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable composition. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. == AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] **Add a profile for every game: *** For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and just copied from a reddit post}} *Use the proprietary Nvidia driver. In almost every case the proprietary Nvidia driver will offer much better performance than the open source driver, Nouveau.<ref>[https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=2 https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=3]</ref><ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=2</ref> In addition, Nouveau does not support many features available on newer Nvidia cards.<ref>https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/FeatureMatrix.html</ref> *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>. == Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) <references /> 61f94e23622d6c1e2ea5c159f2e4b163b3ff0603 0 32 306 241 2022-02-18T11:16:29Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki If you use a DE with X11, then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadow and effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. ==Disabling composition for your games== {{Needs work|Problem=I don't know whether the procedure for disabling composition in Cinnamon actually works. In case this does not work, you should not be using Cinnamon. If you want a DE that looks a bit like Windows, you should choose KDE Plasma instead. Please edit if you know more}} Disabling composition will dramatically improve input lag and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: *If you use KDE: **For Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. **For Steam, Heroic or others: Manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code> before launching the game. The same combination re-enables it. *If you use Gnome (the default DE on Pop!_OS): You don't have to do anything. Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing Windows does), which is almost as good as disabling compositon. *If you use Cinnamon: Go to <code>settings</code> -> <code>general</code> -> <code>disable compositing for full-screen window</code> 4c9ba12cdb6ac232f57ef32a8b75c2edf61e8294 307 306 2022-02-18T11:17:21Z Aragorn 3 /* Disabling composition for your games */ wikitext text/x-wiki If you use a DE with X11, then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadow and effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. ==Disabling composition for your games== {{Needs work|Problem=I don't know whether the procedure for disabling composition in Cinnamon actually works. In case this does not work, you should not be using Cinnamon. If you want a DE that looks a bit like Windows, you should choose KDE Plasma instead. Please edit if you know more}} Disabling composition will dramatically improve input lag and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: *If you use KDE: **For Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. **For Steam, Heroic or others: Manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code> before launching the game. The same combination re-enables it. *If you use Gnome (the default DE on Pop!_OS): You don't have to do anything. Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing Windows does), which is almost as good as disabling compositon. Disabling composition in Gnome is not possible. *If you use Cinnamon: Go to <code>settings</code> -> <code>general</code> -> <code>disable compositing for full-screen window</code> 4aeff2482443aa319c6af5aed12581097267910e 0 41 308 2022-02-20T07:51:20Z Aragorn 3 Created blank page wikitext text/x-wiki da39a3ee5e6b4b0d3255bfef95601890afd80709 309 308 2022-02-20T07:54:48Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki to be done c2ecb97556e2483e7e97a2dfa71366b2ffb56dda 310 309 2022-02-20T07:57:06Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Game mods modify games in some way. A good source for mods is https://www.nexusmods.com. Sometimes they work in the same way as on Windows, but that's not always the case. eec056dd0dcfaa4bd393e94d07c7d96ac9e1d57e 311 310 2022-02-20T07:57:37Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Game mods modify games in some way. A good source for mods is https://www.nexusmods.com. Sometimes they work in the same way as on Windows, but that's not always the case. == Mod Manager == == Manual Installation == 1d1285384a83ba66034fbabd319e670e9dd042a0 313 311 2022-02-20T07:59:19Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Game mods modify games in some way. A good source for mods is https://www.nexusmods.com. Sometimes they work in the same way as on Windows, but that's not always the case. [[Reshade]] is an example for a modding tool. == Mod Manager == == Manual Installation == 06be756b7586ea52f812ea13ecf6545dd4ec9be2 315 313 2022-02-20T15:09:02Z Aragorn 3 /* Manual Installation */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game mods modify games in some way. A good source for mods is https://www.nexusmods.com. Sometimes they work in the same way as on Windows, but that's not always the case. [[Reshade]] is an example for a modding tool. == Mod Manager == You can try installing mod Managers from Lutris, if there is an install script. There are scripts (for older versions of) Vortex and NMM. Otherwise, you can try installing them in the same wine prefix. You could do this for example the following way: * copy the executable into the wine prefix of your game: ~/Games/<your_game>/drive_c/users/<your_name>/Downloads/ * In Lutris, click your game, then click on the arrow next to the wine bottle on the bottom of the window. Click <code>Run EXE inside Wine prefix</code> * Locate the exe, and run it. * If it works, you can locate the executable of the installed mod manager, and run it in this way. Otherwise, you can also create a new "game" in the same wine prefix and select the executable there. TODO: describe how. == Manual Installation == 17c3d261bd0a4501c9459ed9b528c7aa95a92ddf 316 315 2022-02-20T15:09:18Z Aragorn 3 /* Mod Manager */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game mods modify games in some way. A good source for mods is https://www.nexusmods.com. Sometimes they work in the same way as on Windows, but that's not always the case. [[Reshade]] is an example for a modding tool. == Mod Manager == You can try installing mod Managers from Lutris, if there is an install script. There are scripts (for older versions of) Vortex and NMM. Otherwise, you can try installing them in the same wine prefix. You could do this for example the following way: * Copy the executable into the wine prefix of your game: <code>~/Games/<your_game>/drive_c/users/<your_name>/Downloads/</code> * In Lutris, click your game, then click on the arrow next to the wine bottle on the bottom of the window. Click <code>Run EXE inside Wine prefix</code> * Locate the exe, and run it. * If it works, you can locate the executable of the installed mod manager, and run it in this way. Otherwise, you can also create a new "game" in the same wine prefix and select the executable there. TODO: describe how. == Manual Installation == cc2e9de2e572660a472c804a04f51d0bcaf74525 317 316 2022-02-20T15:32:06Z Aragorn 3 /* Manual Installation */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game mods modify games in some way. A good source for mods is https://www.nexusmods.com. Sometimes they work in the same way as on Windows, but that's not always the case. [[Reshade|Res?hade]] is an example for a modding tool. == Mod Manager == You can try installing mod Managers from Lutris, if there is an install script. There are scripts (for older versions of) Vortex and NMM. Otherwise, you can try installing them in the same wine prefix. You could do this for example the following way: * Copy the executable into the wine prefix of your game: <code>~/Games/<your_game>/drive_c/users/<your_name>/Downloads/</code> * In Lutris, click your game, then click on the arrow next to the wine bottle on the bottom of the window. Click <code>Run EXE inside Wine prefix</code> * Locate the exe, and run it. * If it works, you can locate the executable of the installed mod manager, and run it in this way. Otherwise, you can also create a new "game" in the same wine prefix and select the executable there. TODO: describe how. == Manual Installation == {{Needs work|Problem=I have no idea what is correct, and what is not correct. But this should give you a vague idea about how to get your mods working}} === DLL overrides === The game can either use ''native'' dlls that come with the game, or use ''builtin'' dlls that come with wine. It (sometimes?/usually?) uses only the ''builtin'' dlls. On Windows, the game would do it the other way around, and first use ''all'' dlls in the game directory, and only if the dll is not there, look somewhere else. Now if you put a different dll from a mod inside the game directory, this will not (not always?) work. That's why you have to tell wine, that it should use the dll from the mod. ==== Example ==== For example, if you want to tell wine to use the d3dcompiler_47.dll that's in your game folder, and only use the builtin dll if it can't find any dll in the game folder, you would do the following: Open Lutris, click your game, on the bottom, click the up-arrow right next to the wine bottle icon, click <code>Wine configuration</code>, click <code>Libraries</code>, insert the name of the dll (without the .dll) in the text box under <code>New override for library</code>: *<code>d3dcompiler_47</code> *select it in the list, click <code>Edit</code> and select <code>native, then builtin</code> Alternatively, you could also set <code>WINEDLLOVERRIDES="dsound=n,b"</code> as an environment variable. b58126a43c550e23c92fc2096443c0aec4931b39 318 317 2022-02-20T15:32:24Z Aragorn 3 /* Example */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game mods modify games in some way. A good source for mods is https://www.nexusmods.com. Sometimes they work in the same way as on Windows, but that's not always the case. [[Reshade|Res?hade]] is an example for a modding tool. == Mod Manager == You can try installing mod Managers from Lutris, if there is an install script. There are scripts (for older versions of) Vortex and NMM. Otherwise, you can try installing them in the same wine prefix. You could do this for example the following way: * Copy the executable into the wine prefix of your game: <code>~/Games/<your_game>/drive_c/users/<your_name>/Downloads/</code> * In Lutris, click your game, then click on the arrow next to the wine bottle on the bottom of the window. Click <code>Run EXE inside Wine prefix</code> * Locate the exe, and run it. * If it works, you can locate the executable of the installed mod manager, and run it in this way. Otherwise, you can also create a new "game" in the same wine prefix and select the executable there. TODO: describe how. == Manual Installation == {{Needs work|Problem=I have no idea what is correct, and what is not correct. But this should give you a vague idea about how to get your mods working}} === DLL overrides === The game can either use ''native'' dlls that come with the game, or use ''builtin'' dlls that come with wine. It (sometimes?/usually?) uses only the ''builtin'' dlls. On Windows, the game would do it the other way around, and first use ''all'' dlls in the game directory, and only if the dll is not there, look somewhere else. Now if you put a different dll from a mod inside the game directory, this will not (not always?) work. That's why you have to tell wine, that it should use the dll from the mod. ==== Example ==== For example, if you want to tell wine to use the ''d3dcompiler_47.dll'' that's in your game folder, and only use the builtin dll if it can't find any dll in the game folder, you would do the following: Open Lutris, click your game, on the bottom, click the up-arrow right next to the wine bottle icon, click <code>Wine configuration</code>, click <code>Libraries</code>, insert the name of the dll (without the .dll) in the text box under <code>New override for library</code>: *<code>d3dcompiler_47</code> *select it in the list, click <code>Edit</code> and select <code>native, then builtin</code> Alternatively, you could also set <code>WINEDLLOVERRIDES="dsound=n,b"</code> as an environment variable. a6738005f7dcd8f9126237426c4fe562598dfe4b 319 318 2022-02-20T15:32:35Z Aragorn 3 /* Example */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game mods modify games in some way. A good source for mods is https://www.nexusmods.com. Sometimes they work in the same way as on Windows, but that's not always the case. [[Reshade|Res?hade]] is an example for a modding tool. == Mod Manager == You can try installing mod Managers from Lutris, if there is an install script. There are scripts (for older versions of) Vortex and NMM. Otherwise, you can try installing them in the same wine prefix. You could do this for example the following way: * Copy the executable into the wine prefix of your game: <code>~/Games/<your_game>/drive_c/users/<your_name>/Downloads/</code> * In Lutris, click your game, then click on the arrow next to the wine bottle on the bottom of the window. Click <code>Run EXE inside Wine prefix</code> * Locate the exe, and run it. * If it works, you can locate the executable of the installed mod manager, and run it in this way. Otherwise, you can also create a new "game" in the same wine prefix and select the executable there. TODO: describe how. == Manual Installation == {{Needs work|Problem=I have no idea what is correct, and what is not correct. But this should give you a vague idea about how to get your mods working}} === DLL overrides === The game can either use ''native'' dlls that come with the game, or use ''builtin'' dlls that come with wine. It (sometimes?/usually?) uses only the ''builtin'' dlls. On Windows, the game would do it the other way around, and first use ''all'' dlls in the game directory, and only if the dll is not there, look somewhere else. Now if you put a different dll from a mod inside the game directory, this will not (not always?) work. That's why you have to tell wine, that it should use the dll from the mod. ==== Example ==== For example, if you want to tell wine to use the ''d3dcompiler_47.dll'' that's in your game folder, and only use the builtin dll if it can't find any dll in the game folder, you would do the following: Open Lutris, click your game, on the bottom, click the up-arrow right next to the wine bottle icon, click <code>Wine configuration</code>, click <code>Libraries</code>, insert the name of the dll (without the .dll) in the text box under <code>New override for library</code>: *<code>d3dcompiler_47</code> *select it in the list, click <code>Edit</code> and select <code>native, then builtin</code> Alternatively, you could also set <code>WINEDLLOVERRIDES="d3dcompiler_47=n,b"</code> as an environment variable. 2162fa9e6e1ccb9935d4de403eeff5aceb8b1c3d 338 319 2022-03-03T07:43:15Z Aragorn 3 /* Manual Installation */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game mods modify games in some way. A good source for mods is https://www.nexusmods.com. Sometimes they work in the same way as on Windows, but that's not always the case. [[Reshade|Res?hade]] is an example for a modding tool. == Mod Manager == You can try installing mod Managers from Lutris, if there is an install script. There are scripts (for older versions of) Vortex and NMM. Otherwise, you can try installing them in the same wine prefix. You could do this for example the following way: * Copy the executable into the wine prefix of your game: <code>~/Games/<your_game>/drive_c/users/<your_name>/Downloads/</code> * In Lutris, click your game, then click on the arrow next to the wine bottle on the bottom of the window. Click <code>Run EXE inside Wine prefix</code> * Locate the exe, and run it. * If it works, you can locate the executable of the installed mod manager, and run it in this way. Otherwise, you can also create a new "game" in the same wine prefix and select the executable there. TODO: describe how. == Manual Installation == {{Needs work|Problem=I have no idea what is correct, and what is not correct. But this should give you a vague idea about how to get your mods working}} === DLL overrides === The game can either use ''native'' dlls that come with the game, or use ''builtin'' dlls that come with wine. It (sometimes?/usually?) uses only the ''builtin'' dlls. On Windows, the game would do it the other way around, and first use ''all'' dlls in the game directory, and only if the dll is not there, look somewhere else. Now if you put a different dll from a mod inside the game directory, this will not (not always?) work. That's why you have to tell wine, that it should use the dll from the mod. ==== Example ==== For example, if you want to tell wine to use the ''d3dcompiler_47.dll'' that's in your game folder, and only use the builtin dll if it can't find any dll in the game folder, you would do the following: Open Lutris, click your game, on the bottom, click the up-arrow right next to the wine bottle icon, click <code>Wine configuration</code>, click <code>Libraries</code>, insert the name of the dll (without the .dll) in the text box under <code>New override for library</code>: *<code>d3dcompiler_47</code> *select it in the list, click <code>Edit</code> and select <code>native, then builtin</code> Alternatively, you could also set <code>WINEDLLOVERRIDES="d3dcompiler_47=n,b"</code> as an environment variable. === Path names === Linux paths are case sensitive, while Windows paths are not. This leads to mod developers using different folder names when referring to the same folder, for example ''folderName'' and ''Foldername''. If your mod doesn't work, this might be the issue, and you can try changing the names so they are consistent. a184a0140d66d80eb006a3172ce9f523cfdaaadb 0 1 312 293 2022-02-20T07:58:43Z Aragorn 3 /* Where to start */ wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Where to start == * [[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] *[[Getting started with Linux]] *[[Getting started (short version)]] * [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - information about AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. This is a technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. * [[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. * [[Improving performance]] *[[Lutris]] *[[Heroic]] *[[Reshade]] *[[Gamemode]] *[[Compositor]] *[[Terminal]] *[[CoreCtrl]] *[[Modding]] The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. 88b9a716a5cfe3874f08050e05c33a0810b11cd5 332 312 2022-02-27T17:54:55Z Aragorn 3 /* Where to start */ wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Where to start == * [[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] *[[Getting started with Linux]] *[[Getting started (short version)]] * [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - information about AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. This is a technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. * [[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. * [[Improving performance]] *[[Lutris]] *[[Heroic]] *[[Reshade]] *[[Gamemode]] *[[Compositor]] *[[Terminal]] *[[CoreCtrl]] *[[Modding]] *[[Common tweaks]] The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. f73c3021d15d99f5964e6461cac8ef7f94299ba9 348 332 2022-03-03T08:07:12Z Aragorn 3 /* Where to start */ wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Where to start == * [[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] *[[Getting started with Linux]] *[[Getting started (short version)]] * [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - information about AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. This is a technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. * [[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. * [[Improving performance]] *[[Lutris]] *[[Heroic]] *[[Reshade]] *[[Gamemode]] *[[Compositor]] *[[Terminal]] *[[CoreCtrl]] *[[Modding]] *[[Common tweaks]] == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. 7a2bd059d8b5dce80a379684bdb6cdb7a0b6b4c0 349 348 2022-03-03T08:07:45Z Aragorn 3 /* Where to start */ wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Pages in this wiki == * [[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] *[[Getting started with Linux]] *[[Getting started (short version)]] * [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - information about AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. This is a technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. * [[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. * [[Improving performance]] *[[Lutris]] *[[Heroic]] *[[Reshade]] *[[Gamemode]] *[[Compositor]] *[[Terminal]] *[[CoreCtrl]] *[[Modding]] *[[Common tweaks]] == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. a5fbe9b86c1b86a592b163f6ba021be75eb497db 350 349 2022-03-03T08:14:28Z Aragorn 3 /* Pages in this wiki */ wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Pages in this wiki == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] *[[Getting started with Linux]] *[[Getting started (short version)]] === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - launcher to help you run many games *[[Heroic]] - launcher to run games from Epic and GOG *[[Bottles]] === Performance === * [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. This is a technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. * [[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. * [[Improving performance]] - what to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[Gamemode]] - tool to improve performance *[[Compositor]] *[[CoreCtrl]] - tool to control CPU and GPU === Modding === *[[Modding]] *[[Reshade]] - change colors in your games === Other === *[[Terminal]] *[[Common tweaks]] == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. eac2e78cfc0c0d97edacb043358aa3bdd484a488 0 30 314 158 2022-02-20T08:02:38Z Aragorn 3 /* Manual[1] */ wikitext text/x-wiki Reshade let's you apply extra shaders. While it's theoretically possible to do this with vkBasalt, it's not yet fully working. You might also want to use some mods that are written for reshade. ==How to install== ===Automatic=== You can use [https://github.com/kevinlekiller/reshade-steam-proton/blob/main/reshade-linux.sh this script]. Note, that executing external scripts is a security risk. You should always read and understand the content of the script before executing it. ===Manual<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/b2hi3g/reshade_working_in_wine_43/</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=dll name for dx12 is missing}} *Get the architecture of your application. If you don't know it, run <code>file /path/to/your/game.exe</code>. The output will either contain '''x86-64''' (64 bit) or '''80386''' (32 bit). *Download: **If your game is 32 bit: https://download-installer.cdn.mozilla.net/pub/firefox/releases/62.0.3/win32/ach/Firefox%20Setup%2062.0.3.exe **If your game is 64 bit: https://download-installer.cdn.mozilla.net/pub/firefox/releases/62.0.3/win64/ach/Firefox%20Setup%2062.0.3.exe *Download the latest version of Reshade: https://reshade.me/ (alternatively download this older version, it should work: https://reshade.me/downloads/ReShade_Setup_4.9.1.exe) *Move both executables to some folder, and extract them with 7zip: **<code>7z e Firefox\ Setup\ 62.0.3.exe</code> **<code>7z e ReShade_Setup_x.y.z.exe</code> (modify x y and z according to the version you downloaded, for example <code>7z e ReShade_Setup_4.9.1.exe</code> for Reshade version 4.9.1) *From the extracted executables, copy following dlls to the folder your game executable is in: **<code>d3dcompiler.dll</code> (coming from Firefox) **<code>Reshade.dll</code> (coming from Reshade). Rename it to ***<code>d3d9.dll</code> if your game uses Directx9 (this is more likely for older games) ***<code>dxgi.dll</code> if your game uses Directx11 (this is more likely for newer games) *Set dll overrides in winecfg: **Open Lutris, click your game, on the bottom, click the up-arrow right next to the wine bottle icon, click <code>Wine configuration</code>, click <code>Libraries</code>, insert the name of the dll (without the .dll) in the text box under <code>New override for library</code>: ***<code>d3dcompiler_47</code> ***select it in the list, click <code>Edit</code> and select <code>native, then builtin</code> ***Depending on whether your game uses DX9 or DX11: ****<code>d3d9</code> for DX9 ****<code>dxgi</code> for DX11 ***select it in the list, click <code>Edit</code> and select <code>native (Windows)</code> *Get the shaders and textures: <code>git clone <nowiki>https://github.com/crosire/reshade-shaders.git</nowiki></code> and copy the folders <code>Shaders</code> and <code>Textures</code> into the folder where your game executable is in. * Run your application *Open Reshade (by pressing <code>home</code> or <code>Pos1</code>) *Open settings tab, and add the path <code>./Shaders</code> for shaders and <code>./Textures</code> for textures. <references /> 18f872c2a41df951d42c895cd869fc906341d0af 320 314 2022-02-20T15:34:25Z Aragorn 3 /* Manual[1] */ wikitext text/x-wiki Reshade let's you apply extra shaders. While it's theoretically possible to do this with vkBasalt, it's not yet fully working. You might also want to use some mods that are written for reshade. ==How to install== ===Automatic=== You can use [https://github.com/kevinlekiller/reshade-steam-proton/blob/main/reshade-linux.sh this script]. Note, that executing external scripts is a security risk. You should always read and understand the content of the script before executing it. ===Manual<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/b2hi3g/reshade_working_in_wine_43/</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=dll name for dx12 is missing}} *Get the architecture of your application. If you don't know it, run <code>file /path/to/your/game.exe</code>. The output will either contain '''x86-64''' (64 bit) or '''80386''' (32 bit). *Download: **If your game is 32 bit: https://download-installer.cdn.mozilla.net/pub/firefox/releases/62.0.3/win32/ach/Firefox%20Setup%2062.0.3.exe **If your game is 64 bit: https://download-installer.cdn.mozilla.net/pub/firefox/releases/62.0.3/win64/ach/Firefox%20Setup%2062.0.3.exe *Download the latest version of Reshade: https://reshade.me/ (alternatively download this older version, it should work: https://reshade.me/downloads/ReShade_Setup_4.9.1.exe) *Move both executables to some folder, and extract them with 7zip: **<code>7z e Firefox\ Setup\ 62.0.3.exe</code> **<code>7z e ReShade_Setup_x.y.z.exe</code> (modify x y and z according to the version you downloaded, for example <code>7z e ReShade_Setup_4.9.1.exe</code> for Reshade version 4.9.1) *From the extracted executables, copy following dlls to the folder your game executable is in: **<code>d3dcompiler.dll</code> (coming from Firefox) **<code>Reshade.dll</code> (coming from Reshade). Rename it to ***<code>d3d9.dll</code> if your game uses Directx9 (this is more likely for older games) ***<code>dxgi.dll</code> if your game uses Directx11 (this is more likely for newer games) *Set [[Modding#DLL overrides|dll overrides]] in winecfg: **Open Lutris, click your game, on the bottom, click the up-arrow right next to the wine bottle icon, click <code>Wine configuration</code>, click <code>Libraries</code>, insert the name of the dll (without the .dll) in the text box under <code>New override for library</code>: ***<code>d3dcompiler_47</code> ***select it in the list, click <code>Edit</code> and select <code>native, then builtin</code> ***Depending on whether your game uses DX9 or DX11: ****<code>d3d9</code> for DX9 ****<code>dxgi</code> for DX11 ***select it in the list, click <code>Edit</code> and select <code>native (Windows)</code> *Get the shaders and textures: <code>git clone <nowiki>https://github.com/crosire/reshade-shaders.git</nowiki></code> and copy the folders <code>Shaders</code> and <code>Textures</code> into the folder where your game executable is in. * Run your application *Open Reshade (by pressing <code>home</code> or <code>Pos1</code>) *Open settings tab, and add the path <code>./Shaders</code> for shaders and <code>./Textures</code> for textures. <references /> 689dd3f325f6f5c49de8811ba84c2be384b0c28e 0 33 330 275 2022-02-24T08:43:42Z Aragorn 3 /* Dangers of the terminal */ wikitext text/x-wiki The terminal is the black thing with text you probably have already seen in some hacker movies. It might look scary, but it basically works like a voice assistant with text input. If you see instructions in the form of <code>sudo pacman -Q | grep -i -C 10 "apt"</code>, then this is something you have to put into the terminal. == How to use the terminal == '''Where do I find the terminal?''' You will probably find it somewhere in your menu. It might have a name like Gnome-Terminal, Konsole, Xterm, Terminator, or something else. It will probably have an icon that looks vaguely like a terminal (black background, white text). '''How does the terminal work?''' You write a line of text, you press enter, and you look at what happens. The terminal usually tells you if something goes wrong. Sometimes you need to press additional buttons like <code>y</code> for "yes" or <code>n</code> for "no". '''Should I read the output?''' Yes, it might contain warnings. However: Sometimes the output is very long, for example if you install software. In this case, you don't have to read everything. The important stuff will be at the end. If you have problems and look for help in forums, always include the output from the terminal. '''Should I take warnings seriously?''' YES! [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average "You could harm your computer" bullshit you are used to from Windows.] '''Is the terminal dangerous?''' It might look scary, but it's not dangerous. If you write something wrong, it will just tell you that it's wrong - your computer will not explode. However, things can go wrong, more in the next section. '''How can I learn using it?''' Look here: https://linuxjourney.com/ == Dangers of the terminal == '''So should I just input whatever I find at some random place in the internet?''' NO! You should not copy/paste stuff from untrusted sources (like this wiki - everyone can edit it) if you don't understand what you're doing. The commands might be malicious. For example, if you would type the following, you would delete everything on your computer, and potentially destroy your motherboard: <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> '''<big>DO NOT DO THIS!</big>''' There is no situation where it would be a good thing to input the following command. It will delete your system, it will delete other mounted drives (like Windows, external drives, your game drive, whatever), and it might '''permanently''' '''destroy''' your motherboard. <code>sudo rm -rf / --no-preserve-root</code> Don't do it. Seriously. Not for fun, not because you don't need your system anymore. Just don't. </div> Other commands may uninstall your graphical user interface, or install a remote access for hackers. '''This sounds scary!''' Don't be afraid. Malicious tutorials for Linux are rarer than malware for Windows (I don't even know if this ever happened somewhere), and if someone did write one, it would probably get noticed and removed very fast. If you're fine with installing software on Windows, you should be fine with tutorials for Linux. But still. Be wary. '''Could I harm my computer if I type malicious commands by accident?''' Probably not. It's not easy to input these commands by accident. You might type <code>sudo rm -rf /</code> by accident, but you won't type the <code>--no-preserve-root</code> if you don't actually want to harm your computer. Accidentally typing a command that installs malware is near impossible. '''So as long as I don't type --no-preserve-root, everything is fine?''' No. The terminal is a way to operate your computer. It will do exactly what you tell it to do. If you tell it to remove all your important files, it will do just that. In the same way you might harm your computer with the GUI, you might as well harm it with the terminal. However, you definitely have more options to fuck things up when using the terminal. For example, always be careful, when running <code>sudo</code>. This is the equivalent to "Administrator access", but much more powerful. You should always avoid running a ''root-shell'' (a shell where you have sudo access without typing sudo). You would detect it by the # symbol at the beginning of each line. But note, that you can do all kind of bad stuff in your home directory (the place where all your important files are), without typing <code>sudo</code>. Always think before typing something, and especially think before pressing enter. Also note, that <code>rm</code> actually ''removes'' files, and doesn't just move them to the trash bin. If you want to have that extra safety, you can use <code>trash</code> instead. '''What else can go wrong?''' There might be instances where you copy a command from some website, and you also copy the "enter command". This might lead to ''enter'' being automatically pressed at the end of the line, and the command being executed without additional interaction by you. If you want to modify the command before executing it, this would be unintended behavior. To prevent it, you can copy to a text editor first, modify the commands, and then copy to the terminal. == Other stuff you should know == If you have a folder <code>foo</code> and in it a folder <code>bar</code>, you would write this as <code>foo/bar</code>. The topmost folder is <code>/</code>. This means, that every path on your computer looks like this: <code>/path/to/some/file.txt</code> <code>~</code> is an abbreviation for <code>/home/<username></code>, so paths to files in your ''home directory'' (the place where all your personal files are, look like this: <code>~/path/to/some/file.txt</code>. b66a31cc3bd4950eb2b63045ce364b990fa098a5 347 330 2022-03-03T08:05:47Z Aragorn 3 /* Other stuff you should know */ wikitext text/x-wiki The terminal is the black thing with text you probably have already seen in some hacker movies. It might look scary, but it basically works like a voice assistant with text input. If you see instructions in the form of <code>sudo pacman -Q | grep -i -C 10 "apt"</code>, then this is something you have to put into the terminal. == How to use the terminal == '''Where do I find the terminal?''' You will probably find it somewhere in your menu. It might have a name like Gnome-Terminal, Konsole, Xterm, Terminator, or something else. It will probably have an icon that looks vaguely like a terminal (black background, white text). '''How does the terminal work?''' You write a line of text, you press enter, and you look at what happens. The terminal usually tells you if something goes wrong. Sometimes you need to press additional buttons like <code>y</code> for "yes" or <code>n</code> for "no". '''Should I read the output?''' Yes, it might contain warnings. However: Sometimes the output is very long, for example if you install software. In this case, you don't have to read everything. The important stuff will be at the end. If you have problems and look for help in forums, always include the output from the terminal. '''Should I take warnings seriously?''' YES! [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average "You could harm your computer" bullshit you are used to from Windows.] '''Is the terminal dangerous?''' It might look scary, but it's not dangerous. If you write something wrong, it will just tell you that it's wrong - your computer will not explode. However, things can go wrong, more in the next section. '''How can I learn using it?''' Look here: https://linuxjourney.com/ == Dangers of the terminal == '''So should I just input whatever I find at some random place in the internet?''' NO! You should not copy/paste stuff from untrusted sources (like this wiki - everyone can edit it) if you don't understand what you're doing. The commands might be malicious. For example, if you would type the following, you would delete everything on your computer, and potentially destroy your motherboard: <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> '''<big>DO NOT DO THIS!</big>''' There is no situation where it would be a good thing to input the following command. It will delete your system, it will delete other mounted drives (like Windows, external drives, your game drive, whatever), and it might '''permanently''' '''destroy''' your motherboard. <code>sudo rm -rf / --no-preserve-root</code> Don't do it. Seriously. Not for fun, not because you don't need your system anymore. Just don't. </div> Other commands may uninstall your graphical user interface, or install a remote access for hackers. '''This sounds scary!''' Don't be afraid. Malicious tutorials for Linux are rarer than malware for Windows (I don't even know if this ever happened somewhere), and if someone did write one, it would probably get noticed and removed very fast. If you're fine with installing software on Windows, you should be fine with tutorials for Linux. But still. Be wary. '''Could I harm my computer if I type malicious commands by accident?''' Probably not. It's not easy to input these commands by accident. You might type <code>sudo rm -rf /</code> by accident, but you won't type the <code>--no-preserve-root</code> if you don't actually want to harm your computer. Accidentally typing a command that installs malware is near impossible. '''So as long as I don't type --no-preserve-root, everything is fine?''' No. The terminal is a way to operate your computer. It will do exactly what you tell it to do. If you tell it to remove all your important files, it will do just that. In the same way you might harm your computer with the GUI, you might as well harm it with the terminal. However, you definitely have more options to fuck things up when using the terminal. For example, always be careful, when running <code>sudo</code>. This is the equivalent to "Administrator access", but much more powerful. You should always avoid running a ''root-shell'' (a shell where you have sudo access without typing sudo). You would detect it by the # symbol at the beginning of each line. But note, that you can do all kind of bad stuff in your home directory (the place where all your important files are), without typing <code>sudo</code>. Always think before typing something, and especially think before pressing enter. Also note, that <code>rm</code> actually ''removes'' files, and doesn't just move them to the trash bin. If you want to have that extra safety, you can use <code>trash</code> instead. '''What else can go wrong?''' There might be instances where you copy a command from some website, and you also copy the "enter command". This might lead to ''enter'' being automatically pressed at the end of the line, and the command being executed without additional interaction by you. If you want to modify the command before executing it, this would be unintended behavior. To prevent it, you can copy to a text editor first, modify the commands, and then copy to the terminal. == Other stuff you should know == If you have a folder <code>foo</code> and in it a folder <code>bar</code>, you would write this as <code>foo/bar</code>. The topmost folder is <code>/</code>. This means, that every path on your computer looks like this: <code>/path/to/some/file.txt</code> <code>~</code> is an abbreviation for <code>/home/<username></code> (where <code><username></code> is your actual username. If your username is ''peter'', this would be <code>/home/peter</code>), so paths to files in your ''home directory'' (the place where all your personal files are, look like this: <code>~/path/to/some/file.txt</code>. 41aa3e2f1989408faf92f258f23da40563dce3bb 0 42 331 2022-02-27T17:54:37Z Aragorn 3 Created page with "[https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Mouse_acceleration#Disabling_mouse_acceleration Disable mouse accelleration]" wikitext text/x-wiki [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Mouse_acceleration#Disabling_mouse_acceleration Disable mouse accelleration] aceb5c77713991a8ee74781ee6ed68faec800ebe 333 331 2022-02-27T17:57:43Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki == Disable mouse accelleration == * KDE Plasma: System Settings -> Input devices -> Mouse -> Acceleration profile: Flat * Other DEs: To be done * Otherwise have a look at the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Mouse_acceleration#Disabling_mouse_acceleration Arch wiki] d5bb4256e06e993738e7ef945273b273ed3914fa 0 2 339 298 2022-03-03T07:49:00Z Aragorn 3 /* Getting Started */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers other topics than this one. == The software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. If you've done that and there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. Bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto] * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == The swap (Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux) == If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. You might face problems here, [[Improving performance|especially regarding performance and input lag]]. If you choose Mint, don't use Cinnamon. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! ! Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- | Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- | Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clickin an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==The habit (what to do after the installation)== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install Steam on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to [https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/ Chrome being considered spyware]. [https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome UbuntuUpdates.org] give the following instructions: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. == Windows compatibility== So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exes) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. For Steam games you can just use Steam. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. Your last resort is the following: First, let's install Wine. <pre>sudo apt install wine</pre> On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you'll want to open a terminal and type (credit to [[u/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running): <pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> Remember to check the ratings and know issues in the wine AppDB so you know what you can expect, and you should be golden. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. ===DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D=== What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[u/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and [[Lutris]] both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily optimized Linux install. Your default experience will be worse. ==Improving performance== The default settings are probably not the best for a flawless experience. Read more [[Improving performance|here]] ==Nice things== You don't need the following. But you might find them useful for special use cases. *[https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] for downscaling *[https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) *[https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] ==Downloading stuff from GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. ==Troubleshooting== *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask here or in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==Going further == Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. 9693a46c7ca60d4f39df9a02a7cd7238b7ecff5f 340 339 2022-03-03T07:49:20Z Aragorn 3 /* Getting Started */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == The software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. If you've done that and there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. Bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto] * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == The swap (Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux) == If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. You might face problems here, [[Improving performance|especially regarding performance and input lag]]. If you choose Mint, don't use Cinnamon. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! ! Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- | Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- | Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clickin an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==The habit (what to do after the installation)== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install Steam on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to [https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/ Chrome being considered spyware]. [https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome UbuntuUpdates.org] give the following instructions: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. == Windows compatibility== So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exes) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. For Steam games you can just use Steam. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. Your last resort is the following: First, let's install Wine. <pre>sudo apt install wine</pre> On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you'll want to open a terminal and type (credit to [[u/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running): <pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> Remember to check the ratings and know issues in the wine AppDB so you know what you can expect, and you should be golden. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. ===DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D=== What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[u/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and [[Lutris]] both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily optimized Linux install. Your default experience will be worse. ==Improving performance== The default settings are probably not the best for a flawless experience. Read more [[Improving performance|here]] ==Nice things== You don't need the following. But you might find them useful for special use cases. *[https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] for downscaling *[https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) *[https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] ==Downloading stuff from GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. ==Troubleshooting== *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask here or in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==Going further == Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. a2840f4e666d3e76ffaddc9ac50df8f1a59ffbfe 341 340 2022-03-03T07:50:00Z Aragorn 3 /* Improving performance */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == The software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. If you've done that and there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. Bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto] * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == The swap (Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux) == If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. You might face problems here, [[Improving performance|especially regarding performance and input lag]]. If you choose Mint, don't use Cinnamon. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! ! Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- | Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- | Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clickin an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==The habit (what to do after the installation)== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install Steam on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to [https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/ Chrome being considered spyware]. [https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome UbuntuUpdates.org] give the following instructions: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. == Windows compatibility== So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exes) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. For Steam games you can just use Steam. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. Your last resort is the following: First, let's install Wine. <pre>sudo apt install wine</pre> On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you'll want to open a terminal and type (credit to [[u/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running): <pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> Remember to check the ratings and know issues in the wine AppDB so you know what you can expect, and you should be golden. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. ===DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D=== What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[u/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and [[Lutris]] both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily optimized Linux install. Your default experience will be worse. ==Improving performance== The default settings are probably not the best for a flawless experience. Read more [[Improving performance|here]]. ==Nice things== You don't need the following. But you might find them useful for special use cases. *[https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] for downscaling *[https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) *[https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] ==Downloading stuff from GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. ==Troubleshooting== *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask here or in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==Going further == Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. 816e49f03bdc8242d93a8a8b8690aab489a4b329 0 1 351 350 2022-03-03T08:15:37Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Pages in this wiki == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] *[[Getting started with Linux]] *[[Getting started (short version)]] === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - launcher to help you run many games *[[Heroic]] - launcher to run games from Epic and GOG *[[Bottles]] === Performance === * [[Improving performance]] - what to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. This is a technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. * [[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Gamemode]] - tool to improve performance *[[Compositor]] *[[CoreCtrl]] - tool to control CPU and GPU === Modding === *[[Modding]] *[[Reshade]] - change colors in your games === Other === *[[Terminal]] *[[Common tweaks]] == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. cf3c2d76fe8aafe02f63ef8053114a9fcb7ffbd0 352 351 2022-03-03T08:17:06Z Aragorn 3 /* Running games */ wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Pages in this wiki == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] *[[Getting started with Linux]] *[[Getting started (short version)]] === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - launcher to help you run many games *[[Heroic]] - launcher to run games from Epic and GOG === Performance === * [[Improving performance]] - what to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. This is a technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. * [[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Gamemode]] - tool to improve performance *[[Compositor]] *[[CoreCtrl]] - tool to control CPU and GPU === Modding === *[[Modding]] *[[Reshade]] - change colors in your games === Other === *[[Terminal]] *[[Common tweaks]] == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. 0f66ff804bfbebaffcf58066af5efae04c2b3fe8 353 352 2022-03-03T08:18:02Z Aragorn 3 /* Modding */ wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Pages in this wiki == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] *[[Getting started with Linux]] *[[Getting started (short version)]] === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - launcher to help you run many games *[[Heroic]] - launcher to run games from Epic and GOG === Performance === * [[Improving performance]] - what to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. This is a technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. * [[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Gamemode]] - tool to improve performance *[[Compositor]] *[[CoreCtrl]] - tool to control CPU and GPU === Modding === *[[Modding]] *[[Reshade]] - change colors in your games === Other === *[[Terminal]] *[[Common tweaks]] - how to disable mouse accelleration (, and more - to be done) == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. dc2f3b430b3f00333a250ac45634584b50c2afc7 356 353 2022-03-05T21:56:52Z Aragorn 3 /* Running games */ wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Pages in this wiki == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] *[[Getting started with Linux]] *[[Getting started (short version)]] === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - launcher to help you run many games *[[Heroic]] - launcher to run games from Epic and GOG *Steam *Bottles === Performance === * [[Improving performance]] - what to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. This is a technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. * [[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Gamemode]] - tool to improve performance *[[Compositor]] *[[CoreCtrl]] - tool to control CPU and GPU === Modding === *[[Modding]] *[[Reshade]] - change colors in your games === Other === *[[Terminal]] *[[Common tweaks]] - how to disable mouse accelleration (, and more - to be done) == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. 19e240ac194e25fc33ab455d2905b950738dcb6c 357 356 2022-03-05T22:04:17Z Aragorn 3 /* Running games */ wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] *[[Getting started with Linux]] *[[Getting started (short version)]] === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *Steam - The best way to install games from Steam. *Bottles - A different option to install games. === Performance === * [[Improving performance]] - what to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. This is a technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. * [[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Gamemode]] - tool to improve performance *[[Compositor]] - makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games *[[CoreCtrl]] - tool to control CPU and GPU === Modding === *[[Modding]] - change how your games work *[[Reshade]] - change colors in your games === Other === *[[Terminal]] - the scary black thing with text *[[Common tweaks]] - how to disable mouse accelleration (, and more - to be done) == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. dac6fc1d30ca07e5605418523ef04083e1e46eaa 358 357 2022-03-05T22:06:41Z Aragorn 3 /* Running games */ wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - things to consider before wiping Windows *[[Getting started with Linux]] - in depth guide about how to start *[[Getting started (short version)]] - if you just want something that works === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - A different option to install games. === Performance === * [[Improving performance]] - what to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. This is a technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. * [[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Gamemode]] - tool to improve performance *[[Compositor]] - makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games *[[CoreCtrl]] - tool to control CPU and GPU === Modding === *[[Modding]] - change how your games work *[[Reshade]] - change colors in your games === Other === *[[Terminal]] - the scary black thing with text *[[Common tweaks]] - how to disable mouse accelleration (, and more - to be done) == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. de9cc024c59e6dfc57441a6eb8cb4fb8343a717d 359 358 2022-03-05T22:11:24Z Aragorn 3 /* Performance */ wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - A different option to install games. === Performance === * [[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. * [[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Reshade]] - Tool to change colors in your games. === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. d8ea92d6a0d202483e92da89eac5f1f88341a24d 368 359 2022-03-05T23:11:30Z Aragorn 3 /* Other */ wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - A different option to install games. === Performance === * [[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. * [[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Reshade]] - Tool to change colors in your games. === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Short tutorials that don't deserve their own article. == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. d17d7d0d9cb2769c4f6e4d266bdb58a99f9c34a3 391 368 2022-03-06T14:55:26Z Aragorn 3 /* Other */ wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - A different option to install games. === Performance === * [[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. * [[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Reshade]] - Tool to change colors in your games. === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. ebc7d9c8194407c5715f5a1c94cc0df1345a9ffb 396 391 2022-03-06T15:05:35Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. === Performance === * [[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. * [[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Reshade]] - Tool to change colors in your games. === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. ddc07d977f32a089f0b23c5fd55cf303dc656789 0 5 354 346 2022-03-03T08:36:01Z Aragorn 3 /* Minor tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this might be in the magnitude of 300% more FPS: *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *Look at your thermals and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and seems to have a lower input lag. Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable the render queue of your GPU, and disable page flipping. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <pre>Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</pre> ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable composition. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] **Add a profile for every game: ***For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and just copied from a reddit post}} *Use the proprietary Nvidia driver. In almost every case the proprietary Nvidia driver will offer much better performance than the open source driver, Nouveau.<ref>[https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=2 https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=3]</ref><ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=2</ref> In addition, Nouveau does not support many features available on newer Nvidia cards.<ref>https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/FeatureMatrix.html</ref> *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. * For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>. ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) <references /> a7a1197e2c0e2c9f3c65b285706cef8e64d076d2 355 354 2022-03-05T21:51:06Z Aragorn 3 /* Nvidia[5] */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this might be in the magnitude of 300% more FPS: *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *Look at your thermals and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and seems to have a lower input lag. Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable the render queue of your GPU, and disable page flipping. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <pre>Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</pre> ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable composition. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] **Add a profile for every game: ***For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use the proprietary Nvidia driver. In almost every case the proprietary Nvidia driver will offer much better performance than the open source driver, Nouveau.<ref>[https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=2 https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=3]</ref><ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=2</ref> In addition, Nouveau does not support many features available on newer Nvidia cards.<ref>https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/FeatureMatrix.html</ref> *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. * For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) <references /> 425467c1150e65de1f4fec40c21e18878bd5151f 361 355 2022-03-05T22:59:38Z Aragorn 3 /* Optional */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this might be in the magnitude of 300% more FPS: *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *Look at your thermals and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and seems to have a lower input lag. Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable the render queue of your GPU, and disable page flipping. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <pre>Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</pre> * Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX]: An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex (manually frame capping your game should be equally good) ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable composition. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] **Add a profile for every game: ***For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use the proprietary Nvidia driver. In almost every case the proprietary Nvidia driver will offer much better performance than the open source driver, Nouveau.<ref>[https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=2 https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=3]</ref><ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=2</ref> In addition, Nouveau does not support many features available on newer Nvidia cards.<ref>https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/FeatureMatrix.html</ref> *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. * For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) <references /> a24effd663fc9c897ebe243b48a0425d59a59d99 362 361 2022-03-05T23:02:09Z Aragorn 3 /* Optional */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this might be in the magnitude of 300% more FPS: *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *Look at your thermals and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and seems to have a lower input lag. Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable the render queue of your GPU, and disable page flipping. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <pre>Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</pre> * Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX]: An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) your game should be equally good. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable composition. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] **Add a profile for every game: ***For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use the proprietary Nvidia driver. In almost every case the proprietary Nvidia driver will offer much better performance than the open source driver, Nouveau.<ref>[https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=2 https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=3]</ref><ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=2</ref> In addition, Nouveau does not support many features available on newer Nvidia cards.<ref>https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/FeatureMatrix.html</ref> *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. * For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) <references /> ec79e392b4ec8a8403c03a884e20c90865586f2c 363 362 2022-03-05T23:02:32Z Aragorn 3 /* Optional */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this might be in the magnitude of 300% more FPS: *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *Look at your thermals and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and seems to have a lower input lag. Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable the render queue of your GPU, and disable page flipping. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <pre>Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</pre> * Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX]: An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable composition. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] **Add a profile for every game: ***For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use the proprietary Nvidia driver. In almost every case the proprietary Nvidia driver will offer much better performance than the open source driver, Nouveau.<ref>[https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=2 https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=3]</ref><ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=2</ref> In addition, Nouveau does not support many features available on newer Nvidia cards.<ref>https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/FeatureMatrix.html</ref> *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. * For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) <references /> ece85bbd6838526dde6675f6338610b9413a20dd 364 363 2022-03-05T23:02:59Z Aragorn 3 /* Troubleshooting */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this might be in the magnitude of 300% more FPS: *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *Look at your thermals and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and seems to have a lower input lag. Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable the render queue of your GPU, and disable page flipping. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <pre>Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</pre> * Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX]: An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable composition. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] **Add a profile for every game: ***For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use the proprietary Nvidia driver. In almost every case the proprietary Nvidia driver will offer much better performance than the open source driver, Nouveau.<ref>[https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=2 https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=3]</ref><ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=2</ref> In addition, Nouveau does not support many features available on newer Nvidia cards.<ref>https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/FeatureMatrix.html</ref> *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. * For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce one frame input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) <references /> 17b1b95465dc38e1b2872cc911cfa6b50cd878c8 365 364 2022-03-05T23:03:05Z Aragorn 3 /* Troubleshooting */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this might be in the magnitude of 300% more FPS: *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *Look at your thermals and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and seems to have a lower input lag. Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable the render queue of your GPU, and disable page flipping. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <pre>Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</pre> * Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX]: An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable composition. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] **Add a profile for every game: ***For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use the proprietary Nvidia driver. In almost every case the proprietary Nvidia driver will offer much better performance than the open source driver, Nouveau.<ref>[https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=2 https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=3]</ref><ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=2</ref> In addition, Nouveau does not support many features available on newer Nvidia cards.<ref>https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/FeatureMatrix.html</ref> *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. * For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) <references /> ece85bbd6838526dde6675f6338610b9413a20dd 366 365 2022-03-05T23:04:31Z Aragorn 3 /* Optional */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this might be in the magnitude of 300% more FPS: *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *Look at your thermals and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and seems to have a lower input lag. Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable the render queue of your GPU, and disable page flipping. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <pre>Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</pre> * Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX]: An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable composition. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] **Add a profile for every game: ***For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use the proprietary Nvidia driver. In almost every case the proprietary Nvidia driver will offer much better performance than the open source driver, Nouveau.<ref>[https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=2 https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=3]</ref><ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=2</ref> In addition, Nouveau does not support many features available on newer Nvidia cards.<ref>https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/FeatureMatrix.html</ref> *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. * For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) <references /> 672c5aa90a7d7ab818a151e034f6448238482655 367 366 2022-03-05T23:09:30Z Aragorn 3 /* Major tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience. == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this might be in the magnitude of 300% more FPS: *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *Look at your thermals and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and seems to have a lower input lag. Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable the render queue of your GPU, and disable page flipping. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <pre>Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</pre> * Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX]: An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable composition. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] **Add a profile for every game: ***For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use the proprietary Nvidia driver. In almost every case the proprietary Nvidia driver will offer much better performance than the open source driver, Nouveau.<ref>[https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=2 https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=3]</ref><ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=2</ref> In addition, Nouveau does not support many features available on newer Nvidia cards.<ref>https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/FeatureMatrix.html</ref> *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. * For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) <references /> 0f9b02c2aa1c60f2e9ebe3941aab5687f82e844f 370 367 2022-03-05T23:16:07Z Aragorn 3 /* Major tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience. == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this might be in the magnitude of 300% more FPS: *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]] and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and seems to have a lower input lag. Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable the render queue of your GPU, and disable page flipping. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <pre>Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</pre> * Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX]: An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable composition. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] **Add a profile for every game: ***For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use the proprietary Nvidia driver. In almost every case the proprietary Nvidia driver will offer much better performance than the open source driver, Nouveau.<ref>[https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=2 https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=3]</ref><ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=2</ref> In addition, Nouveau does not support many features available on newer Nvidia cards.<ref>https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/FeatureMatrix.html</ref> *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. * For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) <references /> 88f40f025814edb1000e16a4962fb51111b59da0 373 370 2022-03-05T23:18:31Z Aragorn 3 /* Major tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience. == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this might be in the magnitude of 300% more FPS: *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *[[Misc|Look at your thermals]] and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and seems to have a lower input lag. Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable the render queue of your GPU, and disable page flipping. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <pre>Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</pre> * Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX]: An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable composition. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] **Add a profile for every game: ***For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use the proprietary Nvidia driver. In almost every case the proprietary Nvidia driver will offer much better performance than the open source driver, Nouveau.<ref>[https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=2 https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=3]</ref><ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=2</ref> In addition, Nouveau does not support many features available on newer Nvidia cards.<ref>https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/FeatureMatrix.html</ref> *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. * For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) <references /> f4959455e299f9915473f9319cb685f28c4782b9 381 373 2022-03-06T07:48:44Z Aragorn 3 /* Optional */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience. == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this might be in the magnitude of 300% more FPS: *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *[[Misc|Look at your thermals]] and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and seems to have a lower input lag. Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <pre>Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</pre> * Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX]: An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable composition. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] **Add a profile for every game: ***For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use the proprietary Nvidia driver. In almost every case the proprietary Nvidia driver will offer much better performance than the open source driver, Nouveau.<ref>[https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=2 https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=3]</ref><ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=2</ref> In addition, Nouveau does not support many features available on newer Nvidia cards.<ref>https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/FeatureMatrix.html</ref> *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. * For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) <references /> 4762f7907dbbef447e07a3d3231a44dd11230002 0 41 360 338 2022-03-05T22:18:20Z Aragorn 3 /* Manual Installation */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game mods modify games in some way. A good source for mods is https://www.nexusmods.com. Sometimes they work in the same way as on Windows, but that's not always the case. [[Reshade|Res?hade]] is an example for a modding tool. == Mod Manager == You can try installing mod Managers from Lutris, if there is an install script. There are scripts (for older versions of) Vortex and NMM. Otherwise, you can try installing them in the same wine prefix. You could do this for example the following way: * Copy the executable into the wine prefix of your game: <code>~/Games/<your_game>/drive_c/users/<your_name>/Downloads/</code> * In Lutris, click your game, then click on the arrow next to the wine bottle on the bottom of the window. Click <code>Run EXE inside Wine prefix</code> * Locate the exe, and run it. * If it works, you can locate the executable of the installed mod manager, and run it in this way. Otherwise, you can also create a new "game" in the same wine prefix and select the executable there. TODO: describe how. == Manual Installation == === DLL overrides === The game can either use ''native'' dlls that come with the game, or use ''builtin'' dlls that come with wine. It (sometimes?/usually?) uses only the ''builtin'' dlls. On Windows, the game would do it the other way around, and first use ''all'' dlls in the game directory, and only if the dll is not there, look somewhere else. Now if you put a different dll from a mod inside the game directory, this will not (not always?) work. That's why you have to tell wine, that it should use the dll from the mod. ==== Example ==== For example, if you want to tell wine to use the ''d3dcompiler_47.dll'' that's in your game folder, and only use the builtin dll if it can't find any dll in the game folder, you would do the following: Open Lutris, click your game, on the bottom, click the up-arrow right next to the wine bottle icon, click <code>Wine configuration</code>, click <code>Libraries</code>, insert the name of the dll (without the .dll) in the text box under <code>New override for library</code>: *<code>d3dcompiler_47</code> *select it in the list, click <code>Edit</code> and select <code>native, then builtin</code> Alternatively, you could also set <code>WINEDLLOVERRIDES="d3dcompiler_47=n,b"</code> as an environment variable. === Path names === Linux paths are case sensitive, while Windows paths are not. This leads to mod developers using different folder names when referring to the same folder, for example ''folderName'' and ''Foldername''. If your mod doesn't work, this might be the issue, and you can try changing the names so they are consistent. 691b0c7c1c1d1930c4148a5a000b00c0c7168574 374 360 2022-03-05T23:21:24Z Aragorn 3 /* Mod Manager */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game mods modify games in some way. A good source for mods is https://www.nexusmods.com. Sometimes they work in the same way as on Windows, but that's not always the case. [[Reshade|Res?hade]] is an example for a modding tool. == Mod Manager == You can try installing mod Managers from [[Lutris]], if there is an install script. There are scripts (for older versions of) Vortex and NMM. Otherwise, you can try installing them in the same wine prefix. You could do this for example the following way: * Copy the executable into the wine prefix of your game: <code>~/Games/<your_game>/drive_c/users/<your_name>/Downloads/</code> * In Lutris, click your game, then click on the arrow next to the wine bottle on the bottom of the window. Click <code>Run EXE inside Wine prefix</code> * Locate the exe, and run it. * If it works, you can locate the executable of the installed mod manager, and run it in this way. Otherwise, you can also create a new "game" in the same wine prefix and select the executable there. TODO: describe how. == Manual Installation == === DLL overrides === The game can either use ''native'' dlls that come with the game, or use ''builtin'' dlls that come with wine. It (sometimes?/usually?) uses only the ''builtin'' dlls. On Windows, the game would do it the other way around, and first use ''all'' dlls in the game directory, and only if the dll is not there, look somewhere else. Now if you put a different dll from a mod inside the game directory, this will not (not always?) work. That's why you have to tell wine, that it should use the dll from the mod. ==== Example ==== For example, if you want to tell wine to use the ''d3dcompiler_47.dll'' that's in your game folder, and only use the builtin dll if it can't find any dll in the game folder, you would do the following: Open Lutris, click your game, on the bottom, click the up-arrow right next to the wine bottle icon, click <code>Wine configuration</code>, click <code>Libraries</code>, insert the name of the dll (without the .dll) in the text box under <code>New override for library</code>: *<code>d3dcompiler_47</code> *select it in the list, click <code>Edit</code> and select <code>native, then builtin</code> Alternatively, you could also set <code>WINEDLLOVERRIDES="d3dcompiler_47=n,b"</code> as an environment variable. === Path names === Linux paths are case sensitive, while Windows paths are not. This leads to mod developers using different folder names when referring to the same folder, for example ''folderName'' and ''Foldername''. If your mod doesn't work, this might be the issue, and you can try changing the names so they are consistent. bf2a3ea4c87c186699dc7b55b88abd138e84d47b 375 374 2022-03-05T23:25:04Z Aragorn 3 /* Example */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game mods modify games in some way. A good source for mods is https://www.nexusmods.com. Sometimes they work in the same way as on Windows, but that's not always the case. [[Reshade|Res?hade]] is an example for a modding tool. == Mod Manager == You can try installing mod Managers from [[Lutris]], if there is an install script. There are scripts (for older versions of) Vortex and NMM. Otherwise, you can try installing them in the same wine prefix. You could do this for example the following way: * Copy the executable into the wine prefix of your game: <code>~/Games/<your_game>/drive_c/users/<your_name>/Downloads/</code> * In Lutris, click your game, then click on the arrow next to the wine bottle on the bottom of the window. Click <code>Run EXE inside Wine prefix</code> * Locate the exe, and run it. * If it works, you can locate the executable of the installed mod manager, and run it in this way. Otherwise, you can also create a new "game" in the same wine prefix and select the executable there. TODO: describe how. == Manual Installation == === DLL overrides === The game can either use ''native'' dlls that come with the game, or use ''builtin'' dlls that come with wine. It (sometimes?/usually?) uses only the ''builtin'' dlls. On Windows, the game would do it the other way around, and first use ''all'' dlls in the game directory, and only if the dll is not there, look somewhere else. Now if you put a different dll from a mod inside the game directory, this will not (not always?) work. That's why you have to tell wine, that it should use the dll from the mod. ==== Example ==== For example, if you want to tell wine to use the ''d3dcompiler_47.dll'' that's in your game folder, and only use the builtin dll if it can't find any dll in the game folder, you would do the following: Open Lutris, click your game, on the bottom, click the up-arrow right next to the wine bottle icon, click <code>Wine configuration</code>, click <code>Libraries</code>, and *insert the name of the dll (without the .dll) <code>d3dcompiler_47</code> in the text box under <code>New override for library</code>. *select it in the list, click <code>Edit</code> and select <code>native, then builtin</code> Alternatively, you could also set <code>WINEDLLOVERRIDES="d3dcompiler_47=n,b"</code> as an environment variable. === Path names === Linux paths are case sensitive, while Windows paths are not. This leads to mod developers using different folder names when referring to the same folder, for example ''folderName'' and ''Foldername''. If your mod doesn't work, this might be the issue, and you can try changing the names so they are consistent. 675d6f369e08fbd6443d6b97515938df4b3bf093 376 375 2022-03-05T23:25:51Z Aragorn 3 /* Path names */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game mods modify games in some way. A good source for mods is https://www.nexusmods.com. Sometimes they work in the same way as on Windows, but that's not always the case. [[Reshade|Res?hade]] is an example for a modding tool. == Mod Manager == You can try installing mod Managers from [[Lutris]], if there is an install script. There are scripts (for older versions of) Vortex and NMM. Otherwise, you can try installing them in the same wine prefix. You could do this for example the following way: * Copy the executable into the wine prefix of your game: <code>~/Games/<your_game>/drive_c/users/<your_name>/Downloads/</code> * In Lutris, click your game, then click on the arrow next to the wine bottle on the bottom of the window. Click <code>Run EXE inside Wine prefix</code> * Locate the exe, and run it. * If it works, you can locate the executable of the installed mod manager, and run it in this way. Otherwise, you can also create a new "game" in the same wine prefix and select the executable there. TODO: describe how. == Manual Installation == === DLL overrides === The game can either use ''native'' dlls that come with the game, or use ''builtin'' dlls that come with wine. It (sometimes?/usually?) uses only the ''builtin'' dlls. On Windows, the game would do it the other way around, and first use ''all'' dlls in the game directory, and only if the dll is not there, look somewhere else. Now if you put a different dll from a mod inside the game directory, this will not (not always?) work. That's why you have to tell wine, that it should use the dll from the mod. ==== Example ==== For example, if you want to tell wine to use the ''d3dcompiler_47.dll'' that's in your game folder, and only use the builtin dll if it can't find any dll in the game folder, you would do the following: Open Lutris, click your game, on the bottom, click the up-arrow right next to the wine bottle icon, click <code>Wine configuration</code>, click <code>Libraries</code>, and *insert the name of the dll (without the .dll) <code>d3dcompiler_47</code> in the text box under <code>New override for library</code>. *select it in the list, click <code>Edit</code> and select <code>native, then builtin</code> Alternatively, you could also set <code>WINEDLLOVERRIDES="d3dcompiler_47=n,b"</code> as an environment variable. === Path names === Linux paths are case sensitive, while Windows paths are not. This leads to mod developers using different folder names when referring to the same folder, for example ''folderName'' and ''Foldername''. If your mod doesn't work, this might be the issue, and you can try changing the names so that they are consistent. 8ee8b488d1e617655a64356d8287e48305fab155 0 43 369 2022-03-05T23:14:42Z Aragorn 3 Created page with "== Watching the temperature == You can use <code>lm_sensors</code>. Before running it for the first time, run <code>sudo sensors-detect</code>. After that, type <code>sensors</code> to see your temperatures. If you want to monitor them for a longer time, type <code>watch sensors</code>." wikitext text/x-wiki == Watching the temperature == You can use <code>lm_sensors</code>. Before running it for the first time, run <code>sudo sensors-detect</code>. After that, type <code>sensors</code> to see your temperatures. If you want to monitor them for a longer time, type <code>watch sensors</code>. 9d722b323104065ab4954c4e7c4e41bcf6e8dbde 371 369 2022-03-05T23:18:14Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki == Watching the temperature == You can use <code>lm_sensors</code>. Before running it for the first time, run <code>sudo sensors-detect</code>. After that, type <code>sensors</code> to see your temperatures. If you want to monitor them for a longer time, type <code>watch sensors</code>. == Test == dede2e74948f43e70abd72db52d2673977b98115 372 371 2022-03-05T23:18:22Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki == Watching the temperature == You can use <code>lm_sensors</code>. Before running it for the first time, run <code>sudo sensors-detect</code>. After that, type <code>sensors</code> to see your temperatures. If you want to monitor them for a longer time, type <code>watch sensors</code>. 9d722b323104065ab4954c4e7c4e41bcf6e8dbde 387 372 2022-03-06T14:49:50Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki == Watching the temperature == You can use <code>lm_sensors</code>. Before running it for the first time, run <code>sudo sensors-detect</code>. After that, type <code>sensors</code> to see your temperatures. If you want to monitor them for a longer time, type <code>watch sensors</code>. == Noise Cancelling == You can use [https://github.com/wwmm/easyeffects EasyEffects] or [https://github.com/lawl/NoiseTorch NoiseTorch]. EasyEffects also has various other audio processing options, like crystalizer, noise gate, equalizer, filter, and much more. NoiseTorch can only cancel noise, but also has the option to tweak how aggressive it cancels noise. == Audio patchbay == If you want to have a patchbay to route your audio to various destinations, [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/helvum Helvum] might be what you're looking for. a7e8952bd92ea0628c47aa3a41b91eb5fd82c26a 388 387 2022-03-06T14:52:45Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki == Watching the temperature == You can use <code>lm_sensors</code>. Before running it for the first time, run <code>sudo sensors-detect</code>. After that, type <code>sensors</code> to see your temperatures. If you want to monitor them for a longer time, type <code>watch sensors</code>. == Noise Cancelling == You can use [https://github.com/wwmm/easyeffects EasyEffects] or [https://github.com/lawl/NoiseTorch NoiseTorch]. EasyEffects also has various other audio processing options, like crystalizer, noise gate, equalizer, filter, and much more. NoiseTorch can only cancel noise, but also has the option to tweak how aggressive it cancels noise. == Patching Audio == If you want to have a patchbay to route your audio to various destinations, [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/helvum Helvum] might be what you're looking for. == Game Streaming == [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == Downsampling == You can use [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] == Post Processing == You can use [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) 59daf777186c807533fcfb20d039adee8166cced 394 388 2022-03-06T15:03:34Z Aragorn 3 /* Game Streaming */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Watching the temperature == You can use <code>lm_sensors</code>. Before running it for the first time, run <code>sudo sensors-detect</code>. After that, type <code>sensors</code> to see your temperatures. If you want to monitor them for a longer time, type <code>watch sensors</code>. == Noise Cancelling == You can use [https://github.com/wwmm/easyeffects EasyEffects] or [https://github.com/lawl/NoiseTorch NoiseTorch]. EasyEffects also has various other audio processing options, like crystalizer, noise gate, equalizer, filter, and much more. NoiseTorch can only cancel noise, but also has the option to tweak how aggressive it cancels noise. == Patching Audio == If you want to have a patchbay to route your audio to various destinations, [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/helvum Helvum] might be what you're looking for. == Game Streaming == You can use [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == Downsampling == You can use [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] == Post Processing == You can use [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) 0c291d99911bd31ca315b1b03655607a369658ad 395 394 2022-03-06T15:05:23Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki == Watching the temperature == You can use <code>lm_sensors</code>. Before running it for the first time, run <code>sudo sensors-detect</code>. After that, type <code>sensors</code> to see your temperatures. If you want to monitor them for a longer time, type <code>watch sensors</code>. == Noise Cancelling == You can use [https://github.com/wwmm/easyeffects EasyEffects] or [https://github.com/lawl/NoiseTorch NoiseTorch]. EasyEffects also has various other audio processing options, like crystalizer, noise gate, equalizer, filter, and much more. NoiseTorch can only cancel noise, but also has the option to tweak how aggressive it cancels noise. == Patching Audio == If you want to have a patchbay to route your audio to various destinations, [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/helvum Helvum] might be what you're looking for. == Game Streaming == You can use [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == Downsampling == You can use [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] == Post Processing == You can use [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) == Bottles == Some people prefer [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] to install games that don't have an install script in [[Lutris]]. aa79294a707c8c1016197862da59a94a012b5dfc 0 28 377 177 2022-03-05T23:44:35Z Aragorn 3 /* Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways]. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux usually isn't the best platform for that. It mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== Game modding is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. Many mods are also Windows-only, so you'd have to try running them through WINE. If you're running your game through WINE, you can install mod managers as you would on Windows. However, some may not work, or may not work well. There are Lutris scripts to help with ''Nexus Mod Manager''<ref>https://lutris.net/games/nexus-mod-manager-community-edition/</ref> and ''Vortex''<ref>https://lutris.net/games/vortex-mod-manager/</ref>, but they do not run flawlessly. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) in February 2022, which has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]] * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in several years or so. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == 6896e59e85d0fcb19198614962483233f5ce2f4e 378 377 2022-03-05T23:45:27Z Aragorn 3 /* AAA Games */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways]. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux usually isn't the best platform for that. It mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== Game modding is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. Many mods are also Windows-only, so you'd have to try running them through WINE. If you're running your game through WINE, you can install mod managers as you would on Windows. However, some may not work, or may not work well. There are Lutris scripts to help with ''Nexus Mod Manager''<ref>https://lutris.net/games/nexus-mod-manager-community-edition/</ref> and ''Vortex''<ref>https://lutris.net/games/vortex-mod-manager/</ref>, but they do not run flawlessly. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) in February 2022, which has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]] * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in several years or so. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == 54b0fd9fc73091aa7a531d2a9260ed4b533dc174 379 378 2022-03-05T23:46:11Z Aragorn 3 /* Game Modding */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways]. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux usually isn't the best platform for that. It mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. Many mods are also Windows-only, so you'd have to try running them through WINE. If you're running your game through WINE, you can install mod managers as you would on Windows. However, some may not work, or may not work well. There are Lutris scripts to help with ''Nexus Mod Manager''<ref>https://lutris.net/games/nexus-mod-manager-community-edition/</ref> and ''Vortex''<ref>https://lutris.net/games/vortex-mod-manager/</ref>, but they do not run flawlessly. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) in February 2022, which has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]] * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in several years or so. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == 37fbf63af1a58728184dbddd77b2ce28f7e2b9ad 380 379 2022-03-05T23:46:58Z Aragorn 3 /* Genres */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways]. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux usually isn't the best platform for that. It mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. Many mods are also Windows-only, so you'd have to try running them through WINE. If you're running your game through WINE, you can install mod managers as you would on Windows. However, some may not work, or may not work well. There are Lutris scripts to help with ''Nexus Mod Manager''<ref>https://lutris.net/games/nexus-mod-manager-community-edition/</ref> and ''Vortex''<ref>https://lutris.net/games/vortex-mod-manager/</ref>, but they do not run flawlessly. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://lutris.net/ Lutris], and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) in February 2022, which has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]] * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in several years or so. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == c349071412374227935f7a4e26d976ec99cb16c7 0 34 382 294 2022-03-06T14:28:10Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki It is recommended to read the [[Getting started with Linux|long version]], but you should be fine if you just do the following:<ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. You will probably not be able to use the software that you're used to. But usually there is different software that might even be better.</li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have supported hardware. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you can choose your GPU, choose AMD. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] and [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use ''Steam (Runtime)'' for Steam games (if you don't know how to install it, watch the video linked above). Go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE]</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other games.</li> <li><p>If you have an AMD GPU, install [[CoreCtrl]].</p></li> <li><p>Disable Composition: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it. Read more [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/improving_performance here].</p></li> <li><p>When Linux gives you a warning, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when asking for help.</p></li></ul> 9ce9de422c1af79fd0b06b563401bbd1c4e370e2 383 382 2022-03-06T14:30:25Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki It is recommended to read the [[Getting started with Linux|long version]], but you should be fine if you just do the following:<ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. You will probably not be able to use the software that you're used to. But usually there is different software that might even be better.</li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have supported hardware. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you can choose your GPU, choose AMD. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] and [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use ''Steam (Runtime)'' for Steam games (if you don't know how to install it, watch the video linked above). Go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE]</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other games.</li> <li><p>If you have an AMD GPU, install [[CoreCtrl]].</p></li> <li><p>Disable Composition: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it. Read more [[Improving performance|here]].</p></li> <li><p>When Linux gives you a warning, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when asking for help.</p></li></ul> f29819778ff03435e45758729e6d9c61a0e20d22 384 383 2022-03-06T14:31:07Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki It is recommended to read the [[Getting started with Linux|long version]], but you should be fine if you just do the following:<ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. You will probably not be able to use the software that you're used to. But usually there is different software that might even be better.</li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have supported hardware. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you can choose your GPU, choose AMD. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] and [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use ''Steam (Runtime)'' for Steam games (if you don't know how to install it, watch the video linked above). Go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE]</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other games.</li> <li><p>If you have an AMD GPU, install [[CoreCtrl]].</p></li> <li><p>Disable Composition: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it. Read more [[Compositor|here]].</p></li> <li><p>When Linux gives you a warning, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when asking for help.</p></li></ul> ab7fe7ed29fb1ccb7ddd720844cc53c374d8c100 385 384 2022-03-06T14:32:46Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki It is recommended to read the [[Getting started with Linux|long version]], but you should be fine if you just do the following:<ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. You will probably not be able to use the software that you're used to. But usually there is different software that might even be better.</li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have supported hardware. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you can choose your GPU, choose AMD. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] and [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use ''Steam (Runtime)'' for Steam games (if you don't know how to install it, watch the video linked above). Go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE]</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other games.</li> <li><p>Disable Composition: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it. Read more [[Compositor|here]].</p></li> <li><p>If your performance is bad, read [[Improving performance|this article]].</p></li> <li><p>When Linux gives you a warning, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when asking for help.</p></li></ul> 511bd683076039a1ab7025679b4931045d1afc53 398 385 2022-03-06T15:10:49Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki It is recommended to read the [[Getting started with Linux|long version]], but you should be fine if you just do the following:<ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. You will probably not be able to use the software that you're used to. But usually there is different software that might even be better.</li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have supported hardware. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you can choose your GPU, choose AMD. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] and [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use Steam for running games that are on Steam, most games will work just like that, after [[Steam#Enable Steam Play for all games|enabling Steam Play for all games]].</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other games.</li> <li><p>Disable Composition: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it. Read more [[Compositor|here]].</p></li> <li><p>If your performance is bad, read [[Improving performance|this article]].</p></li> <li><p>When Linux gives you a warning, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when asking for help.</p></li></ul> 76b0862e27695500991692f8d861444058e41bc6 399 398 2022-03-06T15:11:07Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki It is recommended to read the [[Getting started with Linux|long version]], but you should be fine if you just do the following:<ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. You will probably not be able to use the software that you're used to. But usually there is different software that might even be better.</li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have supported hardware. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you can choose your GPU, choose AMD. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] and [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use Steam for running games that are on Steam, most games will work ''just like that'', after [[Steam#Enable Steam Play for all games|enabling Steam Play for all games]].</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other games.</li> <li><p>Disable Composition: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it. Read more [[Compositor|here]].</p></li> <li><p>If your performance is bad, read [[Improving performance|this article]].</p></li> <li><p>When Linux gives you a warning, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when asking for help.</p></li></ul> 83893fba864c02a515ee74cc13adccc9c42cd968 400 399 2022-03-06T15:11:19Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki It is recommended to read the [[Getting started with Linux|long version]], but you should be fine if you just do the following:<ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. You will probably not be able to use the software that you're used to. But usually there is different software that might even be better.</li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have supported hardware. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you can choose your GPU, choose AMD. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] and [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use Steam for running games that are on Steam. Most games will work ''just like that'', after [[Steam#Enable Steam Play for all games|enabling Steam Play for all games]].</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other games.</li> <li><p>Disable Composition: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it. Read more [[Compositor|here]].</p></li> <li><p>If your performance is bad, read [[Improving performance|this article]].</p></li> <li><p>When Linux gives you a warning, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when asking for help.</p></li></ul> 9f1df636e0bff8b6f503e24a3723851a80abf757 0 42 386 333 2022-03-06T14:46:33Z Aragorn 3 /* Disable mouse accelleration */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Disable mouse accelleration == * KDE Plasma: System Settings -> Input devices -> Mouse -> Acceleration profile: Flat * Other DEs: To be done * Otherwise have a look at the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Mouse_acceleration#Disabling_mouse_acceleration Arch wiki] == Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio == TODO: write how. ba9613924561ec0b69a457823a958d0c6f8b9239 0 2 389 341 2022-03-06T14:53:50Z Aragorn 3 /* Nice things */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == The software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. If you've done that and there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. Bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto] * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == The swap (Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux) == If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. You might face problems here, [[Improving performance|especially regarding performance and input lag]]. If you choose Mint, don't use Cinnamon. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! ! Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- | Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- | Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clickin an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==The habit (what to do after the installation)== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install Steam on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to [https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/ Chrome being considered spyware]. [https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome UbuntuUpdates.org] give the following instructions: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. == Windows compatibility== So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exes) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. For Steam games you can just use Steam. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. Your last resort is the following: First, let's install Wine. <pre>sudo apt install wine</pre> On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you'll want to open a terminal and type (credit to [[u/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running): <pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> Remember to check the ratings and know issues in the wine AppDB so you know what you can expect, and you should be golden. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. ===DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D=== What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[u/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and [[Lutris]] both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily optimized Linux install. Your default experience will be worse. ==Improving performance== The default settings are probably not the best for a flawless experience. Read more [[Improving performance|here]]. ==Nice things== You might want to look at [[Misc|this article]] to see some alternatives to software you are used to. ==Downloading stuff from GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. ==Troubleshooting== *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask here or in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==Going further == Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. e70758ecd8b938f7ac61f2af320dffce2464d0d2 390 389 2022-03-06T14:54:00Z Aragorn 3 /* Nice things */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == The software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. If you've done that and there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. Bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto] * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == The swap (Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux) == If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. You might face problems here, [[Improving performance|especially regarding performance and input lag]]. If you choose Mint, don't use Cinnamon. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! ! Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- | Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- | Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clickin an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==The habit (what to do after the installation)== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install Steam on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to [https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/ Chrome being considered spyware]. [https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome UbuntuUpdates.org] give the following instructions: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. == Windows compatibility== So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exes) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. For Steam games you can just use Steam. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. Your last resort is the following: First, let's install Wine. <pre>sudo apt install wine</pre> On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you'll want to open a terminal and type (credit to [[u/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running): <pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> Remember to check the ratings and know issues in the wine AppDB so you know what you can expect, and you should be golden. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. ===DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D=== What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[u/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and [[Lutris]] both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily optimized Linux install. Your default experience will be worse. ==Improving performance== The default settings are probably not the best for a flawless experience. Read more [[Improving performance|here]]. ==Nice things== You might want to have a look at [[Misc|this article]] to see some alternatives to software you are used to. ==Downloading stuff from GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. ==Troubleshooting== *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask here or in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==Going further == Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. c30e2c46bda83da2572ad9775e3d42a10aa63ead 392 390 2022-03-06T14:58:02Z Aragorn 3 /* Nice things */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == The software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. If you've done that and there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. Bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto] * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == The swap (Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux) == If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. You might face problems here, [[Improving performance|especially regarding performance and input lag]]. If you choose Mint, don't use Cinnamon. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! ! Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- | Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- | Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clickin an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==The habit (what to do after the installation)== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install Steam on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to [https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/ Chrome being considered spyware]. [https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome UbuntuUpdates.org] give the following instructions: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. == Windows compatibility== So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exes) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. For Steam games you can just use Steam. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. Your last resort is the following: First, let's install Wine. <pre>sudo apt install wine</pre> On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you'll want to open a terminal and type (credit to [[u/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running): <pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> Remember to check the ratings and know issues in the wine AppDB so you know what you can expect, and you should be golden. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. ===DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D=== What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[u/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and [[Lutris]] both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily optimized Linux install. Your default experience will be worse. ==Improving performance== The default settings are probably not the best for a flawless experience. Read more [[Improving performance|here]]. ==Nice things== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including game streaming, modding, up-/downscaling, and much more. ==Downloading stuff from GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. ==Troubleshooting== *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask here or in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==Going further == Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. 15cf095ee24cc2a4ac5bec13c5ec0b099afb38c3 393 392 2022-03-06T15:00:31Z Aragorn 3 /* Nice things */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == The software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. If you've done that and there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. Bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto] * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == The swap (Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux) == If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. You might face problems here, [[Improving performance|especially regarding performance and input lag]]. If you choose Mint, don't use Cinnamon. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! ! Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- | Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- | Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clickin an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==The habit (what to do after the installation)== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install Steam on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to [https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/ Chrome being considered spyware]. [https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome UbuntuUpdates.org] give the following instructions: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. == Windows compatibility== So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exes) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. For Steam games you can just use Steam. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. Your last resort is the following: First, let's install Wine. <pre>sudo apt install wine</pre> On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you'll want to open a terminal and type (credit to [[u/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running): <pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> Remember to check the ratings and know issues in the wine AppDB so you know what you can expect, and you should be golden. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. ===DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D=== What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[u/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and [[Lutris]] both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily optimized Linux install. Your default experience will be worse. ==Improving performance== The default settings are probably not the best for a flawless experience. Read more [[Improving performance|here]]. ==Nice things== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ==Downloading stuff from GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. ==Troubleshooting== *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask here or in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==Going further == Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. 464f4ddf533ffcf3c1fecef070ee9c1a3b8052d6 0 44 397 2022-03-06T15:10:09Z Aragorn 3 Created page with "Steam runs natively on Linux. You can probably just install it from your App store. Use ''Steam (Runtime)'', not ''Steam (native)''. Trust me, this will prevent problems. == Enable Steam Play for all games == In order to run games that are not explicitly whitelisted by Valve, go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. If some..." wikitext text/x-wiki Steam runs natively on Linux. You can probably just install it from your App store. Use ''Steam (Runtime)'', not ''Steam (native)''. Trust me, this will prevent problems. == Enable Steam Play for all games == In order to run games that are not explicitly whitelisted by Valve, go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] bf041b989976043884aa12862a30f01fcfc2278e 0 44 401 397 2022-03-06T19:03:36Z 8.44.0.52 0 /* Enable Steam Play for all games */ wikitext text/x-wiki Steam runs natively on Linux. You can probably just install it from your App store. Use ''Steam (Runtime)'', not ''Steam (native)''. Trust me, this will prevent problems. == Enable Steam Play for all games == In order to run games that are not explicitly whitelisted by Valve, go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE]. ''You can use [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] to make the installation and update process of [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] simple:'' * ''1. Download the [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] AppImage'' * ''2. Mark the AppImage as executable'' * ''3. Double-click the AppImage to run ProtonUp-Qt'' 61a2f01ed96b4d57f390898c0a3f6a0a731c37eb 402 401 2022-03-06T19:31:02Z Aragorn 3 /* Enable Steam Play for all games */ wikitext text/x-wiki Steam runs natively on Linux. You can probably just install it from your App store. Use ''Steam (Runtime)'', not ''Steam (native)''. Trust me, this will prevent problems. == Enable Steam Play for all games == In order to run games that are not explicitly whitelisted by Valve, go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE]. == ProtonUp-Qt == You can use [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] to make the installation and update process of [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] simple: * 1. Download the [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] AppImage * 2. Mark the AppImage as executable * 3. Double-click the AppImage to run ProtonUp-Qt e740f34234d907e91ea6012de177acb20825f6b5 405 402 2022-03-06T19:41:24Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Steam runs natively on Linux. You can probably just install it from your App store. Usually you want to use ''Steam (Runtime)''. Only use ''Steam (native)'' if you know why you want to use it. == Enable Steam Play for all games == In order to run games that are not explicitly whitelisted by Valve, go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE]. == ProtonUp-Qt == You can use [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] to make the installation and update process of [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] simple: * 1. Download the [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] AppImage * 2. Mark the AppImage as executable * 3. Double-click the AppImage to run ProtonUp-Qt 91e37cbc6b3d60481721ed1d8b6c33dcda3fe2eb 408 405 2022-03-07T07:59:02Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Steam runs natively on Linux. You can probably just install it from your App store. Usually you want to use ''Steam (Runtime)''. Only use ''Steam (native)'' if you know why you want to use it. == Enable Steam Play for all games == In order to run games that are not explicitly whitelisted by Valve, go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE]. == ProtonUp-Qt == You can use [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] to make the installation and update process of [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] simple: * 1. Download the [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] AppImage * 2. Mark the AppImage as executable * 3. Double-click the AppImage to run ProtonUp-Qt == Launch Options == You may find something like <code>-screen-width 1280 -screen-height 720 -screen-fullscreen 0</code> on protondb. These are ''launch options''. To use them, you right click on the game, and in the <code>general</code> tab, there is a field called <code>launch options</code>. You paste them (for example <code>-screen-height 1920 -screen-width 1080 -screen-fullscreen</code>) in there. e10d8843cbd34de9e23b541549fb877ea8502c17 409 408 2022-03-07T10:35:00Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Steam runs natively on Linux. You can probably just install it from your App store. Usually you want to use ''Steam (Runtime)''. Only use ''Steam (native)'' if you know why you want to use it. == Enable Steam Play for all games == In order to run games that are not explicitly whitelisted by Valve, go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE]. == ProtonUp-Qt == You can use [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] to make the installation and update process of [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] simple: * 1. Download the [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] AppImage * 2. Mark the AppImage as executable * 3. Double-click the AppImage to run ProtonUp-Qt == Launch Options == You may find something like <code>-screen-width 1280 -screen-height 720 -screen-fullscreen 0</code> on protondb. These are ''launch options''. To use them, you right click on the game, and in the <code>general</code> tab, there is a field called <code>launch options</code>. You paste them (for example <code>-screen-height 1920 -screen-width 1080 -screen-fullscreen</code>) in there. == Steam Tinker Launch == [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch Steam Tinker Launch] is a wrapper tool that allows easy customizing options for games. 266002a54ab6e4b89a6075e849422479730f61f5 410 409 2022-03-07T10:36:33Z Aragorn 3 /* Steam Tinker Launch */ wikitext text/x-wiki Steam runs natively on Linux. You can probably just install it from your App store. Usually you want to use ''Steam (Runtime)''. Only use ''Steam (native)'' if you know why you want to use it. == Enable Steam Play for all games == In order to run games that are not explicitly whitelisted by Valve, go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE]. == ProtonUp-Qt == You can use [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] to make the installation and update process of [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] simple: * 1. Download the [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] AppImage * 2. Mark the AppImage as executable * 3. Double-click the AppImage to run ProtonUp-Qt == Launch Options == You may find something like <code>-screen-width 1280 -screen-height 720 -screen-fullscreen 0</code> on protondb. These are ''launch options''. To use them, you right click on the game, and in the <code>general</code> tab, there is a field called <code>launch options</code>. You paste them (for example <code>-screen-height 1920 -screen-width 1080 -screen-fullscreen</code>) in there. == Steam Tinker Launch == [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch Steam Tinker Launch] is a wrapper tool that allows easy customization options for games. 1eda33ce4d9cd767028a308b48bc728c191686fd 411 410 2022-03-07T10:37:13Z Aragorn 3 /* Steam Tinker Launch */ wikitext text/x-wiki Steam runs natively on Linux. You can probably just install it from your App store. Usually you want to use ''Steam (Runtime)''. Only use ''Steam (native)'' if you know why you want to use it. == Enable Steam Play for all games == In order to run games that are not explicitly whitelisted by Valve, go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE]. == ProtonUp-Qt == You can use [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] to make the installation and update process of [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] simple: * 1. Download the [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] AppImage * 2. Mark the AppImage as executable * 3. Double-click the AppImage to run ProtonUp-Qt == Launch Options == You may find something like <code>-screen-width 1280 -screen-height 720 -screen-fullscreen 0</code> on protondb. These are ''launch options''. To use them, you right click on the game, and in the <code>general</code> tab, there is a field called <code>launch options</code>. You paste them (for example <code>-screen-height 1920 -screen-width 1080 -screen-fullscreen</code>) in there. == Steam Tinker Launch == [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch Steam Tinker Launch] is a wrapper tool that allows easy customization options for Steam games. 0e35ac265ae8be88d33db42ec6d6175b9ca0ab3a 412 411 2022-03-07T14:23:34Z 84.57.252.182 0 /* Steam Tinker Launch */ wikitext text/x-wiki Steam runs natively on Linux. You can probably just install it from your App store. Usually you want to use ''Steam (Runtime)''. Only use ''Steam (native)'' if you know why you want to use it. == Enable Steam Play for all games == In order to run games that are not explicitly whitelisted by Valve, go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE]. == ProtonUp-Qt == You can use [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] to make the installation and update process of [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] simple: * 1. Download the [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] AppImage * 2. Mark the AppImage as executable * 3. Double-click the AppImage to run ProtonUp-Qt == Launch Options == You may find something like <code>-screen-width 1280 -screen-height 720 -screen-fullscreen 0</code> on protondb. These are ''launch options''. To use them, you right click on the game, and in the <code>general</code> tab, there is a field called <code>launch options</code>. You paste them (for example <code>-screen-height 1920 -screen-width 1080 -screen-fullscreen</code>) in there. == Steam Tinker Launch == [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch Steam Tinker Launch] is a swiss army knife tool that allows easy customization of multiple options for Steam games. It is very feature rich, so for a ''(almost)'' complete list of features check the comprehensive [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch/wiki wiki] ''(dropdownlist on the right). To name a few you can override/append/prepend custom commands, automatically use Vortex or Mod Organizer 2, (auto-) download/update Proton GE, apply multiple Proton/DXVK/wine options, use winetricks, automatic ReShade installer per game including easy shader selector, FSR support, debugger support, side-by-side VR automation, SteamGridDB support, SpecialK, Proton KillSwitch, Gamescope, GameMode, many many more...'' a40d1c3b024cfba867bf9968b5bfaab9ff5f6879 413 412 2022-03-07T14:58:37Z Aragorn 3 /* Steam Tinker Launch */ wikitext text/x-wiki Steam runs natively on Linux. You can probably just install it from your App store. Usually you want to use ''Steam (Runtime)''. Only use ''Steam (native)'' if you know why you want to use it. == Enable Steam Play for all games == In order to run games that are not explicitly whitelisted by Valve, go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE]. == ProtonUp-Qt == You can use [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] to make the installation and update process of [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] simple: * 1. Download the [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] AppImage * 2. Mark the AppImage as executable * 3. Double-click the AppImage to run ProtonUp-Qt == Launch Options == You may find something like <code>-screen-width 1280 -screen-height 720 -screen-fullscreen 0</code> on protondb. These are ''launch options''. To use them, you right click on the game, and in the <code>general</code> tab, there is a field called <code>launch options</code>. You paste them (for example <code>-screen-height 1920 -screen-width 1080 -screen-fullscreen</code>) in there. == Steam Tinker Launch == [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch Steam Tinker Launch] is a swiss army knife tool that allows easy customization of multiple options for Steam games. It includes override/append/prepend custom commands, automatic use of Vortex or Mod Organizer 2, (auto-) download/update of Proton GE, Proton/DXVK/wine options, winetricks, automatic ReShade installer per game, easy shader selector, FSR support, debugger support, side-by-side VR automation, SteamGridDB support, SpecialK, Proton KillSwitch, Gamescope, GameMode, and more. You can find a more comprehensive list of features in the [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch/wiki wiki] (dropdownlist on the right). 96028b92ea4c9f73c7ebc5764486595f4d7b717d 414 413 2022-03-07T15:03:16Z Aragorn 3 /* Steam Tinker Launch */ wikitext text/x-wiki Steam runs natively on Linux. You can probably just install it from your App store. Usually you want to use ''Steam (Runtime)''. Only use ''Steam (native)'' if you know why you want to use it. == Enable Steam Play for all games == In order to run games that are not explicitly whitelisted by Valve, go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE]. == ProtonUp-Qt == You can use [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] to make the installation and update process of [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] simple: * 1. Download the [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] AppImage * 2. Mark the AppImage as executable * 3. Double-click the AppImage to run ProtonUp-Qt == Launch Options == You may find something like <code>-screen-width 1280 -screen-height 720 -screen-fullscreen 0</code> on protondb. These are ''launch options''. To use them, you right click on the game, and in the <code>general</code> tab, there is a field called <code>launch options</code>. You paste them (for example <code>-screen-height 1920 -screen-width 1080 -screen-fullscreen</code>) in there. == Steam Tinker Launch == [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch Steam Tinker Launch] is a swiss army knife tool that allows easy customization of multiple options for Steam games. It includes helpers for custom commands, Vortex, Mod Organizer 2, Proton GE, Proton/DXVK/wine options, winetricks, ReShade, easy shader selector, FSR, debugging, side-by-side VR automation, SteamGridDB, SpecialK, Proton KillSwitch, Gamescope, GameMode, and more. You can find a more comprehensive list of features in the [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch/wiki wiki] (dropdownlist on the right). 71f4eeaa0a1c7d898a4664f0d829e25ca7a65228 415 414 2022-03-07T15:05:48Z Aragorn 3 /* Steam Tinker Launch */ wikitext text/x-wiki Steam runs natively on Linux. You can probably just install it from your App store. Usually you want to use ''Steam (Runtime)''. Only use ''Steam (native)'' if you know why you want to use it. == Enable Steam Play for all games == In order to run games that are not explicitly whitelisted by Valve, go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE]. == ProtonUp-Qt == You can use [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] to make the installation and update process of [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] simple: * 1. Download the [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] AppImage * 2. Mark the AppImage as executable * 3. Double-click the AppImage to run ProtonUp-Qt == Launch Options == You may find something like <code>-screen-width 1280 -screen-height 720 -screen-fullscreen 0</code> on protondb. These are ''launch options''. To use them, you right click on the game, and in the <code>general</code> tab, there is a field called <code>launch options</code>. You paste them (for example <code>-screen-height 1920 -screen-width 1080 -screen-fullscreen</code>) in there. == Steam Tinker Launch == [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch Steam Tinker Launch] is a swiss army knife tool that allows easy customization of multiple options for Steam games. It includes helpers for custom commands, Vortex, Mod Organizer 2, Proton GE, Proton/DXVK/wine options, winetricks, ReShade + easy selection for shaders, FSR, debugging, side-by-side VR automation, SteamGridDB, SpecialK, Proton KillSwitch, Gamescope, GameMode, and more. You can find a more comprehensive list of features in the [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch/wiki wiki] (dropdownlist on the right). 6a795e666d3a3dad506e3226f1616dae9015f7e2 416 415 2022-03-09T05:47:12Z Marigold 7 /* ProtonUp-Qt */ wikitext text/x-wiki Steam runs natively on Linux. You can probably just install it from your App store. Usually you want to use ''Steam (Runtime)''. Only use ''Steam (native)'' if you know why you want to use it. == Enable Steam Play for all games == In order to run games that are not explicitly whitelisted by Valve, go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE]. == ProtonUp-Qt == You can use [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] to make the installation and update process of [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] simple: * 1. Download the [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] AppImage * 2. Mark the AppImage as executable * 3. Double-click the AppImage to run ProtonUp-Qt Alternatively, you can install it from [https://flathub.org/apps/details/net.davidotek.pupgui2 Flathub]. == Launch Options == You may find something like <code>-screen-width 1280 -screen-height 720 -screen-fullscreen 0</code> on protondb. These are ''launch options''. To use them, you right click on the game, and in the <code>general</code> tab, there is a field called <code>launch options</code>. You paste them (for example <code>-screen-height 1920 -screen-width 1080 -screen-fullscreen</code>) in there. == Steam Tinker Launch == [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch Steam Tinker Launch] is a swiss army knife tool that allows easy customization of multiple options for Steam games. It includes helpers for custom commands, Vortex, Mod Organizer 2, Proton GE, Proton/DXVK/wine options, winetricks, ReShade + easy selection for shaders, FSR, debugging, side-by-side VR automation, SteamGridDB, SpecialK, Proton KillSwitch, Gamescope, GameMode, and more. You can find a more comprehensive list of features in the [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch/wiki wiki] (dropdownlist on the right). 1fd4bc95fbc89ace609243c6f7cfd6b82422cb62 0 34 403 400 2022-03-06T19:36:07Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki It is recommended to read the [[Getting started with Linux|long version]], but you should be fine if you just do the following:<ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. You will probably not be able to use the software that you're used to. But usually there is different software that might even be better.</li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have supported hardware. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you can choose your GPU, choose AMD. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] and [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use Steam for running games that are on Steam. Most games will work ''just like that'', after [[Steam#Enable Steam Play for all games|enabling Steam Play for all games]].</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other games.</li> <li><p>Disable Composition: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it. Read more [[Compositor|here]].</p></li> <li><p>If your performance is bad, read [[Improving performance|this article]].</p></li> <li><p>When Linux gives you a warning, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when asking for help.</p></li><li><p>If you don't like the look, it can easily be changed. Just [https://support.system76.com/articles/desktop-environment/ install a different desktop environment]. </p></li></ul> 744e6062776e07fb45e2c6c01210512b46140809 404 403 2022-03-06T19:38:14Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki It is recommended to read the [[Getting started with Linux|long version]], but you should be fine if you just do the following:<ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. You will probably not be able to use the software that you're used to. But usually there is different software that might even be better.</li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have supported hardware. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you can choose your GPU, choose AMD. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] and [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use Steam for running games that are on Steam. Most games will work ''just like that'', after [[Steam#Enable Steam Play for all games|enabling Steam Play for all games]].</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other games.</li> <li><p>Disable Composition: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it. Read more [[Compositor|here]].</p></li> <li><p>If your performance is bad, read [[Improving performance|this article]].</p></li> <li><p>When Linux gives you a warning, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when asking for help.</p></li><li><p>If you don't like the look, it can easily be changed. Just [https://support.system76.com/articles/desktop-environment/ install a different desktop environment]. KDE Plasma would be a popular choice that looks a lot like Windows, and is very comfortable to use. </p></li></ul> 21c852e86339e38639b86923121de0d9c720e84c 417 404 2022-03-09T23:42:47Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki It is recommended to read the [[Getting started with Linux|long version]], but you should be fine if you just do the following:<ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. You will probably not be able to use the software that you're used to. But usually there is different software that might even be better.</li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have supported hardware. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you can choose your GPU, choose AMD. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] and [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use Steam for running games that are on Steam. Most games will work ''just like that'', after [[Steam#Enable Steam Play for all games|enabling Steam Play for all games]].</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other games.</li> <li><p>Disable Composition: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it. Read more [[Compositor|here]].</p></li> <li><p>If your performance is bad, read [[Improving performance|this article]].</p></li> <li><p>When Linux gives you a warning, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when asking for help.</p></li><li><p>You (almost) never download software or drivers in the browser. Doing this is a really bad idea, and should only be your last resort, if everything else fails. Just look up your distribution (Pop!_OS if you follow our recommendation) + the software, and you should find a better solution (for example a ''ppa'').</p></li><li><p>If you don't like the look, it can easily be changed. Just [https://support.system76.com/articles/desktop-environment/ install a different desktop environment]. KDE Plasma would be a popular choice that looks a lot like Windows, and is very comfortable to use. </p></li></ul> 1677a8d39fba870d35a3926832b7986561037704 418 417 2022-03-09T23:43:02Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki It is recommended to read the [[Getting started with Linux|long version]], but you should be fine if you just do the following:<ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. You will probably not be able to use the software that you're used to. But usually there is different software that might even be better.</li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have supported hardware. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you can choose your GPU, choose AMD. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] and [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use Steam for running games that are on Steam. Most games will work ''just like that'', after [[Steam#Enable Steam Play for all games|enabling Steam Play for all games]].</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other games.</li> <li><p>Disable Composition: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it. Read more [[Compositor|here]].</p></li> <li><p>If your performance is bad, read [[Improving performance|this article]].</p></li> <li><p>When Linux gives you a warning, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when asking for help.</p></li><li><p>You (almost) never download software or drivers in the browser. Doing this is a really bad idea, and should only be your last resort if everything else fails. Just look up your distribution (Pop!_OS if you follow our recommendation) + the software, and you should find a better solution (for example a ''ppa'').</p></li><li><p>If you don't like the look, it can easily be changed. Just [https://support.system76.com/articles/desktop-environment/ install a different desktop environment]. KDE Plasma would be a popular choice that looks a lot like Windows, and is very comfortable to use. </p></li></ul> bdb9090d8599b5ce10b2f31f0e4cbbf1f0a8bcb7 428 418 2022-03-10T00:37:27Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki It is recommended to read the [[Getting started with Linux|long version]], but you should be fine if you just do the following:<ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. You will probably not be able to use the software that you're used to. But usually there is different software that might even be better.</li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have supported hardware. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle, or without bugs. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you can choose your GPU, choose AMD. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] and [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use Steam for running games that are on Steam. Most games will work ''just like that'', after [[Steam#Enable Steam Play for all games|enabling Steam Play for all games]].</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other games.</li> <li><p>Disable Composition: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it. Read more [[Compositor|here]].</p></li> <li><p>If your performance is bad, read [[Improving performance|this article]].</p></li> <li><p>When Linux gives you a warning, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when asking for help.</p></li><li><p>You (almost) never download software or drivers in the browser. Doing this is a really bad idea, and should only be your last resort if everything else fails. Just look up your distribution (Pop!_OS if you follow our recommendation) + the software, and you should find a better solution (for example a ''ppa'').</p></li><li><p>If you don't like the look, it can easily be changed. Just [https://support.system76.com/articles/desktop-environment/ install a different desktop environment]. KDE Plasma would be a popular choice that looks a lot like Windows, and is very comfortable to use. </p></li></ul> 885f5d8c22921a9efda2a80747aa68fc22ddf01b 0 5 406 381 2022-03-07T00:22:08Z Aragorn 3 /* Minor tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience. == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this might be in the magnitude of 300% more FPS: *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *[[Misc|Look at your thermals]] and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <pre>Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</pre> * Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX]: An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable composition. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] **Add a profile for every game: ***For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use the proprietary Nvidia driver. In almost every case the proprietary Nvidia driver will offer much better performance than the open source driver, Nouveau.<ref>[https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=2 https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=3]</ref><ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=2</ref> In addition, Nouveau does not support many features available on newer Nvidia cards.<ref>https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/FeatureMatrix.html</ref> *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. * For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) <references /> 157da3f984cafe773281994784fd15396ca36734 407 406 2022-03-07T00:22:54Z Aragorn 3 /* Minor tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience. == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this might be in the magnitude of 300% more FPS: *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *[[Misc|Look at your thermals]] and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <pre>Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</pre> * Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX]: An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable composition. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] **Add a profile for every game: ***For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' *Use Mesa drivers ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use the proprietary Nvidia driver. In almost every case the proprietary Nvidia driver will offer much better performance than the open source driver, Nouveau.<ref>[https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=2 https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=3]</ref><ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=nvidia-nouveau-2019&num=2</ref> In addition, Nouveau does not support many features available on newer Nvidia cards.<ref>https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/FeatureMatrix.html</ref> *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. * For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) <references /> 16681e5efe8c5e8ba6ae515efd1b0025d2c79ffb 419 407 2022-03-09T23:52:16Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience. == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this might be in the magnitude of 300% more FPS: *Install the correct drivers: https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *[[Misc|Look at your thermals]] and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <pre>Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</pre> * Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX]: An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable composition. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] **Add a profile for every game: ***For your GPU select ''Performance mode'': ''Fixed'' and use the ''High'' setting (you may also adapt GPU fan speed here) ***For your CPU select ''Performance scaling'': ''Custom'' and use ''Frequency governor'': ''Performance'' ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. * For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) <references /> 78394f3a5491316e1695fb250c1165f05e6842af 420 419 2022-03-09T23:54:14Z Aragorn 3 /* AMD */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience. == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this might be in the magnitude of 300% more FPS: *Install the correct drivers: https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *[[Misc|Look at your thermals]] and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <pre>Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</pre> * Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX]: An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable composition. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. * For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) <references /> 23857bab4c3de2c30fd56a2c5fd93e7deb0174cd 421 420 2022-03-09T23:54:58Z Aragorn 3 /* AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience. == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this might be in the magnitude of 300% more FPS: *Install the correct drivers: https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *[[Misc|Look at your thermals]] and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <pre>Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</pre> * Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX]: An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable composition. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. * For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) <references /> 0d09228473153748bb401eb13a8290c31745ccd8 422 421 2022-03-09T23:57:08Z Aragorn 3 /* Major tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience. == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this might be in the magnitude of 300% more FPS: *Install the correct drivers: https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *[[Index.php?title=Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]] and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <pre>Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</pre> * Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX]: An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable composition. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. * For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) <references /> c58c6620952a07ebc7d3df9e92ae025b8e4d9d1d 423 422 2022-03-09T23:57:42Z Aragorn 3 /* Major tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience. == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this might be in the magnitude of 300% more FPS: *Install the correct drivers: https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]] and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <pre>Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</pre> * Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX]: An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable composition. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. * For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) <references /> 922cb1dd38cb4d87a0639519b9f03e892ed6431a 426 423 2022-03-10T00:31:17Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience. == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this might be in the magnitude of 300% more FPS: *Install the correct drivers: https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]] and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <pre>Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</pre> * Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX]: An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable composition. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. * For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|should switch to Pipewire]]. <references /> 47bd28a06324c96ac35be5036c82f1b5f0ef0a65 427 426 2022-03-10T00:31:38Z Aragorn 3 /* Troubleshooting */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience. == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this might be in the magnitude of 300% more FPS: *Install the correct drivers: https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]] and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <pre>Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</pre> * Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX]: An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable composition. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if you 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. * For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. <references /> 7d7f7dbe14d7cfa4b9f4fef5f366757b9b502c83 0 43 424 395 2022-03-10T00:25:39Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki == Watching the temperature == You can use <code>lm_sensors</code>. Before running it for the first time, run <code>sudo sensors-detect</code>. After that, type <code>sensors</code> to see your temperatures. If you want to monitor them for a longer time, type <code>watch sensors</code>. == Noise Cancelling == You can use [https://github.com/wwmm/easyeffects EasyEffects] or [https://github.com/lawl/NoiseTorch NoiseTorch]. EasyEffects also has various other audio processing options, like crystalizer, noise gate, equalizer, filter, and much more. NoiseTorch can only cancel noise, but also has the option to tweak how aggressive it cancels noise. == Patching Audio == If you want to have a patchbay to route your audio to various destinations, [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/helvum Helvum] might be what you're looking for. == Game Streaming == You can use [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == Downsampling == You can use [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] == Post Processing == You can use [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) == Bottles == Some people prefer [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] to install games that don't have an install script in [[Lutris]]. == RGB == You can use [https://gitlab.com/CalcProgrammer1/OpenRGB OpenRGB]. 3eca630cb73f70432f4bea962e7efcb7510cc91c 0 42 425 386 2022-03-10T00:26:57Z Aragorn 3 /* Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Disable mouse accelleration == * KDE Plasma: System Settings -> Input devices -> Mouse -> Acceleration profile: Flat * Other DEs: To be done * Otherwise have a look at the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Mouse_acceleration#Disabling_mouse_acceleration Arch wiki] == Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio == Pipewire gives you much lower audio latency. TODO: write how. 3c9f09a3e169741cbdbd3b4d3286e1fb42c19c25 0 1 429 396 2022-03-10T00:40:16Z Aragorn 3 /* Other */ wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. === Performance === * [[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. * [[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Reshade]] - Tool to change colors in your games. === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Supported Hardware]] - good value hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. da6501613f3692116948ee9650f692454775875a 430 429 2022-03-10T00:41:45Z Aragorn 3 /* Other */ wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. === Performance === * [[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. * [[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Reshade]] - Tool to change colors in your games. === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good value hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. 88d64aab7cfef59c2867150526c9c35fb12e361a 444 430 2022-03-10T01:24:59Z Aragorn 3 /* Other */ wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. === Performance === * [[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. * [[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Reshade]] - Tool to change colors in your games. === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good value hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of problematic hardware that is known to work == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. 4017dcceae76d2e752c0c9f504b34b592b9f9543 0 45 431 2022-03-10T00:49:07Z Aragorn 3 Created page with "This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. == GPUs == Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. If you buy old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. == WiFi Sticks == === 2.4Gh..." wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. == GPUs == Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. If you buy old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. == WiFi Sticks == === 2.4Ghz === === 5Ghz === == Bluetooth Sticks == == Mainboards == === AMD === ==== AM3 ==== ==== AM4 ==== === Intel === ==== Sandy Bridge ==== 9aa3129aa5a65a3ddb9f4bf547045f6186285969 432 431 2022-03-10T00:52:05Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. == GPUs == Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. If you buy old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. == WiFi Sticks == === 2.4Ghz === === 5Ghz === == Bluetooth Sticks == == Mainboards == === AMD === ==== AM3 ==== ==== AM4 ==== === Intel === ==== Sandy Bridge ==== == Scanner/Printer == 269fec11aa0256b379dc6b09e4532f0e6d9c419f 433 432 2022-03-10T00:58:12Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. == GPU == Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. If you buy old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. == WiFi Stick == === 2.4Ghz === === 5Ghz === == Bluetooth Stick == == Bluetooth Headphones == === Noise cancelling === * Sony WH-1000XM4: EU, 250€ == Mainboard == === AMD === ==== AM3 ==== ==== AM4 ==== === Intel === ==== Sandy Bridge ==== == Scanner/Printer == == Not Problematic == Just buy whatever you want in the following categories: * CPU * RAM * Keyboard * Mouse (just configure the DPI once on Windows, for example in a VM) fd783bae438a5b1ec1f86960899dec54f5c61076 434 433 2022-03-10T00:59:26Z Aragorn 3 /* Noise cancelling */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. == GPU == Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. If you buy old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. == WiFi Stick == === 2.4Ghz === === 5Ghz === == Bluetooth Stick == == Bluetooth Headphones == === Noise cancelling === * Sony WH-1000XM4: EU, 250€, 2022-03-10 == Mainboard == === AMD === ==== AM3 ==== ==== AM4 ==== === Intel === ==== Sandy Bridge ==== == Scanner/Printer == == Not Problematic == Just buy whatever you want in the following categories: * CPU * RAM * Keyboard * Mouse (just configure the DPI once on Windows, for example in a VM) 046722734a24952daae71c365ff83f9bf096957a 435 434 2022-03-10T01:00:54Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. == GPU == Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. If you buy old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. == WiFi Stick == === 2.4Ghz === === 5Ghz === == Bluetooth Stick == == Bluetooth Headphones == === Noise cancelling === * Sony WH-1000XM4: EU, 250€, 2022-03-10 == Mainboard == === AMD === ==== AM3 ==== ==== AM4 ==== === Intel === ==== Sandy Bridge ==== == Scanner/Printer == == Not Problematic == Just buy whatever you want in the following categories: * CPU * RAM * Keyboard * Mouse (just configure the DPI once on Windows, for example in a VM) 3a54ee9453c8efcf3fea5aa21639c4df870868bd 436 435 2022-03-10T01:01:57Z Aragorn 3 /* Bluetooth Headphones */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. == GPU == Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. If you buy old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. == WiFi Stick == === 2.4Ghz === === 5Ghz === == Bluetooth Stick == == Bluetooth Headphones == === Noise cancelling === ==== Premium ==== Sony WH-1000XM4: EU, 250€, 2022-03-10 ==== Good Value ==== ==== Cheap ==== == Mainboard == === AMD === ==== AM3 ==== ==== AM4 ==== === Intel === ==== Sandy Bridge ==== == Scanner/Printer == == Not Problematic == Just buy whatever you want in the following categories: * CPU * RAM * Keyboard * Mouse (just configure the DPI once on Windows, for example in a VM) a8db729f8e9fcc1dbe1c44bde50a6ddda9aa905c 437 436 2022-03-10T01:03:11Z Aragorn 3 /* Bluetooth Headphones */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. == GPU == Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. If you buy old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. == WiFi Stick == === 2.4Ghz === === 5Ghz === == Bluetooth Stick == == Bluetooth Headphones == === Noise cancelling === ==== Premium ==== Sony WH-1000XM4: EU, 250€, 2022-03-10 ==== Good Value ==== ==== Cheap ==== === In-Ear === === Over-Ear === == Mainboard == === AMD === ==== AM3 ==== ==== AM4 ==== === Intel === ==== Sandy Bridge ==== == Scanner/Printer == == Not Problematic == Just buy whatever you want in the following categories: * CPU * RAM * Keyboard * Mouse (just configure the DPI once on Windows, for example in a VM) 10f43026b42cb196021d9d454c680fd4b973bd03 438 437 2022-03-10T01:05:51Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. == GPU == Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. If you buy old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. == WiFi Stick == === 2.4Ghz === === 5Ghz === == Bluetooth Stick == == Bluetooth Headphones == === Noise cancelling === * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good Value: * Cheap: === In-Ear === === Over-Ear === == Mainboard == === AMD === ==== AM3 ==== ==== AM4 ==== === Intel === ==== Sandy Bridge ==== == Scanner/Printer == == Not Problematic == Just buy whatever you want in the following categories: * CPU * RAM * Keyboard * Mouse (just configure the DPI once on Windows, for example in a VM) 5974b0039cbbfb4071945706694903f833f2cf45 439 438 2022-03-10T01:06:48Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. == GPU == Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. If you buy old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. == WiFi Stick == === 2.4Ghz === === 5Ghz === == Bluetooth Stick == == Bluetooth Headphones == === Noise Cancelling Over Ear === * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good Value: * Cheap: === Noise Cancelling In-Ear === === Over-Ear === === In-Ear === == Mainboard == === AMD === ==== AM3 ==== ==== AM4 ==== === Intel === ==== Sandy Bridge ==== == Scanner/Printer == == Not Problematic == Just buy whatever you want in the following categories: * CPU * RAM * Keyboard * Mouse (just configure the DPI once on Windows, for example in a VM) dcaf72fc30b66c603641566015086a1ea455eaf3 440 439 2022-03-10T01:12:41Z Aragorn 3 /* WiFi Stick */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. == GPUs == Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. If you buy old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. == WiFi Sticks == === 2.4Ghz === === 5Ghz === == Bluetooth Sticks == == Bluetooth Headphones == === Noise Cancelling Over Ear === * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good Value: * Cheap: === Noise Cancelling In-Ear === === Over-Ear === === In-Ear === == Mainboard == === AMD === ==== AM3 ==== ==== AM4 ==== === Intel === ==== Sandy Bridge ==== == Scanner/Printer == == Not Problematic == Just buy whatever you want in the following categories: * CPU * RAM * Keyboard * Mouse (just configure the DPI once on Windows, for example in a VM) bec1b63743b293356995afcb6737951c4908cf8d 441 440 2022-03-10T01:17:13Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. == GPUs == Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. If you buy old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. == WiFi Sticks == === 2.4Ghz === === 5Ghz === == Bluetooth Sticks == == Bluetooth Headphones == === Noise Cancelling Over Ear === * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good Value: * Cheap: === Noise Cancelling In-Ear === === Over-Ear === === In-Ear === == Mainboard == === AMD === ==== AM3 ==== ==== AM4 ==== === Intel === ==== Sandy Bridge ==== == Scanner/Printer == == Not Problematic == Just buy whatever you want in the following categories: * CPU * RAM * Keyboard * Mouse (just configure the DPI once on Windows, for example in a VM) b159453646b144fcd8599e4df4940f72b35b544c 442 441 2022-03-10T01:18:04Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. == GPUs == Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. If you buy old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. == WiFi Sticks == === 2.4Ghz === === 5Ghz === == Bluetooth Sticks == == Bluetooth Headphones == === Noise Cancelling Over Ear === * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good Value: * Cheap: === Noise Cancelling In-Ear === === Over-Ear === === In-Ear === == Mainboard == === AMD === ==== AM3 ==== ==== AM4 ==== === Intel === ==== Sandy Bridge ==== == Scanner/Printer == == Not Problematic == Just buy whatever you want in the following categories: * CPU * RAM * Keyboard * Mouse (just configure the DPI once on Windows, for example in a VM) 3aa966f5a525bc9eb465f0de6c65f108f6d1b537 443 442 2022-03-10T01:20:58Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. == GPUs == Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. If you buy old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. == WiFi Sticks == === 2.4Ghz === === 5Ghz === == Bluetooth Sticks == == Bluetooth Headphones == === Noise Cancelling Over Ear === * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good Value: * Cheap: === Noise Cancelling In-Ear === === Over-Ear === === In-Ear === == Mainboard == === AMD === ==== AM3 ==== ==== AM4 ==== === Intel === ==== Sandy Bridge ==== == Scanner/Printer == == Not Problematic == Just buy whatever you want in the following categories: * CPU * RAM * Keyboard * Mouse (just configure the DPI once on Windows, for example in a VM) 8f62b8ec2792a07b2aaf035154037feb7b43c0b8 446 443 2022-03-10T01:26:05Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == GPUs == Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. If you buy old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. == WiFi Sticks == === 2.4Ghz === === 5Ghz === == Bluetooth Sticks == == Bluetooth Headphones == === Noise Cancelling Over Ear === * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good Value: * Cheap: === Noise Cancelling In-Ear === === Over-Ear === === In-Ear === == Mainboard == === AMD === ==== AM3 ==== ==== AM4 ==== === Intel === ==== Sandy Bridge ==== == Scanner/Printer == == Not Problematic == Just buy whatever you want in the following categories: * CPU * RAM * Keyboard * Mouse (just configure the DPI once on Windows, for example in a VM) 6fbdc1dce5a411caf4f13d72c107d4a000203af9 0 46 445 2022-03-10T01:25:54Z Aragorn 3 Created page with "An extensive list of hardware that is known to work." wikitext text/x-wiki An extensive list of hardware that is known to work. 7f0d19b43a34711b6dbc44a0374bf36bdfcae372 447 445 2022-03-10T01:26:50Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki An extensive list of hardware that is known to work. ==GPUs== ==WiFi Sticks== ===2.4Ghz=== ===5Ghz=== ==Bluetooth Sticks== ==Bluetooth Headphones== ===Noise Cancelling Over Ear=== *Sony WH-1000XM4 ===Noise Cancelling In-Ear=== ===Over-Ear=== ===In-Ear=== ==Mainboard== ===AMD=== ====AM3==== ====AM4==== ===Intel=== ====Sandy Bridge==== ==Scanner/Printer== 7b49b04ac0350fe835cd599b1ad60c5d580b5144 448 447 2022-03-10T01:28:21Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki An extensive list of hardware that is known to work. If the device requires tweaking, please mention the tweaking steps. ==GPUs== ==WiFi Sticks== ===2.4Ghz=== ===5Ghz=== ==Bluetooth Sticks== ==Bluetooth Headphones== ===Noise Cancelling Over Ear=== *Sony WH-1000XM4 | working out of the box ===Noise Cancelling In-Ear=== ===Over-Ear=== ===In-Ear=== ==Mainboard== ===AMD=== ====AM3==== ====AM4==== ===Intel=== ====Sandy Bridge==== ==Scanner/Printer== b334d803f1fdfb71f04604a7d5386a0438d9ae13 449 448 2022-03-10T01:29:40Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki An extensive list of hardware that is known to work. If the device requires tweaking, please mention the tweaking steps. If you are looking for recommendations, look [[Hardware Recommendations|here]]. ==GPUs== ==WiFi Sticks== ===2.4Ghz=== ===5Ghz=== ==Bluetooth Sticks== ==Bluetooth Headphones== ===Noise Cancelling Over Ear=== *Sony WH-1000XM4 | working out of the box ===Noise Cancelling In-Ear=== ===Over-Ear=== ===In-Ear=== ==Mainboard== ===AMD=== ====AM3==== ====AM4==== ===Intel=== ====Sandy Bridge==== ==Scanner/Printer== 9ecff57f24421a592897ce3c4e22838f39781f4a 450 449 2022-03-10T01:34:18Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki An extensive list of hardware that is known to work. If the device requires tweaking, please mention the tweaking steps. The criteria are not as strict as in the [[Hardware Recommendations|hardware recommendations]] list, but all mentioned hardware should still be somewhat "worthy" for a gaming PC. We really don't need 20 years old Bluetooth sticks, even if they work out of the box. ==GPUs== ==WiFi Sticks== ===2.4Ghz=== ===5Ghz=== ==Bluetooth Sticks== ==Bluetooth Headphones== ===Noise Cancelling Over Ear=== *Sony WH-1000XM4 | 2020 | premium | working out of the box ===Noise Cancelling In-Ear=== ===Over-Ear=== ===In-Ear=== ==Mainboard== ===AMD=== ====AM3==== ====AM4==== ===Intel=== ====Sandy Bridge==== ==Scanner/Printer== adbc7483639e3b9f6928c30be389132977bc9d02 0 46 451 450 2022-03-10T01:35:10Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki An extensive list of hardware that is known to work. If the device requires tweaking, please mention the tweaking steps. The criteria are not as strict as in the [[Hardware Recommendations|hardware recommendations]] list, but all mentioned hardware should still be somewhat "worthy" for a gaming PC. We really don't need 20 years old Bluetooth sticks, even if they work out of the box. Please also mention the launch date, and whether the device is cheap or premium. ==GPUs== ==WiFi Sticks== ===2.4Ghz=== ===5Ghz=== ==Bluetooth Sticks== ==Bluetooth Headphones== ===Noise Cancelling Over Ear=== *Sony WH-1000XM4 | 2020 | premium | working out of the box ===Noise Cancelling In-Ear=== ===Over-Ear=== ===In-Ear=== ==Mainboard== ===AMD=== ====AM3==== ====AM4==== ===Intel=== ====Sandy Bridge==== ==Scanner/Printer== 3ce5659606c185348e7335866e866674bc6bd847 452 451 2022-03-10T01:37:23Z Aragorn 3 /* GPUs */ wikitext text/x-wiki An extensive list of hardware that is known to work. If the device requires tweaking, please mention the tweaking steps. The criteria are not as strict as in the [[Hardware Recommendations|hardware recommendations]] list, but all mentioned hardware should still be somewhat "worthy" for a gaming PC. We really don't need 20 years old Bluetooth sticks, even if they work out of the box. If possible, also mention the launch date, and whether the device is cheap or premium. ==GPUs== * Radeon RX 5700XT ==WiFi Sticks== ===2.4Ghz=== ===5Ghz=== ==Bluetooth Sticks== ==Bluetooth Headphones== ===Noise Cancelling Over Ear=== *Sony WH-1000XM4 | 2020 | premium | working out of the box ===Noise Cancelling In-Ear=== ===Over-Ear=== ===In-Ear=== ==Mainboard== ===AMD=== ====AM3==== ====AM4==== ===Intel=== ====Sandy Bridge==== ==Scanner/Printer== add509da209556c7b2ecb76b58cf124b8c301746 453 452 2022-03-10T01:37:37Z Aragorn 3 /* GPUs */ wikitext text/x-wiki An extensive list of hardware that is known to work. If the device requires tweaking, please mention the tweaking steps. The criteria are not as strict as in the [[Hardware Recommendations|hardware recommendations]] list, but all mentioned hardware should still be somewhat "worthy" for a gaming PC. We really don't need 20 years old Bluetooth sticks, even if they work out of the box. If possible, also mention the launch date, and whether the device is cheap or premium. ==GPUs== * Radeon RX 5700XT | working out of the box ==WiFi Sticks== ===2.4Ghz=== ===5Ghz=== ==Bluetooth Sticks== ==Bluetooth Headphones== ===Noise Cancelling Over Ear=== *Sony WH-1000XM4 | 2020 | premium | working out of the box ===Noise Cancelling In-Ear=== ===Over-Ear=== ===In-Ear=== ==Mainboard== ===AMD=== ====AM3==== ====AM4==== ===Intel=== ====Sandy Bridge==== ==Scanner/Printer== 8d0f2dc6985b2e603f021051b89adf750f6a849e 454 453 2022-03-10T01:42:45Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki An extensive list of hardware that is known to work. If the device requires tweaking, please mention the tweaking steps. The criteria are not as strict as in the [[Hardware Recommendations|hardware recommendations]] list, but all mentioned hardware should still be somewhat "worthy" for a gaming PC. We really don't need 20 years old Bluetooth sticks, even if they work out of the box. If possible, also add a price and a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. ==GPUs== * Radeon RX 5700XT | working out of the box ==WiFi Sticks== ===2.4Ghz=== ===5Ghz=== ==Bluetooth Sticks== ==Bluetooth Headphones== ===Noise Cancelling Over Ear=== *Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 | working out of the box ===Noise Cancelling In-Ear=== ===Over-Ear=== ===In-Ear=== ==Mainboard== ===AMD=== ====AM3==== ====AM4==== ===Intel=== ====Sandy Bridge==== ==Scanner/Printer== ec290838e4c4c140d9b9473d71fe0f1da43bd194 455 454 2022-03-10T01:47:01Z Aragorn 3 /* Noise Cancelling Over Ear */ wikitext text/x-wiki * An extensive list of hardware that is known to work. If the device requires tweaking, please mention the tweaking steps. The criteria are not as strict as in the [[Hardware Recommendations|hardware recommendations]] list, but all mentioned hardware should still be somewhat "worthy" for a gaming PC. We really don't need 20 years old Bluetooth sticks, even if they work out of the box. If possible, also add a price and a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. ==GPUs== {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Working out of the box |- |AMD |RX 5700XT |EU | | |yes |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | |} ==WiFi Sticks== ===2.4Ghz=== ===5Ghz=== ==Bluetooth Sticks== ==Bluetooth Headphones== {| class="wikitable" |+Noise Cancelling Over Ear !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Working out of the box |- |Sony |WH-1000XM4 |EU |250€ |2022-03-10 |yes |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} ===Noise Cancelling In-Ear=== ===Over-Ear=== ===In-Ear=== ==Mainboard== ===AMD=== ====AM3==== ====AM4==== ===Intel=== ====Sandy Bridge==== ==Scanner/Printer== bb6658b99438d9765c37b189ec7218dd97a6d76c 456 455 2022-03-10T01:47:38Z Aragorn 3 /* GPUs */ wikitext text/x-wiki * An extensive list of hardware that is known to work. If the device requires tweaking, please mention the tweaking steps. The criteria are not as strict as in the [[Hardware Recommendations|hardware recommendations]] list, but all mentioned hardware should still be somewhat "worthy" for a gaming PC. We really don't need 20 years old Bluetooth sticks, even if they work out of the box. If possible, also add a price and a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. ==GPUs== {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Working out of the box |- |AMD |RX 5700XT | | | |yes |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | |} ==WiFi Sticks== ===2.4Ghz=== ===5Ghz=== ==Bluetooth Sticks== ==Bluetooth Headphones== {| class="wikitable" |+Noise Cancelling Over Ear !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Working out of the box |- |Sony |WH-1000XM4 |EU |250€ |2022-03-10 |yes |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} ===Noise Cancelling In-Ear=== ===Over-Ear=== ===In-Ear=== ==Mainboard== ===AMD=== ====AM3==== ====AM4==== ===Intel=== ====Sandy Bridge==== ==Scanner/Printer== 6a0dc034b9983c412901e820e18c90fb8b9a431e 457 456 2022-03-10T01:48:29Z Aragorn 3 /* Bluetooth Headphones */ wikitext text/x-wiki * An extensive list of hardware that is known to work. If the device requires tweaking, please mention the tweaking steps. The criteria are not as strict as in the [[Hardware Recommendations|hardware recommendations]] list, but all mentioned hardware should still be somewhat "worthy" for a gaming PC. We really don't need 20 years old Bluetooth sticks, even if they work out of the box. If possible, also add a price and a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. ==GPUs== {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |AMD |RX 5700XT | | | |none |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | |} ==WiFi Sticks== ===2.4Ghz=== ===5Ghz=== ==Bluetooth Sticks== ==Bluetooth Headphones== {| class="wikitable" |+Noise Cancelling Over Ear !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Sony |WH-1000XM4 |EU |250€ |2022-03-10 |none |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} ===Noise Cancelling In-Ear=== ===Over-Ear=== ===In-Ear=== ==Mainboard== ===AMD=== ====AM3==== ====AM4==== ===Intel=== ====Sandy Bridge==== ==Scanner/Printer== 154cc551b36b5c758845b308e7cfe2510188cf53 458 457 2022-03-10T01:50:13Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki An extensive list of hardware that is known to work. If the device requires tweaking, please mention the tweaking steps. The criteria are not as strict as in the [[Hardware Recommendations|hardware recommendations]] list, but all mentioned hardware should still be somewhat "worthy" for a gaming PC. We really don't need 20 years old Bluetooth sticks, even if they work out of the box. If possible, also add a price and a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. ==GPUs== {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |AMD |RX 5700XT | | | |none |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | |} ==WiFi Sticks== ===2.4Ghz=== ===5Ghz=== ==Bluetooth Sticks== ==Bluetooth Headphones== {| class="wikitable" |+Noise Cancelling Over Ear !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Sony |WH-1000XM4 |EU |250€ |2022-03-10 |none |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} ===Noise Cancelling In-Ear=== ===Over-Ear=== ===In-Ear=== ==Mainboard== ===AMD=== ====AM3==== ====AM4==== ===Intel=== ====Sandy Bridge==== ==Scanner/Printer== c201d8bbf67dd03ea544781644da0adae14b6eab 468 458 2022-03-10T09:09:43Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki An extensive list of hardware that is known to work. If the device requires tweaking, please mention the tweaking steps. The criteria are not as strict as in the [[Hardware Recommendations|hardware recommendations]] list, but all mentioned hardware should still be somewhat "worthy" for a gaming PC. We really don't need 20 years old Bluetooth sticks, even if they work out of the box. If possible, also add a price and a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. ==GPUs== {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |AMD |RX 5700XT | | | |none |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | |} ==WiFi Sticks== ===2.4Ghz=== ===5Ghz=== ==Bluetooth Sticks== ==Bluetooth Headphones== {| class="wikitable" |+Noise Cancelling Over Ear !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Sony |WH-1000XM4 |EU |250€ |2022-03-10 |none |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} ===Noise Cancelling In-Ear=== ===Over-Ear=== ===In-Ear=== ==Mainboard== ===AMD=== ====AM3==== ====AM4==== ===Intel=== ====Sandy Bridge==== ==Scanner/Printer== Samsung SCX-4200R af48aa6419d9a9da546e251e1df6660ddc2c6176 469 468 2022-03-10T09:11:14Z Aragorn 3 /* Scanner/Printer */ wikitext text/x-wiki An extensive list of hardware that is known to work. If the device requires tweaking, please mention the tweaking steps. The criteria are not as strict as in the [[Hardware Recommendations|hardware recommendations]] list, but all mentioned hardware should still be somewhat "worthy" for a gaming PC. We really don't need 20 years old Bluetooth sticks, even if they work out of the box. If possible, also add a price and a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. ==GPUs== {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |AMD |RX 5700XT | | |2022-03-10 |none |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | |} ==WiFi Sticks== ===2.4Ghz=== ===5Ghz=== ==Bluetooth Sticks== ==Bluetooth Headphones== {| class="wikitable" |+Noise Cancelling Over Ear !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Sony |WH-1000XM4 |EU |250€ |2022-03-10 |none |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} ===Noise Cancelling In-Ear=== ===Over-Ear=== ===In-Ear=== ==Mainboard== ===AMD=== ====AM3==== ====AM4==== ===Intel=== ====Sandy Bridge==== ==Scanner/Printer== {| class="wikitable" |+Noise Cancelling Over Ear !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Samsung |SCX-4200R | | |2022-03-10 | |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} 3916b82c276751c5e5cdc8b1d7c00dac196e0517 470 469 2022-03-10T09:13:58Z Aragorn 3 /* Scanner/Printer */ wikitext text/x-wiki An extensive list of hardware that is known to work. If the device requires tweaking, please mention the tweaking steps. The criteria are not as strict as in the [[Hardware Recommendations|hardware recommendations]] list, but all mentioned hardware should still be somewhat "worthy" for a gaming PC. We really don't need 20 years old Bluetooth sticks, even if they work out of the box. If possible, also add a price and a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. ==GPUs== {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |AMD |RX 5700XT | | |2022-03-10 |none |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | |} ==WiFi Sticks== ===2.4Ghz=== ===5Ghz=== ==Bluetooth Sticks== ==Bluetooth Headphones== {| class="wikitable" |+Noise Cancelling Over Ear !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Sony |WH-1000XM4 |EU |250€ |2022-03-10 |none |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} ===Noise Cancelling In-Ear=== ===Over-Ear=== ===In-Ear=== ==Mainboard== ===AMD=== ====AM3==== ====AM4==== ===Intel=== ====Sandy Bridge==== ==Printer/Scanner== {| class="wikitable" |+Combined devices !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Samsung |SCX-4200R | | |2022-03-10 | |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} {| class="wikitable" |+Printer !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} {| class="wikitable" |+Scanner !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} cb38997bb6f4c55d4e275b04f90c3c7d165a6df4 0 45 459 446 2022-03-10T06:41:49Z 151.56.16.34 0 /* Over-Ear */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == GPUs == Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. If you buy old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. == WiFi Sticks == === 2.4Ghz === === 5Ghz === == Bluetooth Sticks == == Bluetooth Headphones == === Noise Cancelling Over Ear === * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good Value: * Cheap: === Noise Cancelling In-Ear === === Over-Ear === Logitech G933 === In-Ear === == Mainboard == === AMD === ==== AM3 ==== ==== AM4 ==== === Intel === ==== Sandy Bridge ==== == Scanner/Printer == == Not Problematic == Just buy whatever you want in the following categories: * CPU * RAM * Keyboard * Mouse (just configure the DPI once on Windows, for example in a VM) 5fe2860f2e9e4d5405cad4a65405bd5f45890880 460 459 2022-03-10T06:42:40Z 151.56.16.34 0 /* AM4 */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == GPUs == Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. If you buy old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. == WiFi Sticks == === 2.4Ghz === === 5Ghz === == Bluetooth Sticks == == Bluetooth Headphones == === Noise Cancelling Over Ear === * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good Value: * Cheap: === Noise Cancelling In-Ear === === Over-Ear === Logitech G933 === In-Ear === == Mainboard == === AMD === ==== AM3 ==== ==== AM4 ==== MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350 === Intel === ==== Sandy Bridge ==== == Scanner/Printer == == Not Problematic == Just buy whatever you want in the following categories: * CPU * RAM * Keyboard * Mouse (just configure the DPI once on Windows, for example in a VM) f76217f02b831ab48db9f519ce9737a608d7fa63 461 460 2022-03-10T06:55:28Z 37.160.128.134 0 /* AM4 */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == GPUs == Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. If you buy old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. == WiFi Sticks == === 2.4Ghz === === 5Ghz === == Bluetooth Sticks == == Bluetooth Headphones == === Noise Cancelling Over Ear === * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good Value: * Cheap: === Noise Cancelling In-Ear === === Over-Ear === Logitech G933 === In-Ear === == Mainboard == === AMD === ==== AM3 ==== ==== AM4 ==== [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] === Intel === ==== Sandy Bridge ==== == Scanner/Printer == == Not Problematic == Just buy whatever you want in the following categories: * CPU * RAM * Keyboard * Mouse (just configure the DPI once on Windows, for example in a VM) 858c5ec10d6962768924a9342a45749a2ad44fcc 462 461 2022-03-10T06:56:12Z 37.160.128.134 0 /* Over-Ear */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == GPUs == Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. If you buy old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. == WiFi Sticks == === 2.4Ghz === === 5Ghz === == Bluetooth Sticks == == Bluetooth Headphones == === Noise Cancelling Over Ear === * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good Value: * Cheap: === Noise Cancelling In-Ear === === Over-Ear === [https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/products/gaming-audio/g933-7-1-surround-sound-gaming-headset.html Logitech G933] === In-Ear === == Mainboard == === AMD === ==== AM3 ==== ==== AM4 ==== [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] === Intel === ==== Sandy Bridge ==== == Scanner/Printer == == Not Problematic == Just buy whatever you want in the following categories: * CPU * RAM * Keyboard * Mouse (just configure the DPI once on Windows, for example in a VM) fc289195994f89155d416c339516a397f04adf03 463 462 2022-03-10T06:58:42Z Shanrya 9 /* Over-Ear */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == GPUs == Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. If you buy old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. == WiFi Sticks == === 2.4Ghz === === 5Ghz === == Bluetooth Sticks == == Bluetooth Headphones == === Noise Cancelling Over Ear === * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good Value: * Cheap: === Noise Cancelling In-Ear === === Over-Ear === === In-Ear === == Mainboard == === AMD === ==== AM3 ==== ==== AM4 ==== [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] === Intel === ==== Sandy Bridge ==== == Scanner/Printer == == Not Problematic == Just buy whatever you want in the following categories: * CPU * RAM * Keyboard * Mouse (just configure the DPI once on Windows, for example in a VM) 4b74a4e120f2b94e77ac54c9669581954be4f4b7 464 463 2022-03-10T06:58:59Z Shanrya 9 /* Over-Ear */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == GPUs == Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. If you buy old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. == WiFi Sticks == === 2.4Ghz === === 5Ghz === == Bluetooth Sticks == == Bluetooth Headphones == === Noise Cancelling Over Ear === * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good Value: * Cheap: === Noise Cancelling In-Ear === === Over-Ear === [https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/products/gaming-audio/g933-7-1-surround-sound-gaming-headset.html Logitech G933] === In-Ear === == Mainboard == === AMD === ==== AM3 ==== ==== AM4 ==== [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] === Intel === ==== Sandy Bridge ==== == Scanner/Printer == == Not Problematic == Just buy whatever you want in the following categories: * CPU * RAM * Keyboard * Mouse (just configure the DPI once on Windows, for example in a VM) fc289195994f89155d416c339516a397f04adf03 465 464 2022-03-10T06:59:45Z Shanrya 9 /* AM4 */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == GPUs == Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. If you buy old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. == WiFi Sticks == === 2.4Ghz === === 5Ghz === == Bluetooth Sticks == == Bluetooth Headphones == === Noise Cancelling Over Ear === * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good Value: * Cheap: === Noise Cancelling In-Ear === === Over-Ear === [https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/products/gaming-audio/g933-7-1-surround-sound-gaming-headset.html Logitech G933] === In-Ear === == Mainboard == === AMD === ==== AM3 ==== ==== AM4 ==== === Intel === ==== Sandy Bridge ==== == Scanner/Printer == == Not Problematic == Just buy whatever you want in the following categories: * CPU * RAM * Keyboard * Mouse (just configure the DPI once on Windows, for example in a VM) a7f706b41a7b8b9c821ed8435604439d97cfdd33 466 465 2022-03-10T07:00:05Z Shanrya 9 /* AM4 */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == GPUs == Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. If you buy old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. == WiFi Sticks == === 2.4Ghz === === 5Ghz === == Bluetooth Sticks == == Bluetooth Headphones == === Noise Cancelling Over Ear === * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good Value: * Cheap: === Noise Cancelling In-Ear === === Over-Ear === [https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/products/gaming-audio/g933-7-1-surround-sound-gaming-headset.html Logitech G933] === In-Ear === == Mainboard == === AMD === ==== AM3 ==== ==== AM4 ==== [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] === Intel === ==== Sandy Bridge ==== == Scanner/Printer == == Not Problematic == Just buy whatever you want in the following categories: * CPU * RAM * Keyboard * Mouse (just configure the DPI once on Windows, for example in a VM) fc289195994f89155d416c339516a397f04adf03 467 466 2022-03-10T08:56:29Z Aragorn 3 /* Mainboard */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == GPUs == Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. If you buy old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. == WiFi Sticks == === 2.4Ghz === === 5Ghz === == Bluetooth Sticks == == Bluetooth Headphones == === Noise Cancelling Over Ear === * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good Value: * Cheap: === Noise Cancelling In-Ear === === Over-Ear === [https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/products/gaming-audio/g933-7-1-surround-sound-gaming-headset.html Logitech G933] === In-Ear === == Mainboard == Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control are not supported out of the box. All devices in this category should have ''full'' support. === AMD === ==== AM3 ==== ==== AM4 ==== [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] === Intel === ==== Sandy Bridge ==== == Scanner/Printer == == Not Problematic == Just buy whatever you want in the following categories: * CPU * RAM * Keyboard * Mouse (just configure the DPI once on Windows, for example in a VM) 5e6cd29d52e8ad5894b12aab6b84189df529c0a7 471 467 2022-03-10T09:14:09Z Aragorn 3 /* Scanner/Printer */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == GPUs == Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. If you buy old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. == WiFi Sticks == === 2.4Ghz === === 5Ghz === == Bluetooth Sticks == == Bluetooth Headphones == === Noise Cancelling Over Ear === * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good Value: * Cheap: === Noise Cancelling In-Ear === === Over-Ear === [https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/products/gaming-audio/g933-7-1-surround-sound-gaming-headset.html Logitech G933] === In-Ear === == Mainboard == Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control are not supported out of the box. All devices in this category should have ''full'' support. === AMD === ==== AM3 ==== ==== AM4 ==== [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] === Intel === ==== Sandy Bridge ==== == Printer/Scanner == == Not Problematic == Just buy whatever you want in the following categories: * CPU * RAM * Keyboard * Mouse (just configure the DPI once on Windows, for example in a VM) badda271c24869c5342fbcf8acfc808e1f08da50 472 471 2022-03-10T09:17:34Z Aragorn 3 /* Bluetooth Headphones */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == GPUs == Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. If you buy old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. == WiFi Sticks == === 2.4Ghz === === 5Ghz === == Bluetooth Sticks == == Bluetooth Headphones == === Noise Cancelling Over Ear === * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good Value: * Cheap: === Noise Cancelling In-Ear === === Over-Ear === === In-Ear === === Headsets === [https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/products/gaming-audio/g933-7-1-surround-sound-gaming-headset.html Logitech G933] | US | 20$ | 2022-03010 == Mainboard == Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control are not supported out of the box. All devices in this category should have ''full'' support. === AMD === ==== AM3 ==== ==== AM4 ==== [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] === Intel === ==== Sandy Bridge ==== == Printer/Scanner == == Not Problematic == Just buy whatever you want in the following categories: * CPU * RAM * Keyboard * Mouse (just configure the DPI once on Windows, for example in a VM) 15e755e252a48cbe53693b0ab19df0faf323f5e9 473 472 2022-03-10T09:17:56Z Aragorn 3 /* Headsets */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == GPUs == Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. If you buy old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. == WiFi Sticks == === 2.4Ghz === === 5Ghz === == Bluetooth Sticks == == Bluetooth Headphones == === Noise Cancelling Over Ear === * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good Value: * Cheap: === Noise Cancelling In-Ear === === Over-Ear === === In-Ear === === Headsets === [https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/products/gaming-audio/g933-7-1-surround-sound-gaming-headset.html Logitech G933] | US | 20$ | 2022-03-10 == Mainboard == Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control are not supported out of the box. All devices in this category should have ''full'' support. === AMD === ==== AM3 ==== ==== AM4 ==== [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] === Intel === ==== Sandy Bridge ==== == Printer/Scanner == == Not Problematic == Just buy whatever you want in the following categories: * CPU * RAM * Keyboard * Mouse (just configure the DPI once on Windows, for example in a VM) f9f40da8bc2e223220207caeb24782712d813032 474 473 2022-03-10T09:18:55Z Aragorn 3 /* Headsets */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == GPUs == Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. If you buy old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. == WiFi Sticks == === 2.4Ghz === === 5Ghz === == Bluetooth Sticks == == Bluetooth Headphones == === Noise Cancelling Over Ear === * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good Value: * Cheap: === Noise Cancelling In-Ear === === Over-Ear === === In-Ear === === Headsets === [https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/products/gaming-audio/g933-7-1-surround-sound-gaming-headset.html Logitech G933] | US | 29$ | 2022-03-10 == Mainboard == Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control are not supported out of the box. All devices in this category should have ''full'' support. === AMD === ==== AM3 ==== ==== AM4 ==== [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] === Intel === ==== Sandy Bridge ==== == Printer/Scanner == == Not Problematic == Just buy whatever you want in the following categories: * CPU * RAM * Keyboard * Mouse (just configure the DPI once on Windows, for example in a VM) 0dd77434fafecb7711666d281a07ff17190f3488 475 474 2022-03-10T09:24:07Z Aragorn 3 /* Headsets */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == GPUs == Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. If you buy old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. == WiFi Sticks == === 2.4Ghz === === 5Ghz === == Bluetooth Sticks == == Bluetooth Headphones == === Noise Cancelling Over Ear === * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good value: * Cheap: === Noise Cancelling In-Ear === === Over-Ear === === In-Ear === === Headsets === * Premium: * Good value: [https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/products/gaming-audio/g933-7-1-surround-sound-gaming-headset.html Logitech G933] | US | 29$ | 2022-03-10 * Cheap: == Mainboard == Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control are not supported out of the box. All devices in this category should have ''full'' support. === AMD === ==== AM3 ==== ==== AM4 ==== [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] === Intel === ==== Sandy Bridge ==== == Printer/Scanner == == Not Problematic == Just buy whatever you want in the following categories: * CPU * RAM * Keyboard * Mouse (just configure the DPI once on Windows, for example in a VM) a12165dcf914bd872f16db063006e5e0d2d7023c 476 475 2022-03-10T09:26:26Z Aragorn 3 /* Mainboard */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == GPUs == Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. If you buy old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. == WiFi Sticks == === 2.4Ghz === === 5Ghz === == Bluetooth Sticks == == Bluetooth Headphones == === Noise Cancelling Over Ear === * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good value: * Cheap: === Noise Cancelling In-Ear === === Over-Ear === === In-Ear === === Headsets === * Premium: * Good value: [https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/products/gaming-audio/g933-7-1-surround-sound-gaming-headset.html Logitech G933] | US | 29$ | 2022-03-10 * Cheap: == Mainboard == Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, or WiFi are not supported out of the box. All devices in this category should have ''full'' support. === AMD === ==== AM3 ==== ==== AM4 ==== [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] === Intel === ==== Sandy Bridge ==== == Printer/Scanner == == Not Problematic == Just buy whatever you want in the following categories: * CPU * RAM * Keyboard * Mouse (just configure the DPI once on Windows, for example in a VM) 3593fe606948863d90776a1b62fa11acc969b4ce 477 476 2022-03-10T09:32:50Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. RGB support (with OpenRGB) is not necessary. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == GPUs == Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. If you buy old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. == WiFi Sticks == === 2.4Ghz === === 5Ghz === == Bluetooth Sticks == == Bluetooth Headphones == === Noise Cancelling Over Ear === * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good value: * Cheap: === Noise Cancelling In-Ear === === Over-Ear === === In-Ear === === Headsets === * Premium: * Good value: [https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/products/gaming-audio/g933-7-1-surround-sound-gaming-headset.html Logitech G933] | US | 29$ | 2022-03-10 * Cheap: == Mainboard == Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, or WiFi are not supported out of the box. All devices in this category should have ''full'' support. === AMD === ==== AM3 ==== ==== AM4 ==== [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] === Intel === ==== Sandy Bridge ==== == Printer/Scanner == == Hardware with RGB support == Keyboard: Mouse: Mainboard: * AMD ** AM3: ** AM4: * Intel RAM: * DDR4: Fan: == Not Problematic == Just buy whatever you want in the following categories: * CPU * RAM * Keyboard * Mouse (just configure the DPI once on Windows, for example in a VM) 632a3e1c1cdc638158e2bc430cc1c709b6be0ae9 478 477 2022-03-10T09:35:26Z Aragorn 3 /* Headsets */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. RGB support (with OpenRGB) is not necessary. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == GPUs == Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. If you buy old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. == WiFi Sticks == === 2.4Ghz === === 5Ghz === == Bluetooth Sticks == == Bluetooth Headphones == === Noise Cancelling Over Ear === * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good value: * Cheap: === Noise Cancelling In-Ear === === Noise Cancelling Headsets === === Over-Ear === === In-Ear === === Headsets === * Premium: * Good value: [https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/products/gaming-audio/g933-7-1-surround-sound-gaming-headset.html Logitech G933] | US | 29$ | 2022-03-10 * Cheap: == Mainboard == Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, or WiFi are not supported out of the box. All devices in this category should have ''full'' support. === AMD === ==== AM3 ==== ==== AM4 ==== [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] === Intel === ==== Sandy Bridge ==== == Printer/Scanner == == Hardware with RGB support == Keyboard: Mouse: Mainboard: * AMD ** AM3: ** AM4: * Intel RAM: * DDR4: Fan: == Not Problematic == Just buy whatever you want in the following categories: * CPU * RAM * Keyboard * Mouse (just configure the DPI once on Windows, for example in a VM) f33e0b947330e561f440a68218a48c5a9601e44f 479 478 2022-03-10T09:38:45Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == GPUs == Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. If you buy old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. == WiFi Sticks == === 2.4Ghz === === 5Ghz === == Bluetooth Sticks == == Bluetooth Headphones == === Noise Cancelling Over Ear === * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good value: * Cheap: === Noise Cancelling In-Ear === === Noise Cancelling Headsets === === Over-Ear === === In-Ear === === Headsets === * Premium: * Good value: [https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/products/gaming-audio/g933-7-1-surround-sound-gaming-headset.html Logitech G933] | US | 29$ | 2022-03-10 * Cheap: == Mainboard == Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, or WiFi are not supported out of the box. All devices in this category should have ''full'' support. RGB support is desirable, but not necessary. === AMD === ==== AM3 ==== ==== AM4 ==== [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] === Intel === ==== Sandy Bridge ==== == Printer/Scanner == == Hardware with RGB support == Keyboard: Mouse: Mainboard: * AMD ** AM3: ** AM4: * Intel RAM: * DDR4: Fan: == Not Problematic == Just buy whatever you want in the following categories: * CPU * RAM * Keyboard * Mouse (just configure the DPI once on Windows, for example in a VM) 43fbff4320bbad6ea5a5437c787da4c8b105d47f 480 479 2022-03-10T09:39:34Z Aragorn 3 /* Not Problematic */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == GPUs == Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. If you buy old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. == WiFi Sticks == === 2.4Ghz === === 5Ghz === == Bluetooth Sticks == == Bluetooth Headphones == === Noise Cancelling Over Ear === * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good value: * Cheap: === Noise Cancelling In-Ear === === Noise Cancelling Headsets === === Over-Ear === === In-Ear === === Headsets === * Premium: * Good value: [https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/products/gaming-audio/g933-7-1-surround-sound-gaming-headset.html Logitech G933] | US | 29$ | 2022-03-10 * Cheap: == Mainboard == Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, or WiFi are not supported out of the box. All devices in this category should have ''full'' support. RGB support is desirable, but not necessary. === AMD === ==== AM3 ==== ==== AM4 ==== [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] === Intel === ==== Sandy Bridge ==== == Printer/Scanner == == Hardware with RGB support == Keyboard: Mouse: Mainboard: * AMD ** AM3: ** AM4: * Intel RAM: * DDR4: Fan: == Not Problematic == If you don't need RGB, just buy whatever you want in the following categories: * CPU * RAM * Keyboard * Mouse (just configure the DPI once on Windows, for example in a VM) 3905cb6c257b78697fc1d1e6f7d4b117714126d3 481 480 2022-03-10T09:42:26Z Aragorn 3 /* Mainboard */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == GPUs == Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. If you buy old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. == WiFi Sticks == === 2.4Ghz === === 5Ghz === == Bluetooth Sticks == == Bluetooth Headphones == === Noise Cancelling Over Ear === * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good value: * Cheap: === Noise Cancelling In-Ear === === Noise Cancelling Headsets === === Over-Ear === === In-Ear === === Headsets === * Premium: * Good value: [https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/products/gaming-audio/g933-7-1-surround-sound-gaming-headset.html Logitech G933] | US | 29$ | 2022-03-10 * Cheap: == Mainboard == Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, or WiFi are not supported out of the box. All devices in this category should have ''full'' support. RGB support is desirable, but not necessary. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. === AMD === ==== AM3 ==== ==== AM4 ==== [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] === Intel === ==== Sandy Bridge ==== == Printer/Scanner == == Hardware with RGB support == Keyboard: Mouse: Mainboard: * AMD ** AM3: ** AM4: * Intel RAM: * DDR4: Fan: == Not Problematic == If you don't need RGB, just buy whatever you want in the following categories: * CPU * RAM * Keyboard * Mouse (just configure the DPI once on Windows, for example in a VM) 5436976f6f5a87ef09b65bf29f5187bdc43105df 482 481 2022-03-10T09:43:50Z Aragorn 3 /* Mainboard */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == GPUs == Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. If you buy old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. == WiFi Sticks == === 2.4Ghz === === 5Ghz === == Bluetooth Sticks == == Bluetooth Headphones == === Noise Cancelling Over Ear === * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good value: * Cheap: === Noise Cancelling In-Ear === === Noise Cancelling Headsets === === Over-Ear === === In-Ear === === Headsets === * Premium: * Good value: [https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/products/gaming-audio/g933-7-1-surround-sound-gaming-headset.html Logitech G933] | US | 29$ | 2022-03-10 * Cheap: == Mainboard == Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, or WiFi are not supported out of the box. All devices in this category should have ''full'' support. RGB support is desirable, but not necessary. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Please mention all features that you tested, and that are working. === AMD === ==== AM3 ==== ==== AM4 ==== [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] === Intel === ==== Sandy Bridge ==== == Printer/Scanner == == Hardware with RGB support == Keyboard: Mouse: Mainboard: * AMD ** AM3: ** AM4: * Intel RAM: * DDR4: Fan: == Not Problematic == If you don't need RGB, just buy whatever you want in the following categories: * CPU * RAM * Keyboard * Mouse (just configure the DPI once on Windows, for example in a VM) 26963e4f532080315eac7ff7c688d11642f47d41 483 482 2022-03-10T09:44:23Z Aragorn 3 /* Mainboard */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == GPUs == Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. If you buy old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. == WiFi Sticks == === 2.4Ghz === === 5Ghz === == Bluetooth Sticks == == Bluetooth Headphones == === Noise Cancelling Over Ear === * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good value: * Cheap: === Noise Cancelling In-Ear === === Noise Cancelling Headsets === === Over-Ear === === In-Ear === === Headsets === * Premium: * Good value: [https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/products/gaming-audio/g933-7-1-surround-sound-gaming-headset.html Logitech G933] | US | 29$ | 2022-03-10 * Cheap: == Mainboard == Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, or WiFi are not supported out of the box. All devices in this category should have ''full'' support. Please mention all features that you tested, and that are working. RGB support (with OpenRGB) is desirable, but not necessary. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. === AMD === ==== AM3 ==== ==== AM4 ==== [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] === Intel === ==== Sandy Bridge ==== == Printer/Scanner == == Hardware with RGB support == Keyboard: Mouse: Mainboard: * AMD ** AM3: ** AM4: * Intel RAM: * DDR4: Fan: == Not Problematic == If you don't need RGB, just buy whatever you want in the following categories: * CPU * RAM * Keyboard * Mouse (just configure the DPI once on Windows, for example in a VM) e3c89d6e1b29bc413e85583bc8b8cb0efb59f98a 484 483 2022-03-10T09:53:34Z Aragorn 3 /* Hardware with RGB support */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == GPUs == Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. If you buy old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. == WiFi Sticks == === 2.4Ghz === === 5Ghz === == Bluetooth Sticks == == Bluetooth Headphones == === Noise Cancelling Over Ear === * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good value: * Cheap: === Noise Cancelling In-Ear === === Noise Cancelling Headsets === === Over-Ear === === In-Ear === === Headsets === * Premium: * Good value: [https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/products/gaming-audio/g933-7-1-surround-sound-gaming-headset.html Logitech G933] | US | 29$ | 2022-03-10 * Cheap: == Mainboard == Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. All devices in this category should have ''full'' support. Please mention all features that you tested, and that are working. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. === AMD === ==== AM3 ==== ==== AM4 ==== [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] === Intel === ==== Sandy Bridge ==== == Printer/Scanner == == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. Keyboard: Mouse: RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: * 79c2fdab04318d30bb55636766f765758128931b 485 484 2022-03-10T09:55:33Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == GPUs == Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. If you buy old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. == WiFi Sticks == === 2.4Ghz === === 5Ghz === == Bluetooth Sticks == == Bluetooth Headphones == === Noise Cancelling Over Ear === * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good value: * Cheap: === Noise Cancelling In-Ear === === Noise Cancelling Headsets === === Over-Ear === === In-Ear === === Headsets === * Premium: * Good value: [https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/products/gaming-audio/g933-7-1-surround-sound-gaming-headset.html Logitech G933] | US | 29$ | 2022-03-10 * Cheap: == Mainboard == Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. All devices in this category should have ''full'' support. Please mention all features that you tested, and that are working. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. === AMD === ==== AM3 ==== ==== AM4 ==== [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] === Intel === ==== Sandy Bridge ==== == Printer/Scanner == == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. Keyboard: Mouse: RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: * 6697c830f9f4b01eee51174bd72db2ed381d55dc 486 485 2022-03-10T10:09:53Z Aragorn 3 /* Hardware with RGB support */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == GPUs == Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. If you buy old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. == WiFi Sticks == === 2.4Ghz === === 5Ghz === == Bluetooth Sticks == == Bluetooth Headphones == === Noise Cancelling Over Ear === * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good value: * Cheap: === Noise Cancelling In-Ear === === Noise Cancelling Headsets === === Over-Ear === === In-Ear === === Headsets === * Premium: * Good value: [https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/products/gaming-audio/g933-7-1-surround-sound-gaming-headset.html Logitech G933] | US | 29$ | 2022-03-10 * Cheap: == Mainboard == Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. All devices in this category should have ''full'' support. Please mention all features that you tested, and that are working. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. === AMD === ==== AM3 ==== ==== AM4 ==== [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] === Intel === ==== Sandy Bridge ==== == Printer/Scanner == == Mice == If you just want something that works, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like changing DPI, lift-off distance, or RGB. Mice in this category should have a flawless sensor, and a pleasant way to change settings. RGB support is desirable. * Steel Series Rival 300: Flawless Sensor | Settings are stored on the mouse. To change them, just boot Windows, and change stuff there, or boot a VM and pass through your mouse. | I did not test RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. Keyboard: RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: * 1a5c42794012758d450ec6acc40bf1272d0867c1 487 486 2022-03-10T10:12:22Z Aragorn 3 /* Mice */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == GPUs == Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. If you buy old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. == WiFi Sticks == === 2.4Ghz === === 5Ghz === == Bluetooth Sticks == == Bluetooth Headphones == === Noise Cancelling Over Ear === * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good value: * Cheap: === Noise Cancelling In-Ear === === Noise Cancelling Headsets === === Over-Ear === === In-Ear === === Headsets === * Premium: * Good value: [https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/products/gaming-audio/g933-7-1-surround-sound-gaming-headset.html Logitech G933] | US | 29$ | 2022-03-10 * Cheap: == Mainboard == Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. All devices in this category should have ''full'' support. Please mention all features that you tested, and that are working. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. === AMD === ==== AM3 ==== ==== AM4 ==== [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] === Intel === ==== Sandy Bridge ==== == Printer/Scanner == == Mice == If you just want something that works, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like changing DPI, lift-off distance, or RGB. Mice in this category should have a flawless sensor, and a pleasant way to change settings. ''From my personal experience'', settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows, and change stuff there, or boot a VM and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings are kept in Linux. RGB support is desirable. * Steel Series Rival 300: Flawless Sensor | Settings are stored on the mouse. | I did not test RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. Keyboard: RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: * 31894d794c24d152d7dfdfb5ce4f43f4754b86fa 488 487 2022-03-10T10:32:22Z Aragorn 3 /* Mice */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == GPUs == Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. If you buy old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. == WiFi Sticks == === 2.4Ghz === === 5Ghz === == Bluetooth Sticks == == Bluetooth Headphones == === Noise Cancelling Over Ear === * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good value: * Cheap: === Noise Cancelling In-Ear === === Noise Cancelling Headsets === === Over-Ear === === In-Ear === === Headsets === * Premium: * Good value: [https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/products/gaming-audio/g933-7-1-surround-sound-gaming-headset.html Logitech G933] | US | 29$ | 2022-03-10 * Cheap: == Mainboard == Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. All devices in this category should have ''full'' support. Please mention all features that you tested, and that are working. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. === AMD === ==== AM3 ==== ==== AM4 ==== [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] === Intel === ==== Sandy Bridge ==== == Printer/Scanner == == USB audio converter == * Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 == Mice == If you just want something that works, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like changing DPI, lift-off distance, or RGB. Mice in this category should have a flawless sensor, and a pleasant way to change settings. ''From my personal experience'', settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows, and change stuff there, or boot a VM and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings are kept in Linux. RGB support is desirable. * Steel Series Rival 300: Flawless Sensor | Settings are stored on the mouse. | I did not test RGB. == Keyboards == If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack * * 484a5187d26db03d8fa9a59a5a1c464923ce0655 489 488 2022-03-10T12:16:35Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == GPUs == Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. If you buy old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. == WiFi Sticks == === 2.4Ghz === === 5Ghz === == Bluetooth Sticks == == Bluetooth Headphones == Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. === Noise Cancelling Over Ear === * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good value: * Cheap: === Noise Cancelling In-Ear === === Noise Cancelling Headsets === === Over-Ear === === In-Ear === === Headsets === * Premium: * Good value: [https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/products/gaming-audio/g933-7-1-surround-sound-gaming-headset.html Logitech G933] | US | 29$ | 2022-03-10 * Cheap: == Mainboard == Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. All devices in this category should have ''full'' support. Please mention all features that you tested, and that are working. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. === AMD === ==== AM3 ==== ==== AM4 ==== [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] === Intel === ==== Sandy Bridge ==== == Printer/Scanner == == USB audio converter == I'm not sure whether this category is problematic. *Cheap: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio == Mice == If you just want something that works, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like changing DPI, lift-off distance, or RGB. Mice in this category should have a flawless sensor, and a pleasant way to change settings. ''From my personal experience'', settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows, and change stuff there, or boot a VM and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings are kept in Linux. RGB support is desirable. * Steel Series Rival 300: Flawless Sensor | Settings are stored on the mouse. | I did not test RGB. == Keyboards == If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 2328581b7f43d495a89a036c335301a1b422a2cf 490 489 2022-03-10T12:18:55Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == GPUs == Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. If you buy old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. == WiFi Sticks == === 2.4Ghz === === 5Ghz === == Bluetooth Sticks == == Bluetooth Headphones == Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. === Noise Cancelling Over Ear === * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good value: * Cheap: === Noise Cancelling In-Ear === === Noise Cancelling Headsets === === Over-Ear === === In-Ear === === Headsets === * Premium: * Good value: [https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/products/gaming-audio/g933-7-1-surround-sound-gaming-headset.html Logitech G933] | US | 29$ | 2022-03-10 * Cheap: == Mainboard == Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. All devices in this category should have ''full'' support. Please mention all features that you tested, and that are working. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. === AMD === ==== AM3 ==== ==== AM4 ==== [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] === Intel === ==== Sandy Bridge ==== == Printer/Scanner == == USB audio converter == I'm not sure whether this category is problematic. *Cheap: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio == USB microphones == I'm not sure whether this category is problematic. * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 == Mice == If you just want something that works, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like changing DPI, lift-off distance, or RGB. Mice in this category should have a flawless sensor, and a pleasant way to change settings. ''From my personal experience'', settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows, and change stuff there, or boot a VM and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings are kept in Linux. RGB support is desirable. * Steel Series Rival 300: Flawless Sensor | Settings are stored on the mouse. | I did not test RGB. == Keyboards == If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * ae63828e8ab9bc475d85c6365f00988363669c54 491 490 2022-03-10T12:26:44Z Aragorn 3 /* GPUs */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == Your should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === GPUs === Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. If you buy old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. Nvidia privides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, but you might want to look a second time. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling Over Ear ==== * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good value: * Cheap: ==== Noise Cancelling In-Ear ==== ==== Noise Cancelling Headsets ==== ==== Over-Ear ==== ==== In-Ear ==== ==== Headsets ==== * Premium: * Good value: [https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/products/gaming-audio/g933-7-1-surround-sound-gaming-headset.html Logitech G933] | US | 29$ | 2022-03-10 * Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. All devices in this category should have ''full'' support. Please mention all features that you tested, and that are working. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. ==== AMD ==== ===== AM3 ===== ===== AM4 ===== [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== ===== Sandy Bridge ===== === USB audio converter === I'm not sure whether this category is problematic. *Cheap: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === I'm not sure whether this category is problematic. * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like changing DPI, lift-off distance, or RGB. Mice in this category should have a flawless sensor, and a pleasant way to change settings. ''From my personal experience'', settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows, and change stuff there, or boot a VM and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings are kept in Linux. RGB support is desirable. * Steel Series Rival 300: Flawless Sensor | Settings are stored on the mouse. | I did not test RGB. === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * ab72f1386aac9336628025fa6cd0e75d12e666eb 492 491 2022-03-10T12:29:47Z Aragorn 3 /* Less problematic Hardware */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == Your should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === GPUs === Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. If you buy old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. Nvidia privides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, but you might want to have a look at our recommendations, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling Over Ear ==== * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good value: * Cheap: ==== Noise Cancelling In-Ear ==== ==== Noise Cancelling Headsets ==== ==== Over-Ear ==== ==== In-Ear ==== ==== Headsets ==== * Premium: * Good value: [https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/products/gaming-audio/g933-7-1-surround-sound-gaming-headset.html Logitech G933] | US | 29$ | 2022-03-10 * Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. All devices in this category should have ''full'' support. Please mention all features that you tested, and that are working. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. ==== AMD ==== ===== AM3 ===== ===== AM4 ===== [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== ===== Sandy Bridge ===== === USB audio converter === I'm not sure whether this category is problematic. *Cheap: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === I'm not sure whether this category is problematic. * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like changing DPI, lift-off distance, or RGB. Mice in this category should have a flawless sensor, and a pleasant way to change settings. ''From my personal experience'', settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows, and change stuff there, or boot a VM and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings are kept in Linux. RGB support is desirable. * Steel Series Rival 300: Flawless Sensor | Settings are stored on the mouse. | I did not test RGB. === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * e2415dc4a723f53bb32ed86abd4b5662ec876d34 493 492 2022-03-10T12:31:03Z Aragorn 3 /* USB audio converter */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == Your should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === GPUs === Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. If you buy old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. Nvidia privides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling Over Ear ==== * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good value: * Cheap: ==== Noise Cancelling In-Ear ==== ==== Noise Cancelling Headsets ==== ==== Over-Ear ==== ==== In-Ear ==== ==== Headsets ==== * Premium: * Good value: [https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/products/gaming-audio/g933-7-1-surround-sound-gaming-headset.html Logitech G933] | US | 29$ | 2022-03-10 * Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. All devices in this category should have ''full'' support. Please mention all features that you tested, and that are working. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. ==== AMD ==== ===== AM3 ===== ===== AM4 ===== [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== ===== Sandy Bridge ===== === USB audio converter === *Cheap: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like changing DPI, lift-off distance, or RGB. Mice in this category should have a flawless sensor, and a pleasant way to change settings. ''From my personal experience'', settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows, and change stuff there, or boot a VM and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings are kept in Linux. RGB support is desirable. * Steel Series Rival 300: Flawless Sensor | Settings are stored on the mouse. | I did not test RGB. === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * dfa2f9e821e2d7f2847e3dc3b8596a644e8e85ae 494 493 2022-03-10T12:31:47Z Aragorn 3 /* Mainboard */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == Your should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === GPUs === Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. If you buy old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. Nvidia privides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling Over Ear ==== * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good value: * Cheap: ==== Noise Cancelling In-Ear ==== ==== Noise Cancelling Headsets ==== ==== Over-Ear ==== ==== In-Ear ==== ==== Headsets ==== * Premium: * Good value: [https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/products/gaming-audio/g933-7-1-surround-sound-gaming-headset.html Logitech G933] | US | 29$ | 2022-03-10 * Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. All devices in this category should have ''full'' support. Please mention all features that you tested, and that are working. ==== AMD ==== ===== AM3 ===== ===== AM4 ===== [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== ===== Sandy Bridge ===== === USB audio converter === *Cheap: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like changing DPI, lift-off distance, or RGB. Mice in this category should have a flawless sensor, and a pleasant way to change settings. ''From my personal experience'', settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows, and change stuff there, or boot a VM and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings are kept in Linux. RGB support is desirable. * Steel Series Rival 300: Flawless Sensor | Settings are stored on the mouse. | I did not test RGB. === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 5ec72b4aee91432c986e6eb71b62c649092be3e7 495 494 2022-03-10T12:32:41Z Aragorn 3 /* AMD */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == Your should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === GPUs === Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. If you buy old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. Nvidia privides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling Over Ear ==== * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good value: * Cheap: ==== Noise Cancelling In-Ear ==== ==== Noise Cancelling Headsets ==== ==== Over-Ear ==== ==== In-Ear ==== ==== Headsets ==== * Premium: * Good value: [https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/products/gaming-audio/g933-7-1-surround-sound-gaming-headset.html Logitech G933] | US | 29$ | 2022-03-10 * Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. All devices in this category should have ''full'' support. Please mention all features that you tested, and that are working. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB audio converter === *Cheap: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like changing DPI, lift-off distance, or RGB. Mice in this category should have a flawless sensor, and a pleasant way to change settings. ''From my personal experience'', settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows, and change stuff there, or boot a VM and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings are kept in Linux. RGB support is desirable. * Steel Series Rival 300: Flawless Sensor | Settings are stored on the mouse. | I did not test RGB. === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * dc13e5a7392578c017744cd91aec3ebdbf6efb3e 496 495 2022-03-10T12:33:49Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == Your should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === GPUs === Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. If you buy old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. Nvidia privides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling Over Ear ==== * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good value: * Cheap: ==== Noise Cancelling In-Ear ==== ==== Noise Cancelling Headsets ==== ==== Over-Ear ==== ==== In-Ear ==== ==== Headsets ==== * Premium: * Good value: [https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/products/gaming-audio/g933-7-1-surround-sound-gaming-headset.html Logitech G933] | US | 29$ | 2022-03-10 * Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. All devices in this category should have ''full'' support. Please mention all features that you tested, and that are working. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB audio converter === *Cheap: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like changing DPI, lift-off distance, or RGB. Mice in this category should have a flawless sensor, and a pleasant way to change settings. ''From my personal experience'', settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows, and change stuff there, or boot a VM and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings are kept in Linux. RGB support is desirable. * Steel Series Rival 300: Flawless Sensor | Settings are stored on the mouse. | I did not test RGB. === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 47032583f8c5dceee8febbb0e91833d3767106f4 497 496 2022-03-10T12:36:50Z Aragorn 3 /* Less problematic Hardware */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == Your should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === GPUs === Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. If you want no problems, don't buy the newest GPU, drivers need some time to get good. If you buy old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. Nvidia privides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling Over Ear ==== * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good value: * Cheap: ==== Noise Cancelling In-Ear ==== ==== Noise Cancelling Headsets ==== ==== Over-Ear ==== ==== In-Ear ==== ==== Headsets ==== * Premium: * Good value: [https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/products/gaming-audio/g933-7-1-surround-sound-gaming-headset.html Logitech G933] | US | 29$ | 2022-03-10 * Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. All devices in this category should have ''full'' support. Please mention all features that you tested, and that are working. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB audio converter === *Cheap: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like changing DPI, lift-off distance, or RGB. Mice in this category should have a flawless sensor, and a pleasant way to change settings. ''From my personal experience'', settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows, and change stuff there, or boot a VM and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings are kept in Linux. RGB support is desirable. * Steel Series Rival 300: Flawless Sensor | Settings are stored on the mouse. | I did not test RGB. === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 4e17094a4fad21f4b15c88ba15c910e34374c392 498 497 2022-03-10T12:37:49Z Aragorn 3 /* GPUs */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == Your should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === GPUs === Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. If you want no problems, don't buy the absolute newest GPU right after it launched. Drivers need some time to get good. If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. Nvidia privides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling Over Ear ==== * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good value: * Cheap: ==== Noise Cancelling In-Ear ==== ==== Noise Cancelling Headsets ==== ==== Over-Ear ==== ==== In-Ear ==== ==== Headsets ==== * Premium: * Good value: [https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/products/gaming-audio/g933-7-1-surround-sound-gaming-headset.html Logitech G933] | US | 29$ | 2022-03-10 * Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. All devices in this category should have ''full'' support. Please mention all features that you tested, and that are working. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB audio converter === *Cheap: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like changing DPI, lift-off distance, or RGB. Mice in this category should have a flawless sensor, and a pleasant way to change settings. ''From my personal experience'', settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows, and change stuff there, or boot a VM and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings are kept in Linux. RGB support is desirable. * Steel Series Rival 300: Flawless Sensor | Settings are stored on the mouse. | I did not test RGB. === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 49a434aa334ec07716e56ccf41ed7ec2c2ef3aad 499 498 2022-03-10T12:41:12Z Aragorn 3 /* GPUs */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == Your should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === GPUs === * Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. * If you absolutely want no problems, don't buy the newest GPU right after it launched. But you're probably fine, if you wait a couple months, there is absolutely no need to buy old garbage. Drivers just need a little bit of time to get good. * If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. * Nvidia privides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling Over Ear ==== * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good value: * Cheap: ==== Noise Cancelling In-Ear ==== ==== Noise Cancelling Headsets ==== ==== Over-Ear ==== ==== In-Ear ==== ==== Headsets ==== * Premium: * Good value: [https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/products/gaming-audio/g933-7-1-surround-sound-gaming-headset.html Logitech G933] | US | 29$ | 2022-03-10 * Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. All devices in this category should have ''full'' support. Please mention all features that you tested, and that are working. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB audio converter === *Cheap: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like changing DPI, lift-off distance, or RGB. Mice in this category should have a flawless sensor, and a pleasant way to change settings. ''From my personal experience'', settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows, and change stuff there, or boot a VM and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings are kept in Linux. RGB support is desirable. * Steel Series Rival 300: Flawless Sensor | Settings are stored on the mouse. | I did not test RGB. === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 11f95a38c8107a4e01104ea3d642753a4022985b 500 499 2022-03-10T12:41:33Z Aragorn 3 /* GPUs */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == Your should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === GPUs === * Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. * If you want no problems, don't buy the newest GPU right after it launched. But you're probably fine, if you wait a couple months, there is absolutely no need to buy old garbage. Drivers just need a little bit of time to get good. * If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. * Nvidia privides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling Over Ear ==== * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good value: * Cheap: ==== Noise Cancelling In-Ear ==== ==== Noise Cancelling Headsets ==== ==== Over-Ear ==== ==== In-Ear ==== ==== Headsets ==== * Premium: * Good value: [https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/products/gaming-audio/g933-7-1-surround-sound-gaming-headset.html Logitech G933] | US | 29$ | 2022-03-10 * Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. All devices in this category should have ''full'' support. Please mention all features that you tested, and that are working. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB audio converter === *Cheap: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like changing DPI, lift-off distance, or RGB. Mice in this category should have a flawless sensor, and a pleasant way to change settings. ''From my personal experience'', settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows, and change stuff there, or boot a VM and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings are kept in Linux. RGB support is desirable. * Steel Series Rival 300: Flawless Sensor | Settings are stored on the mouse. | I did not test RGB. === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 7646c9c3afc19f8f9082c02a18c60219ed430eae 0 45 501 500 2022-03-10T12:42:33Z Aragorn 3 /* GPUs */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == Your should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === GPUs === * Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. * If you want no problems, don't buy the newest GPU right after it launched (that's also a good idea if you want to save money). But you're probably fine, if you wait a couple months, there is absolutely no need to buy old garbage. Drivers just need a little bit of time to get good. * If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. * Nvidia privides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling Over Ear ==== * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good value: * Cheap: ==== Noise Cancelling In-Ear ==== ==== Noise Cancelling Headsets ==== ==== Over-Ear ==== ==== In-Ear ==== ==== Headsets ==== * Premium: * Good value: [https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/products/gaming-audio/g933-7-1-surround-sound-gaming-headset.html Logitech G933] | US | 29$ | 2022-03-10 * Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. All devices in this category should have ''full'' support. Please mention all features that you tested, and that are working. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB audio converter === *Cheap: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like changing DPI, lift-off distance, or RGB. Mice in this category should have a flawless sensor, and a pleasant way to change settings. ''From my personal experience'', settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows, and change stuff there, or boot a VM and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings are kept in Linux. RGB support is desirable. * Steel Series Rival 300: Flawless Sensor | Settings are stored on the mouse. | I did not test RGB. === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 82b3335c6ccb9c7c64f6aa7e1c7c66740b999d41 502 501 2022-03-10T12:43:10Z Aragorn 3 /* GPUs */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == Your should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === GPUs === * Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. Nvidia privides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. * If you want no problems, don't buy the newest GPU right after it launched (that's also a good idea if you want to save money). But you're probably fine, if you wait a couple months, there is absolutely no need to buy old garbage. Drivers just need a little bit of time to get good. * If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling Over Ear ==== * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good value: * Cheap: ==== Noise Cancelling In-Ear ==== ==== Noise Cancelling Headsets ==== ==== Over-Ear ==== ==== In-Ear ==== ==== Headsets ==== * Premium: * Good value: [https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/products/gaming-audio/g933-7-1-surround-sound-gaming-headset.html Logitech G933] | US | 29$ | 2022-03-10 * Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. All devices in this category should have ''full'' support. Please mention all features that you tested, and that are working. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB audio converter === *Cheap: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like changing DPI, lift-off distance, or RGB. Mice in this category should have a flawless sensor, and a pleasant way to change settings. ''From my personal experience'', settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows, and change stuff there, or boot a VM and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings are kept in Linux. RGB support is desirable. * Steel Series Rival 300: Flawless Sensor | Settings are stored on the mouse. | I did not test RGB. === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 4af1cfbef465dcfc544f1ce7c285b615853ce6aa 503 502 2022-03-10T12:45:16Z Aragorn 3 /* GPUs */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == Your should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === GPUs === * Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. Nvidia privides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. However, Nvidia is not overly problematic, you're probably fine if you already have one, or can get a very cheap one. Just don't blame Linux if you get problems. You are warned. * If you want no problems, don't buy the newest GPU right after it launched (that's also a good idea if you want to save money). But you're probably fine, if you wait a couple months, there is absolutely no need to buy old garbage. Drivers just need a little bit of time to get good. * If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling Over Ear ==== * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good value: * Cheap: ==== Noise Cancelling In-Ear ==== ==== Noise Cancelling Headsets ==== ==== Over-Ear ==== ==== In-Ear ==== ==== Headsets ==== * Premium: * Good value: [https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/products/gaming-audio/g933-7-1-surround-sound-gaming-headset.html Logitech G933] | US | 29$ | 2022-03-10 * Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. All devices in this category should have ''full'' support. Please mention all features that you tested, and that are working. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB audio converter === *Cheap: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like changing DPI, lift-off distance, or RGB. Mice in this category should have a flawless sensor, and a pleasant way to change settings. ''From my personal experience'', settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows, and change stuff there, or boot a VM and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings are kept in Linux. RGB support is desirable. * Steel Series Rival 300: Flawless Sensor | Settings are stored on the mouse. | I did not test RGB. === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 2defd8c702b2ca87b639f658afcacd22be22a980 507 503 2022-03-10T13:58:10Z Aragorn 3 /* Problematic Hardware */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == Your should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === GPUs === * Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. Nvidia privides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. However, Nvidia is not overly problematic, you're probably fine if you already have one, or can get a very cheap one. Just don't blame Linux if you get problems. You are warned. * If you want no problems, don't buy the newest GPU right after it launched (that's also a good idea if you want to save money). But you're probably fine, if you wait a couple months, there is absolutely no need to buy old garbage. Drivers just need a little bit of time to get good. * If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. === Laptops === * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Laptops that are often good: ** Lenovo ThinkPad * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling Over Ear ==== * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good value: * Cheap: ==== Noise Cancelling In-Ear ==== ==== Noise Cancelling Headsets ==== ==== Over-Ear ==== ==== In-Ear ==== ==== Headsets ==== * Premium: * Good value: [https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/products/gaming-audio/g933-7-1-surround-sound-gaming-headset.html Logitech G933] | US | 29$ | 2022-03-10 * Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. All devices in this category should have ''full'' support. Please mention all features that you tested, and that are working. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB audio converter === *Cheap: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like changing DPI, lift-off distance, or RGB. Mice in this category should have a flawless sensor, and a pleasant way to change settings. ''From my personal experience'', settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows, and change stuff there, or boot a VM and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings are kept in Linux. RGB support is desirable. * Steel Series Rival 300: Flawless Sensor | Settings are stored on the mouse. | I did not test RGB. === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 95e9b25a407e3c1c68291fab9f19354ba3a1e963 508 507 2022-03-10T14:01:21Z Aragorn 3 /* Laptops */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == Your should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === GPUs === * Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. Nvidia privides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. However, Nvidia is not overly problematic, you're probably fine if you already have one, or can get a very cheap one. Just don't blame Linux if you get problems. You are warned. * If you want no problems, don't buy the newest GPU right after it launched (that's also a good idea if you want to save money). But you're probably fine, if you wait a couple months, there is absolutely no need to buy old garbage. Drivers just need a little bit of time to get good. * If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. === Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth. But it gets messy if you have two GPUs, or other special components. * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Laptops that are often good: ** Lenovo ThinkPad * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling Over Ear ==== * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good value: * Cheap: ==== Noise Cancelling In-Ear ==== ==== Noise Cancelling Headsets ==== ==== Over-Ear ==== ==== In-Ear ==== ==== Headsets ==== * Premium: * Good value: [https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/products/gaming-audio/g933-7-1-surround-sound-gaming-headset.html Logitech G933] | US | 29$ | 2022-03-10 * Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. All devices in this category should have ''full'' support. Please mention all features that you tested, and that are working. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB audio converter === *Cheap: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like changing DPI, lift-off distance, or RGB. Mice in this category should have a flawless sensor, and a pleasant way to change settings. ''From my personal experience'', settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows, and change stuff there, or boot a VM and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings are kept in Linux. RGB support is desirable. * Steel Series Rival 300: Flawless Sensor | Settings are stored on the mouse. | I did not test RGB. === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 3c21c77d31bec243c5d64dbe7f3e5e3f75f27ba2 509 508 2022-03-10T14:02:27Z Aragorn 3 /* Laptops */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == Your should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === GPUs === * Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. Nvidia privides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. However, Nvidia is not overly problematic, you're probably fine if you already have one, or can get a very cheap one. Just don't blame Linux if you get problems. You are warned. * If you want no problems, don't buy the newest GPU right after it launched (that's also a good idea if you want to save money). But you're probably fine, if you wait a couple months, there is absolutely no need to buy old garbage. Drivers just need a little bit of time to get good. * If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth. But it gets messy if you have two GPUs, or other special components. * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling Over Ear ==== * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good value: * Cheap: ==== Noise Cancelling In-Ear ==== ==== Noise Cancelling Headsets ==== ==== Over-Ear ==== ==== In-Ear ==== ==== Headsets ==== * Premium: * Good value: [https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/products/gaming-audio/g933-7-1-surround-sound-gaming-headset.html Logitech G933] | US | 29$ | 2022-03-10 * Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. All devices in this category should have ''full'' support. Please mention all features that you tested, and that are working. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB audio converter === *Cheap: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like changing DPI, lift-off distance, or RGB. Mice in this category should have a flawless sensor, and a pleasant way to change settings. ''From my personal experience'', settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows, and change stuff there, or boot a VM and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings are kept in Linux. RGB support is desirable. * Steel Series Rival 300: Flawless Sensor | Settings are stored on the mouse. | I did not test RGB. === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * ee3ddf800a887124b1188768a367895def7994a1 510 509 2022-03-10T14:02:49Z Aragorn 3 /* Gaming Laptops */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == Your should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === GPUs === * Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. Nvidia privides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. However, Nvidia is not overly problematic, you're probably fine if you already have one, or can get a very cheap one. Just don't blame Linux if you get problems. You are warned. * If you want no problems, don't buy the newest GPU right after it launched (that's also a good idea if you want to save money). But you're probably fine, if you wait a couple months, there is absolutely no need to buy old garbage. Drivers just need a little bit of time to get good. * If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth. But it gets messy if they have two GPUs, or other special components. * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling Over Ear ==== * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good value: * Cheap: ==== Noise Cancelling In-Ear ==== ==== Noise Cancelling Headsets ==== ==== Over-Ear ==== ==== In-Ear ==== ==== Headsets ==== * Premium: * Good value: [https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/products/gaming-audio/g933-7-1-surround-sound-gaming-headset.html Logitech G933] | US | 29$ | 2022-03-10 * Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. All devices in this category should have ''full'' support. Please mention all features that you tested, and that are working. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB audio converter === *Cheap: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like changing DPI, lift-off distance, or RGB. Mice in this category should have a flawless sensor, and a pleasant way to change settings. ''From my personal experience'', settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows, and change stuff there, or boot a VM and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings are kept in Linux. RGB support is desirable. * Steel Series Rival 300: Flawless Sensor | Settings are stored on the mouse. | I did not test RGB. === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 7ccc8f29499c71f74aa481008687f5938fe2a10f 511 510 2022-03-10T14:08:06Z Aragorn 3 /* GPUs */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == Your should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === GPUs === * Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. Nvidia privides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. However, Nvidia is not overly problematic, you're probably fine if you already have one, or can get a very cheap one. Just don't blame Linux if you get problems. You are warned. **If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. Don't even think about gaming on Nouveau, as long as you don't want to buy a 3090 to play Tetris. * If you want no problems, don't buy the newest GPU right after it launched (that's also a good idea if you want to save money). But you're probably fine, if you wait a couple months, there is absolutely no need to buy old garbage. Drivers just need a little bit of time to get good. * If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth. But it gets messy if they have two GPUs, or other special components. * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling Over Ear ==== * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good value: * Cheap: ==== Noise Cancelling In-Ear ==== ==== Noise Cancelling Headsets ==== ==== Over-Ear ==== ==== In-Ear ==== ==== Headsets ==== * Premium: * Good value: [https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/products/gaming-audio/g933-7-1-surround-sound-gaming-headset.html Logitech G933] | US | 29$ | 2022-03-10 * Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. All devices in this category should have ''full'' support. Please mention all features that you tested, and that are working. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB audio converter === *Cheap: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like changing DPI, lift-off distance, or RGB. Mice in this category should have a flawless sensor, and a pleasant way to change settings. ''From my personal experience'', settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows, and change stuff there, or boot a VM and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings are kept in Linux. RGB support is desirable. * Steel Series Rival 300: Flawless Sensor | Settings are stored on the mouse. | I did not test RGB. === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 8b47fba1fbecc526fcb19e9f5ed8d4a9db1aff4a 512 511 2022-03-10T14:08:57Z Aragorn 3 /* GPUs */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == Your should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === GPUs === * Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. Nvidia privides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. However, Nvidia is not overly problematic, you're probably fine if you already have one, or can get a very cheap one. Just don't blame Linux if you get problems. You are warned. **If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. Nouveau is no option if you want to play more demanding games than Tetris. * If you want no problems, don't buy the newest GPU right after it launched (that's also a good idea if you want to save money). But you're probably fine, if you wait a couple months, there is absolutely no need to buy old garbage. Drivers just need a little bit of time to get good. * If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth. But it gets messy if they have two GPUs, or other special components. * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling Over Ear ==== * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good value: * Cheap: ==== Noise Cancelling In-Ear ==== ==== Noise Cancelling Headsets ==== ==== Over-Ear ==== ==== In-Ear ==== ==== Headsets ==== * Premium: * Good value: [https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/products/gaming-audio/g933-7-1-surround-sound-gaming-headset.html Logitech G933] | US | 29$ | 2022-03-10 * Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. All devices in this category should have ''full'' support. Please mention all features that you tested, and that are working. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB audio converter === *Cheap: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like changing DPI, lift-off distance, or RGB. Mice in this category should have a flawless sensor, and a pleasant way to change settings. ''From my personal experience'', settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows, and change stuff there, or boot a VM and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings are kept in Linux. RGB support is desirable. * Steel Series Rival 300: Flawless Sensor | Settings are stored on the mouse. | I did not test RGB. === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * e359cf6162db11688c2ba460de28d8cd25d5add7 513 512 2022-03-10T14:12:04Z Aragorn 3 /* GPUs */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == Your should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === GPUs === * Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. Nvidia privides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. However, Nvidia is not overly problematic, you're probably fine if you already have one, or can get a very cheap one. Just don't blame Linux if you get problems. You are warned. **If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are open source drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), but while it is amazing that they work at all, they don't work well. At least if you want a flawless experience, or if you want to play more demanding games than Tetris. * If you want no problems, don't buy the newest GPU right after it launched (that's also a good idea if you want to save money). But you're probably fine, if you wait a couple months, there is absolutely no need to buy old garbage. Drivers just need a little bit of time to get good. * If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth. But it gets messy if they have two GPUs, or other special components. * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling Over Ear ==== * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good value: * Cheap: ==== Noise Cancelling In-Ear ==== ==== Noise Cancelling Headsets ==== ==== Over-Ear ==== ==== In-Ear ==== ==== Headsets ==== * Premium: * Good value: [https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/products/gaming-audio/g933-7-1-surround-sound-gaming-headset.html Logitech G933] | US | 29$ | 2022-03-10 * Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. All devices in this category should have ''full'' support. Please mention all features that you tested, and that are working. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB audio converter === *Cheap: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like changing DPI, lift-off distance, or RGB. Mice in this category should have a flawless sensor, and a pleasant way to change settings. ''From my personal experience'', settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows, and change stuff there, or boot a VM and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings are kept in Linux. RGB support is desirable. * Steel Series Rival 300: Flawless Sensor | Settings are stored on the mouse. | I did not test RGB. === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * d2ffc07c6a330a0d35d355a67df959c9e96515c4 514 513 2022-03-10T14:15:17Z Aragorn 3 /* GPUs */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == Your should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === GPUs === * Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. Nvidia privides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. However, Nvidia is not overly problematic, you're probably fine if you already have one, or can get a very cheap one. Just don't blame Linux if you get problems. You are warned. **If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. Nouveau is no option for gaming. * If you want no problems, don't buy the newest GPU right after it launched (that's also a good idea if you want to save money). But you're probably fine, if you wait a couple months, there is absolutely no need to buy old garbage. Drivers just need a little bit of time to get good. * If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth. But it gets messy if they have two GPUs, or other special components. * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling Over Ear ==== * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good value: * Cheap: ==== Noise Cancelling In-Ear ==== ==== Noise Cancelling Headsets ==== ==== Over-Ear ==== ==== In-Ear ==== ==== Headsets ==== * Premium: * Good value: [https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/products/gaming-audio/g933-7-1-surround-sound-gaming-headset.html Logitech G933] | US | 29$ | 2022-03-10 * Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. All devices in this category should have ''full'' support. Please mention all features that you tested, and that are working. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB audio converter === *Cheap: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like changing DPI, lift-off distance, or RGB. Mice in this category should have a flawless sensor, and a pleasant way to change settings. ''From my personal experience'', settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows, and change stuff there, or boot a VM and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings are kept in Linux. RGB support is desirable. * Steel Series Rival 300: Flawless Sensor | Settings are stored on the mouse. | I did not test RGB. === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 5c3c2b44a24600d1521b75829538262a3ce56a20 515 514 2022-03-10T14:16:05Z Aragorn 3 /* GPUs */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == Your should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === GPUs === * Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. Nvidia provides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. However, Nvidia is not overly problematic, you're probably fine if you already have one, or can get a very cheap one. Just don't blame Linux if you get problems. You are warned. **If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. Nouveau is no option for gaming. * If you want no problems, don't buy the newest GPU right after it launched (that's also a good idea if you want to save money). But you're probably fine, if you wait a couple months, there is absolutely no need to buy old garbage. Drivers just need a little bit of time to get good. * If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth. But it gets messy if they have two GPUs, or other special components. * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling Over Ear ==== * Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 * Good value: * Cheap: ==== Noise Cancelling In-Ear ==== ==== Noise Cancelling Headsets ==== ==== Over-Ear ==== ==== In-Ear ==== ==== Headsets ==== * Premium: * Good value: [https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/products/gaming-audio/g933-7-1-surround-sound-gaming-headset.html Logitech G933] | US | 29$ | 2022-03-10 * Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. All devices in this category should have ''full'' support. Please mention all features that you tested, and that are working. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB audio converter === *Cheap: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like changing DPI, lift-off distance, or RGB. Mice in this category should have a flawless sensor, and a pleasant way to change settings. ''From my personal experience'', settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows, and change stuff there, or boot a VM and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings are kept in Linux. RGB support is desirable. * Steel Series Rival 300: Flawless Sensor | Settings are stored on the mouse. | I did not test RGB. === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * b3af6ea8afe9be61f749359d8c6dd29d94250c2a 516 515 2022-03-10T14:20:09Z Aragorn 3 /* Noise Cancelling Over Ear */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == Your should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === GPUs === * Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. Nvidia provides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. However, Nvidia is not overly problematic, you're probably fine if you already have one, or can get a very cheap one. Just don't blame Linux if you get problems. You are warned. **If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. Nouveau is no option for gaming. * If you want no problems, don't buy the newest GPU right after it launched (that's also a good idea if you want to save money). But you're probably fine, if you wait a couple months, there is absolutely no need to buy old garbage. Drivers just need a little bit of time to get good. * If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth. But it gets messy if they have two GPUs, or other special components. * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: ** Good value: [https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/products/gaming-audio/g933-7-1-surround-sound-gaming-headset.html Logitech G933] | US | 29$ | 2022-03-10 ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. All devices in this category should have ''full'' support. Please mention all features that you tested, and that are working. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB audio converter === *Cheap: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like changing DPI, lift-off distance, or RGB. Mice in this category should have a flawless sensor, and a pleasant way to change settings. ''From my personal experience'', settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows, and change stuff there, or boot a VM and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings are kept in Linux. RGB support is desirable. * Steel Series Rival 300: Flawless Sensor | Settings are stored on the mouse. | I did not test RGB. === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 53cc20ab157df8a9ceecd84b53bf2ed45e94a13a 517 516 2022-03-10T14:22:24Z Aragorn 3 /* Non Noise Cancelling */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == Your should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === GPUs === * Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. Nvidia provides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. However, Nvidia is not overly problematic, you're probably fine if you already have one, or can get a very cheap one. Just don't blame Linux if you get problems. You are warned. **If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. Nouveau is no option for gaming. * If you want no problems, don't buy the newest GPU right after it launched (that's also a good idea if you want to save money). But you're probably fine, if you wait a couple months, there is absolutely no need to buy old garbage. Drivers just need a little bit of time to get good. * If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth. But it gets messy if they have two GPUs, or other special components. * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: ** Good value: ***US: [https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/products/gaming-audio/g933-7-1-surround-sound-gaming-headset.html Logitech G933] | 29$ | 2022-03-10 ***EU: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. All devices in this category should have ''full'' support. Please mention all features that you tested, and that are working. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB audio converter === *Cheap: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like changing DPI, lift-off distance, or RGB. Mice in this category should have a flawless sensor, and a pleasant way to change settings. ''From my personal experience'', settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows, and change stuff there, or boot a VM and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings are kept in Linux. RGB support is desirable. * Steel Series Rival 300: Flawless Sensor | Settings are stored on the mouse. | I did not test RGB. === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 998d233579bcc09041e09cb23cd054a9347b1be0 518 517 2022-03-10T14:24:53Z Aragorn 3 /* Non Noise Cancelling */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == Your should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === GPUs === * Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. Nvidia provides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. However, Nvidia is not overly problematic, you're probably fine if you already have one, or can get a very cheap one. Just don't blame Linux if you get problems. You are warned. **If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. Nouveau is no option for gaming. * If you want no problems, don't buy the newest GPU right after it launched (that's also a good idea if you want to save money). But you're probably fine, if you wait a couple months, there is absolutely no need to buy old garbage. Drivers just need a little bit of time to get good. * If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth. But it gets messy if they have two GPUs, or other special components. * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/products/gaming-audio/g933-7-1-surround-sound-gaming-headset.html Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. All devices in this category should have ''full'' support. Please mention all features that you tested, and that are working. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB audio converter === *Cheap: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like changing DPI, lift-off distance, or RGB. Mice in this category should have a flawless sensor, and a pleasant way to change settings. ''From my personal experience'', settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows, and change stuff there, or boot a VM and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings are kept in Linux. RGB support is desirable. * Steel Series Rival 300: Flawless Sensor | Settings are stored on the mouse. | I did not test RGB. === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 8e10acd0cd40099acf9a62f5881ab74beeeb7f83 519 518 2022-03-10T14:31:08Z Aragorn 3 /* Noise Cancelling */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == Your should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === GPUs === * Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. Nvidia provides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. However, Nvidia is not overly problematic, you're probably fine if you already have one, or can get a very cheap one. Just don't blame Linux if you get problems. You are warned. **If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. Nouveau is no option for gaming. * If you want no problems, don't buy the newest GPU right after it launched (that's also a good idea if you want to save money). But you're probably fine, if you wait a couple months, there is absolutely no need to buy old garbage. Drivers just need a little bit of time to get good. * If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth. But it gets messy if they have two GPUs, or other special components. * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Connection possible via Bluetooth or audio jack. Possible to use while loading. No battery charge required when not using Bluetooth/ANC. ***Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/products/gaming-audio/g933-7-1-surround-sound-gaming-headset.html Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. All devices in this category should have ''full'' support. Please mention all features that you tested, and that are working. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB audio converter === *Cheap: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like changing DPI, lift-off distance, or RGB. Mice in this category should have a flawless sensor, and a pleasant way to change settings. ''From my personal experience'', settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows, and change stuff there, or boot a VM and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings are kept in Linux. RGB support is desirable. * Steel Series Rival 300: Flawless Sensor | Settings are stored on the mouse. | I did not test RGB. === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 19feb1ff92cee345079b728debe6e9500a7e15fe 520 519 2022-03-10T14:32:38Z Aragorn 3 /* Noise Cancelling */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == Your should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === GPUs === * Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. Nvidia provides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. However, Nvidia is not overly problematic, you're probably fine if you already have one, or can get a very cheap one. Just don't blame Linux if you get problems. You are warned. **If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. Nouveau is no option for gaming. * If you want no problems, don't buy the newest GPU right after it launched (that's also a good idea if you want to save money). But you're probably fine, if you wait a couple months, there is absolutely no need to buy old garbage. Drivers just need a little bit of time to get good. * If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth. But it gets messy if they have two GPUs, or other special components. * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. Possible to use while loading. No battery charge required when not using Bluetooth/ANC, and connected via audio jack. ***Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/products/gaming-audio/g933-7-1-surround-sound-gaming-headset.html Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. All devices in this category should have ''full'' support. Please mention all features that you tested, and that are working. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB audio converter === *Cheap: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like changing DPI, lift-off distance, or RGB. Mice in this category should have a flawless sensor, and a pleasant way to change settings. ''From my personal experience'', settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows, and change stuff there, or boot a VM and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings are kept in Linux. RGB support is desirable. * Steel Series Rival 300: Flawless Sensor | Settings are stored on the mouse. | I did not test RGB. === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * e5cb3a316f4e5707e48e79f38bebabc4033a6c95 521 520 2022-03-10T14:33:19Z Aragorn 3 /* Noise Cancelling */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == Your should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === GPUs === * Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. Nvidia provides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. However, Nvidia is not overly problematic, you're probably fine if you already have one, or can get a very cheap one. Just don't blame Linux if you get problems. You are warned. **If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. Nouveau is no option for gaming. * If you want no problems, don't buy the newest GPU right after it launched (that's also a good idea if you want to save money). But you're probably fine, if you wait a couple months, there is absolutely no need to buy old garbage. Drivers just need a little bit of time to get good. * If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth. But it gets messy if they have two GPUs, or other special components. * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using Bluetooth/ANC, and connected via audio jack. ***Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/products/gaming-audio/g933-7-1-surround-sound-gaming-headset.html Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. All devices in this category should have ''full'' support. Please mention all features that you tested, and that are working. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB audio converter === *Cheap: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like changing DPI, lift-off distance, or RGB. Mice in this category should have a flawless sensor, and a pleasant way to change settings. ''From my personal experience'', settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows, and change stuff there, or boot a VM and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings are kept in Linux. RGB support is desirable. * Steel Series Rival 300: Flawless Sensor | Settings are stored on the mouse. | I did not test RGB. === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 287541dfbb779b3100c629c70bfd11dbc334de4f 522 521 2022-03-10T14:33:50Z Aragorn 3 /* Noise Cancelling */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == Your should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === GPUs === * Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. Nvidia provides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. However, Nvidia is not overly problematic, you're probably fine if you already have one, or can get a very cheap one. Just don't blame Linux if you get problems. You are warned. **If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. Nouveau is no option for gaming. * If you want no problems, don't buy the newest GPU right after it launched (that's also a good idea if you want to save money). But you're probably fine, if you wait a couple months, there is absolutely no need to buy old garbage. Drivers just need a little bit of time to get good. * If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth. But it gets messy if they have two GPUs, or other special components. * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. ***Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/products/gaming-audio/g933-7-1-surround-sound-gaming-headset.html Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. All devices in this category should have ''full'' support. Please mention all features that you tested, and that are working. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB audio converter === *Cheap: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like changing DPI, lift-off distance, or RGB. Mice in this category should have a flawless sensor, and a pleasant way to change settings. ''From my personal experience'', settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows, and change stuff there, or boot a VM and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings are kept in Linux. RGB support is desirable. * Steel Series Rival 300: Flawless Sensor | Settings are stored on the mouse. | I did not test RGB. === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * c3c50ed9f7207a3c6d43bcf1bd2a0ee388a92c64 523 522 2022-03-10T14:35:55Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == Your should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === GPUs === * Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. Nvidia provides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. However, Nvidia is not overly problematic, you're probably fine if you already have one, or can get a very cheap one. Just don't blame Linux if you get problems. You are warned. **If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. Nouveau is no option for gaming. * If you want no problems, don't buy the newest GPU right after it launched (that's also a good idea if you want to save money). But you're probably fine, if you wait a couple months, there is absolutely no need to buy old garbage. Drivers just need a little bit of time to get good. * If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth. But it gets messy if they have two GPUs, or other special components. * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: Sony WH-1000XM4 | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. ***Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/products/gaming-audio/g933-7-1-surround-sound-gaming-headset.html Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ***[https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Test] ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. All devices in this category should have ''full'' support. Please mention all features that you tested, and that are working. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB audio converter === *Cheap: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like changing DPI, lift-off distance, or RGB. Mice in this category should have a flawless sensor, and a pleasant way to change settings. ''From my personal experience'', settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows, and change stuff there, or boot a VM and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings are kept in Linux. RGB support is desirable. * Steel Series Rival 300: Flawless Sensor | Settings are stored on the mouse. | I did not test RGB. === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 57c14d412295dcf346e2c2ca6ca988e48a726e69 524 523 2022-03-10T14:38:04Z Aragorn 3 /* Noise Cancelling */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == Your should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === GPUs === * Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. Nvidia provides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. However, Nvidia is not overly problematic, you're probably fine if you already have one, or can get a very cheap one. Just don't blame Linux if you get problems. You are warned. **If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. Nouveau is no option for gaming. * If you want no problems, don't buy the newest GPU right after it launched (that's also a good idea if you want to save money). But you're probably fine, if you wait a couple months, there is absolutely no need to buy old garbage. Drivers just need a little bit of time to get good. * If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth. But it gets messy if they have two GPUs, or other special components. * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. ***Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. All devices in this category should have ''full'' support. Please mention all features that you tested, and that are working. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB audio converter === *Cheap: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like changing DPI, lift-off distance, or RGB. Mice in this category should have a flawless sensor, and a pleasant way to change settings. ''From my personal experience'', settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows, and change stuff there, or boot a VM and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings are kept in Linux. RGB support is desirable. * Steel Series Rival 300: Flawless Sensor | Settings are stored on the mouse. | I did not test RGB. === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 8bbbc6d09342d1942d10a6a76749cf9ff0b588f5 534 524 2022-03-10T15:10:45Z Aragorn 3 /* Mice */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == Your should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === GPUs === * Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. Nvidia provides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. However, Nvidia is not overly problematic, you're probably fine if you already have one, or can get a very cheap one. Just don't blame Linux if you get problems. You are warned. **If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. Nouveau is no option for gaming. * If you want no problems, don't buy the newest GPU right after it launched (that's also a good idea if you want to save money). But you're probably fine, if you wait a couple months, there is absolutely no need to buy old garbage. Drivers just need a little bit of time to get good. * If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth. But it gets messy if they have two GPUs, or other special components. * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. ***Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. All devices in this category should have ''full'' support. Please mention all features that you tested, and that are working. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB audio converter === *Cheap: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like changing DPI, lift-off distance, or RGB. Settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows, and change stuff there, or boot a VM and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings should be kept in Linux. * Mice for shooters. All mice in this section are required to have a flawless sensor: ** Steel Series Rival 300: Flawless Sensor | Settings are stored in the mouse. | I did not test RGB. * Mice with many buttons: ** === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * b2660e44c4b33378438d759bfec9a627b5899e81 536 534 2022-03-10T15:12:04Z Aragorn 3 /* Mice */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == Your should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === GPUs === * Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. Nvidia provides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. However, Nvidia is not overly problematic, you're probably fine if you already have one, or can get a very cheap one. Just don't blame Linux if you get problems. You are warned. **If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. Nouveau is no option for gaming. * If you want no problems, don't buy the newest GPU right after it launched (that's also a good idea if you want to save money). But you're probably fine, if you wait a couple months, there is absolutely no need to buy old garbage. Drivers just need a little bit of time to get good. * If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth. But it gets messy if they have two GPUs, or other special components. * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. ***Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. All devices in this category should have ''full'' support. Please mention all features that you tested, and that are working. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB audio converter === *Cheap: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like changing DPI, lift-off distance, or RGB. Settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows, and change stuff there, or boot a VM and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings should be kept in Linux. * Mice for shooters. All mice in this section are required to have a flawless sensor: ** Steel Series Rival 300: Settings are stored in the mouse. | I did not test OpenRGB. * Mice with many buttons: ** === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 66f6552bc8898999087b13e2cb2a3c5213523986 538 536 2022-03-10T15:17:32Z Aragorn 3 /* Mainboard */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == Your should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === GPUs === * Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. Nvidia provides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. However, Nvidia is not overly problematic, you're probably fine if you already have one, or can get a very cheap one. Just don't blame Linux if you get problems. You are warned. **If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. Nouveau is no option for gaming. * If you want no problems, don't buy the newest GPU right after it launched (that's also a good idea if you want to save money). But you're probably fine, if you wait a couple months, there is absolutely no need to buy old garbage. Drivers just need a little bit of time to get good. * If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth. But it gets messy if they have two GPUs, or other special components. * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. ***Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. Please mention all features that you tested, and that are working. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB audio converter === *Cheap: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like changing DPI, lift-off distance, or RGB. Settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows, and change stuff there, or boot a VM and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings should be kept in Linux. * Mice for shooters. All mice in this section are required to have a flawless sensor: ** Steel Series Rival 300: Settings are stored in the mouse. | I did not test OpenRGB. * Mice with many buttons: ** === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * d49c5f312e8bb80e6552b9d007da4a33d58fd752 539 538 2022-03-10T15:20:42Z Aragorn 3 /* Mainboard */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == Your should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === GPUs === * Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. Nvidia provides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. However, Nvidia is not overly problematic, you're probably fine if you already have one, or can get a very cheap one. Just don't blame Linux if you get problems. You are warned. **If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. Nouveau is no option for gaming. * If you want no problems, don't buy the newest GPU right after it launched (that's also a good idea if you want to save money). But you're probably fine, if you wait a couple months, there is absolutely no need to buy old garbage. Drivers just need a little bit of time to get good. * If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth. But it gets messy if they have two GPUs, or other special components. * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. ***Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB audio converter === *Cheap: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like changing DPI, lift-off distance, or RGB. Settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows, and change stuff there, or boot a VM and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings should be kept in Linux. * Mice for shooters. All mice in this section are required to have a flawless sensor: ** Steel Series Rival 300: Settings are stored in the mouse. | I did not test OpenRGB. * Mice with many buttons: ** === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * b99eaa6763ace88e503c6d77964ffe45134b69f6 540 539 2022-03-10T15:21:31Z Aragorn 3 /* Mainboard */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == Your should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === GPUs === * Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. Nvidia provides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. However, Nvidia is not overly problematic, you're probably fine if you already have one, or can get a very cheap one. Just don't blame Linux if you get problems. You are warned. **If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. Nouveau is no option for gaming. * If you want no problems, don't buy the newest GPU right after it launched (that's also a good idea if you want to save money). But you're probably fine, if you wait a couple months, there is absolutely no need to buy old garbage. Drivers just need a little bit of time to get good. * If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth. But it gets messy if they have two GPUs, or other special components. * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. ***Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB audio converter === *Cheap: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like changing DPI, lift-off distance, or RGB. Settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows, and change stuff there, or boot a VM and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings should be kept in Linux. * Mice for shooters. All mice in this section are required to have a flawless sensor: ** Steel Series Rival 300: Settings are stored in the mouse. | I did not test OpenRGB. * Mice with many buttons: ** === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 125ba25c501c7be7ef181a9f468a23ebbd8c3116 541 540 2022-03-10T15:21:43Z Aragorn 3 /* Mainboard */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == Your should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === GPUs === * Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. Nvidia provides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. However, Nvidia is not overly problematic, you're probably fine if you already have one, or can get a very cheap one. Just don't blame Linux if you get problems. You are warned. **If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. Nouveau is no option for gaming. * If you want no problems, don't buy the newest GPU right after it launched (that's also a good idea if you want to save money). But you're probably fine, if you wait a couple months, there is absolutely no need to buy old garbage. Drivers just need a little bit of time to get good. * If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth. But it gets messy if they have two GPUs, or other special components. * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. ***Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB audio converter === *Cheap: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like changing DPI, lift-off distance, or RGB. Settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows, and change stuff there, or boot a VM and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings should be kept in Linux. * Mice for shooters. All mice in this section are required to have a flawless sensor: ** Steel Series Rival 300: Settings are stored in the mouse. | I did not test OpenRGB. * Mice with many buttons: ** === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * c8c8209c8621e9f65c384701216725e71be52e24 544 541 2022-03-10T15:29:34Z Aragorn 3 /* Mice */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == Your should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === GPUs === * Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. Nvidia provides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. However, Nvidia is not overly problematic, you're probably fine if you already have one, or can get a very cheap one. Just don't blame Linux if you get problems. You are warned. **If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. Nouveau is no option for gaming. * If you want no problems, don't buy the newest GPU right after it launched (that's also a good idea if you want to save money). But you're probably fine, if you wait a couple months, there is absolutely no need to buy old garbage. Drivers just need a little bit of time to get good. * If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth. But it gets messy if they have two GPUs, or other special components. * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. ***Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB audio converter === *Cheap: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with booting Windows, buy whatever you want. [[Misc#Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc)|Everything will work with a little detour]]. This section is for mice that have native Linux support for settings. * Mice for shooters. All mice in this section are required to have a flawless sensor: * Mice with many buttons: ** === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 1dd687005080d4e925f25359aabfcd27df069926 545 544 2022-03-10T15:31:25Z Aragorn 3 /* Mice */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == Your should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === GPUs === * Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. Nvidia provides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. However, Nvidia is not overly problematic, you're probably fine if you already have one, or can get a very cheap one. Just don't blame Linux if you get problems. You are warned. **If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. Nouveau is no option for gaming. * If you want no problems, don't buy the newest GPU right after it launched (that's also a good idea if you want to save money). But you're probably fine, if you wait a couple months, there is absolutely no need to buy old garbage. Drivers just need a little bit of time to get good. * If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth. But it gets messy if they have two GPUs, or other special components. * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. ***Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB audio converter === *Cheap: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with booting Windows, buy whatever you want. [[Misc#Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc)|Everything will work with a little detour]]. This section is for mice that have native Linux support for settings. All mice in this section are required to have a flawless sensor. ** === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 907f6ff77f63a3ef2d85f49ef1f6f418fd9f0ab9 546 545 2022-03-10T15:31:43Z Aragorn 3 /* Mice */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == Your should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === GPUs === * Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. Nvidia provides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. However, Nvidia is not overly problematic, you're probably fine if you already have one, or can get a very cheap one. Just don't blame Linux if you get problems. You are warned. **If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. Nouveau is no option for gaming. * If you want no problems, don't buy the newest GPU right after it launched (that's also a good idea if you want to save money). But you're probably fine, if you wait a couple months, there is absolutely no need to buy old garbage. Drivers just need a little bit of time to get good. * If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth. But it gets messy if they have two GPUs, or other special components. * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. ***Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB audio converter === *Cheap: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with booting Windows, buy whatever you want. [[Misc#Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc)|Everything will work with a little detour]]. This section is for mice that have native Linux support for settings. All mice are required to have a flawless sensor. ** === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * efe5c9d6b68c945a585186e417ba3706916487d5 547 546 2022-03-10T15:32:19Z Aragorn 3 /* Mice */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == Your should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === GPUs === * Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. Nvidia provides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. However, Nvidia is not overly problematic, you're probably fine if you already have one, or can get a very cheap one. Just don't blame Linux if you get problems. You are warned. **If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. Nouveau is no option for gaming. * If you want no problems, don't buy the newest GPU right after it launched (that's also a good idea if you want to save money). But you're probably fine, if you wait a couple months, there is absolutely no need to buy old garbage. Drivers just need a little bit of time to get good. * If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth. But it gets messy if they have two GPUs, or other special components. * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. ***Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB audio converter === *Cheap: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with booting Windows, buy whatever you want. [[Misc#Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc)|Everything will work with a little detour]]. This section is for mice that have native Linux support for settings. All mice are required to have a flawless sensor. * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * e4caf203c3ce5a5b91f0d7acec539e10f9a69fcd 549 547 2022-03-10T15:34:49Z Aragorn 3 /* Mice */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == Your should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === GPUs === * Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. Nvidia provides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. However, Nvidia is not overly problematic, you're probably fine if you already have one, or can get a very cheap one. Just don't blame Linux if you get problems. You are warned. **If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. Nouveau is no option for gaming. * If you want no problems, don't buy the newest GPU right after it launched (that's also a good idea if you want to save money). But you're probably fine, if you wait a couple months, there is absolutely no need to buy old garbage. Drivers just need a little bit of time to get good. * If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth. But it gets messy if they have two GPUs, or other special components. * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. ***Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB audio converter === *Cheap: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with booting Windows, buy whatever you want. [[Misc#Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc)|Everything will work with a little detour]]. This section is for mice that have native Linux support for settings. All mice are required to have a flawless sensor. * Big size: * Medium size: * Small size: * Many buttons: * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * d1163b6e233680131a635129cef430e7497664ed 550 549 2022-03-10T15:35:28Z Aragorn 3 /* Mice */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == Your should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === GPUs === * Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. Nvidia provides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. However, Nvidia is not overly problematic, you're probably fine if you already have one, or can get a very cheap one. Just don't blame Linux if you get problems. You are warned. **If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. Nouveau is no option for gaming. * If you want no problems, don't buy the newest GPU right after it launched (that's also a good idea if you want to save money). But you're probably fine, if you wait a couple months, there is absolutely no need to buy old garbage. Drivers just need a little bit of time to get good. * If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth. But it gets messy if they have two GPUs, or other special components. * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. ***Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB audio converter === *Cheap: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with booting Windows, buy whatever you want. [[Misc#Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc)|Everything will work with a little detour]]. This section is for mice that have native Linux support for settings. All mice are required to have a flawless sensor (there is no advantage in being able to change settings if you don't hit anything, right?). * Big size: * Medium size: * Small size: * Many buttons: * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 2023b77db782e19a5bbe8d5ee17349b50ece9c29 0 1 504 444 2022-03-10T13:47:17Z Aragorn 3 /* Other */ wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. === Performance === * [[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. * [[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Reshade]] - Tool to change colors in your games. === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good value hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of problematic hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. 8fecaa6c33bcdfa3cc9c39c010e754598f955fe5 505 504 2022-03-10T13:47:46Z Aragorn 3 /* Hardware */ wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. === Performance === * [[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. * [[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Reshade]] - Tool to change colors in your games. === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good value hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. db7305b3caa85235816f0c2a28615a6237269b92 506 505 2022-03-10T13:48:03Z Aragorn 3 /* Hardware */ wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. === Performance === * [[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. * [[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Reshade]] - Tool to change colors in your games. === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. 53189e54caaa98d48bf54ad79797613e032f5091 0 46 525 470 2022-03-10T14:44:25Z Aragorn 3 /* AM4 */ wikitext text/x-wiki An extensive list of hardware that is known to work. If the device requires tweaking, please mention the tweaking steps. The criteria are not as strict as in the [[Hardware Recommendations|hardware recommendations]] list, but all mentioned hardware should still be somewhat "worthy" for a gaming PC. We really don't need 20 years old Bluetooth sticks, even if they work out of the box. If possible, also add a price and a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. ==GPUs== {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |AMD |RX 5700XT | | |2022-03-10 |none |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | |} ==WiFi Sticks== ===2.4Ghz=== ===5Ghz=== ==Bluetooth Sticks== ==Bluetooth Headphones== {| class="wikitable" |+Noise Cancelling Over Ear !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Sony |WH-1000XM4 |EU |250€ |2022-03-10 |none |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} ===Noise Cancelling In-Ear=== ===Over-Ear=== ===In-Ear=== ==Mainboard== ===AMD=== ====AM3==== {| class="wikitable" |+AM4 !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |MSI |B550 MAG Tomahawk |EU |140€ |2022-03-10 |Fan control not working out of the box. Requires [https://github.com/Fred78290/nct6687d kernel module]. For Arch: Module is available in the [https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/nct6687d-dkms-git AUR]. |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} ===Intel=== ====Sandy Bridge==== ==Printer/Scanner== {| class="wikitable" |+Combined devices !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Samsung |SCX-4200R | | |2022-03-10 | |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} {| class="wikitable" |+Printer !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} {| class="wikitable" |+Scanner !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} ad8038fcaee403b1af627c363d86821eedeb72ca 526 525 2022-03-10T14:48:50Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki An extensive list of hardware that is known to work. If the device requires tweaking, please mention the tweaking steps. The criteria are not as strict as in the [[Hardware Recommendations|hardware recommendations]] list, but all mentioned hardware should still be somewhat "worthy" for a gaming PC. We really don't need 20 years old Bluetooth sticks, even if they work out of the box. If possible, also add a price and a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. ==GPUs== {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |AMD |RX 5700XT | | |2022-03-10 |none |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | |} ==WiFi Sticks== ===2.4Ghz=== ===5Ghz=== ==Bluetooth Sticks== ==Bluetooth Headphones== {| class="wikitable" |+Noise Cancelling Over Ear !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Sony |WH-1000XM4 |EU |250€ |2022-03-10 |none |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} ===Noise Cancelling In-Ear=== ===Over-Ear=== ===In-Ear=== ==Mainboard== ===AMD=== ====AM3==== {| class="wikitable" |+AM4 !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |MSI |B550 MAG Tomahawk |EU |140€ |2022-03-10 |Fan control not working out of the box. Requires [https://github.com/Fred78290/nct6687d kernel module]. For Arch: Module is available in the [https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/nct6687d-dkms-git AUR]. |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} ===Intel=== ====Sandy Bridge==== ==Printer/Scanner== {| class="wikitable" |+Combined devices !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Samsung |SCX-4200R | | |2022-03-10 | |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} {| class="wikitable" |+Printer !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} {| class="wikitable" |+Scanner !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} == Mice == {| class="wikitable" |+ Printer !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !What works !Untested !Tweaking Steps |- |Steel Series |Rival 300 | | | |All settings that are stored on the mouse |RGB |Boot Windows and set settings there |- | | | | | | | | |- | | | | | | | | |} be60eeabe021849ae5086072408104d98d174ec6 527 526 2022-03-10T14:48:59Z Aragorn 3 /* Mice */ wikitext text/x-wiki An extensive list of hardware that is known to work. If the device requires tweaking, please mention the tweaking steps. The criteria are not as strict as in the [[Hardware Recommendations|hardware recommendations]] list, but all mentioned hardware should still be somewhat "worthy" for a gaming PC. We really don't need 20 years old Bluetooth sticks, even if they work out of the box. If possible, also add a price and a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. ==GPUs== {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |AMD |RX 5700XT | | |2022-03-10 |none |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | |} ==WiFi Sticks== ===2.4Ghz=== ===5Ghz=== ==Bluetooth Sticks== ==Bluetooth Headphones== {| class="wikitable" |+Noise Cancelling Over Ear !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Sony |WH-1000XM4 |EU |250€ |2022-03-10 |none |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} ===Noise Cancelling In-Ear=== ===Over-Ear=== ===In-Ear=== ==Mainboard== ===AMD=== ====AM3==== {| class="wikitable" |+AM4 !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |MSI |B550 MAG Tomahawk |EU |140€ |2022-03-10 |Fan control not working out of the box. Requires [https://github.com/Fred78290/nct6687d kernel module]. For Arch: Module is available in the [https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/nct6687d-dkms-git AUR]. |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} ===Intel=== ====Sandy Bridge==== ==Printer/Scanner== {| class="wikitable" |+Combined devices !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Samsung |SCX-4200R | | |2022-03-10 | |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} {| class="wikitable" |+Printer !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} {| class="wikitable" |+Scanner !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} == Mice == {| class="wikitable" |+ Mice !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !What works !Untested !Tweaking Steps |- |Steel Series |Rival 300 | | | |All settings that are stored on the mouse |RGB |Boot Windows and set settings there |- | | | | | | | | |- | | | | | | | | |} cc4a53c78c405d6839dd758d111cc3fc1e9be86f 528 527 2022-03-10T14:49:12Z Aragorn 3 /* Mice */ wikitext text/x-wiki An extensive list of hardware that is known to work. If the device requires tweaking, please mention the tweaking steps. The criteria are not as strict as in the [[Hardware Recommendations|hardware recommendations]] list, but all mentioned hardware should still be somewhat "worthy" for a gaming PC. We really don't need 20 years old Bluetooth sticks, even if they work out of the box. If possible, also add a price and a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. ==GPUs== {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |AMD |RX 5700XT | | |2022-03-10 |none |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | |} ==WiFi Sticks== ===2.4Ghz=== ===5Ghz=== ==Bluetooth Sticks== ==Bluetooth Headphones== {| class="wikitable" |+Noise Cancelling Over Ear !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Sony |WH-1000XM4 |EU |250€ |2022-03-10 |none |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} ===Noise Cancelling In-Ear=== ===Over-Ear=== ===In-Ear=== ==Mainboard== ===AMD=== ====AM3==== {| class="wikitable" |+AM4 !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |MSI |B550 MAG Tomahawk |EU |140€ |2022-03-10 |Fan control not working out of the box. Requires [https://github.com/Fred78290/nct6687d kernel module]. For Arch: Module is available in the [https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/nct6687d-dkms-git AUR]. |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} ===Intel=== ====Sandy Bridge==== ==Printer/Scanner== {| class="wikitable" |+Combined devices !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Samsung |SCX-4200R | | |2022-03-10 | |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} {| class="wikitable" |+Printer !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} {| class="wikitable" |+Scanner !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} == Mice == {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !What works !Untested !Tweaking Steps |- |Steel Series |Rival 300 | | | |All settings that are stored on the mouse |RGB |Boot Windows and set settings there |- | | | | | | | | |- | | | | | | | | |} b383afd00991d64a144f074f0cf8dd01f7bd62b5 529 528 2022-03-10T14:50:07Z Aragorn 3 /* Mice */ wikitext text/x-wiki An extensive list of hardware that is known to work. If the device requires tweaking, please mention the tweaking steps. The criteria are not as strict as in the [[Hardware Recommendations|hardware recommendations]] list, but all mentioned hardware should still be somewhat "worthy" for a gaming PC. We really don't need 20 years old Bluetooth sticks, even if they work out of the box. If possible, also add a price and a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. ==GPUs== {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |AMD |RX 5700XT | | |2022-03-10 |none |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | |} ==WiFi Sticks== ===2.4Ghz=== ===5Ghz=== ==Bluetooth Sticks== ==Bluetooth Headphones== {| class="wikitable" |+Noise Cancelling Over Ear !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Sony |WH-1000XM4 |EU |250€ |2022-03-10 |none |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} ===Noise Cancelling In-Ear=== ===Over-Ear=== ===In-Ear=== ==Mainboard== ===AMD=== ====AM3==== {| class="wikitable" |+AM4 !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |MSI |B550 MAG Tomahawk |EU |140€ |2022-03-10 |Fan control not working out of the box. Requires [https://github.com/Fred78290/nct6687d kernel module]. For Arch: Module is available in the [https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/nct6687d-dkms-git AUR]. |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} ===Intel=== ====Sandy Bridge==== ==Printer/Scanner== {| class="wikitable" |+Combined devices !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Samsung |SCX-4200R | | |2022-03-10 | |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} {| class="wikitable" |+Printer !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} {| class="wikitable" |+Scanner !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} == Mice == {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !What works !Untested !Tweaking Steps |- |Steel Series |Rival 300 | | | |DPI, static RGB |RGB |Boot Windows (for example in a VM + pass through the mouse) and set settings there |- | | | | | | | | |- | | | | | | | | |} 8113e5f5ca0e211f55fbdb51927513caf1e71571 530 529 2022-03-10T14:50:42Z Aragorn 3 /* Mice */ wikitext text/x-wiki An extensive list of hardware that is known to work. If the device requires tweaking, please mention the tweaking steps. The criteria are not as strict as in the [[Hardware Recommendations|hardware recommendations]] list, but all mentioned hardware should still be somewhat "worthy" for a gaming PC. We really don't need 20 years old Bluetooth sticks, even if they work out of the box. If possible, also add a price and a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. ==GPUs== {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |AMD |RX 5700XT | | |2022-03-10 |none |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | |} ==WiFi Sticks== ===2.4Ghz=== ===5Ghz=== ==Bluetooth Sticks== ==Bluetooth Headphones== {| class="wikitable" |+Noise Cancelling Over Ear !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Sony |WH-1000XM4 |EU |250€ |2022-03-10 |none |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} ===Noise Cancelling In-Ear=== ===Over-Ear=== ===In-Ear=== ==Mainboard== ===AMD=== ====AM3==== {| class="wikitable" |+AM4 !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |MSI |B550 MAG Tomahawk |EU |140€ |2022-03-10 |Fan control not working out of the box. Requires [https://github.com/Fred78290/nct6687d kernel module]. For Arch: Module is available in the [https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/nct6687d-dkms-git AUR]. |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} ===Intel=== ====Sandy Bridge==== ==Printer/Scanner== {| class="wikitable" |+Combined devices !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Samsung |SCX-4200R | | |2022-03-10 | |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} {| class="wikitable" |+Printer !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} {| class="wikitable" |+Scanner !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} == Mice == {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !What works !Untested !Tweaking Steps |- |Steel Series |Rival 300 | | | |DPI, static RGB |RGB settings in Linux |Boot Windows (for example in a VM + pass through the mouse) and set settings there |- | | | | | | | | |- | | | | | | | | |} e1d7c817c633ecc29ee410e7500f5a41bfd458b1 531 530 2022-03-10T14:53:43Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki An extensive list of hardware that is known to work. If the device requires tweaking, please mention the tweaking steps. The criteria are not as strict as in the [[Hardware Recommendations|hardware recommendations]] list, but all mentioned hardware should still be somewhat "worthy" for a gaming PC. We really don't need 20 years old Bluetooth sticks, even if they work out of the box. If possible, also add a price and a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. ==GPUs== {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |AMD |RX 5700XT | | |2022-03-10 |none |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | |} ==WiFi Sticks== ===2.4Ghz=== ===5Ghz=== ==Bluetooth Sticks== ==Bluetooth Headphones== {| class="wikitable" |+Noise Cancelling Over Ear !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Sony |WH-1000XM4 |EU |250€ |2022-03-10 |none |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} ===Noise Cancelling In-Ear=== ===Over-Ear=== ===In-Ear=== ==Mainboard== ===AMD=== ====AM3==== {| class="wikitable" |+AM4 !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |MSI |B550 MAG Tomahawk |EU |140€ |2022-03-10 |Fan control not working out of the box. Requires [https://github.com/Fred78290/nct6687d kernel module]. For Arch: Module is available in the [https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/nct6687d-dkms-git AUR]. |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} ===Intel=== ====Sandy Bridge==== ==Printer/Scanner== {| class="wikitable" |+Combined devices !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Samsung |SCX-4200R | | |2022-03-10 | |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} {| class="wikitable" |+Printer !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} {| class="wikitable" |+Scanner !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} == Mice == {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !What works !Untested !Tweaking Steps |- |Steel Series |Rival 300 | | | |DPI, static RGB |RGB settings in Linux |Boot Windows (for example in a VM + pass through the mouse) and set settings there |- | | | | | | | | |- | | | | | | | | |} == USB audio converter == {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Sharkoon |Gaming DAC Pro S V2 |EU |30€ |2022-03-10 |None |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} == Microphones == {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Samson |Meteor Mic |EU |45€ |2022-03-10 |None |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} ce3c005b140d4e1a04a11ff058d8cac92f46605e 532 531 2022-03-10T14:56:00Z Aragorn 3 /* Bluetooth Sticks */ wikitext text/x-wiki An extensive list of hardware that is known to work. If the device requires tweaking, please mention the tweaking steps. The criteria are not as strict as in the [[Hardware Recommendations|hardware recommendations]] list, but all mentioned hardware should still be somewhat "worthy" for a gaming PC. We really don't need 20 years old Bluetooth sticks, even if they work out of the box. If possible, also add a price and a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. ==GPUs== {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |AMD |RX 5700XT | | |2022-03-10 |none |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | |} ==WiFi Sticks== ===2.4Ghz=== ===5Ghz=== ==Bluetooth Sticks== {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Mpow |Bluetooth 5.1 USB-Adapter | | | |none |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} ==Bluetooth Headphones== {| class="wikitable" |+Noise Cancelling Over Ear !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Sony |WH-1000XM4 |EU |250€ |2022-03-10 |none |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} ===Noise Cancelling In-Ear=== ===Over-Ear=== ===In-Ear=== ==Mainboard== ===AMD=== ====AM3==== {| class="wikitable" |+AM4 !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |MSI |B550 MAG Tomahawk |EU |140€ |2022-03-10 |Fan control not working out of the box. Requires [https://github.com/Fred78290/nct6687d kernel module]. For Arch: Module is available in the [https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/nct6687d-dkms-git AUR]. |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} ===Intel=== ====Sandy Bridge==== ==Printer/Scanner== {| class="wikitable" |+Combined devices !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Samsung |SCX-4200R | | |2022-03-10 | |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} {| class="wikitable" |+Printer !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} {| class="wikitable" |+Scanner !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} == Mice == {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !What works !Untested !Tweaking Steps |- |Steel Series |Rival 300 | | | |DPI, static RGB |RGB settings in Linux |Boot Windows (for example in a VM + pass through the mouse) and set settings there |- | | | | | | | | |- | | | | | | | | |} == USB audio converter == {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Sharkoon |Gaming DAC Pro S V2 |EU |30€ |2022-03-10 |None |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} == Microphones == {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Samson |Meteor Mic |EU |45€ |2022-03-10 |None |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} 3280115973a6d93ca52fbb8c72fb7ef7ff44bd3e 533 532 2022-03-10T14:58:28Z Aragorn 3 /* Printer/Scanner */ wikitext text/x-wiki An extensive list of hardware that is known to work. If the device requires tweaking, please mention the tweaking steps. The criteria are not as strict as in the [[Hardware Recommendations|hardware recommendations]] list, but all mentioned hardware should still be somewhat "worthy" for a gaming PC. We really don't need 20 years old Bluetooth sticks, even if they work out of the box. If possible, also add a price and a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. ==GPUs== {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |AMD |RX 5700XT | | |2022-03-10 |none |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | |} ==WiFi Sticks== ===2.4Ghz=== ===5Ghz=== ==Bluetooth Sticks== {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Mpow |Bluetooth 5.1 USB-Adapter | | | |none |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} ==Bluetooth Headphones== {| class="wikitable" |+Noise Cancelling Over Ear !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Sony |WH-1000XM4 |EU |250€ |2022-03-10 |none |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} ===Noise Cancelling In-Ear=== ===Over-Ear=== ===In-Ear=== ==Mainboard== ===AMD=== ====AM3==== {| class="wikitable" |+AM4 !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |MSI |B550 MAG Tomahawk |EU |140€ |2022-03-10 |Fan control not working out of the box. Requires [https://github.com/Fred78290/nct6687d kernel module]. For Arch: Module is available in the [https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/nct6687d-dkms-git AUR]. |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} ===Intel=== ====Sandy Bridge==== ==Printer/Scanner== {| class="wikitable" |+Combined devices !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Samsung |SCX-4200R | | |2022-03-10 |None |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} {| class="wikitable" |+Printer !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} {| class="wikitable" |+Scanner !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} == Mice == {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !What works !Untested !Tweaking Steps |- |Steel Series |Rival 300 | | | |DPI, static RGB |RGB settings in Linux |Boot Windows (for example in a VM + pass through the mouse) and set settings there |- | | | | | | | | |- | | | | | | | | |} == USB audio converter == {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Sharkoon |Gaming DAC Pro S V2 |EU |30€ |2022-03-10 |None |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} == Microphones == {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Samson |Meteor Mic |EU |45€ |2022-03-10 |None |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} d03219d11d19d2b51dfb2ff79e99815cd5fb89c6 535 533 2022-03-10T15:11:23Z FableTLC 10 /* Bluetooth Sticks */ wikitext text/x-wiki An extensive list of hardware that is known to work. If the device requires tweaking, please mention the tweaking steps. The criteria are not as strict as in the [[Hardware Recommendations|hardware recommendations]] list, but all mentioned hardware should still be somewhat "worthy" for a gaming PC. We really don't need 20 years old Bluetooth sticks, even if they work out of the box. If possible, also add a price and a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. ==GPUs== {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |AMD |RX 5700XT | | |2022-03-10 |none |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | |} ==WiFi Sticks== ===2.4Ghz=== ===5Ghz=== ==Bluetooth Sticks== {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Mpow |Bluetooth 5.1 USB-Adapter | | | |none |- |DIGITUS |DN-30210-1 ''10 m range'' ''Bluetooth® 4.0 & 3.0'' ''Full-speed USB 2.0 interface'' |EU |7,05€ |2022-03-10 |none |- | | | | | | |} ==Bluetooth Headphones== {| class="wikitable" |+Noise Cancelling Over Ear !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Sony |WH-1000XM4 |EU |250€ |2022-03-10 |none |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} ===Noise Cancelling In-Ear=== ===Over-Ear=== ===In-Ear=== ==Mainboard== ===AMD=== ====AM3==== {| class="wikitable" |+AM4 !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |MSI |B550 MAG Tomahawk |EU |140€ |2022-03-10 |Fan control not working out of the box. Requires [https://github.com/Fred78290/nct6687d kernel module]. For Arch: Module is available in the [https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/nct6687d-dkms-git AUR]. |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} ===Intel=== ====Sandy Bridge==== ==Printer/Scanner== {| class="wikitable" |+Combined devices !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Samsung |SCX-4200R | | |2022-03-10 |None |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} {| class="wikitable" |+Printer !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} {| class="wikitable" |+Scanner !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} == Mice == {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !What works !Untested !Tweaking Steps |- |Steel Series |Rival 300 | | | |DPI, static RGB |RGB settings in Linux |Boot Windows (for example in a VM + pass through the mouse) and set settings there |- | | | | | | | | |- | | | | | | | | |} == USB audio converter == {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Sharkoon |Gaming DAC Pro S V2 |EU |30€ |2022-03-10 |None |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} == Microphones == {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Samson |Meteor Mic |EU |45€ |2022-03-10 |None |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} f5191928889a1ee1e8eb25053c9b717d651040e8 537 535 2022-03-10T15:14:02Z FableTLC 10 /* Bluetooth Sticks */ wikitext text/x-wiki An extensive list of hardware that is known to work. If the device requires tweaking, please mention the tweaking steps. The criteria are not as strict as in the [[Hardware Recommendations|hardware recommendations]] list, but all mentioned hardware should still be somewhat "worthy" for a gaming PC. We really don't need 20 years old Bluetooth sticks, even if they work out of the box. If possible, also add a price and a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. ==GPUs== {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |AMD |RX 5700XT | | |2022-03-10 |none |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | |} ==WiFi Sticks== ===2.4Ghz=== ===5Ghz=== ==Bluetooth Sticks== {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Mpow |Bluetooth 5.1 USB-Adapter | | | |none |- |DIGITUS |DN-30210-1 ''up to 10 m range'' ''Bluetooth® 4.0 & 3.0'' ''Full-speed USB 2.0 interface'' |EU |7,05€ |2022-03-10 |none |- | | | | | | |} ==Bluetooth Headphones== {| class="wikitable" |+Noise Cancelling Over Ear !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Sony |WH-1000XM4 |EU |250€ |2022-03-10 |none |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} ===Noise Cancelling In-Ear=== ===Over-Ear=== ===In-Ear=== ==Mainboard== ===AMD=== ====AM3==== {| class="wikitable" |+AM4 !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |MSI |B550 MAG Tomahawk |EU |140€ |2022-03-10 |Fan control not working out of the box. Requires [https://github.com/Fred78290/nct6687d kernel module]. For Arch: Module is available in the [https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/nct6687d-dkms-git AUR]. |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} ===Intel=== ====Sandy Bridge==== ==Printer/Scanner== {| class="wikitable" |+Combined devices !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Samsung |SCX-4200R | | |2022-03-10 |None |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} {| class="wikitable" |+Printer !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} {| class="wikitable" |+Scanner !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} == Mice == {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !What works !Untested !Tweaking Steps |- |Steel Series |Rival 300 | | | |DPI, static RGB |RGB settings in Linux |Boot Windows (for example in a VM + pass through the mouse) and set settings there |- | | | | | | | | |- | | | | | | | | |} == USB audio converter == {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Sharkoon |Gaming DAC Pro S V2 |EU |30€ |2022-03-10 |None |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} == Microphones == {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Samson |Meteor Mic |EU |45€ |2022-03-10 |None |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} bb43c2a56c86e9406a878f89de0753d87e3f342e 543 537 2022-03-10T15:27:33Z Aragorn 3 /* Mice */ wikitext text/x-wiki An extensive list of hardware that is known to work. If the device requires tweaking, please mention the tweaking steps. The criteria are not as strict as in the [[Hardware Recommendations|hardware recommendations]] list, but all mentioned hardware should still be somewhat "worthy" for a gaming PC. We really don't need 20 years old Bluetooth sticks, even if they work out of the box. If possible, also add a price and a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. ==GPUs== {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |AMD |RX 5700XT | | |2022-03-10 |none |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | |} ==WiFi Sticks== ===2.4Ghz=== ===5Ghz=== ==Bluetooth Sticks== {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Mpow |Bluetooth 5.1 USB-Adapter | | | |none |- |DIGITUS |DN-30210-1 ''up to 10 m range'' ''Bluetooth® 4.0 & 3.0'' ''Full-speed USB 2.0 interface'' |EU |7,05€ |2022-03-10 |none |- | | | | | | |} ==Bluetooth Headphones== {| class="wikitable" |+Noise Cancelling Over Ear !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Sony |WH-1000XM4 |EU |250€ |2022-03-10 |none |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} ===Noise Cancelling In-Ear=== ===Over-Ear=== ===In-Ear=== ==Mainboard== ===AMD=== ====AM3==== {| class="wikitable" |+AM4 !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |MSI |B550 MAG Tomahawk |EU |140€ |2022-03-10 |Fan control not working out of the box. Requires [https://github.com/Fred78290/nct6687d kernel module]. For Arch: Module is available in the [https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/nct6687d-dkms-git AUR]. |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} ===Intel=== ====Sandy Bridge==== ==Printer/Scanner== {| class="wikitable" |+Combined devices !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Samsung |SCX-4200R | | |2022-03-10 |None |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} {| class="wikitable" |+Printer !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} {| class="wikitable" |+Scanner !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} == Mice == {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !What works !Untested !Sensor !Extra Buttons !Tweaking Steps |- |Steel Series |Rival 300 | | | |DPI, static RGB |RGB settings in Linux |flawless |3 |Boot Windows (for example in a VM + pass through the mouse) and set settings there |- | | | | | | | | | | |- | | | | | | | | | | |} == USB audio converter == {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Sharkoon |Gaming DAC Pro S V2 |EU |30€ |2022-03-10 |None |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} == Microphones == {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Samson |Meteor Mic |EU |45€ |2022-03-10 |None |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} 63ccdb7b0a4e577680e6b1926e2740e7bd219f27 0 43 542 424 2022-03-10T15:24:21Z Aragorn 3 /* Watching the temperature */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Watching the temperature == You can use <code>lm_sensors</code>. Before running it for the first time, run <code>sudo sensors-detect</code>. After that, type <code>sensors</code> to see your temperatures. If you want to monitor them for a longer time, type <code>watch sensors</code>. == Noise Cancelling == You can use [https://github.com/wwmm/easyeffects EasyEffects] or [https://github.com/lawl/NoiseTorch NoiseTorch]. EasyEffects also has various other audio processing options, like crystalizer, noise gate, equalizer, filter, and much more. NoiseTorch can only cancel noise, but also has the option to tweak how aggressive it cancels noise. == Patching Audio == If you want to have a patchbay to route your audio to various destinations, [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/helvum Helvum] might be what you're looking for. == Game Streaming == You can use [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == Downsampling == You can use [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] == Post Processing == You can use [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) == Bottles == Some people prefer [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] to install games that don't have an install script in [[Lutris]]. == RGB == You can use [https://gitlab.com/CalcProgrammer1/OpenRGB OpenRGB]. == Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc) == Settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows, and change stuff there, or boot a VM and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings should be kept in Linux. a4b7e0ee1529db91d107dd62c4105907ef659841 548 542 2022-03-10T15:33:15Z Aragorn 3 /* Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc) */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Watching the temperature == You can use <code>lm_sensors</code>. Before running it for the first time, run <code>sudo sensors-detect</code>. After that, type <code>sensors</code> to see your temperatures. If you want to monitor them for a longer time, type <code>watch sensors</code>. == Noise Cancelling == You can use [https://github.com/wwmm/easyeffects EasyEffects] or [https://github.com/lawl/NoiseTorch NoiseTorch]. EasyEffects also has various other audio processing options, like crystalizer, noise gate, equalizer, filter, and much more. NoiseTorch can only cancel noise, but also has the option to tweak how aggressive it cancels noise. == Patching Audio == If you want to have a patchbay to route your audio to various destinations, [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/helvum Helvum] might be what you're looking for. == Game Streaming == You can use [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == Downsampling == You can use [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] == Post Processing == You can use [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) == Bottles == Some people prefer [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] to install games that don't have an install script in [[Lutris]]. == RGB == You can use [https://gitlab.com/CalcProgrammer1/OpenRGB OpenRGB]. == Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc) == Settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows once, and change stuff there. You can also boot a VM (with KVM) and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings should be kept in Linux. 4a3bca56be0f402cb61c06971bbfb17a89b26798 0 45 551 550 2022-03-10T15:37:24Z Aragorn 3 /* USB audio converter */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == Your should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === GPUs === * Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. Nvidia provides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. However, Nvidia is not overly problematic, you're probably fine if you already have one, or can get a very cheap one. Just don't blame Linux if you get problems. You are warned. **If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. Nouveau is no option for gaming. * If you want no problems, don't buy the newest GPU right after it launched (that's also a good idea if you want to save money). But you're probably fine, if you wait a couple months, there is absolutely no need to buy old garbage. Drivers just need a little bit of time to get good. * If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth. But it gets messy if they have two GPUs, or other special components. * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. ***Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === Digital/Audio converter === *Cheap: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with booting Windows, buy whatever you want. [[Misc#Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc)|Everything will work with a little detour]]. This section is for mice that have native Linux support for settings. All mice are required to have a flawless sensor (there is no advantage in being able to change settings if you don't hit anything, right?). * Big size: * Medium size: * Small size: * Many buttons: * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 9e5dbd54567037ec0295efa0f2f968e6de0d05aa 552 551 2022-03-10T15:37:52Z Aragorn 3 /* Digital/Audio converter */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == Your should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === GPUs === * Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. Nvidia provides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. However, Nvidia is not overly problematic, you're probably fine if you already have one, or can get a very cheap one. Just don't blame Linux if you get problems. You are warned. **If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. Nouveau is no option for gaming. * If you want no problems, don't buy the newest GPU right after it launched (that's also a good idea if you want to save money). But you're probably fine, if you wait a couple months, there is absolutely no need to buy old garbage. Drivers just need a little bit of time to get good. * If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth. But it gets messy if they have two GPUs, or other special components. * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. ***Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB Digital/Audio converter === *Cheap: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with booting Windows, buy whatever you want. [[Misc#Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc)|Everything will work with a little detour]]. This section is for mice that have native Linux support for settings. All mice are required to have a flawless sensor (there is no advantage in being able to change settings if you don't hit anything, right?). * Big size: * Medium size: * Small size: * Many buttons: * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 47062c63448e34fa3950abce22b16b439bc27963 553 552 2022-03-10T15:38:21Z Aragorn 3 /* USB Digital/Audio converter */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == Your should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === GPUs === * Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. Nvidia provides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. However, Nvidia is not overly problematic, you're probably fine if you already have one, or can get a very cheap one. Just don't blame Linux if you get problems. You are warned. **If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. Nouveau is no option for gaming. * If you want no problems, don't buy the newest GPU right after it launched (that's also a good idea if you want to save money). But you're probably fine, if you wait a couple months, there is absolutely no need to buy old garbage. Drivers just need a little bit of time to get good. * If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth. But it gets messy if they have two GPUs, or other special components. * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. ***Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB Digital/Audio converter === *Cheap: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with booting Windows, buy whatever you want. [[Misc#Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc)|Everything will work with a little detour]]. This section is for mice that have native Linux support for settings. All mice are required to have a flawless sensor (there is no advantage in being able to change settings if you don't hit anything, right?). * Big size: * Medium size: * Small size: * Many buttons: * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 6237d2de9e9f0bc12c754bcffc86c9e969d0f5e8 554 553 2022-03-10T15:38:58Z Aragorn 3 /* USB Digital/Audio converter */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == Your should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === GPUs === * Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. Nvidia provides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. However, Nvidia is not overly problematic, you're probably fine if you already have one, or can get a very cheap one. Just don't blame Linux if you get problems. You are warned. **If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. Nouveau is no option for gaming. * If you want no problems, don't buy the newest GPU right after it launched (that's also a good idea if you want to save money). But you're probably fine, if you wait a couple months, there is absolutely no need to buy old garbage. Drivers just need a little bit of time to get good. * If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth. But it gets messy if they have two GPUs, or other special components. * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. ***Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB Digital/Audio converter === *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with booting Windows, buy whatever you want. [[Misc#Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc)|Everything will work with a little detour]]. This section is for mice that have native Linux support for settings. All mice are required to have a flawless sensor (there is no advantage in being able to change settings if you don't hit anything, right?). * Big size: * Medium size: * Small size: * Many buttons: * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 0c545dc07e2733a5f9d4c952958134af453e39ea 555 554 2022-03-10T15:40:56Z Aragorn 3 /* Mice */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == Your should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === GPUs === * Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. Nvidia provides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. However, Nvidia is not overly problematic, you're probably fine if you already have one, or can get a very cheap one. Just don't blame Linux if you get problems. You are warned. **If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. Nouveau is no option for gaming. * If you want no problems, don't buy the newest GPU right after it launched (that's also a good idea if you want to save money). But you're probably fine, if you wait a couple months, there is absolutely no need to buy old garbage. Drivers just need a little bit of time to get good. * If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth. But it gets messy if they have two GPUs, or other special components. * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. ***Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB Digital/Audio converter === *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with booting Windows, buy whatever you want. [[Misc#Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc)|You can change settings there, and they will be kept]]. This section is for mice that have native Linux support for settings. All mice are required to have a flawless sensor (there is no advantage in being able to change settings if you don't hit anything, right?). * Big size: * Medium size: * Small size: * Many buttons: * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 117be91e1253974f0c891266b9ec3e254e8f418d 556 555 2022-03-10T15:41:51Z Aragorn 3 /* Mice */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == Your should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === GPUs === * Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. Nvidia provides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. However, Nvidia is not overly problematic, you're probably fine if you already have one, or can get a very cheap one. Just don't blame Linux if you get problems. You are warned. **If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. Nouveau is no option for gaming. * If you want no problems, don't buy the newest GPU right after it launched (that's also a good idea if you want to save money). But you're probably fine, if you wait a couple months, there is absolutely no need to buy old garbage. Drivers just need a little bit of time to get good. * If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth. But it gets messy if they have two GPUs, or other special components. * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. ***Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB Digital/Audio converter === *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with booting Windows once to change the settings, buy whatever you want. [[Misc#Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc)|You can change settings there, and they will be kept]]. This section is for mice that have native Linux support for settings. All mice are required to have a flawless sensor (there is no advantage in being able to change settings if you don't hit anything, right?). * Big size: * Medium size: * Small size: * Many buttons: * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * df84344a6bae882c062a383f285664e0415d0c2f 557 556 2022-03-10T15:42:40Z Aragorn 3 /* Mice */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == Your should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === GPUs === * Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. Nvidia provides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. However, Nvidia is not overly problematic, you're probably fine if you already have one, or can get a very cheap one. Just don't blame Linux if you get problems. You are warned. **If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. Nouveau is no option for gaming. * If you want no problems, don't buy the newest GPU right after it launched (that's also a good idea if you want to save money). But you're probably fine, if you wait a couple months, there is absolutely no need to buy old garbage. Drivers just need a little bit of time to get good. * If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth. But it gets messy if they have two GPUs, or other special components. * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. ***Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB Digital/Audio converter === *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with [[Index.php?title=Misc#Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc)|booting Windows once to change the settings]], buy whatever you want. This section is for mice that have native Linux support for settings. All mice are required to have a flawless sensor (there is no advantage in being able to change settings if you don't hit anything, right?). * Big size: * Medium size: * Small size: * Many buttons: * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 2e5faf2283e80f53890f51626b9672c485ce5cc5 558 557 2022-03-10T15:42:58Z Aragorn 3 /* Mice */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == Your should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === GPUs === * Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. Nvidia provides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. However, Nvidia is not overly problematic, you're probably fine if you already have one, or can get a very cheap one. Just don't blame Linux if you get problems. You are warned. **If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. Nouveau is no option for gaming. * If you want no problems, don't buy the newest GPU right after it launched (that's also a good idea if you want to save money). But you're probably fine, if you wait a couple months, there is absolutely no need to buy old garbage. Drivers just need a little bit of time to get good. * If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth. But it gets messy if they have two GPUs, or other special components. * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. ***Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB Digital/Audio converter === *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with [[Misc#Changing%20Mouse%20settings%20(DPI%252C%20lift%20of%20distance%252C%20etc)|booting Windows once to change the settings]], buy whatever you want. This section is for mice that have native Linux support for settings. All mice are required to have a flawless sensor (there is no advantage in being able to change settings if you don't hit anything, right?). * Big size: * Medium size: * Small size: * Many buttons: * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * df5cf94bab237631dc6c514222b0e13957faca6a 559 558 2022-03-10T15:45:16Z Aragorn 3 /* Mice */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == Your should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === GPUs === * Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. Nvidia provides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. However, Nvidia is not overly problematic, you're probably fine if you already have one, or can get a very cheap one. Just don't blame Linux if you get problems. You are warned. **If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. Nouveau is no option for gaming. * If you want no problems, don't buy the newest GPU right after it launched (that's also a good idea if you want to save money). But you're probably fine, if you wait a couple months, there is absolutely no need to buy old garbage. Drivers just need a little bit of time to get good. * If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth. But it gets messy if they have two GPUs, or other special components. * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. ***Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB Digital/Audio converter === *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, you are ok with [[Misc#Changing%20Mouse%20settings%20(DPI%252C%20lift%20of%20distance%252C%20etc)|booting Windows once to change the settings]] (and you don't need to change them all the time), buy whatever you want. This section is for mice that have native Linux support for settings, including RGB. All mice are required to have a flawless sensor (there is no advantage in being able to change settings if you don't hit anything, right?). * Big size: * Medium size: * Small size: * Many buttons: * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 701d310188ed577422a371d23d0987ff0a2456e8 560 559 2022-03-10T15:45:34Z Aragorn 3 /* Mice */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == Your should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === GPUs === * Just buy AMD, and you will be fine. Nvidia provides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. However, Nvidia is not overly problematic, you're probably fine if you already have one, or can get a very cheap one. Just don't blame Linux if you get problems. You are warned. **If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. Nouveau is no option for gaming. * If you want no problems, don't buy the newest GPU right after it launched (that's also a good idea if you want to save money). But you're probably fine, if you wait a couple months, there is absolutely no need to buy old garbage. Drivers just need a little bit of time to get good. * If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth. But it gets messy if they have two GPUs, or other special components. * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. ***Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB Digital/Audio converter === *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with [[Misc#Changing%20Mouse%20settings%20(DPI%252C%20lift%20of%20distance%252C%20etc)|booting Windows once to change the settings]] (and you don't need to change them all the time), buy whatever you want. This section is for mice that have native Linux support for settings, including RGB. All mice are required to have a flawless sensor (there is no advantage in being able to change settings if you don't hit anything, right?). * Big size: * Medium size: * Small size: * Many buttons: * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * d230569550908e9b5d1643a8d5c58be89f1cc87d 561 560 2022-03-10T15:55:28Z Aragorn 3 /* GPUs */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == Your should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === GPUs === * Buy AMD. Nvidia provides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. However, Nvidia is not overly problematic, you're probably fine if you can get a cheap one. Just don't blame Linux if you get problems. **If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. Nouveau is no option for gaming. * Don't buy the newest AMD GPU right after it launched (that's also a good idea if you want to save money). You won't get good drivers on day one. (Nvidia provides day one drivers) * If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth. But it gets messy if they have two GPUs, or other special components. * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. ***Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB Digital/Audio converter === *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with [[Misc#Changing%20Mouse%20settings%20(DPI%252C%20lift%20of%20distance%252C%20etc)|booting Windows once to change the settings]] (and you don't need to change them all the time), buy whatever you want. This section is for mice that have native Linux support for settings, including RGB. All mice are required to have a flawless sensor (there is no advantage in being able to change settings if you don't hit anything, right?). * Big size: * Medium size: * Small size: * Many buttons: * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * b21cc7b88412a23d411999e9f8e2da8b229d617f 562 561 2022-03-10T15:58:58Z Aragorn 3 /* Problematic Hardware */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === GPUs === * Buy AMD. Nvidia provides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. However, Nvidia is not overly problematic, you're probably fine if you can get a cheap one. Just don't blame Linux if you get problems. **If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. Nouveau is no option for gaming. * Don't buy the newest AMD GPU right after it launched (that's also a good idea if you want to save money). You won't get good drivers on day one. (Nvidia provides day one drivers) * If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth. But it gets messy if they have two GPUs, or other special components. * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. ***Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards usually ''just work'' for most features. Sometimes, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB are not supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB Digital/Audio converter === *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with [[Misc#Changing%20Mouse%20settings%20(DPI%252C%20lift%20of%20distance%252C%20etc)|booting Windows once to change the settings]] (and you don't need to change them all the time), buy whatever you want. This section is for mice that have native Linux support for settings, including RGB. All mice are required to have a flawless sensor (there is no advantage in being able to change settings if you don't hit anything, right?). * Big size: * Medium size: * Small size: * Many buttons: * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 29d3cac257d762af229b7534cce5c4d68f181584 563 562 2022-03-10T16:01:05Z Aragorn 3 /* Mainboard */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === GPUs === * Buy AMD. Nvidia provides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. However, Nvidia is not overly problematic, you're probably fine if you can get a cheap one. Just don't blame Linux if you get problems. **If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. Nouveau is no option for gaming. * Don't buy the newest AMD GPU right after it launched (that's also a good idea if you want to save money). You won't get good drivers on day one. (Nvidia provides day one drivers) * If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth. But it gets messy if they have two GPUs, or other special components. * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. ***Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB Digital/Audio converter === *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with [[Misc#Changing%20Mouse%20settings%20(DPI%252C%20lift%20of%20distance%252C%20etc)|booting Windows once to change the settings]] (and you don't need to change them all the time), buy whatever you want. This section is for mice that have native Linux support for settings, including RGB. All mice are required to have a flawless sensor (there is no advantage in being able to change settings if you don't hit anything, right?). * Big size: * Medium size: * Small size: * Many buttons: * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 5b0a83ddebec6312a6138572084935bc203d6566 564 563 2022-03-10T16:03:22Z Aragorn 3 /* GPUs */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === GPUs === * If you can choose, buy AMD. Nvidia provides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. However, Nvidia is not overly problematic, you're probably fine if you can get a cheap one. Just don't blame Linux if you get problems. **If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. Nouveau is no option for gaming. * Don't buy the newest AMD GPU right after it launched (that's also a good idea if you want to save money). You won't get good drivers on day one. (Nvidia provides day one drivers) * If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth. But it gets messy if they have two GPUs, or other special components. * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. ***Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB Digital/Audio converter === *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with [[Misc#Changing%20Mouse%20settings%20(DPI%252C%20lift%20of%20distance%252C%20etc)|booting Windows once to change the settings]] (and you don't need to change them all the time), buy whatever you want. This section is for mice that have native Linux support for settings, including RGB. All mice are required to have a flawless sensor (there is no advantage in being able to change settings if you don't hit anything, right?). * Big size: * Medium size: * Small size: * Many buttons: * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 2e2262cb698dce3f67c501bca2cca14ccbd3f3a3 565 564 2022-03-10T16:06:31Z Aragorn 3 /* Printer/Scanner */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. * Laser Printer: * Color Printer: * Scanner: * Combined: === GPUs === * If you can choose, buy AMD. Nvidia provides drivers, but they don't work out of the box, and are known to make problems. However, Nvidia is not overly problematic, you're probably fine if you can get a cheap one. Just don't blame Linux if you get problems. **If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. Nouveau is no option for gaming. * Don't buy the newest AMD GPU right after it launched (that's also a good idea if you want to save money). You won't get good drivers on day one. (Nvidia provides day one drivers) * If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth. But it gets messy if they have two GPUs, or other special components. * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. ***Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB Digital/Audio converter === *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with [[Misc#Changing%20Mouse%20settings%20(DPI%252C%20lift%20of%20distance%252C%20etc)|booting Windows once to change the settings]] (and you don't need to change them all the time), buy whatever you want. This section is for mice that have native Linux support for settings, including RGB. All mice are required to have a flawless sensor (there is no advantage in being able to change settings if you don't hit anything, right?). * Big size: * Medium size: * Small size: * Many buttons: * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 43a9ac9cc2677257df0830992c4f8c62480e10a2 566 565 2022-03-10T18:58:09Z 213.249.162.179 0 /* GPUs */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. * Laser Printer: * Color Printer: * Scanner: * Combined: === GPUs === * Both AMD and NVIDIA hardware are supported on Linux. *NVIDIA hardware requires you to install a proprietary driver for full functionality, whereas AMD typically uses the Mesa or user-space drivers. *NVIDIA drivers are typically installed separately using a GUI utility included with a Linux distribution, whereas AMD drivers are typically installed as part of the overall installation of the Linux distribution. *NVIDIA supports DLSS and FSR, whereas AMD only supports FSR. *NVIDIA provides a day one driver with full functionality, whereas AMD hardware typically takes several months to mature. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth. But it gets messy if they have two GPUs, or other special components. * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. ***Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB Digital/Audio converter === *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with [[Misc#Changing%20Mouse%20settings%20(DPI%252C%20lift%20of%20distance%252C%20etc)|booting Windows once to change the settings]] (and you don't need to change them all the time), buy whatever you want. This section is for mice that have native Linux support for settings, including RGB. All mice are required to have a flawless sensor (there is no advantage in being able to change settings if you don't hit anything, right?). * Big size: * Medium size: * Small size: * Many buttons: * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * bdba905babe68de19cc3d721b1b41822f216f15a 568 566 2022-03-11T00:59:34Z Aragorn 3 /* GPUs */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. * Laser Printer: * Color Printer: * Scanner: * Combined: === GPUs === * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), but they are no option for gaming. * Nvidia provides (proprietary) day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, and known to be problematic. Don't blame Linux if your experience is bad, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s these problems are Nvidias fault]. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) supports [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], which works in a similar way, but doesn't look as good. * If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. This is very important. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth. But it gets messy if they have two GPUs, or other special components. * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. ***Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB Digital/Audio converter === *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with [[Misc#Changing%20Mouse%20settings%20(DPI%252C%20lift%20of%20distance%252C%20etc)|booting Windows once to change the settings]] (and you don't need to change them all the time), buy whatever you want. This section is for mice that have native Linux support for settings, including RGB. All mice are required to have a flawless sensor (there is no advantage in being able to change settings if you don't hit anything, right?). * Big size: * Medium size: * Small size: * Many buttons: * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * a7fd393455d81265236bc85bc9a9f45be9e70821 569 568 2022-03-11T01:00:18Z Aragorn 3 /* GPUs */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. * Laser Printer: * Color Printer: * Scanner: * Combined: === GPUs === * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), but they are no option for gaming. * Nvidia provides (proprietary) day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, and known to be problematic. Don't blame Linux if your experience is bad, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s these problems are Nvidias fault]. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], which works in a similar way, but doesn't look as good. * If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. This is very important. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth. But it gets messy if they have two GPUs, or other special components. * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. ***Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB Digital/Audio converter === *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with [[Misc#Changing%20Mouse%20settings%20(DPI%252C%20lift%20of%20distance%252C%20etc)|booting Windows once to change the settings]] (and you don't need to change them all the time), buy whatever you want. This section is for mice that have native Linux support for settings, including RGB. All mice are required to have a flawless sensor (there is no advantage in being able to change settings if you don't hit anything, right?). * Big size: * Medium size: * Small size: * Many buttons: * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 770e70a737f27d06bb6012ee8f0dc633149605f5 572 569 2022-03-11T09:42:52Z Aragorn 3 /* GPUs */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === GPUs === * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), but they are no option for gaming. * Nvidia provides (proprietary) day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, and known to be problematic. Don't blame Linux if your experience is bad, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s these problems are Nvidias fault]. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], which works in a similar way, but doesn't look as good. * If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. This is very important. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. * Laser Printer: * Color Printer: * Scanner: * Combined: === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth. But it gets messy if they have two GPUs, or other special components. * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. ***Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB Digital/Audio converter === *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with [[Misc#Changing%20Mouse%20settings%20(DPI%252C%20lift%20of%20distance%252C%20etc)|booting Windows once to change the settings]] (and you don't need to change them all the time), buy whatever you want. This section is for mice that have native Linux support for settings, including RGB. All mice are required to have a flawless sensor (there is no advantage in being able to change settings if you don't hit anything, right?). * Big size: * Medium size: * Small size: * Many buttons: * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 9dfd878eca57f37a6f29dd550aee1ffadd71fe85 575 572 2022-03-11T10:04:20Z Aragorn 3 /* GPUs */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. There are people defending Nvidia, but most people recommend AMD. * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), but they are no option for gaming. * Nvidia provides (proprietary) day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, and known to be problematic. Don't blame Linux if your experience is bad, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s these problems are Nvidias fault]. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], which works in a similar way, but doesn't look as good. * If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. This is very important. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. * Laser Printer: * Color Printer: * Scanner: * Combined: === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth. But it gets messy if they have two GPUs, or other special components. * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. But you might want to have a look at our recommendations, just to be sure, especially if you want special features, like RGB, or a mainboard with WiFi, etc. === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. ***Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB Digital/Audio converter === *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with [[Misc#Changing%20Mouse%20settings%20(DPI%252C%20lift%20of%20distance%252C%20etc)|booting Windows once to change the settings]] (and you don't need to change them all the time), buy whatever you want. This section is for mice that have native Linux support for settings, including RGB. All mice are required to have a flawless sensor (there is no advantage in being able to change settings if you don't hit anything, right?). * Big size: * Medium size: * Small size: * Many buttons: * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * bfff6a795e5fea0bdfff5874ccdefb56eb5d32fc 576 575 2022-03-11T10:08:40Z Aragorn 3 /* Less problematic Hardware */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. If you buy wrong, you might end up with completely incompatible hardware. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. * Laser Printer: * Color Printer: * Scanner: * Combined: == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. However, depending on what you want to do, you might face some jank, and stuff might not be flawless. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. There are people defending Nvidia, but most people recommend AMD. * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), but they are no option for gaming. * Nvidia provides (proprietary) day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, and known to be problematic. Don't blame Linux if your experience is bad, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s these problems are Nvidias fault]. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], which works in a similar way, but doesn't look as good. * If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. This is very important. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth. But it gets messy if they have two GPUs, or other special components. * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. ***Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB Digital/Audio converter === *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with [[Misc#Changing%20Mouse%20settings%20(DPI%252C%20lift%20of%20distance%252C%20etc)|booting Windows once to change the settings]] (and you don't need to change them all the time), buy whatever you want. This section is for mice that have native Linux support for settings, including RGB. All mice are required to have a flawless sensor (there is no advantage in being able to change settings if you don't hit anything, right?). * Big size: * Medium size: * Small size: * Many buttons: * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 7f1c8030dc0d8b952a18dd932ba246b382f94104 577 576 2022-03-11T10:09:55Z Aragorn 3 /* Gaming Laptops */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. If you buy wrong, you might end up with completely incompatible hardware. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. * Laser Printer: * Color Printer: * Scanner: * Combined: == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. However, depending on what you want to do, you might face some jank, and stuff might not be flawless. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. There are people defending Nvidia, but most people recommend AMD. * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), but they are no option for gaming. * Nvidia provides (proprietary) day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, and known to be problematic. Don't blame Linux if your experience is bad, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s these problems are Nvidias fault]. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], which works in a similar way, but doesn't look as good. * If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. This is very important. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth, and even those often work. But it gets messy if they have two GPUs, or other special components. * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. ***Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB Digital/Audio converter === *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with [[Misc#Changing%20Mouse%20settings%20(DPI%252C%20lift%20of%20distance%252C%20etc)|booting Windows once to change the settings]] (and you don't need to change them all the time), buy whatever you want. This section is for mice that have native Linux support for settings, including RGB. All mice are required to have a flawless sensor (there is no advantage in being able to change settings if you don't hit anything, right?). * Big size: * Medium size: * Small size: * Many buttons: * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 04a7a6570359f7a38103a8c66ec307f4a2bd7cec 578 577 2022-03-11T10:11:12Z Aragorn 3 /* Gaming Laptops */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. If you buy wrong, you might end up with completely incompatible hardware. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. * Laser Printer: * Color Printer: * Scanner: * Combined: == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. However, depending on what you want to do, you might face some jank, and stuff might not be flawless. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. There are people defending Nvidia, but most people recommend AMD. * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), but they are no option for gaming. * Nvidia provides (proprietary) day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, and known to be problematic. Don't blame Linux if your experience is bad, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s these problems are Nvidias fault]. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], which works in a similar way, but doesn't look as good. * If you buy very old GPUs, look for Vulkan support. This is very important. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth, and even those often work. You might face problems if you have a device with two GPUs (should be solvable), or other special components (fingerprint reader, etc - might not be solvable). * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. ***Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB Digital/Audio converter === *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with [[Misc#Changing%20Mouse%20settings%20(DPI%252C%20lift%20of%20distance%252C%20etc)|booting Windows once to change the settings]] (and you don't need to change them all the time), buy whatever you want. This section is for mice that have native Linux support for settings, including RGB. All mice are required to have a flawless sensor (there is no advantage in being able to change settings if you don't hit anything, right?). * Big size: * Medium size: * Small size: * Many buttons: * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * dd0e54ec662275a843c3ff5159851639808c68c3 579 578 2022-03-11T10:15:16Z Aragorn 3 /* GPUs */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. If you buy wrong, you might end up with completely incompatible hardware. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. * Laser Printer: * Color Printer: * Scanner: * Combined: == Less problematic Hardware == You're probably good with just buying anything, and your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is low. However, depending on what you want to do, you might face some jank, and stuff might not be flawless. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. There are people defending Nvidia, but most people recommend AMD. * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), but they are no option for gaming. * Nvidia provides (proprietary) day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, and known to be problematic. Don't blame Linux if your experience is bad, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s these problems are Nvidias fault]. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], which works in a similar way, but doesn't look as good. * If you buy a very old GPU, make sure that it has Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth, and even those often work. You might face problems if you have a device with two GPUs (should be solvable), or other special components (fingerprint reader, etc - might not be solvable). * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. ***Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB Digital/Audio converter === *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with [[Misc#Changing%20Mouse%20settings%20(DPI%252C%20lift%20of%20distance%252C%20etc)|booting Windows once to change the settings]] (and you don't need to change them all the time), buy whatever you want. This section is for mice that have native Linux support for settings, including RGB. All mice are required to have a flawless sensor (there is no advantage in being able to change settings if you don't hit anything, right?). * Big size: * Medium size: * Small size: * Many buttons: * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * fef188ec3468aecd04d7096f53ec1b588aabd6b6 580 579 2022-03-11T10:18:08Z Aragorn 3 /* Less problematic Hardware */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. If you buy wrong, you might end up with completely incompatible hardware. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. * Laser Printer: * Color Printer: * Scanner: * Combined: == Less problematic Hardware == You'r chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is much lower. However, depending on what you want to do, you might face some jank, some features might not work, and stuff might not be flawless. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. There are people defending Nvidia, but most people recommend AMD. * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), but they are no option for gaming. * Nvidia provides (proprietary) day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, and known to be problematic. Don't blame Linux if your experience is bad, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s these problems are Nvidias fault]. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], which works in a similar way, but doesn't look as good. * If you buy a very old GPU, make sure that it has Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth, and even those often work. You might face problems if you have a device with two GPUs (should be solvable), or other special components (fingerprint reader, etc - might not be solvable). * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. ***Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB Digital/Audio converter === *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with [[Misc#Changing%20Mouse%20settings%20(DPI%252C%20lift%20of%20distance%252C%20etc)|booting Windows once to change the settings]] (and you don't need to change them all the time), buy whatever you want. This section is for mice that have native Linux support for settings, including RGB. All mice are required to have a flawless sensor (there is no advantage in being able to change settings if you don't hit anything, right?). * Big size: * Medium size: * Small size: * Many buttons: * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 0499a205d7ae52e0afa46e1cb4e5f69fc1d4c43f 581 580 2022-03-11T10:18:26Z Aragorn 3 /* Less problematic Hardware */ wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. If you buy wrong, you might end up with completely incompatible hardware. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. * Laser Printer: * Color Printer: * Scanner: * Combined: == Less problematic Hardware == You'r chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is much lower. However, you might face some jank, some features might not work, and stuff might not be flawless. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. There are people defending Nvidia, but most people recommend AMD. * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), but they are no option for gaming. * Nvidia provides (proprietary) day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, and known to be problematic. Don't blame Linux if your experience is bad, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s these problems are Nvidias fault]. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], which works in a similar way, but doesn't look as good. * If you buy a very old GPU, make sure that it has Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth, and even those often work. You might face problems if you have a device with two GPUs (should be solvable), or other special components (fingerprint reader, etc - might not be solvable). * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. ***Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB Digital/Audio converter === *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with [[Misc#Changing%20Mouse%20settings%20(DPI%252C%20lift%20of%20distance%252C%20etc)|booting Windows once to change the settings]] (and you don't need to change them all the time), buy whatever you want. This section is for mice that have native Linux support for settings, including RGB. All mice are required to have a flawless sensor (there is no advantage in being able to change settings if you don't hit anything, right?). * Big size: * Medium size: * Small size: * Many buttons: * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 506f3ede14c79ba34a89e0b09f57a2b69d5ae990 582 581 2022-03-11T10:23:28Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Hardware compatibility with Linux is sometimes tricky. You can not buy just anything and expect it to work. Some manufacturers don't support Linux at all, and sometimes the support is not good. This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware categories. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. If you buy wrong, you might end up with completely incompatible hardware. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. * Laser Printer: * Color Printer: * Scanner: * Combined: == Less problematic Hardware == You'r chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is much lower. However, you might face some jank, some features might not work, and stuff might not be flawless. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. There are people defending Nvidia, but most people recommend AMD. * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), but they are no option for gaming. * Nvidia provides (proprietary) day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, and known to be problematic. Don't blame Linux if your experience is bad, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s these problems are Nvidias fault]. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], which works in a similar way, but doesn't look as good. * If you buy a very old GPU, make sure that it has Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth, and even those often work. You might face problems if you have a device with two GPUs (should be solvable), or other special components (fingerprint reader, etc - might not be solvable). * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. ***Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB Digital/Audio converter === *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with [[Misc#Changing%20Mouse%20settings%20(DPI%252C%20lift%20of%20distance%252C%20etc)|booting Windows once to change the settings]] (and you don't need to change them all the time), buy whatever you want. This section is for mice that have native Linux support for settings, including RGB. All mice are required to have a flawless sensor (there is no advantage in being able to change settings if you don't hit anything, right?). * Big size: * Medium size: * Small size: * Many buttons: * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * f1f94b3d5995426bc87b8a29452dc591db29eea6 583 582 2022-03-11T10:30:30Z Aragorn 3 /* Less problematic Hardware */ wikitext text/x-wiki Hardware compatibility with Linux is sometimes tricky. You can not buy just anything and expect it to work. Some manufacturers don't support Linux at all, and sometimes the support is not good. This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware categories. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. If you buy wrong, you might end up with completely incompatible hardware. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. * Laser Printer: * Color Printer: * Scanner: * Combined: == Less problematic Hardware == Your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is much lower. However, you might face some jank, some features might not work, and stuff might not be flawless. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. There are people defending Nvidia, but most people recommend AMD. * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), but they are no option for gaming. * Nvidia provides (proprietary) day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, and known to be problematic. Don't blame Linux if your experience is bad, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s these problems are Nvidias fault]. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], which works in a similar way, but doesn't look as good. * If you buy a very old GPU, make sure that it has Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth, and even those often work. You might face problems if you have a device with two GPUs (should be solvable), or other special components (fingerprint reader, etc - might not be solvable). * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. ***Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB Digital/Audio converter === *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with [[Misc#Changing%20Mouse%20settings%20(DPI%252C%20lift%20of%20distance%252C%20etc)|booting Windows once to change the settings]] (and you don't need to change them all the time), buy whatever you want. This section is for mice that have native Linux support for settings, including RGB. All mice are required to have a flawless sensor (there is no advantage in being able to change settings if you don't hit anything, right?). * Big size: * Medium size: * Small size: * Many buttons: * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 5c07ecf61cd5aa95b67f710b51353a6b63fc8052 598 583 2022-03-13T07:36:16Z Aragorn 3 /* WiFi Sticks */ wikitext text/x-wiki Hardware compatibility with Linux is sometimes tricky. You can not buy just anything and expect it to work. Some manufacturers don't support Linux at all, and sometimes the support is not good. This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware categories. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. If you buy wrong, you might end up with completely incompatible hardware. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. The important thing in the sticks is the chip. Manufacturers sometimes have the same model with different chips. Chips that often work, are Qualcomm Atheros, and Intel. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. * Laser Printer: * Color Printer: * Scanner: * Combined: == Less problematic Hardware == Your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is much lower. However, you might face some jank, some features might not work, and stuff might not be flawless. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. There are people defending Nvidia, but most people recommend AMD. * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), but they are no option for gaming. * Nvidia provides (proprietary) day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, and known to be problematic. Don't blame Linux if your experience is bad, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s these problems are Nvidias fault]. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], which works in a similar way, but doesn't look as good. * If you buy a very old GPU, make sure that it has Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth, and even those often work. You might face problems if you have a device with two GPUs (should be solvable), or other special components (fingerprint reader, etc - might not be solvable). * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. ***Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB Digital/Audio converter === *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with [[Misc#Changing%20Mouse%20settings%20(DPI%252C%20lift%20of%20distance%252C%20etc)|booting Windows once to change the settings]] (and you don't need to change them all the time), buy whatever you want. This section is for mice that have native Linux support for settings, including RGB. All mice are required to have a flawless sensor (there is no advantage in being able to change settings if you don't hit anything, right?). * Big size: * Medium size: * Small size: * Many buttons: * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 2bdae9d68a433fc6d3f95f079a5172b9ac45d93a 599 598 2022-03-13T07:37:19Z Aragorn 3 /* WiFi Sticks */ wikitext text/x-wiki Hardware compatibility with Linux is sometimes tricky. You can not buy just anything and expect it to work. Some manufacturers don't support Linux at all, and sometimes the support is not good. This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware categories. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. If you buy wrong, you might end up with completely incompatible hardware. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. The important thing in the sticks is the chip. Manufacturers sometimes have the same model with different chips. Chips that often work, are Qualcomm Atheros, and [https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005511/wireless.html Intel]. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. * Laser Printer: * Color Printer: * Scanner: * Combined: == Less problematic Hardware == Your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is much lower. However, you might face some jank, some features might not work, and stuff might not be flawless. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. There are people defending Nvidia, but most people recommend AMD. * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), but they are no option for gaming. * Nvidia provides (proprietary) day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, and known to be problematic. Don't blame Linux if your experience is bad, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s these problems are Nvidias fault]. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], which works in a similar way, but doesn't look as good. * If you buy a very old GPU, make sure that it has Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth, and even those often work. You might face problems if you have a device with two GPUs (should be solvable), or other special components (fingerprint reader, etc - might not be solvable). * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. ***Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB Digital/Audio converter === *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with [[Misc#Changing%20Mouse%20settings%20(DPI%252C%20lift%20of%20distance%252C%20etc)|booting Windows once to change the settings]] (and you don't need to change them all the time), buy whatever you want. This section is for mice that have native Linux support for settings, including RGB. All mice are required to have a flawless sensor (there is no advantage in being able to change settings if you don't hit anything, right?). * Big size: * Medium size: * Small size: * Many buttons: * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * fb21e634d69eafe8bbe20d2a3f9fa9eaef1af058 0 5 567 427 2022-03-11T00:23:19Z 193.32.127.224 0 /* Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience. == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this might be in the magnitude of 300% more FPS: *Install the correct drivers: https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]] and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <pre>Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</pre> * Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX]: An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable composition. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. * For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. <references /> 1ec4a8ae36bdd128da13e7e41278505b36db8492 600 567 2022-03-13T17:08:53Z Aragorn 3 /* Major tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience. == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this might be in the magnitude of 300% more FPS: *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers]. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]] and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <pre>Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</pre> * Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX]: An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable composition. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. * For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. <references /> 478bec26e472f60c03cb722154252af29d3e69db 0 34 570 428 2022-03-11T01:02:08Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki It is recommended to read the [[Getting started with Linux|long version]], but you should be fine if you just do the following:<ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. You will probably not be able to use the software that you're used to. But usually there is different software that might even be better.</li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have [[Hardware Recommendations|supported hardware]]. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle, or without bugs. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you can choose your GPU, choose AMD. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] and [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use Steam for running games that are on Steam. Most games will work ''just like that'', after [[Steam#Enable Steam Play for all games|enabling Steam Play for all games]].</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other games.</li> <li><p>Disable Composition: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it. Read more [[Compositor|here]].</p></li> <li><p>If your performance is bad, read [[Improving performance|this article]].</p></li> <li><p>When Linux gives you a warning, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when asking for help.</p></li><li><p>You (almost) never download software or drivers in the browser. Doing this is a really bad idea, and should only be your last resort if everything else fails. Just look up your distribution (Pop!_OS if you follow our recommendation) + the software, and you should find a better solution (for example a ''ppa'').</p></li><li><p>If you don't like the look, it can easily be changed. Just [https://support.system76.com/articles/desktop-environment/ install a different desktop environment]. KDE Plasma would be a popular choice that looks a lot like Windows, and is very comfortable to use. </p></li></ul> f24d74b5d5bb1b26a6346f3ef78e342d976542f6 1 47 571 2022-03-11T01:12:40Z Aragorn 3 Created page with "We should not be recommending Nvidia. This page is not about "hardware that can work", but about "hardware that is recommended to buy". Nvidia is not flawless, and just over all not well integrated. Think about a user that has no experience with Linux, maybe not even experience with computers. With an AMD GPU, everything will work after installing the system. With Nvidia there is lots of jank. This gets even more important with SteamOS, which might not even be possible..." wikitext text/x-wiki We should not be recommending Nvidia. This page is not about "hardware that can work", but about "hardware that is recommended to buy". Nvidia is not flawless, and just over all not well integrated. Think about a user that has no experience with Linux, maybe not even experience with computers. With an AMD GPU, everything will work after installing the system. With Nvidia there is lots of jank. This gets even more important with SteamOS, which might not even be possible to use with an Nvidia GPU (immutable file system + licensing issues). 26c0cf93278d52782a0702517a876bf4dde747d3 0 44 573 416 2022-03-11T10:01:47Z Aragorn 3 /* Launch Options */ wikitext text/x-wiki Steam runs natively on Linux. You can probably just install it from your App store. Usually you want to use ''Steam (Runtime)''. Only use ''Steam (native)'' if you know why you want to use it. == Enable Steam Play for all games == In order to run games that are not explicitly whitelisted by Valve, go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE]. == ProtonUp-Qt == You can use [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] to make the installation and update process of [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] simple: * 1. Download the [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] AppImage * 2. Mark the AppImage as executable * 3. Double-click the AppImage to run ProtonUp-Qt Alternatively, you can install it from [https://flathub.org/apps/details/net.davidotek.pupgui2 Flathub]. == Launch Options == You may find something like <code>-screen-width 1280 -screen-height 720 -screen-fullscreen 0</code> on protondb. These are ''launch options''. To use them, you right click on the game, and in the <code>general</code> tab, there is a field called <code>launch options</code>. You paste them (for example <code>%command% -screen-height 1920 -screen-width 1080 -screen-fullscreen</code>) in there. <code>%command%</code> is the command to start the game. Some launch options go before this command (for example <code>gamemoderun</code> or <code>mangohud</code>), and some go behind it (flags that are passed to the game itself, typically stuff that starts with a <code>-</code>). == Steam Tinker Launch == [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch Steam Tinker Launch] is a swiss army knife tool that allows easy customization of multiple options for Steam games. It includes helpers for custom commands, Vortex, Mod Organizer 2, Proton GE, Proton/DXVK/wine options, winetricks, ReShade + easy selection for shaders, FSR, debugging, side-by-side VR automation, SteamGridDB, SpecialK, Proton KillSwitch, Gamescope, GameMode, and more. You can find a more comprehensive list of features in the [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch/wiki wiki] (dropdownlist on the right). af7a5eff2a730f4d7e163378f5b6603ba69236e0 574 573 2022-03-11T10:03:33Z Aragorn 3 /* Launch Options */ wikitext text/x-wiki Steam runs natively on Linux. You can probably just install it from your App store. Usually you want to use ''Steam (Runtime)''. Only use ''Steam (native)'' if you know why you want to use it. == Enable Steam Play for all games == In order to run games that are not explicitly whitelisted by Valve, go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE]. == ProtonUp-Qt == You can use [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] to make the installation and update process of [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] simple: * 1. Download the [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] AppImage * 2. Mark the AppImage as executable * 3. Double-click the AppImage to run ProtonUp-Qt Alternatively, you can install it from [https://flathub.org/apps/details/net.davidotek.pupgui2 Flathub]. == Launch Options == You may find something like <code>-screen-width 1280 -screen-height 720 -screen-fullscreen 0</code> on protondb. These are ''launch options''. To use them, you right click on the game, and in the <code>general</code> tab, there is a field called <code>launch options</code>. You paste them (for example <code>%command% -screen-height 1920 -screen-width 1080 -screen-fullscreen</code>) in there. <code>%command%</code> is the command to start the game. Some launch options go before this command (commands to execute programs, for example <code>gamemoderun</code> or <code>mangohud</code>), and some go behind it (flags that are passed to the game itself, typically stuff that starts with a <code>-</code>). == Steam Tinker Launch == [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch Steam Tinker Launch] is a swiss army knife tool that allows easy customization of multiple options for Steam games. It includes helpers for custom commands, Vortex, Mod Organizer 2, Proton GE, Proton/DXVK/wine options, winetricks, ReShade + easy selection for shaders, FSR, debugging, side-by-side VR automation, SteamGridDB, SpecialK, Proton KillSwitch, Gamescope, GameMode, and more. You can find a more comprehensive list of features in the [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch/wiki wiki] (dropdownlist on the right). fccf290f3f3a2464253f70c9d16077bbbb765ce4 0 2 584 393 2022-03-12T00:40:15Z Aragorn 3 change link to citation wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == The software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. If you've done that and there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. Bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto] * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == The swap (Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux) == If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. You might face problems here, [[Improving performance|especially regarding performance and input lag]]. If you choose Mint, don't use Cinnamon. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! ! Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- | Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- | Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clickin an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==The habit (what to do after the installation)== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install Steam on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. == Windows compatibility== So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exes) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. For Steam games you can just use Steam. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. Your last resort is the following: First, let's install Wine. <pre>sudo apt install wine</pre> On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you'll want to open a terminal and type (credit to [[u/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running): <pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> Remember to check the ratings and know issues in the wine AppDB so you know what you can expect, and you should be golden. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. ===DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D=== What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[u/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and [[Lutris]] both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily optimized Linux install. Your default experience will be worse. ==Improving performance== The default settings are probably not the best for a flawless experience. Read more [[Improving performance|here]]. ==Nice things== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ==Downloading stuff from GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. ==Troubleshooting== *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask here or in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==Going further == Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. f22ed71c14be61d9163f1b9c205b1f33b3d44bbd 585 584 2022-03-12T00:43:44Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == The software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. If you've done that and there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. Bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto] * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == The swap (Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux) == If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. You might face problems here, [[Improving performance|especially regarding performance and input lag]]. If you choose Mint, don't use Cinnamon. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! ! Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- | Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- | Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==The habit (what to do after the installation)== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. == Windows compatibility== So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exes) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. For Steam games you can just use Steam. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. Your last resort is the following: First, let's install Wine. <pre>sudo apt install wine</pre> On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you'll want to open a terminal and type (credit to [[u/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running): <pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> Remember to check the ratings and know issues in the wine AppDB so you know what you can expect, and you should be golden. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. ===DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D=== What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[u/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and [[Lutris]] both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily [[Improving performance|optimized Linux install]]. Your default experience will be worse. ==Improving performance== The default settings are probably not the best for a flawless experience. Read more [[Improving performance|here]]. ==Nice things== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ==Downloading stuff from GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. ==Troubleshooting== *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask here or in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==Going further == Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. 25d3e73c800d82e24f81fbff33a480150bc5a210 586 585 2022-03-12T00:44:31Z Aragorn 3 /* Troubleshooting */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == The software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. If you've done that and there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. Bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto] * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == The swap (Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux) == If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. You might face problems here, [[Improving performance|especially regarding performance and input lag]]. If you choose Mint, don't use Cinnamon. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! ! Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- | Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- | Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==The habit (what to do after the installation)== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. == Windows compatibility== So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exes) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. For Steam games you can just use Steam. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. Your last resort is the following: First, let's install Wine. <pre>sudo apt install wine</pre> On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you'll want to open a terminal and type (credit to [[u/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running): <pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> Remember to check the ratings and know issues in the wine AppDB so you know what you can expect, and you should be golden. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. ===DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D=== What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[u/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and [[Lutris]] both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily [[Improving performance|optimized Linux install]]. Your default experience will be worse. ==Improving performance== The default settings are probably not the best for a flawless experience. Read more [[Improving performance|here]]. ==Nice things== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ==Downloading stuff from GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. ==Troubleshooting== *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==Going further == Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. fad68470288ac304d932ba670978ec92963b14e9 587 586 2022-03-12T00:47:09Z Aragorn 3 /* Improving performance */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == The software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. If you've done that and there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. Bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto] * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == The swap (Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux) == If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. You might face problems here, [[Improving performance|especially regarding performance and input lag]]. If you choose Mint, don't use Cinnamon. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! ! Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- | Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- | Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==The habit (what to do after the installation)== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. == Windows compatibility== So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exes) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. For Steam games you can just use Steam. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. Your last resort is the following: First, let's install Wine. <pre>sudo apt install wine</pre> On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you'll want to open a terminal and type (credit to [[u/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running): <pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> Remember to check the ratings and know issues in the wine AppDB so you know what you can expect, and you should be golden. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. ===DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D=== What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[u/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and [[Lutris]] both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily [[Improving performance|optimized Linux install]]. Your default experience will be worse. ==Nice things== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ==Downloading stuff from GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. ==Troubleshooting== *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==Going further == Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. b37c4f2c83c766b647f5c3d765a63639b091826b 588 587 2022-03-12T00:48:35Z Aragorn 3 /* Nice things */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == The software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. If you've done that and there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. Bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto] * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == The swap (Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux) == If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. You might face problems here, [[Improving performance|especially regarding performance and input lag]]. If you choose Mint, don't use Cinnamon. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! ! Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- | Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- | Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==The habit (what to do after the installation)== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. ===Downloading stuff from GitHub/GitLab=== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things === Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. == Windows compatibility== So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exes) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. For Steam games you can just use Steam. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. Your last resort is the following: First, let's install Wine. <pre>sudo apt install wine</pre> On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you'll want to open a terminal and type (credit to [[u/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running): <pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> Remember to check the ratings and know issues in the wine AppDB so you know what you can expect, and you should be golden. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. ===DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D=== What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[u/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and [[Lutris]] both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily [[Improving performance|optimized Linux install]]. Your default experience will be worse. ==Troubleshooting== *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==Going further == Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. a479aee79ee038e28ffb98995ab6069307323796 589 588 2022-03-12T00:49:29Z Aragorn 3 /* Going further */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == The software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. If you've done that and there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. Bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto] * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == The swap (Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux) == If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. You might face problems here, [[Improving performance|especially regarding performance and input lag]]. If you choose Mint, don't use Cinnamon. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! ! Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- | Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- | Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==The habit (what to do after the installation)== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. ===Downloading stuff from GitHub/GitLab=== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things === Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. == Windows compatibility== So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exes) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. For Steam games you can just use Steam. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. Your last resort is the following: First, let's install Wine. <pre>sudo apt install wine</pre> On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you'll want to open a terminal and type (credit to [[u/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running): <pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> Remember to check the ratings and know issues in the wine AppDB so you know what you can expect, and you should be golden. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. ===DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D=== What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[u/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and [[Lutris]] both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily [[Improving performance|optimized Linux install]]. Your default experience will be worse. ==Troubleshooting== *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. eec4c2236e5f89bba9f88cfb64f35ce2400987b2 590 589 2022-03-12T00:55:29Z Aragorn 3 /* The habit (what to do after the installation) */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == The software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. If you've done that and there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. Bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto] * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == The swap (Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux) == If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. You might face problems here, [[Improving performance|especially regarding performance and input lag]]. If you choose Mint, don't use Cinnamon. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! ! Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- | Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- | Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==The habit (what to do after the installation)== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! === Installing Software === If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things === Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. == Windows compatibility== So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exes) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. For Steam games you can just use Steam. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. Your last resort is the following: First, let's install Wine. <pre>sudo apt install wine</pre> On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you'll want to open a terminal and type (credit to [[u/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running): <pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> Remember to check the ratings and know issues in the wine AppDB so you know what you can expect, and you should be golden. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. ===DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D=== What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[u/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and [[Lutris]] both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily [[Improving performance|optimized Linux install]]. Your default experience will be worse. ==Troubleshooting== *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. 6a85bc5328f945666c6ed8b2757344ea7d93c6da 593 590 2022-03-12T01:07:28Z Aragorn 3 /* Windows compatibility */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == The software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. If you've done that and there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. Bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto] * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == The swap (Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux) == If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. You might face problems here, [[Improving performance|especially regarding performance and input lag]]. If you choose Mint, don't use Cinnamon. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! ! Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- | Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- | Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==The habit (what to do after the installation)== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! === Installing Software === If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things === Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. == Windows compatibility== So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exe) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [[Bottles]] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam games, and [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] for compatibility with all other games. You can find all kinds of programs (including games that are not on protondb or lutris) in the wine [https://appdb.winehq.org/ AppDB]. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. === Manually running wine === You typically would not want to do this, this is just for educational purpose. First, let's install Wine. <pre>sudo apt install wine</pre> On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you would open a terminal and type (credit to [[u/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running): <pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> ===DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D=== What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[u/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and [[Lutris]] both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily [[Improving performance|optimized Linux install]]. Your default experience will be worse. ==Troubleshooting== *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. a71639f0710e464c07f02f1ae3394aa48e3e811e 594 593 2022-03-12T01:08:40Z Aragorn 3 /* The swap (Distributions, or "versions" of Linux) */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == The software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. If you've done that and there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. Bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto] * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == The swap (Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux) == If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. You might face problems here, [[Improving performance|especially regarding performance and input lag]]. If you choose Mint, don't use Cinnamon. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! ! Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- | Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- | Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==The habit (what to do after the installation)== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! === Installing Software === If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things === Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. == Windows compatibility== So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exe) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [[Bottles]] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam games, and [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] for compatibility with all other games. You can find all kinds of programs (including games that are not on protondb or lutris) in the wine [https://appdb.winehq.org/ AppDB]. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. === Manually running wine === You typically would not want to do this, this is just for educational purpose. First, let's install Wine. <pre>sudo apt install wine</pre> On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you would open a terminal and type (credit to [[u/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running): <pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> ===DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D=== What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[u/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and [[Lutris]] both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily [[Improving performance|optimized Linux install]]. Your default experience will be worse. ==Troubleshooting== *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. 79b99ff92f59f7b045bc84a60129b19d6a013586 596 594 2022-03-12T01:21:20Z Aragorn 3 /* Recommendations */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == The software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. If you've done that and there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. Bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto] * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == The swap (Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux) == If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. You might face problems here, [[Improving performance|especially regarding performance and input lag]]. If you choose Mint, don't use Cinnamon. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! ! Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- | Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- | Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==The habit (what to do after the installation)== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! === Installing Software === If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things === Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. == Windows compatibility== So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exe) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [[Bottles]] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam games, and [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] for compatibility with all other games. You can find all kinds of programs (including games that are not on protondb or lutris) in the wine [https://appdb.winehq.org/ AppDB]. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. === Manually running wine === You typically would not want to do this, this is just for educational purpose. First, let's install Wine. <pre>sudo apt install wine</pre> On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you would open a terminal and type (credit to [[u/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running): <pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> ===DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D=== What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[u/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and [[Lutris]] both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily [[Improving performance|optimized Linux install]]. Your default experience will be worse. ==Troubleshooting== *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. 6166c8af9ad2361e580b52366d071adef8230619 597 596 2022-03-12T01:22:10Z Aragorn 3 /* Recommendations */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == The software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. If you've done that and there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. Bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto] * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == The swap (Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux) == If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! ! Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- | Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- | Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==The habit (what to do after the installation)== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! === Installing Software === If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things === Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. == Windows compatibility== So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exe) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [[Bottles]] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam games, and [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] for compatibility with all other games. You can find all kinds of programs (including games that are not on protondb or lutris) in the wine [https://appdb.winehq.org/ AppDB]. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. === Manually running wine === You typically would not want to do this, this is just for educational purpose. First, let's install Wine. <pre>sudo apt install wine</pre> On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you would open a terminal and type (credit to [[u/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running): <pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> ===DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D=== What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[u/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and [[Lutris]] both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily [[Improving performance|optimized Linux install]]. Your default experience will be worse. ==Troubleshooting== *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. 8e64f5d565bfbd168e5f7402ed935c69ec4ce9d6 0 43 591 548 2022-03-12T00:56:54Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki == Watching the temperature == You can use <code>lm_sensors</code>. Before running it for the first time, run <code>sudo sensors-detect</code>. After that, type <code>sensors</code> to see your temperatures. If you want to monitor them for a longer time, type <code>watch sensors</code>. == Noise Cancelling == You can use [https://github.com/wwmm/easyeffects EasyEffects] or [https://github.com/lawl/NoiseTorch NoiseTorch]. EasyEffects also has various other audio processing options, like crystalizer, noise gate, equalizer, filter, and much more. NoiseTorch can only cancel noise, but also has the option to tweak how aggressive it cancels noise. == Patching Audio == If you want to have a patchbay to route your audio to various destinations, [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/helvum Helvum] might be what you're looking for. == Game Streaming == You can use [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == Downsampling == You can use [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] == Post Processing == You can use [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) == Bottles == Some people prefer [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] to install games that don't have an install script in [[Lutris]]. == RGB == You can use [https://gitlab.com/CalcProgrammer1/OpenRGB OpenRGB]. == Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc) == Settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows once, and change stuff there. You can also boot a VM (with KVM) and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings should be kept in Linux. ==Installing stuff from GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try again to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code><nowiki>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</nowiki></code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. #Follow the instructions in the readme. 254e8014f1e0898d50edb0927f186fc386e30b37 592 591 2022-03-12T00:57:25Z Aragorn 3 /* Installing stuff from GitHub/GitLab */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Watching the temperature == You can use <code>lm_sensors</code>. Before running it for the first time, run <code>sudo sensors-detect</code>. After that, type <code>sensors</code> to see your temperatures. If you want to monitor them for a longer time, type <code>watch sensors</code>. == Noise Cancelling == You can use [https://github.com/wwmm/easyeffects EasyEffects] or [https://github.com/lawl/NoiseTorch NoiseTorch]. EasyEffects also has various other audio processing options, like crystalizer, noise gate, equalizer, filter, and much more. NoiseTorch can only cancel noise, but also has the option to tweak how aggressive it cancels noise. == Patching Audio == If you want to have a patchbay to route your audio to various destinations, [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/helvum Helvum] might be what you're looking for. == Game Streaming == You can use [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == Downsampling == You can use [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] == Post Processing == You can use [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) == Bottles == Some people prefer [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] to install games that don't have an install script in [[Lutris]]. == RGB == You can use [https://gitlab.com/CalcProgrammer1/OpenRGB OpenRGB]. == Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc) == Settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows once, and change stuff there. You can also boot a VM (with KVM) and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings should be kept in Linux. ==Using GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try again to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code><nowiki>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</nowiki></code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. #Follow the instructions in the readme. b28284cf74c309d0ef95252971cec4205826831b 0 28 595 380 2022-03-12T01:14:37Z Aragorn 3 /* Conclusion */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways]. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux usually isn't the best platform for that. It mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. Many mods are also Windows-only, so you'd have to try running them through WINE. If you're running your game through WINE, you can install mod managers as you would on Windows. However, some may not work, or may not work well. There are Lutris scripts to help with ''Nexus Mod Manager''<ref>https://lutris.net/games/nexus-mod-manager-community-edition/</ref> and ''Vortex''<ref>https://lutris.net/games/vortex-mod-manager/</ref>, but they do not run flawlessly. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://lutris.net/ Lutris], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) in February 2022, which has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]] * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in several years or so. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == 105b4e0a2b2288247159871ca6b674aec509a7fa 0 5 601 600 2022-03-13T17:13:26Z Aragorn 3 /* Major tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience. == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this might be in the magnitude of 300% more FPS: *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers]. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]] and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <pre>Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</pre> * Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX]: An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable composition. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. *Only install mesa drivers. Do '''not''' install amdgpu-pro, or amdvlk. They typically perform worse, and the system defaults to use drivers in alphabetical order (thus e.g. '''a'''mdvlk being preferred over '''m'''esa). ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. * For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. <references /> 85b6817ab313d45d92dd7bf7c3d17b2e421c7b5f 602 601 2022-03-13T17:41:59Z Aragorn 3 /* Major tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience. == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this could easily double your performance: *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers]. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]] and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <pre>Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</pre> * Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX]: An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable composition. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. *Only install mesa drivers. Do '''not''' install amdgpu-pro, or amdvlk. They typically perform worse, and the system defaults to use drivers in alphabetical order (thus e.g. '''a'''mdvlk being preferred over '''m'''esa). ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. * For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. <references /> 62f5c5eb7fa8d505b9156cafb1f6a0e9907a370e 0 45 603 599 2022-03-13T20:20:50Z Aragorn 3 /* GPUs */ wikitext text/x-wiki Hardware compatibility with Linux is sometimes tricky. You can not buy just anything and expect it to work. Some manufacturers don't support Linux at all, and sometimes the support is not good. This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware categories. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. If you buy wrong, you might end up with completely incompatible hardware. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. The important thing in the sticks is the chip. Manufacturers sometimes have the same model with different chips. Chips that often work, are Qualcomm Atheros, and [https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005511/wireless.html Intel]. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. * Laser Printer: * Color Printer: * Scanner: * Combined: == Less problematic Hardware == Your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is much lower. However, you might face some jank, some features might not work, and stuff might not be flawless. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. There are people defending Nvidia, but most people recommend AMD. * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), but they are no option for gaming. * Nvidia provides (proprietary) day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, and known to be problematic. Don't blame Linux if your experience is bad, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s these problems are Nvidias fault]. If you already have one, you'll probably be fine, though. It's not overly problematic. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], which works in a similar way, but doesn't look as good. * If you buy a very old GPU, make sure that it has Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth, and even those often work. You might face problems if you have a device with two GPUs (should be solvable), or other special components (fingerprint reader, etc - might not be solvable). * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. ***Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB Digital/Audio converter === *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with [[Misc#Changing%20Mouse%20settings%20(DPI%252C%20lift%20of%20distance%252C%20etc)|booting Windows once to change the settings]] (and you don't need to change them all the time), buy whatever you want. This section is for mice that have native Linux support for settings, including RGB. All mice are required to have a flawless sensor (there is no advantage in being able to change settings if you don't hit anything, right?). * Big size: * Medium size: * Small size: * Many buttons: * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * cf01ff0ebd51af4ae610f54381efa4f2934d8a1a 636 603 2022-03-16T09:28:17Z Aragorn 3 /* Noise Cancelling */ wikitext text/x-wiki Hardware compatibility with Linux is sometimes tricky. You can not buy just anything and expect it to work. Some manufacturers don't support Linux at all, and sometimes the support is not good. This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware categories. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. If you buy wrong, you might end up with completely incompatible hardware. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. The important thing in the sticks is the chip. Manufacturers sometimes have the same model with different chips. Chips that often work, are Qualcomm Atheros, and [https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005511/wireless.html Intel]. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. * Laser Printer: * Color Printer: * Scanner: * Combined: == Less problematic Hardware == Your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is much lower. However, you might face some jank, some features might not work, and stuff might not be flawless. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. There are people defending Nvidia, but most people recommend AMD. * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), but they are no option for gaming. * Nvidia provides (proprietary) day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, and known to be problematic. Don't blame Linux if your experience is bad, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s these problems are Nvidias fault]. If you already have one, you'll probably be fine, though. It's not overly problematic. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], which works in a similar way, but doesn't look as good. * If you buy a very old GPU, make sure that it has Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth, and even those often work. You might face problems if you have a device with two GPUs (should be solvable), or other special components (fingerprint reader, etc - might not be solvable). * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***<small>Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack.</small> ***<small>Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger).</small> ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB Digital/Audio converter === *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with [[Misc#Changing%20Mouse%20settings%20(DPI%252C%20lift%20of%20distance%252C%20etc)|booting Windows once to change the settings]] (and you don't need to change them all the time), buy whatever you want. This section is for mice that have native Linux support for settings, including RGB. All mice are required to have a flawless sensor (there is no advantage in being able to change settings if you don't hit anything, right?). * Big size: * Medium size: * Small size: * Many buttons: * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * d82c589938b567b463f38c6d90bd3aa4733b65f0 0 43 604 592 2022-03-15T01:04:13Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki == Watching the temperature == You can use <code>lm_sensors</code>. Before running it for the first time, run <code>sudo sensors-detect</code>. After that, type <code>sensors</code> to see your temperatures. If you want to monitor them for a longer time, type <code>watch sensors</code>. == Noise Cancelling == You can use [https://github.com/wwmm/easyeffects EasyEffects] or [https://github.com/lawl/NoiseTorch NoiseTorch]. EasyEffects also has various other audio processing options, like crystalizer, noise gate, equalizer, filter, and much more. NoiseTorch can only cancel noise, but also has the option to tweak how aggressive it cancels noise. == Patching Audio == If you want to have a patchbay to route your audio to various destinations, [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/helvum Helvum] might be what you're looking for. == Game Streaming == You can use [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == Downsampling == You can use [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] == Post Processing == You can use [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) == Bottles == Some people prefer [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] to install games that don't have an install script in [[Lutris]]. == RGB == You can use [https://gitlab.com/CalcProgrammer1/OpenRGB OpenRGB]. == Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc) == Settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows once, and change stuff there. You can also boot a VM (with KVM) and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings should be kept in Linux. ==Using GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try again to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code><nowiki>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</nowiki></code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. #Follow the instructions in the readme. == Using Checksums == When downloading a file, you might have seen something like <code>sha512sum: 497907d020870e564b814bb6c4f7eef2f3abdf5d0159ccbd96501a26cef155a8d771a420a16c9348525fa4ce7de3c137ad5ff15a013c84f327edbdea6495d86b easyanticheat_x64.so</code> This is a checksum, or more precise: A <code>sha512</code> checksum for the file <code>easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. This number is for verifying that you have the correct file, and not something that is manipulated or inaccurately transmitted. Usage: download file, open [[terminal]], and <code>cd Downloads</code>. Then you execute <code>sha512sum easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. The number you see there, should be ''exactly'' the same. Btw: <code>sha512</code> is better than <code>sha256</code>, and ''especially'' better than <code>md5</code>. <code>md5</code> is trash, don't use it. 669ff8d1b6f05993479d6431de58ec2472dfa85b 605 604 2022-03-15T01:04:30Z Aragorn 3 /* Using Checksums */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Watching the temperature == You can use <code>lm_sensors</code>. Before running it for the first time, run <code>sudo sensors-detect</code>. After that, type <code>sensors</code> to see your temperatures. If you want to monitor them for a longer time, type <code>watch sensors</code>. == Noise Cancelling == You can use [https://github.com/wwmm/easyeffects EasyEffects] or [https://github.com/lawl/NoiseTorch NoiseTorch]. EasyEffects also has various other audio processing options, like crystalizer, noise gate, equalizer, filter, and much more. NoiseTorch can only cancel noise, but also has the option to tweak how aggressive it cancels noise. == Patching Audio == If you want to have a patchbay to route your audio to various destinations, [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/helvum Helvum] might be what you're looking for. == Game Streaming == You can use [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == Downsampling == You can use [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] == Post Processing == You can use [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) == Bottles == Some people prefer [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] to install games that don't have an install script in [[Lutris]]. == RGB == You can use [https://gitlab.com/CalcProgrammer1/OpenRGB OpenRGB]. == Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc) == Settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows once, and change stuff there. You can also boot a VM (with KVM) and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings should be kept in Linux. ==Using GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try again to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code><nowiki>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</nowiki></code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. #Follow the instructions in the readme. == Using Checksums == When downloading a file, you might have seen something like <code>sha512sum: 497907d020870e564b814bb6c4f7eef2f3abdf5d0159ccbd96501a26cef155a8d771a420a16c9348525fa4ce7de3c137ad5ff15a013c84f327edbdea6495d86b easyanticheat_x64.so</code> This is a checksum, or more precise: An <code>sha512</code> checksum for the file <code>easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. This number is for verifying that you have the correct file, and not something that is manipulated or inaccurately transmitted. Usage: download file, open [[terminal]], and <code>cd Downloads</code>. Then you execute <code>sha512sum easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. The number you see there, should be ''exactly'' the same. Btw: <code>sha512</code> is better than <code>sha256</code>, and ''especially'' better than <code>md5</code>. <code>md5</code> is trash, don't use it. e99b1c0dea29cceeb93eda27ffa2289363bc6ffa 606 605 2022-03-15T01:05:40Z Aragorn 3 /* Using Checksums */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Watching the temperature == You can use <code>lm_sensors</code>. Before running it for the first time, run <code>sudo sensors-detect</code>. After that, type <code>sensors</code> to see your temperatures. If you want to monitor them for a longer time, type <code>watch sensors</code>. == Noise Cancelling == You can use [https://github.com/wwmm/easyeffects EasyEffects] or [https://github.com/lawl/NoiseTorch NoiseTorch]. EasyEffects also has various other audio processing options, like crystalizer, noise gate, equalizer, filter, and much more. NoiseTorch can only cancel noise, but also has the option to tweak how aggressive it cancels noise. == Patching Audio == If you want to have a patchbay to route your audio to various destinations, [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/helvum Helvum] might be what you're looking for. == Game Streaming == You can use [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == Downsampling == You can use [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] == Post Processing == You can use [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) == Bottles == Some people prefer [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] to install games that don't have an install script in [[Lutris]]. == RGB == You can use [https://gitlab.com/CalcProgrammer1/OpenRGB OpenRGB]. == Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc) == Settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows once, and change stuff there. You can also boot a VM (with KVM) and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings should be kept in Linux. ==Using GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try again to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code><nowiki>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</nowiki></code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. #Follow the instructions in the readme. == Using Checksums == When downloading a file, you might have seen something like <code>sha512: 497907d020870e564b814bb6c4f7eef2f3abdf5d0159ccbd96501a26cef155a8d771a420a16c9348525fa4ce7de3c137ad5ff15a013c84f327edbdea6495d86b easyanticheat_x64.so</code> This is a checksum, or more precise: An <code>sha512</code> checksum for the file <code>easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. This number is for verifying that you have the correct file, and not something that is manipulated or inaccurately transmitted. Usage: download file, open [[terminal]], and <code>cd Downloads</code>. Then you execute <code>sha512sum easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. The number you see there, should be ''exactly'' the same. Btw: <code>sha512</code> is better than <code>sha256</code>, and ''especially'' better than <code>md5</code>. <code>md5</code> is trash, don't use it. 01cdb9453964ef22f1d70f49137d66439d85dd46 607 606 2022-03-15T01:08:12Z Aragorn 3 /* Using Checksums */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Watching the temperature == You can use <code>lm_sensors</code>. Before running it for the first time, run <code>sudo sensors-detect</code>. After that, type <code>sensors</code> to see your temperatures. If you want to monitor them for a longer time, type <code>watch sensors</code>. == Noise Cancelling == You can use [https://github.com/wwmm/easyeffects EasyEffects] or [https://github.com/lawl/NoiseTorch NoiseTorch]. EasyEffects also has various other audio processing options, like crystalizer, noise gate, equalizer, filter, and much more. NoiseTorch can only cancel noise, but also has the option to tweak how aggressive it cancels noise. == Patching Audio == If you want to have a patchbay to route your audio to various destinations, [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/helvum Helvum] might be what you're looking for. == Game Streaming == You can use [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == Downsampling == You can use [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] == Post Processing == You can use [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) == Bottles == Some people prefer [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] to install games that don't have an install script in [[Lutris]]. == RGB == You can use [https://gitlab.com/CalcProgrammer1/OpenRGB OpenRGB]. == Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc) == Settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows once, and change stuff there. You can also boot a VM (with KVM) and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings should be kept in Linux. ==Using GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try again to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code><nowiki>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</nowiki></code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. #Follow the instructions in the readme. == Using Checksums == When downloading a file, you might have seen something like <code>sha512: 497907d020870e564b814bb6c4f7eef2f3abdf5d0159ccbd96501a26cef155a8d771a420a16c9348525fa4ce7de3c137ad5ff15a013c84f327edbdea6495d86b easyanticheat_x64.so</code> This is a checksum, or more precise: An <code>sha512</code> checksum for the file <code>easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. This number is for verifying that you have the correct file, and not something that is manipulated or inaccurately transmitted. '''Usage''': Download file, open [[terminal]], and <code>cd Downloads</code>. Then you execute <code>sha512sum easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. The number you see there, should be ''exactly'' the same. Btw: <code>sha512</code> is better than <code>sha256</code>, and ''especially'' better than <code>md5</code>. <code>md5</code> is trash, don't use it. 1b63cd1801dc4dbac9d35c3571c8d9e2d40c8d3c 609 607 2022-03-15T14:51:06Z Aragorn 3 /* Using Checksums */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Watching the temperature == You can use <code>lm_sensors</code>. Before running it for the first time, run <code>sudo sensors-detect</code>. After that, type <code>sensors</code> to see your temperatures. If you want to monitor them for a longer time, type <code>watch sensors</code>. == Noise Cancelling == You can use [https://github.com/wwmm/easyeffects EasyEffects] or [https://github.com/lawl/NoiseTorch NoiseTorch]. EasyEffects also has various other audio processing options, like crystalizer, noise gate, equalizer, filter, and much more. NoiseTorch can only cancel noise, but also has the option to tweak how aggressive it cancels noise. == Patching Audio == If you want to have a patchbay to route your audio to various destinations, [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/helvum Helvum] might be what you're looking for. == Game Streaming == You can use [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == Downsampling == You can use [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] == Post Processing == You can use [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) == Bottles == Some people prefer [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] to install games that don't have an install script in [[Lutris]]. == RGB == You can use [https://gitlab.com/CalcProgrammer1/OpenRGB OpenRGB]. == Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc) == Settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows once, and change stuff there. You can also boot a VM (with KVM) and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings should be kept in Linux. ==Using GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try again to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code><nowiki>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</nowiki></code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. #Follow the instructions in the readme. == Using Checksums == When downloading a file, you might have seen something like <code>sha512: 497907d020870e564b814bb6c4f7eef2f3abdf5d0159ccbd96501a26cef155a8d771a420a16c9348525fa4ce7de3c137ad5ff15a013c84f327edbdea6495d86b easyanticheat_x64.so</code> This is a checksum, or more precise: An <code>sha512</code> checksum for the file <code>easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. This number is for verifying that you have the correct file, and not something that is manipulated or inaccurately transmitted. '''Usage''': Download file, open [[terminal]], and <code>cd Downloads</code>. Then you execute <code>sha512sum easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. The number you see there, should be ''exactly'' the same. Btw: <code>sha512</code> is better than <code>sha256</code>, and ''especially'' better than <code>md5</code>. <code>md5</code> is trash, don't use it. == Suspend/resume of applications (games, an others) == You can use [https://github.com/Merrit/nyrna nyrna]. 72edd4d6f707c3bbde2c67d1c66558a125321e0a 610 609 2022-03-15T14:53:53Z Aragorn 3 /* Suspend/resume of applications (games, an others) */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Watching the temperature == You can use <code>lm_sensors</code>. Before running it for the first time, run <code>sudo sensors-detect</code>. After that, type <code>sensors</code> to see your temperatures. If you want to monitor them for a longer time, type <code>watch sensors</code>. == Noise Cancelling == You can use [https://github.com/wwmm/easyeffects EasyEffects] or [https://github.com/lawl/NoiseTorch NoiseTorch]. EasyEffects also has various other audio processing options, like crystalizer, noise gate, equalizer, filter, and much more. NoiseTorch can only cancel noise, but also has the option to tweak how aggressive it cancels noise. == Patching Audio == If you want to have a patchbay to route your audio to various destinations, [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/helvum Helvum] might be what you're looking for. == Game Streaming == You can use [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == Downsampling == You can use [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] == Post Processing == You can use [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) == Bottles == Some people prefer [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] to install games that don't have an install script in [[Lutris]]. == RGB == You can use [https://gitlab.com/CalcProgrammer1/OpenRGB OpenRGB]. == Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc) == Settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows once, and change stuff there. You can also boot a VM (with KVM) and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings should be kept in Linux. ==Using GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try again to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code><nowiki>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</nowiki></code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. #Follow the instructions in the readme. == Using Checksums == When downloading a file, you might have seen something like <code>sha512: 497907d020870e564b814bb6c4f7eef2f3abdf5d0159ccbd96501a26cef155a8d771a420a16c9348525fa4ce7de3c137ad5ff15a013c84f327edbdea6495d86b easyanticheat_x64.so</code> This is a checksum, or more precise: An <code>sha512</code> checksum for the file <code>easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. This number is for verifying that you have the correct file, and not something that is manipulated or inaccurately transmitted. '''Usage''': Download file, open [[terminal]], and <code>cd Downloads</code>. Then you execute <code>sha512sum easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. The number you see there, should be ''exactly'' the same. Btw: <code>sha512</code> is better than <code>sha256</code>, and ''especially'' better than <code>md5</code>. <code>md5</code> is trash, don't use it. == Suspend/resume of applications (games, an others) == You can use [https://github.com/Merrit/nyrna nyrna]. Unortunately it doesn't (yet) "survive" reboots. 890623ce2a7923faf8073655a89c88af2e58333d 611 610 2022-03-15T14:54:37Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. == Watching the temperature == You can use <code>lm_sensors</code>. Before running it for the first time, run <code>sudo sensors-detect</code>. After that, type <code>sensors</code> to see your temperatures. If you want to monitor them for a longer time, type <code>watch sensors</code>. == Noise Cancelling == You can use [https://github.com/wwmm/easyeffects EasyEffects] or [https://github.com/lawl/NoiseTorch NoiseTorch]. EasyEffects also has various other audio processing options, like crystalizer, noise gate, equalizer, filter, and much more. NoiseTorch can only cancel noise, but also has the option to tweak how aggressive it cancels noise. == Patching Audio == If you want to have a patchbay to route your audio to various destinations, [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/helvum Helvum] might be what you're looking for. == Game Streaming == You can use [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == Downsampling == You can use [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] == Post Processing == You can use [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) == Bottles == Some people prefer [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] to install games that don't have an install script in [[Lutris]]. == RGB == You can use [https://gitlab.com/CalcProgrammer1/OpenRGB OpenRGB]. == Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc) == Settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows once, and change stuff there. You can also boot a VM (with KVM) and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings should be kept in Linux. ==Using GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try again to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code><nowiki>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</nowiki></code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. #Follow the instructions in the readme. == Using Checksums == When downloading a file, you might have seen something like <code>sha512: 497907d020870e564b814bb6c4f7eef2f3abdf5d0159ccbd96501a26cef155a8d771a420a16c9348525fa4ce7de3c137ad5ff15a013c84f327edbdea6495d86b easyanticheat_x64.so</code> This is a checksum, or more precise: An <code>sha512</code> checksum for the file <code>easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. This number is for verifying that you have the correct file, and not something that is manipulated or inaccurately transmitted. '''Usage''': Download file, open [[terminal]], and <code>cd Downloads</code>. Then you execute <code>sha512sum easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. The number you see there, should be ''exactly'' the same. Btw: <code>sha512</code> is better than <code>sha256</code>, and ''especially'' better than <code>md5</code>. <code>md5</code> is trash, don't use it. == Suspend/resume of applications (games, an others) == You can use [https://github.com/Merrit/nyrna nyrna]. Unortunately it doesn't (yet) "survive" reboots. ecd88d4f2e40beb67a5f1150b722756a4d472697 643 611 2022-03-16T23:24:01Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. == Watching the temperature == You can use <code>lm_sensors</code>. Before running it for the first time, run <code>sudo sensors-detect</code>. After that, type <code>sensors</code> to see your temperatures. If you want to monitor them for a longer time, type <code>watch sensors</code>. == Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc) == Settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows once, and change stuff there. You can also boot a VM (with KVM) and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings should be kept in Linux. == Audio stuff == === Noise Cancelling === You can use [https://github.com/wwmm/easyeffects EasyEffects] or [https://github.com/lawl/NoiseTorch NoiseTorch]. EasyEffects also has various other audio processing options, like crystalizer, noise gate, equalizer, filter, and much more. NoiseTorch can only cancel noise, but also has the option to tweak how aggressive it cancels noise. === Patching Audio === If you want to have a patchbay to route your audio to various destinations, [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/helvum Helvum] might be what you're looking for. == Make the game look good == === Downsampling === You can use [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] === Post Processing === You can use [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) == Bottles == Some people prefer [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] to install games that don't have an install script in [[Lutris]]. ==Using GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try again to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code><nowiki>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</nowiki></code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. #Follow the instructions in the readme. == Using Checksums == When downloading a file, you might have seen something like <code>sha512: 497907d020870e564b814bb6c4f7eef2f3abdf5d0159ccbd96501a26cef155a8d771a420a16c9348525fa4ce7de3c137ad5ff15a013c84f327edbdea6495d86b easyanticheat_x64.so</code> This is a checksum, or more precise: An <code>sha512</code> checksum for the file <code>easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. This number is for verifying that you have the correct file, and not something that is manipulated or inaccurately transmitted. '''Usage''': Download file, open [[terminal]], and <code>cd Downloads</code>. Then you execute <code>sha512sum easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. The number you see there, should be ''exactly'' the same. Btw: <code>sha512</code> is better than <code>sha256</code>, and ''especially'' better than <code>md5</code>. <code>md5</code> is trash, don't use it. == Game Streaming == You can use [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == RGB == You can use [https://gitlab.com/CalcProgrammer1/OpenRGB OpenRGB]. == Suspend/resume of applications (games, an others) == You can use [https://github.com/Merrit/nyrna nyrna]. Unortunately it doesn't (yet) "survive" reboots. 866bda33b0979660181a65bb748ea28eb148f69d 644 643 2022-03-16T23:27:27Z Aragorn 3 /* Audio stuff */ wikitext text/x-wiki Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. == Watching the temperature == You can use <code>lm_sensors</code>. Before running it for the first time, run <code>sudo sensors-detect</code>. After that, type <code>sensors</code> to see your temperatures. If you want to monitor them for a longer time, type <code>watch sensors</code>. == Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc) == Settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows once, and change stuff there. You can also boot a VM (with KVM) and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings should be kept in Linux. == Audio stuff == === Noise Cancelling === You can use [https://github.com/wwmm/easyeffects EasyEffects] or [https://github.com/lawl/NoiseTorch NoiseTorch]. === Equalizer and more === EasyEffects also has various other audio processing options, like crystalizer, noise gate, equalizer, filter, and much more. NoiseTorch can only cancel noise, but also has the option to tweak how aggressive it cancels noise. === Patching Audio === If you want to have a patchbay to route your audio to various destinations, [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/helvum Helvum] might be what you're looking for. == Make the game look good == === Downsampling === You can use [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] === Post Processing === You can use [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) == Bottles == Some people prefer [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] to install games that don't have an install script in [[Lutris]]. ==Using GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try again to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code><nowiki>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</nowiki></code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. #Follow the instructions in the readme. == Using Checksums == When downloading a file, you might have seen something like <code>sha512: 497907d020870e564b814bb6c4f7eef2f3abdf5d0159ccbd96501a26cef155a8d771a420a16c9348525fa4ce7de3c137ad5ff15a013c84f327edbdea6495d86b easyanticheat_x64.so</code> This is a checksum, or more precise: An <code>sha512</code> checksum for the file <code>easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. This number is for verifying that you have the correct file, and not something that is manipulated or inaccurately transmitted. '''Usage''': Download file, open [[terminal]], and <code>cd Downloads</code>. Then you execute <code>sha512sum easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. The number you see there, should be ''exactly'' the same. Btw: <code>sha512</code> is better than <code>sha256</code>, and ''especially'' better than <code>md5</code>. <code>md5</code> is trash, don't use it. == Game Streaming == You can use [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == RGB == You can use [https://gitlab.com/CalcProgrammer1/OpenRGB OpenRGB]. == Suspend/resume of applications (games, an others) == You can use [https://github.com/Merrit/nyrna nyrna]. Unortunately it doesn't (yet) "survive" reboots. ffe6d8cf98d69eda4fcc5bd9342734c342abebca 645 644 2022-03-16T23:28:41Z Aragorn 3 /* Using GitHub/GitLab */ wikitext text/x-wiki Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. == Watching the temperature == You can use <code>lm_sensors</code>. Before running it for the first time, run <code>sudo sensors-detect</code>. After that, type <code>sensors</code> to see your temperatures. If you want to monitor them for a longer time, type <code>watch sensors</code>. == Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc) == Settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows once, and change stuff there. You can also boot a VM (with KVM) and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings should be kept in Linux. == Audio stuff == === Noise Cancelling === You can use [https://github.com/wwmm/easyeffects EasyEffects] or [https://github.com/lawl/NoiseTorch NoiseTorch]. === Equalizer and more === EasyEffects also has various other audio processing options, like crystalizer, noise gate, equalizer, filter, and much more. NoiseTorch can only cancel noise, but also has the option to tweak how aggressive it cancels noise. === Patching Audio === If you want to have a patchbay to route your audio to various destinations, [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/helvum Helvum] might be what you're looking for. == Make the game look good == === Downsampling === You can use [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] === Post Processing === You can use [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) == Bottles == Some people prefer [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] to install games that don't have an install script in [[Lutris]]. ==Using GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long as it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try again to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code><nowiki>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</nowiki></code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. #Follow the instructions in the readme. == Using Checksums == When downloading a file, you might have seen something like <code>sha512: 497907d020870e564b814bb6c4f7eef2f3abdf5d0159ccbd96501a26cef155a8d771a420a16c9348525fa4ce7de3c137ad5ff15a013c84f327edbdea6495d86b easyanticheat_x64.so</code> This is a checksum, or more precise: An <code>sha512</code> checksum for the file <code>easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. This number is for verifying that you have the correct file, and not something that is manipulated or inaccurately transmitted. '''Usage''': Download file, open [[terminal]], and <code>cd Downloads</code>. Then you execute <code>sha512sum easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. The number you see there, should be ''exactly'' the same. Btw: <code>sha512</code> is better than <code>sha256</code>, and ''especially'' better than <code>md5</code>. <code>md5</code> is trash, don't use it. == Game Streaming == You can use [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == RGB == You can use [https://gitlab.com/CalcProgrammer1/OpenRGB OpenRGB]. == Suspend/resume of applications (games, an others) == You can use [https://github.com/Merrit/nyrna nyrna]. Unortunately it doesn't (yet) "survive" reboots. 799e7f00200fc2e7ee38cf8e6f2525bd0c1eafb7 649 645 2022-03-17T12:59:17Z Aragorn 3 /* Downsampling */ wikitext text/x-wiki Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. == Watching the temperature == You can use <code>lm_sensors</code>. Before running it for the first time, run <code>sudo sensors-detect</code>. After that, type <code>sensors</code> to see your temperatures. If you want to monitor them for a longer time, type <code>watch sensors</code>. == Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc) == Settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows once, and change stuff there. You can also boot a VM (with KVM) and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings should be kept in Linux. == Audio stuff == === Noise Cancelling === You can use [https://github.com/wwmm/easyeffects EasyEffects] or [https://github.com/lawl/NoiseTorch NoiseTorch]. === Equalizer and more === EasyEffects also has various other audio processing options, like crystalizer, noise gate, equalizer, filter, and much more. NoiseTorch can only cancel noise, but also has the option to tweak how aggressive it cancels noise. === Patching Audio === If you want to have a patchbay to route your audio to various destinations, [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/helvum Helvum] might be what you're looking for. == Make the game look good == === Downsampling === You can use [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope]. For example, set launch options <code>gamescope -w 3840 -h 2160</code> to downscale from 4k. === Post Processing === You can use [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) == Bottles == Some people prefer [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] to install games that don't have an install script in [[Lutris]]. ==Using GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long as it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try again to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code><nowiki>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</nowiki></code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. #Follow the instructions in the readme. == Using Checksums == When downloading a file, you might have seen something like <code>sha512: 497907d020870e564b814bb6c4f7eef2f3abdf5d0159ccbd96501a26cef155a8d771a420a16c9348525fa4ce7de3c137ad5ff15a013c84f327edbdea6495d86b easyanticheat_x64.so</code> This is a checksum, or more precise: An <code>sha512</code> checksum for the file <code>easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. This number is for verifying that you have the correct file, and not something that is manipulated or inaccurately transmitted. '''Usage''': Download file, open [[terminal]], and <code>cd Downloads</code>. Then you execute <code>sha512sum easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. The number you see there, should be ''exactly'' the same. Btw: <code>sha512</code> is better than <code>sha256</code>, and ''especially'' better than <code>md5</code>. <code>md5</code> is trash, don't use it. == Game Streaming == You can use [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == RGB == You can use [https://gitlab.com/CalcProgrammer1/OpenRGB OpenRGB]. == Suspend/resume of applications (games, an others) == You can use [https://github.com/Merrit/nyrna nyrna]. Unortunately it doesn't (yet) "survive" reboots. cb224a67ebd65abc4f662d8dfb11012c3446bc55 650 649 2022-03-17T12:59:44Z Aragorn 3 /* Downsampling */ wikitext text/x-wiki Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. == Watching the temperature == You can use <code>lm_sensors</code>. Before running it for the first time, run <code>sudo sensors-detect</code>. After that, type <code>sensors</code> to see your temperatures. If you want to monitor them for a longer time, type <code>watch sensors</code>. == Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc) == Settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows once, and change stuff there. You can also boot a VM (with KVM) and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings should be kept in Linux. == Audio stuff == === Noise Cancelling === You can use [https://github.com/wwmm/easyeffects EasyEffects] or [https://github.com/lawl/NoiseTorch NoiseTorch]. === Equalizer and more === EasyEffects also has various other audio processing options, like crystalizer, noise gate, equalizer, filter, and much more. NoiseTorch can only cancel noise, but also has the option to tweak how aggressive it cancels noise. === Patching Audio === If you want to have a patchbay to route your audio to various destinations, [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/helvum Helvum] might be what you're looking for. == Make the game look good == === Downsampling === You can use [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope]. For example, use <code>gamescope -w 3840 -h 2160 --</code> as command prefix, to downscale from 4k. === Post Processing === You can use [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) == Bottles == Some people prefer [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] to install games that don't have an install script in [[Lutris]]. ==Using GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long as it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try again to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code><nowiki>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</nowiki></code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. #Follow the instructions in the readme. == Using Checksums == When downloading a file, you might have seen something like <code>sha512: 497907d020870e564b814bb6c4f7eef2f3abdf5d0159ccbd96501a26cef155a8d771a420a16c9348525fa4ce7de3c137ad5ff15a013c84f327edbdea6495d86b easyanticheat_x64.so</code> This is a checksum, or more precise: An <code>sha512</code> checksum for the file <code>easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. This number is for verifying that you have the correct file, and not something that is manipulated or inaccurately transmitted. '''Usage''': Download file, open [[terminal]], and <code>cd Downloads</code>. Then you execute <code>sha512sum easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. The number you see there, should be ''exactly'' the same. Btw: <code>sha512</code> is better than <code>sha256</code>, and ''especially'' better than <code>md5</code>. <code>md5</code> is trash, don't use it. == Game Streaming == You can use [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == RGB == You can use [https://gitlab.com/CalcProgrammer1/OpenRGB OpenRGB]. == Suspend/resume of applications (games, an others) == You can use [https://github.com/Merrit/nyrna nyrna]. Unortunately it doesn't (yet) "survive" reboots. 360f87454c0d7112207df0ccbac3e6bae7a2e005 0 1 608 506 2022-03-15T10:44:18Z Aragorn 3 /* Getting started */ wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to ask questions]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. === Performance === * [[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. * [[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Reshade]] - Tool to change colors in your games. === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. d9b077d9f71953af7afc38cbc9ebdffe085a983a 615 608 2022-03-15T15:44:58Z Aragorn 3 /* Getting started */ wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. === Performance === * [[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. * [[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Reshade]] - Tool to change colors in your games. === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. d42227355def6d42db0f2e05ed8c7b200ec124a9 624 615 2022-03-15T16:32:01Z Aragorn 3 /* Getting started */ wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. === Performance === * [[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. * [[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Reshade]] - Tool to change colors in your games. === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. 3577f8e32f7bddfce8790d72fa1437fd5978a620 635 624 2022-03-16T09:26:37Z Aragorn 3 /* Performance */ wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. === Performance === * [[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Reshade]] - Tool to change colors in your games. === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. 43d33a811fa9590c6df19e49e39a4baca7e3ba45 640 635 2022-03-16T17:19:03Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. === Performance === * [[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Reshade]] - Tool to change colors in your games. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. 01cee928889fe3f410da05af338c64c28eb5ec75 0 48 612 2022-03-15T15:42:29Z Aragorn 3 Created page with "Sooner or later, you will probably have some kind of problem. For example, you might want to know how to connect to wifi. Now you might think, that googling ''"Linux connect wifi"'' might give you a useful result. This is not the case. How you connect to wifi, depends heavily of the desktop environment you are using. The process will be different in each of them. == Relevant information == The following information are not always important, for example your desktop en..." wikitext text/x-wiki Sooner or later, you will probably have some kind of problem. For example, you might want to know how to connect to wifi. Now you might think, that googling ''"Linux connect wifi"'' might give you a useful result. This is not the case. How you connect to wifi, depends heavily of the desktop environment you are using. The process will be different in each of them. == Relevant information == The following information are not always important, for example your desktop environment is not important if you look for something about the command line. * The name of your distribution. ''"linux failed update"'' might give you all kind of information, probably something about ubuntu. If you use Manjaro, this will not be helpful, and ''"manjaro failed update"'' will give you better results. * The name of the desktop environment you are using (especially important if it's not the default of your distribution). ''"linux extract tar"'' will give you a tutorial about how to extract a tar in the command line. ''"kde extract tar"'' will give you a tutorial about how to do it with gui. * The exact error message: If your updates fail, ''"updates fail ubuntu"'' might not give you useful results, but ''"ubuntu update Encountered a section with no Package"'' will probably be more helpful. Usually, the first error is the actual problem, so look out for this one. If you ask a question in a forum, include as much as possible. * Your hardware specs. ''"apex crash ubuntu"'' might give you far worse results than ''"apex crash ubuntu nvidia geforce 2070ti"'' * When asking in a forum, include logs if there are any. You might also try looking at the logs yourself. == Irrelevant information == Now you know what ''might'' be important, but if you give too many information, the results might get worse. Generalize if possible: ''"apex crash ubuntu gnome nvidia geforce 2070ti"'' might give you worse results than ''"apex crash linux nvidia"''. But if you ask a question in a forum, always include as much as possible (in a reasonable magnitute). aaf3abc0d33441429bb7c461fe24d01f91990917 613 612 2022-03-15T15:44:26Z Aragorn 3 Aragorn moved page [[How to ask questions]] to [[How to get answers]] wikitext text/x-wiki Sooner or later, you will probably have some kind of problem. For example, you might want to know how to connect to wifi. Now you might think, that googling ''"Linux connect wifi"'' might give you a useful result. This is not the case. How you connect to wifi, depends heavily of the desktop environment you are using. The process will be different in each of them. == Relevant information == The following information are not always important, for example your desktop environment is not important if you look for something about the command line. * The name of your distribution. ''"linux failed update"'' might give you all kind of information, probably something about ubuntu. If you use Manjaro, this will not be helpful, and ''"manjaro failed update"'' will give you better results. * The name of the desktop environment you are using (especially important if it's not the default of your distribution). ''"linux extract tar"'' will give you a tutorial about how to extract a tar in the command line. ''"kde extract tar"'' will give you a tutorial about how to do it with gui. * The exact error message: If your updates fail, ''"updates fail ubuntu"'' might not give you useful results, but ''"ubuntu update Encountered a section with no Package"'' will probably be more helpful. Usually, the first error is the actual problem, so look out for this one. If you ask a question in a forum, include as much as possible. * Your hardware specs. ''"apex crash ubuntu"'' might give you far worse results than ''"apex crash ubuntu nvidia geforce 2070ti"'' * When asking in a forum, include logs if there are any. You might also try looking at the logs yourself. == Irrelevant information == Now you know what ''might'' be important, but if you give too many information, the results might get worse. Generalize if possible: ''"apex crash ubuntu gnome nvidia geforce 2070ti"'' might give you worse results than ''"apex crash linux nvidia"''. But if you ask a question in a forum, always include as much as possible (in a reasonable magnitute). aaf3abc0d33441429bb7c461fe24d01f91990917 616 613 2022-03-15T15:46:45Z Aragorn 3 /* Relevant information */ wikitext text/x-wiki Sooner or later, you will probably have some kind of problem. For example, you might want to know how to connect to wifi. Now you might think, that googling ''"Linux connect wifi"'' might give you a useful result. This is not the case. How you connect to wifi, depends heavily of the desktop environment you are using. The process will be different in each of them. == Relevant information == The following information are not always important, for example your desktop environment is not important if you look for something about the command line. * '''The name of your distribution'''. ''"linux failed update"'' might give you all kind of information, probably something about ubuntu. If you use Manjaro, this will not be helpful, and ''"manjaro failed update"'' will give you better results. * '''The name of the desktop environment''' you are using (especially important if it's not the default of your distribution). ''"linux extract tar"'' will give you a tutorial about how to extract a tar in the command line. ''"kde extract tar"'' will give you a tutorial about how to do it with gui. * '''The exact error message'''. If your updates fail, ''"updates fail ubuntu"'' might not give you useful results, but ''"ubuntu update Encountered a section with no Package"'' will probably be more helpful. Usually, the first error is the actual problem, so look out for this one. If you ask a question in a forum, include as much as possible. * '''Your hardware specs'''. ''"apex crash ubuntu"'' might give you far worse results than ''"apex crash ubuntu nvidia geforce 2070ti"'' * When asking in a forum, include '''logs''' if there are any. You might also try looking at the logs yourself. == Irrelevant information == Now you know what ''might'' be important, but if you give too many information, the results might get worse. Generalize if possible: ''"apex crash ubuntu gnome nvidia geforce 2070ti"'' might give you worse results than ''"apex crash linux nvidia"''. But if you ask a question in a forum, always include as much as possible (in a reasonable magnitute). ac3bbf04d020bf46981661056295bd78cf332469 617 616 2022-03-15T15:47:27Z Aragorn 3 /* Relevant information */ wikitext text/x-wiki Sooner or later, you will probably have some kind of problem. For example, you might want to know how to connect to wifi. Now you might think, that googling ''"Linux connect wifi"'' might give you a useful result. This is not the case. How you connect to wifi, depends heavily of the desktop environment you are using. The process will be different in each of them. == Relevant information == The following information are not always important, for example your desktop environment is not important if you look for something about the command line. * The name of your '''distribution'''. ''"linux failed update"'' might give you all kind of information, probably something about Ubuntu. If you use Manjaro, this will not be helpful, and ''"manjaro failed update"'' will give you better results. * The name of the '''desktop environment''' you are using (especially important if it's not the default of your distribution). ''"linux extract tar"'' will give you a tutorial about how to extract a tar in the command line. ''"kde extract tar"'' will give you a tutorial about how to do it with gui. * The '''exact error message'''. If your updates fail, ''"updates fail ubuntu"'' might not give you useful results, but ''"ubuntu update Encountered a section with no Package"'' will probably be more helpful. Usually, the first error is the actual problem, so look out for this one. If you ask a question in a forum, include as much as possible. * Your '''hardware specs'''. ''"apex crash ubuntu"'' might give you far worse results than ''"apex crash ubuntu nvidia geforce 2070ti"'' * When asking in a forum, include '''logs''' if there are any. You might also try looking at the logs yourself. == Irrelevant information == Now you know what ''might'' be important, but if you give too many information, the results might get worse. Generalize if possible: ''"apex crash ubuntu gnome nvidia geforce 2070ti"'' might give you worse results than ''"apex crash linux nvidia"''. But if you ask a question in a forum, always include as much as possible (in a reasonable magnitute). 55c7e6a4fbf5dc34a17a424ab5f5fb3c75921968 618 617 2022-03-15T15:49:28Z Aragorn 3 /* Relevant information */ wikitext text/x-wiki Sooner or later, you will probably have some kind of problem. For example, you might want to know how to connect to wifi. Now you might think, that googling ''"Linux connect wifi"'' might give you a useful result. This is not the case. How you connect to wifi, depends heavily of the desktop environment you are using. The process will be different in each of them. == Potentially relevant information == The following information are not always important, for example your desktop environment is not important if you look for something about the command line. * The name of your '''distribution'''. ''"linux failed update"'' might give you all kind of information, probably something about Ubuntu. If you use Manjaro, this will not be helpful, and ''"manjaro failed update"'' will give you better results. * The name of the '''desktop environment''' you are using (especially important if it's not the default of your distribution). ''"linux extract tar"'' will give you a tutorial about how to extract a tar in the command line. ''"kde extract tar"'' will give you a tutorial about how to do it with gui. * The '''exact error message'''. If your updates fail, ''"updates fail ubuntu"'' might not give you useful results, but ''"ubuntu update Encountered a section with no Package"'' will probably be more helpful. Usually, the first error is the actual problem, so look out for this one. If you ask a question in a forum, include as much as possible. * Your '''hardware specs'''. ''"apex crash ubuntu"'' might give you far worse results than ''"apex crash ubuntu nvidia geforce 2070ti"'' * When asking in a forum, include '''logs''' if there are any. You might also try looking at the logs yourself. But if you give too many information, the results might get worse. If possible, try to generalize: ''"apex crash ubuntu gnome nvidia geforce 2070ti"'' might give you worse results than ''"apex crash linux nvidia"''. But if you ask a question in a forum, always include as much as possible (in a reasonable magnitute). f8225826b5b3593a1fb74eb7c660e105d2adeb6c 619 618 2022-03-15T15:51:09Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Sooner or later, you will probably have some kind of problem. For example, you might want to know how to connect to wifi. Now you might think, that searching ''"Linux connect wifi"'' might give you a useful result. This is not the case. How you connect to wifi, depends heavily of the desktop environment you are using. The process will be different in each of them. == Potentially relevant information == The following information are not always important, for example your desktop environment is not important if you look for something about the command line. * The name of your '''distribution'''. ''"linux failed update"'' might give you all kind of information, probably something about Ubuntu. If you use Manjaro, this will not be helpful, and ''"manjaro failed update"'' will give you better results. * The name of the '''desktop environment''' you are using (especially important if it's not the default of your distribution). ''"linux extract tar"'' will give you a tutorial about how to extract a tar in the command line. ''"kde extract tar"'' will give you a tutorial about how to do it with gui. * The '''exact error message'''. If your updates fail, ''"updates fail ubuntu"'' might not give you useful results, but ''"ubuntu update Encountered a section with no Package"'' will probably be more helpful. Usually, the first error is the actual problem, so look out for this one. If you ask a question in a forum, include as much as possible. * Your '''hardware specs'''. ''"apex crash ubuntu"'' might give you far worse results than ''"apex crash ubuntu nvidia geforce 2070ti"'' * When asking in a forum, include '''logs''' if there are any. You might also try looking at the logs yourself. But if you give too many information, the results might get worse. If possible, try to generalize: ''"apex crash ubuntu gnome nvidia geforce 2070ti"'' might give you worse results than ''"apex crash linux nvidia"''. But if you ask a question in a forum, always include as much as possible (in a reasonable magnitute). 49a26fd513e918343446f10ee0218290dd5f03f0 620 619 2022-03-15T15:54:15Z Aragorn 3 /* Potentially relevant information */ wikitext text/x-wiki Sooner or later, you will probably have some kind of problem. For example, you might want to know how to connect to wifi. Now you might think, that searching ''"Linux connect wifi"'' might give you a useful result. This is not the case. How you connect to wifi, depends heavily of the desktop environment you are using. The process will be different in each of them. == Potentially relevant information == The following information are not always important, for example your desktop environment is not important if you look for something about the command line. * The name of your '''distribution'''. ''"linux failed update"'' might give you all kind of information, probably something about Ubuntu. If you use Manjaro, this will not be helpful, and ''"manjaro failed update"'' will give you better results. * The name of the '''desktop environment''' you are using (especially important if it's not the default of your distribution). ''"linux extract tar"'' will give you a tutorial about how to extract a tar in the command line. ''"kde extract tar"'' will give you a tutorial about how to do it with gui. * The '''exact error message'''. If your updates fail, ''"updates fail ubuntu"'' might not give you useful results, but ''"ubuntu update Encountered a section with no Package"'' will probably be more helpful. Usually, the first error is the actual problem, so look out for this one. If you ask a question in a forum, include as much as possible. * Your '''hardware specs'''. ''"apex crash ubuntu"'' might give you far worse results than ''"apex crash ubuntu nvidia geforce 2070ti"'' * When asking in a forum, include '''logs''' if there are any. You might also try looking at the logs yourself. But if you give too many information, the results might get worse. If possible, try to generalize: ''"apex crash ubuntu gnome nvidia geforce 2070ti"'' might give you worse results than ''"apex crash linux nvidia"''. Limiting the search results to the last year might also be useful in some cases. If you ask a question in a forum, always include as much as possible (in a reasonable magnitute). 818ed72b6e7e9314a0a6e4fb1b2fb90a3d1c1f10 621 620 2022-03-15T15:58:13Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Sooner or later, you will probably have some kind of problem. For example, you might want to know how to connect to wifi. Now you might think, that searching ''"Linux connect wifi"'' would give you a useful result. This is not the case. How you connect to wifi, depends heavily of the desktop environment you are using. The process will be different in each of them. == Potentially relevant information == The following information are not always important, for example your desktop environment is not important if you look for something about the command line. * The name of your '''distribution'''. ''"linux failed update"'' might give you all kind of information, probably something about Ubuntu. If you use Manjaro, this will not be helpful, and ''"manjaro failed update"'' will give you better results. * The name of the '''desktop environment''' you are using (especially important if it's not the default of your distribution). ''"linux extract tar"'' will give you a tutorial about how to extract a tar in the command line. ''"kde extract tar"'' will give you a tutorial about how to do it with gui. * The '''exact error message'''. If your updates fail, ''"updates fail ubuntu"'' might not give you useful results, but ''"ubuntu update Encountered a section with no Package"'' will probably be more helpful. Usually, the first error is the actual problem, so look out for this one. If you ask a question in a forum, include as much as possible. * Your '''hardware specs'''. ''"apex crash ubuntu"'' might give you far worse results than ''"apex crash ubuntu nvidia geforce 2070ti"'' * When asking in a forum, include '''logs''' if there are any. You might also try looking at the logs yourself. But if you give too many information, the results might get worse. If possible, try to generalize: ''"apex crash ubuntu gnome nvidia geforce 2070ti"'' might give you worse results than ''"apex crash linux nvidia"''. Limiting the search results to the last year might also be useful in some cases. If you ask a question in a forum, always include as much as possible (in a reasonable magnitute). 023743f0529fb8ead4352a3f39a9437e8e23f652 622 621 2022-03-15T16:09:03Z Aragorn 3 /* Potentially relevant information */ wikitext text/x-wiki Sooner or later, you will probably have some kind of problem. For example, you might want to know how to connect to wifi. Now you might think, that searching ''"Linux connect wifi"'' would give you a useful result. This is not the case. How you connect to wifi, depends heavily of the desktop environment you are using. The process will be different in each of them. == Potentially relevant information == The following information are not always important, for example your desktop environment is not important if you look for something about the command line. * The name of your '''distribution'''. ''"linux failed update"'' might give you all kind of information, probably something about Ubuntu. If you use Manjaro, this will not be helpful, and ''"manjaro failed update"'' will give you better results. * The name of the '''desktop environment''' you are using (especially important if it's not the default of your distribution). ''"linux extract tar"'' will give you a tutorial about how to extract a tar in the command line. ''"kde extract tar"'' will give you a tutorial about how to do it with a GUI (clicking some buttons). * The '''exact error message'''. If your updates fail, ''"updates fail ubuntu"'' might not give you useful results, but ''"ubuntu update Encountered a section with no Package"'' will probably be more helpful. Usually, the first error is the actual problem, so look out for this one. If you ask a question in a forum, include as much as possible. * Your '''hardware specs'''. ''"apex crash ubuntu"'' might give you far worse results than ''"apex crash ubuntu nvidia geforce 2070ti"'' * When asking in a forum, include '''logs''' if there are any. You might also try looking at the logs yourself. But if you give too many information, the results might get worse. If possible, try to generalize: ''"apex crash ubuntu gnome nvidia geforce 2070ti"'' might give you worse results than ''"apex crash linux nvidia"''. Limiting the search results to the last year might also be useful in some cases. If you ask a question in a forum, always include as much as possible (in a reasonable magnitute). 1f40bb8115858f5abf069c47b2f1bc6defeacc99 623 622 2022-03-15T16:09:54Z Aragorn 3 /* Potentially relevant information */ wikitext text/x-wiki Sooner or later, you will probably have some kind of problem. For example, you might want to know how to connect to wifi. Now you might think, that searching ''"Linux connect wifi"'' would give you a useful result. This is not the case. How you connect to wifi, depends heavily of the desktop environment you are using. The process will be different in each of them. == Potentially relevant information == The following information are not always important, for example your desktop environment is not important if you look for something about the command line. * The name of your '''distribution'''. ''"linux failed update"'' might give you all kind of information, probably something about Ubuntu. If you use Manjaro, this will not be helpful, and ''"manjaro failed update"'' will give you better results. * The name of the '''desktop environment''' you are using (especially important if it's not the default of your distribution). ''"linux extract tar"'' will give you a tutorial about how to extract a tar in the command line. ''"kde extract tar"'' will give you a tutorial about how to do it with a GUI (clicking some buttons). * The '''exact error message'''. If your updates fail, ''"updates fail ubuntu"'' might not give you useful results, but ''"ubuntu update Encountered a section with no Package"'' will probably be more helpful. Usually, the first error is the actual problem, so look out for this one. If you ask a question in a forum, include as much as possible. * Your '''hardware specs'''. ''"apex crash ubuntu"'' might give you far worse results than ''"apex crash ubuntu nvidia 2070ti"'' * When asking in a forum, include '''logs''' if there are any. You might also try looking at the logs yourself. But if you give too many information, the results might get worse. If possible, try to generalize: ''"apex crash ubuntu gnome nvidia geforce 2070ti"'' might give you worse results than ''"apex crash linux nvidia"''. Limiting the search results to the last year might also be useful in some cases. If you ask a question in a forum, always include as much as possible (in a reasonable magnitute). 37cc990514ff7bd26d87384c862f7805577b580b 0 49 614 2022-03-15T15:44:26Z Aragorn 3 Aragorn moved page [[How to ask questions]] to [[How to get answers]] wikitext text/x-wiki #REDIRECT [[How to get answers]] da8ea41b6a6fcf1cbfe8177455a76e71922446da 0 50 625 2022-03-15T16:40:43Z Aragorn 3 Created page with "You might see some terms you are not familiar with. Here is a collection of some that might help you. {| class="wikitable" |+ !Term !Abbreviation !Explanation |- |Distribution |Distro |The "type" of Linux you are using |- |Desktop Environment |DE |How your Linux looks like. Think of the difference between Windows 7, 10, and 11. |- |Window Manager |WM |Typically part of your DE, has the purpose of arranging your windows at the place you want them to have |- |Compositor |..." wikitext text/x-wiki You might see some terms you are not familiar with. Here is a collection of some that might help you. {| class="wikitable" |+ !Term !Abbreviation !Explanation |- |Distribution |Distro |The "type" of Linux you are using |- |Desktop Environment |DE |How your Linux looks like. Think of the difference between Windows 7, 10, and 11. |- |Window Manager |WM |Typically part of your DE, has the purpose of arranging your windows at the place you want them to have |- |Compositor | |Typically part of your DE, has the purpose of making visual effects |- |Package manager | |Part of your distro, has the purpose of downloading, installing, and removing packages |- |Package | |Program, part of a program, or library |- |Library | |Collection of stuff that programs use to function. Typically have the ending ''.so''. (on windows this would be ''.dll'') |- | | | |} 22abd86a11a770e4a1b30ec494933a4108a93cb8 626 625 2022-03-15T16:41:56Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki You might see some terms you are not familiar with. Here is a collection of some that might help you. {| class="wikitable" |+ !Term !Abbreviation !Explanation |- |Distribution |Distro |The "type" of Linux you are using |- |Desktop Environment |DE |How your Linux looks like. Think of the difference between Windows 7, 10, and 11. Unlike on Windows, this can be changed without reinstalling your system. |- |Window Manager |WM |This has the purpose of arranging your windows at the place you want them to have |- |Compositor | |This has the purpose of making visual effects |- |Package manager | |Essential part of your distro, has the purpose of downloading, installing, and removing packages |- |Package | |Program, part of a program, or library |- |Library | |Collection of stuff that programs use to function. Typically have the ending ''.so''. (on windows this would be ''.dll'') |- | | | |} c007a2bd7a5ad8d7a2d4522aabe193b3ff23c254 627 626 2022-03-15T16:42:16Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki You might see some terms you are not familiar with. Here is a collection of some that might help you. {| class="wikitable" |+ !Term !Abbreviation !Explanation |- |Distribution |Distro |The "type" of Linux you are using |- |Desktop Environment |DE |How your Linux looks like. Think of the difference between Windows 7, 10, and 11. Unlike on Windows, this can be changed without reinstalling your system. |- |Window Manager |WM |Has the purpose of arranging your windows at the place you want them to have |- |Compositor | |Has the purpose of making visual effects |- |Package manager | |Essential part of your distro, has the purpose of downloading, installing, and removing packages |- |Package | |Program, part of a program, or library |- |Library | |Collection of stuff that programs use to function. Typically have the ending ''.so''. (on windows this would be ''.dll'') |- | | | |} 5f521b0d541e1cf545184c4180d07c1803f58461 628 627 2022-03-15T16:43:01Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki You might see some terms you are not familiar with. Here is a collection of some that might help you. {| class="wikitable" |+ !Term !Abbreviation !Explanation |- |Distribution |Distro |The "type" of Linux you are using |- |Desktop Environment |DE |How your Linux looks like. Think of the difference between Windows 7, 10, and 11. Unlike on Windows, this can be changed without reinstalling your system. |- |Window Manager |WM |Arranges your windows at the place you want them to be |- |Compositor | |Makes visual effects |- |Package manager | |Essential part of your distro, has the purpose of downloading, installing, and removing packages |- |Package | |Program, part of a program, or library |- |Library | |Collection of stuff that programs use to function. Typically have the ending ''.so''. (on windows this would be ''.dll'') |- | | | |} 20a08b6e75630887f985a2a10808993daf074eb1 629 628 2022-03-15T16:46:16Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki You might see some terms you are not familiar with. Here is a collection of some that might help you. {| class="wikitable" |+ !Term !Abbreviation !Explanation |- |Distribution |Distro |The "type" of Linux you are using |- |Desktop Environment |DE |How your Linux looks like. Think of the difference between Windows 7, 10, and 11. Unlike on Windows, this can be changed without reinstalling your system. |- |Window Manager |WM |Arranges your windows at the place you want them to be |- |Compositor | |Makes visual effects |- |Package manager | |Essential part of your distro, has the purpose of downloading, installing, and removing packages |- |Package | |Program, part of a program, or library |- |Library | |Collection of stuff that programs use to function. Typically has the ending ''.so''. (on windows this would be ''.dll'') |- |Terminal | |Black window with text. Essentially a different way to operate your system. |- |Display Manager | |Draws stuff on the screen. Can be either x.org, or wayland. |} 4245e59cd79b43cc6503c1894d2d059216aabb6c 630 629 2022-03-15T16:49:22Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki You might see some terms you are not familiar with. Here is a collection of some that might help you. {| class="wikitable" |+ !Term !Abbreviation !Explanation |- |Distribution |Distro |The "type" of Linux you are using |- |Desktop Environment |DE |How your Linux looks like. Think of the difference between Windows 7, 10, and 11. Unlike on Windows, this can be changed without reinstalling your system. |- |Window Manager |WM |Arranges your windows at the place you want them to be |- |[[Compositor]] | |Makes visual effects |- |Package manager | |Essential part of your distro, has the purpose of downloading, installing, and removing packages |- |Package | |Program, part of a program, or library |- |Library | |Collection of stuff that programs use to function. Typically has the ending ''.so''. (on windows this would be ''.dll'') |- |[[Terminal]] | |Black window with text. Essentially a different way to operate your system. |- |Display Manager | |Draws stuff on the screen. Can be either x.org, or wayland. |} 749d1ac5708c0c9d533b80b58ac0cf07ba96a4ef 631 630 2022-03-15T16:53:07Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki You might see some terms you are not familiar with. Here is a collection of some that might help you. {| class="wikitable" |+ !Term !Abbreviation !Explanation |- |Distribution |Distro |The "type" of Linux you are using. For example Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, Debian, Arch, ... |- |Desktop Environment |DE |How your Linux looks like. Think of the difference between Windows 7, 10, and 11. Unlike on Windows, this can be changed without reinstalling your system. For example KDE Plasma, or Gnome. |- |Window Manager |WM |Arranges your windows at the place you want them to be. For example kwin, mutter, i3, qtile, awesomewm, or sway. |- |[[Compositor]] | |Makes visual effects |- |Package manager | |Essential part of your distro, has the purpose of downloading, installing, and removing packages. For example apt, or pacman. |- |Package | |Program, part of a program, or library |- |Library | |Collection of stuff that programs use to function. Typically has the ending ''.so''. (on windows this would be ''.dll'') |- |[[Terminal]] | |Black window with text. Essentially a different way to operate your system. |- |Display Manager | |Starts your DE. For example sddm, or gdm. |- |Shell | |The "environment" you have in the terminal. For example zsh, fish, or bash. |- |Display Server | |Draws stuff on the screen. Can be either x.org, or wayland. |} 4b6fc82cd22833172428f918ac0abffb4b25e6a1 0 15 632 207 2022-03-15T17:41:10Z Aragorn 3 /* Configuration Options */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[File:Lutris icon.png|thumb|Lutris's icon.]] '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that primarily provides installers for games not available on Steam. It can also act as a single app for your whole game library. You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam. == Installing Lutris == You can typically install Lutris through your distribution's app store (e.g. GNOME Software, Discover, Pop Shop). For example, on Pop!_OS, go to the '''Pop Shop''' and search "Lutris". [[File:Pop Shop - Lutris.png|frameless|581x581px]] Then, click install. See Lutris's [https://lutris.net/downloads download page] for more ways to install it. == Finding a game on Lutris == The most important feature of Lutris is that you can install games and launchers not found on Steam using '''install scripts'''. If you want to use an install script, select Lutris in '''Sources''' and click "Community Installers". [[File:Communityinstallers.png|frameless|496x496px]] Then, in the top bar, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. [[File:Installscripts.png|frameless|430x430px]] Here, we'll click on the game with the photo, and click "install". There may be multiple install scripts options, so pick what seems most standard. If your first choice doesn't work, you could try the other ones. You don't have to use the Lutris client to find install scripts - you can [https://lutris.net/games look up install scripts] on Lutris's website. === Installation === Typically, when installing a game, Lutris will ask if you want to download certain files. [[File:Lutrisinstalls.png|none|thumb|384x384px|Installing Overwatch on Lutris.]] Review the files to make sure everything looks okay, and then just press '''continue'''. Don't worry about the individual download buttons. === Install games that you own on GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam === Login to these stores by navigating to their tab in '''Sources''', and logging in to them by clicking the '''Connect''' icon. [[File:Lutrislogin.png|frameless]] After logging in, Lutris should display the games you own from that store. You can also enable the Epic Games Store as a source, but using [[Heroic|the Heroic Games launcher]] or just installing the Epic Games Store itself through Lutris are probably easier options. == Configuration Options == You might want to [[Improving performance|improve the performance]] of your games with stuff like: *Esync * Fsync * [[Gamemode]] * [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution]] *[https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/wine-ge-custom/releases Wine-GE], instead of using Lutris's WINE You can also improve visuals with: *[https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] for downscaling *[https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or [[reshade]] == Installing Windows games without an install script == '''This is NOT what you would usually do when installing a game! Only do the following if there is no install script!''' *Click the plus on the top left * Select a name and select Wine as runner. * Select Game options, and select the executable ** Select the new folder as Wine prefix ** Select the prefix architecture (if you're not sure select 64-bit) *** Create a new folder where you want to install your game (for example <code>~/Games/MyNewGame</code>) * Select Runner options ** Select the Wine version (try different ones, including the ones from tkg and GE) * Click Save * Start your game ** Click through the installer * Right click the game in Lutris, click Configure ** Select Game options and modify the executable to be the actual game executable. (This could be <code>~/Games/MyNewGame/drive_c/Program Files(x86)/CoolGame/bin/CoolGame.exe</code>) * Start your game **It might not run. See ''troubleshooting'' section. == Troubleshooting == This [https://piped.kavin.rocks/watch?v=oFB-Ly8RcOw video guide] explains how to install a game with a Lutris install script in more depth. If you encounter an issue installing your game, look up the game's name on the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/ Linux Gaming subreddit] to see if anyone's had the same issue and solved it. You should also check whether the game currently runs on Linux. === General approach: === (if the above does not work) * Close Lutris, open a [[terminal]], type <code>lutris</code> and press enter. Lutris will now open, but you will see more information in the terminal. * Try running the game with different presets like other Wine version, with/without DXVK, with/without Esync, Fsync, Windowed (virtual desktop), etc. * Right click your game, go to Runner options, and set ''Output debugging info'' to ''Enabled''. * Start your game and pay close attention to the output in the terminal ** Try to understand the problem ** For example, you can use Winetricks to install missing dependencies === Winetricks === Winetricks is an easy way to do various stuff with Wine, including but not limited to installing libraries and other dependencies for your games. ==FAQ== ====What are runners?==== ''Runners'' are "methods" to run your programs. '''Linux''' is for native Linux games. '''Steam''' is for Steam games - though, using Steam itself to run those games is easier. '''Wine''' is what you want to use for every other Windows game. Other runners are available, these are mainly emulators for various consoles, or DOS (DosBox) ==See also== [https://lutris.net/ Lutris's website] [[Category:Popular apps]] fe6458916ad5f6248eb4a50863bd06f40c15a609 633 632 2022-03-15T17:42:03Z Aragorn 3 /* See also */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[File:Lutris icon.png|thumb|Lutris's icon.]] '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that primarily provides installers for games not available on Steam. It can also act as a single app for your whole game library. You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam. == Installing Lutris == You can typically install Lutris through your distribution's app store (e.g. GNOME Software, Discover, Pop Shop). For example, on Pop!_OS, go to the '''Pop Shop''' and search "Lutris". [[File:Pop Shop - Lutris.png|frameless|581x581px]] Then, click install. See Lutris's [https://lutris.net/downloads download page] for more ways to install it. == Finding a game on Lutris == The most important feature of Lutris is that you can install games and launchers not found on Steam using '''install scripts'''. If you want to use an install script, select Lutris in '''Sources''' and click "Community Installers". [[File:Communityinstallers.png|frameless|496x496px]] Then, in the top bar, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. [[File:Installscripts.png|frameless|430x430px]] Here, we'll click on the game with the photo, and click "install". There may be multiple install scripts options, so pick what seems most standard. If your first choice doesn't work, you could try the other ones. You don't have to use the Lutris client to find install scripts - you can [https://lutris.net/games look up install scripts] on Lutris's website. === Installation === Typically, when installing a game, Lutris will ask if you want to download certain files. [[File:Lutrisinstalls.png|none|thumb|384x384px|Installing Overwatch on Lutris.]] Review the files to make sure everything looks okay, and then just press '''continue'''. Don't worry about the individual download buttons. === Install games that you own on GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam === Login to these stores by navigating to their tab in '''Sources''', and logging in to them by clicking the '''Connect''' icon. [[File:Lutrislogin.png|frameless]] After logging in, Lutris should display the games you own from that store. You can also enable the Epic Games Store as a source, but using [[Heroic|the Heroic Games launcher]] or just installing the Epic Games Store itself through Lutris are probably easier options. == Configuration Options == You might want to [[Improving performance|improve the performance]] of your games with stuff like: *Esync * Fsync * [[Gamemode]] * [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution]] *[https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/wine-ge-custom/releases Wine-GE], instead of using Lutris's WINE You can also improve visuals with: *[https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] for downscaling *[https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or [[reshade]] == Installing Windows games without an install script == '''This is NOT what you would usually do when installing a game! Only do the following if there is no install script!''' *Click the plus on the top left * Select a name and select Wine as runner. * Select Game options, and select the executable ** Select the new folder as Wine prefix ** Select the prefix architecture (if you're not sure select 64-bit) *** Create a new folder where you want to install your game (for example <code>~/Games/MyNewGame</code>) * Select Runner options ** Select the Wine version (try different ones, including the ones from tkg and GE) * Click Save * Start your game ** Click through the installer * Right click the game in Lutris, click Configure ** Select Game options and modify the executable to be the actual game executable. (This could be <code>~/Games/MyNewGame/drive_c/Program Files(x86)/CoolGame/bin/CoolGame.exe</code>) * Start your game **It might not run. See ''troubleshooting'' section. == Troubleshooting == This [https://piped.kavin.rocks/watch?v=oFB-Ly8RcOw video guide] explains how to install a game with a Lutris install script in more depth. If you encounter an issue installing your game, look up the game's name on the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/ Linux Gaming subreddit] to see if anyone's had the same issue and solved it. You should also check whether the game currently runs on Linux. === General approach: === (if the above does not work) * Close Lutris, open a [[terminal]], type <code>lutris</code> and press enter. Lutris will now open, but you will see more information in the terminal. * Try running the game with different presets like other Wine version, with/without DXVK, with/without Esync, Fsync, Windowed (virtual desktop), etc. * Right click your game, go to Runner options, and set ''Output debugging info'' to ''Enabled''. * Start your game and pay close attention to the output in the terminal ** Try to understand the problem ** For example, you can use Winetricks to install missing dependencies === Winetricks === Winetricks is an easy way to do various stuff with Wine, including but not limited to installing libraries and other dependencies for your games. ==FAQ== ====What are runners?==== ''Runners'' are "methods" to run your programs. '''Linux''' is for native Linux games. '''Steam''' is for Steam games - though, using Steam itself to run those games is easier. '''Wine''' is what you want to use for every other Windows game. Other runners are available, these are mainly emulators for various consoles, or DOS (DosBox) ==See also== [https://lutris.net/ Lutris' website] [[Category:Popular apps]] 21e55afd1e2c6ea7feec8b38c44235167f7b5667 634 633 2022-03-15T17:42:24Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki [[File:Lutris icon.png|thumb|Lutris icon.]] '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that primarily provides installers for games not available on Steam. It can also act as a single app for your whole game library. You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam. == Installing Lutris == You can typically install Lutris through your distribution's app store (e.g. GNOME Software, Discover, Pop Shop). For example, on Pop!_OS, go to the '''Pop Shop''' and search "Lutris". [[File:Pop Shop - Lutris.png|frameless|581x581px]] Then, click install. See Lutris's [https://lutris.net/downloads download page] for more ways to install it. == Finding a game on Lutris == The most important feature of Lutris is that you can install games and launchers not found on Steam using '''install scripts'''. If you want to use an install script, select Lutris in '''Sources''' and click "Community Installers". [[File:Communityinstallers.png|frameless|496x496px]] Then, in the top bar, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. [[File:Installscripts.png|frameless|430x430px]] Here, we'll click on the game with the photo, and click "install". There may be multiple install scripts options, so pick what seems most standard. If your first choice doesn't work, you could try the other ones. You don't have to use the Lutris client to find install scripts - you can [https://lutris.net/games look up install scripts] on Lutris's website. === Installation === Typically, when installing a game, Lutris will ask if you want to download certain files. [[File:Lutrisinstalls.png|none|thumb|384x384px|Installing Overwatch on Lutris.]] Review the files to make sure everything looks okay, and then just press '''continue'''. Don't worry about the individual download buttons. === Install games that you own on GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam === Login to these stores by navigating to their tab in '''Sources''', and logging in to them by clicking the '''Connect''' icon. [[File:Lutrislogin.png|frameless]] After logging in, Lutris should display the games you own from that store. You can also enable the Epic Games Store as a source, but using [[Heroic|the Heroic Games launcher]] or just installing the Epic Games Store itself through Lutris are probably easier options. == Configuration Options == You might want to [[Improving performance|improve the performance]] of your games with stuff like: *Esync * Fsync * [[Gamemode]] * [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution]] *[https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/wine-ge-custom/releases Wine-GE], instead of using Lutris's WINE You can also improve visuals with: *[https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] for downscaling *[https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or [[reshade]] == Installing Windows games without an install script == '''This is NOT what you would usually do when installing a game! Only do the following if there is no install script!''' *Click the plus on the top left * Select a name and select Wine as runner. * Select Game options, and select the executable ** Select the new folder as Wine prefix ** Select the prefix architecture (if you're not sure select 64-bit) *** Create a new folder where you want to install your game (for example <code>~/Games/MyNewGame</code>) * Select Runner options ** Select the Wine version (try different ones, including the ones from tkg and GE) * Click Save * Start your game ** Click through the installer * Right click the game in Lutris, click Configure ** Select Game options and modify the executable to be the actual game executable. (This could be <code>~/Games/MyNewGame/drive_c/Program Files(x86)/CoolGame/bin/CoolGame.exe</code>) * Start your game **It might not run. See ''troubleshooting'' section. == Troubleshooting == This [https://piped.kavin.rocks/watch?v=oFB-Ly8RcOw video guide] explains how to install a game with a Lutris install script in more depth. If you encounter an issue installing your game, look up the game's name on the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/ Linux Gaming subreddit] to see if anyone's had the same issue and solved it. You should also check whether the game currently runs on Linux. === General approach: === (if the above does not work) * Close Lutris, open a [[terminal]], type <code>lutris</code> and press enter. Lutris will now open, but you will see more information in the terminal. * Try running the game with different presets like other Wine version, with/without DXVK, with/without Esync, Fsync, Windowed (virtual desktop), etc. * Right click your game, go to Runner options, and set ''Output debugging info'' to ''Enabled''. * Start your game and pay close attention to the output in the terminal ** Try to understand the problem ** For example, you can use Winetricks to install missing dependencies === Winetricks === Winetricks is an easy way to do various stuff with Wine, including but not limited to installing libraries and other dependencies for your games. ==FAQ== ====What are runners?==== ''Runners'' are "methods" to run your programs. '''Linux''' is for native Linux games. '''Steam''' is for Steam games - though, using Steam itself to run those games is easier. '''Wine''' is what you want to use for every other Windows game. Other runners are available, these are mainly emulators for various consoles, or DOS (DosBox) ==See also== [https://lutris.net/ Lutris website] [[Category:Popular apps]] 7218f2d0e1d0947728353bbc0f562102ed11d46d 0 41 637 376 2022-03-16T15:16:24Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Game mods modify games in some way. A good source for mods is https://www.nexusmods.com. Sometimes they work in the same way as on Windows, but that's not always the case. [[Reshade|Res?hade]] is an example for a modding tool. == Mod Manager == You can try installing mod Managers from [[Lutris]], if there is an install script. There are scripts (for older versions of) Vortex and NMM. Otherwise, you can try installing them in the same wine prefix. You could do this for example the following way: * Copy the executable into the wine prefix of your game: <code>~/Games/<your_game>/drive_c/users/<your_name>/Downloads/</code> * In Lutris, click your game, then click on the arrow next to the wine bottle on the bottom of the window. Click <code>Run EXE inside Wine prefix</code> * Locate the exe, and run it. * If it works, you can locate the executable of the installed mod manager, and run it in this way. Otherwise, you can also create a new "game" in the same wine prefix and select the executable there. TODO: describe how. == Manual Installation == === DLL overrides === The game can either use ''native'' dlls that come with the game, or use ''builtin'' dlls that come with wine. It (sometimes?/usually?) uses only the ''builtin'' dlls. On Windows, the game would do it the other way around, and first use ''all'' dlls in the game directory, and only if the dll is not there, look somewhere else. Now if you put a different dll from a mod inside the game directory, this will not (not always?) work. That's why you have to tell wine, that it should use the dll from the mod. ==== Example ==== For example, if you want to tell wine to use the ''d3dcompiler_47.dll'' that's in your game folder, and only use the builtin dll if it can't find any dll in the game folder, you would do the following: Open Lutris, click your game, on the bottom, click the up-arrow right next to the wine bottle icon, click <code>Wine configuration</code>, click <code>Libraries</code>, and *insert the name of the dll (without the .dll) <code>d3dcompiler_47</code> in the text box under <code>New override for library</code>. *select it in the list, click <code>Edit</code> and select <code>native, then builtin</code> Alternatively, you could also set <code>WINEDLLOVERRIDES="d3dcompiler_47=n,b"</code> as an environment variable. === Path names === Linux paths are case sensitive, while Windows paths are not. This leads to mod developers using different folder names when referring to the same folder, for example ''folderName'' and ''Foldername''. If your mod doesn't work, this might be the issue, and you can try changing the names so that they are consistent. == Linux native modding tools == There are some game specific Linux native modding tools, you may find a list [[Game specific modding tools|here]]. 45d01a2add89e69af0dc700636deb38a58923013 639 637 2022-03-16T15:17:46Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Game mods modify games in some way. A good source for mods is https://www.nexusmods.com. Sometimes they work in the same way as on Windows, but that's not always the case. [[Reshade|Res?hade]] is an example for a modding tool. == Mod Manager == You can try installing mod Managers from [[Lutris]], if there is an install script. There are scripts (for older versions of) Vortex and NMM. Otherwise, you can try installing them in the same wine prefix. You could do this for example the following way: * Copy the executable into the wine prefix of your game: <code>~/Games/<your_game>/drive_c/users/<your_name>/Downloads/</code> * In Lutris, click your game, then click on the arrow next to the wine bottle on the bottom of the window. Click <code>Run EXE inside Wine prefix</code> * Locate the exe, and run it. * If it works, you can locate the executable of the installed mod manager, and run it in this way. Otherwise, you can also create a new "game" in the same wine prefix and select the executable there. TODO: describe how. == Manual Installation == === DLL overrides === The game can either use ''native'' dlls that come with the game, or use ''builtin'' dlls that come with wine. It (sometimes?/usually?) uses only the ''builtin'' dlls. On Windows, the game would do it the other way around, and first use ''all'' dlls in the game directory, and only if the dll is not there, look somewhere else. Now if you put a different dll from a mod inside the game directory, this will not (not always?) work. That's why you have to tell wine, that it should use the dll from the mod. ==== Example ==== For example, if you want to tell wine to use the ''d3dcompiler_47.dll'' that's in your game folder, and only use the builtin dll if it can't find any dll in the game folder, you would do the following: Open Lutris, click your game, on the bottom, click the up-arrow right next to the wine bottle icon, click <code>Wine configuration</code>, click <code>Libraries</code>, and *insert the name of the dll (without the .dll) <code>d3dcompiler_47</code> in the text box under <code>New override for library</code>. *select it in the list, click <code>Edit</code> and select <code>native, then builtin</code> Alternatively, you could also set <code>WINEDLLOVERRIDES="d3dcompiler_47=n,b"</code> as an environment variable. === Path names === Linux paths are case sensitive, while Windows paths are not. This leads to mod developers using different folder names when referring to the same folder, for example ''folderName'' and ''Foldername''. If your mod doesn't work, this might be the issue, and you can try changing the names so that they are consistent. == Trainer == You can use [https://github.com/leaty/tuxtrain tuxtrain]. == Linux native modding tools == There are some game specific Linux native modding tools, you may find a list [[Game specific modding tools|here]]. 68c8236869a478c771ce4024c6702a17852fb6d9 0 51 638 2022-03-16T15:16:55Z Aragorn 3 Created page with "https://github.com/Lahvuun/sekirofpsunlock" wikitext text/x-wiki https://github.com/Lahvuun/sekirofpsunlock 476fe265d1546e0799adb88710fc82f9948f5d7f 641 638 2022-03-16T17:19:36Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki * [https://github.com/Lahvuun/sekirofpsunlock sekirofpsunlock] - Unlock FPS for Sekiro under Linux f2c47038d01a6593eab1f445fd4d8070f650fffd 642 641 2022-03-16T17:19:41Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki * [https://github.com/Lahvuun/sekirofpsunlock sekirofpsunlock] - Unlock FPS for Sekiro 32802c3219047623ec21d53efb79427d3ba55436 0 33 646 347 2022-03-16T23:34:28Z Aragorn 3 /* Dangers of the terminal */ wikitext text/x-wiki The terminal is the black thing with text you probably have already seen in some hacker movies. It might look scary, but it basically works like a voice assistant with text input. If you see instructions in the form of <code>sudo pacman -Q | grep -i -C 10 "apt"</code>, then this is something you have to put into the terminal. == How to use the terminal == '''Where do I find the terminal?''' You will probably find it somewhere in your menu. It might have a name like Gnome-Terminal, Konsole, Xterm, Terminator, or something else. It will probably have an icon that looks vaguely like a terminal (black background, white text). '''How does the terminal work?''' You write a line of text, you press enter, and you look at what happens. The terminal usually tells you if something goes wrong. Sometimes you need to press additional buttons like <code>y</code> for "yes" or <code>n</code> for "no". '''Should I read the output?''' Yes, it might contain warnings. However: Sometimes the output is very long, for example if you install software. In this case, you don't have to read everything. The important stuff will be at the end. If you have problems and look for help in forums, always include the output from the terminal. '''Should I take warnings seriously?''' YES! [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average "You could harm your computer" bullshit you are used to from Windows.] '''Is the terminal dangerous?''' It might look scary, but it's not dangerous. If you write something wrong, it will just tell you that it's wrong - your computer will not explode. However, things can go wrong, more in the next section. '''How can I learn using it?''' Look here: https://linuxjourney.com/ == Dangers of the terminal == '''So should I just input whatever I find at some random place in the internet?''' NO! You should not copy/paste stuff from untrusted sources (like this wiki - everyone can edit it) if you don't understand what you're doing. The commands might be malicious. For example, if you would type the following, you would delete everything on your computer, and potentially destroy your motherboard: <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> '''<big>DO NOT DO THIS!</big>''' There is no situation where it would be a good thing to input the following command. It will delete your system, it will delete other mounted drives (like Windows, external drives, your game drive, whatever), and it might '''permanently''' '''destroy''' your motherboard. <code>sudo rm -rf / --no-preserve-root</code> Don't do it. Seriously. Not for fun, not because you don't need your system anymore. Just don't. </div> Other commands may uninstall your graphical user interface, or install a remote access for hackers. '''This sounds scary!''' Don't be afraid. Malicious tutorials for Linux are rarer than malware for Windows (I don't even know if this ever happened somewhere), and if someone did write one, it would probably get noticed and removed very fast. If you're fine with installing software on Windows, you should be fine with tutorials for Linux. But still. Be wary. '''Could I harm my computer if I type malicious commands by accident?''' Probably not. It's not easy to input these commands by accident. You might type <code>sudo rm -rf /</code> by accident, but you won't type the <code>--no-preserve-root</code> if you don't actually want to harm your computer. Accidentally typing a command that installs malware is near impossible. '''So as long as I don't type --no-preserve-root, everything is fine?''' No. The terminal is a way to operate your computer. It will do exactly what you tell it to do. If you tell it to remove all your important files, it will do just that. In the same way you might harm your computer with the GUI, you might as well harm it with the terminal. However, you definitely have more options to fuck things up when using the terminal. For example, always be careful, when running <code>sudo</code>. This is the equivalent to "Administrator access", but much more powerful. You should always avoid running a ''root-shell'' (a shell where you have sudo access without typing sudo). You would detect it by the # symbol at the beginning of each line. But note, that you can do all kind of bad stuff in your home directory (the place where all your important files are), without typing <code>sudo</code>. Always think before typing something, and especially think before pressing enter. Also note, that <code>rm</code> actually ''removes'' files, and doesn't just move them to the trash bin. Always be careful when using <code>rm</code>. If you want to have extra safety, you can use <code>trash</code> instead, it will move files to the trash bin. '''What else can go wrong?''' There might be instances where you copy a command from some website, and you also copy the "enter command". This might lead to ''enter'' being automatically pressed at the end of the line, and the command being executed without additional interaction by you. If you want to modify the command before executing it, this would be unintended behavior. To prevent it, you can copy to a text editor first, modify the commands, and then copy to the terminal. == Other stuff you should know == If you have a folder <code>foo</code> and in it a folder <code>bar</code>, you would write this as <code>foo/bar</code>. The topmost folder is <code>/</code>. This means, that every path on your computer looks like this: <code>/path/to/some/file.txt</code> <code>~</code> is an abbreviation for <code>/home/<username></code> (where <code><username></code> is your actual username. If your username is ''peter'', this would be <code>/home/peter</code>), so paths to files in your ''home directory'' (the place where all your personal files are, look like this: <code>~/path/to/some/file.txt</code>. 17c0a695267e407fe3d55c472c53ae5a6d316e0e 0 34 647 570 2022-03-16T23:38:58Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki It is recommended to read the [[Getting started with Linux|long version]], but you should be fine if you just do the following:<ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. You will probably not be able to use the software that you're used to. But usually there is different software that might even be better.</li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have [[Hardware Recommendations|supported hardware]]. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle, or without bugs. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you can choose your GPU, choose AMD. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] and [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use Steam for running games that are on Steam. Most games will work ''just like that'', after [[Steam#Enable Steam Play for all games|enabling Steam Play for all games]].</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other games.</li> <li><p>Disable Composition: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it. Read more [[Compositor|here]].</p></li> <li><p>If your performance is bad, read [[Improving performance|this article]].</p></li> <li><p>When Linux gives you a warning, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when [[How to get answers|asking for help]].</p></li><li><p>You (almost) never download software or drivers in the browser. Doing this is a really bad idea, and should only be your last resort if everything else fails. Just look up your distribution (Pop!_OS if you follow our recommendation) + the software, and you should find a better solution (for example a ''ppa'').</p></li><li><p>If you don't like the look, it can easily be changed. Just [https://support.system76.com/articles/desktop-environment/ install a different desktop environment]. KDE Plasma would be a popular choice that looks a lot like Windows, and is very comfortable to use. </p></li></ul> 5697d82037581e988bdba7664f3672ef5e0ff856 648 647 2022-03-16T23:40:43Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki It is recommended to read the [[Getting started with Linux|long version]], but you should be fine if you just do the following:<ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. You will probably not be able to use the software that you're used to. But usually there is different software that might even be better.</li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have [[Hardware Recommendations|supported hardware]]. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle, or without bugs. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you can choose your GPU, choose AMD. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] and [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use Steam for running games that are on Steam. Most games will work ''just like that'', after [[Steam#Enable Steam Play for all games|enabling Steam Play for all games]].</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other games.</li> <li><p>[[Compositor|Disable Composition]]: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it.</p></li> <li><p>If your performance is bad, read [[Improving performance|this article]].</p></li> <li><p>When Linux gives you a warning, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when [[How to get answers|asking for help]].</p></li><li><p>You (almost) never download software or drivers in the browser. Doing this is a really bad idea, and should only be your last resort if everything else fails. Just look up your distribution (Pop!_OS if you follow our recommendation) + the software, and you should find a better solution (for example a ''ppa'').</p></li><li><p>If you don't like the look, it can easily be changed. Just [https://support.system76.com/articles/desktop-environment/ install a different desktop environment]. KDE Plasma would be a popular choice that looks a lot like Windows, and is very comfortable to use. </p></li></ul> ddfbdee9bd7e1dbc34f21f2b0dd12c8e28f2d340 0 43 651 650 2022-03-17T13:00:26Z Aragorn 3 /* Downsampling */ wikitext text/x-wiki Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. == Watching the temperature == You can use <code>lm_sensors</code>. Before running it for the first time, run <code>sudo sensors-detect</code>. After that, type <code>sensors</code> to see your temperatures. If you want to monitor them for a longer time, type <code>watch sensors</code>. == Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc) == Settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows once, and change stuff there. You can also boot a VM (with KVM) and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings should be kept in Linux. == Audio stuff == === Noise Cancelling === You can use [https://github.com/wwmm/easyeffects EasyEffects] or [https://github.com/lawl/NoiseTorch NoiseTorch]. === Equalizer and more === EasyEffects also has various other audio processing options, like crystalizer, noise gate, equalizer, filter, and much more. NoiseTorch can only cancel noise, but also has the option to tweak how aggressive it cancels noise. === Patching Audio === If you want to have a patchbay to route your audio to various destinations, [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/helvum Helvum] might be what you're looking for. == Make the game look good == === Downsampling === You can use [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope]. For example, use <code>gamescope -w 3840 -h 2160 --</code> as command prefix, to downscale from 4k. If you use it in Lutris, set <code>3840x2160</code> as resolution. === Post Processing === You can use [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) == Bottles == Some people prefer [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] to install games that don't have an install script in [[Lutris]]. ==Using GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long as it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try again to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code><nowiki>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</nowiki></code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. #Follow the instructions in the readme. == Using Checksums == When downloading a file, you might have seen something like <code>sha512: 497907d020870e564b814bb6c4f7eef2f3abdf5d0159ccbd96501a26cef155a8d771a420a16c9348525fa4ce7de3c137ad5ff15a013c84f327edbdea6495d86b easyanticheat_x64.so</code> This is a checksum, or more precise: An <code>sha512</code> checksum for the file <code>easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. This number is for verifying that you have the correct file, and not something that is manipulated or inaccurately transmitted. '''Usage''': Download file, open [[terminal]], and <code>cd Downloads</code>. Then you execute <code>sha512sum easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. The number you see there, should be ''exactly'' the same. Btw: <code>sha512</code> is better than <code>sha256</code>, and ''especially'' better than <code>md5</code>. <code>md5</code> is trash, don't use it. == Game Streaming == You can use [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == RGB == You can use [https://gitlab.com/CalcProgrammer1/OpenRGB OpenRGB]. == Suspend/resume of applications (games, an others) == You can use [https://github.com/Merrit/nyrna nyrna]. Unortunately it doesn't (yet) "survive" reboots. d146a9e294f24b80a394500300d7d83700530752 0 5 652 602 2022-03-17T17:42:40Z Aragorn 3 /* Optional */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience. == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this could easily double your performance: *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers]. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]] and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <pre>Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</pre> * Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX]: An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance arch wiki page]. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable composition. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. *Only install mesa drivers. Do '''not''' install amdgpu-pro, or amdvlk. They typically perform worse, and the system defaults to use drivers in alphabetical order (thus e.g. '''a'''mdvlk being preferred over '''m'''esa). ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. * For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. <references /> 30d3fe58eb7c55910ca15b7c1e4d51b4b0cd776e 653 652 2022-03-18T04:18:13Z Marigold 7 /* Optional */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience. == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this could easily double your performance: *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers]. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]] and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <pre>Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</pre> * Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning, can trigger anticheats): An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance arch wiki page]. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable composition. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. *Only install mesa drivers. Do '''not''' install amdgpu-pro, or amdvlk. They typically perform worse, and the system defaults to use drivers in alphabetical order (thus e.g. '''a'''mdvlk being preferred over '''m'''esa). ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. * For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. <references /> 96d5607063965b431a7bedd4386cba4433f0faf0 655 653 2022-03-18T10:36:27Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience. == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this could easily double your performance: *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers]. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]] and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <pre>Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</pre> * Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning, can trigger anticheats): An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance arch wiki page]. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable composition. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. *Only install mesa drivers. Do '''not''' install amdgpu-pro, or amdvlk. They typically perform worse, and the system defaults to use drivers in alphabetical order (thus e.g. '''a'''mdvlk being preferred over '''m'''esa). ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. * For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. <references /> d03640bf11da392b66b4e9d421f1682fcfcca6c8 656 655 2022-03-18T10:37:33Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience. == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this could easily double your performance: *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers]. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]] and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <pre>Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</pre> * Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning, can trigger anticheats): An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance arch wiki page]. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable composition. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. *Only install mesa drivers. Do '''not''' install amdgpu-pro, or amdvlk. They typically perform worse, and the system defaults to use drivers in alphabetical order (thus e.g. '''a'''mdvlk being preferred over '''m'''esa). ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. * For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. == References and notes == <references /> 10810f97b0f8886994cec38a571ed5015da9f192 659 656 2022-03-18T17:28:54Z Aragorn 3 /* Optional */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience. == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this could easily double your performance: *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers]. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]] and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <pre>Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</pre> * Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: might trigger anticheats): An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance arch wiki page]. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable composition. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. *Only install mesa drivers. Do '''not''' install amdgpu-pro, or amdvlk. They typically perform worse, and the system defaults to use drivers in alphabetical order (thus e.g. '''a'''mdvlk being preferred over '''m'''esa). ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. * For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. == References and notes == <references /> 1141cd0672375a587daeaceb252a06cf36cf2efc 660 659 2022-03-18T17:29:12Z Aragorn 3 /* Optional */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience. == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this could easily double your performance: *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers]. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]] and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <pre>Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</pre> * Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: might trigger anticheat): An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance arch wiki page]. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable composition. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. *Only install mesa drivers. Do '''not''' install amdgpu-pro, or amdvlk. They typically perform worse, and the system defaults to use drivers in alphabetical order (thus e.g. '''a'''mdvlk being preferred over '''m'''esa). ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. * For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. == References and notes == <references /> 41a95b22bb7bdf4b3856628228835ce0deb370c4 661 660 2022-03-18T17:30:55Z Aragorn 3 /* Optional */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience. == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this could easily double your performance: *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers]. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]] and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <pre>Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</pre> * Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: might trigger anticheat): An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance arch wiki page]. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable composition. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. *Only install mesa drivers. Do '''not''' install amdgpu-pro, or amdvlk. They typically perform worse, and the system defaults to use drivers in alphabetical order (thus e.g. '''a'''mdvlk being preferred over '''m'''esa). ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. * For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. == References and notes == <references /> 6bce3a328897ef6e55c39d236cf9e576ed915e7e 674 661 2022-03-20T15:16:43Z Aragorn 3 /* Minor tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience. == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this could easily double your performance: *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers]. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]] and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <pre>Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</pre> * Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: might trigger anticheat): An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance arch wiki page]. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable composition. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. *Only install mesa drivers. Do '''not''' install amdgpu-pro, or amdvlk. They typically perform worse, and the system defaults to use drivers in alphabetical order (thus e.g. '''a'''mdvlk being preferred over '''m'''esa). ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. * For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. == References and notes == <references /> ad3f6342e08f481c7edaac25c245a220cca68f10 675 674 2022-03-20T23:39:57Z Aragorn 3 /* Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience. == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this could easily double your performance: *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers]. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]] and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <pre>Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</pre> * Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: might trigger anticheat): An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance arch wiki page]. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. *Only install mesa drivers. Do '''not''' install amdgpu-pro, or amdvlk. They typically perform worse, and the system defaults to use drivers in alphabetical order (thus e.g. '''a'''mdvlk being preferred over '''m'''esa). ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with Lutris''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu (though this might be better-suited to a Lutris article, which should exist). For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. * For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. == References and notes == <references /> 50f97b34b57c29af208d5ae7c222fe8c901ba417 676 675 2022-03-20T23:43:09Z Aragorn 3 /* Nvidia */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience. == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this could easily double your performance: *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers]. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]] and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <pre>Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</pre> * Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: might trigger anticheat): An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance arch wiki page]. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. *Only install mesa drivers. Do '''not''' install amdgpu-pro, or amdvlk. They typically perform worse, and the system defaults to use drivers in alphabetical order (thus e.g. '''a'''mdvlk being preferred over '''m'''esa). ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *Use [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md this] to get minimal required drivers installed. * For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. == References and notes == <references /> 9f9387dfb7fe4d293c9e54d29822dced72bf12a1 677 676 2022-03-20T23:43:49Z Aragorn 3 /* Nvidia */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience. == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this could easily double your performance: *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers]. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]] and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <pre>Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</pre> * Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: might trigger anticheat): An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance arch wiki page]. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. *Only install mesa drivers. Do '''not''' install amdgpu-pro, or amdvlk. They typically perform worse, and the system defaults to use drivers in alphabetical order (thus e.g. '''a'''mdvlk being preferred over '''m'''esa). ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. * For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. == References and notes == <references /> 3ebfb73e1fe308ee172bddd5b4dcfd137fb823e6 679 677 2022-03-21T00:02:21Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience, maybe even significantly better than on Windows (dependent the game, and on the hardware). == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this could easily double your performance: *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers]. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]] and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <pre>Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</pre> * Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: might trigger anticheat): An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance arch wiki page]. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. *Only install mesa drivers. Do '''not''' install amdgpu-pro, or amdvlk. They typically perform worse, and the system defaults to use drivers in alphabetical order (thus e.g. '''a'''mdvlk being preferred over '''m'''esa). ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. * For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. == References and notes == <references /> 14c2df565416a6d68adf599b8fd349bdcf09481a 680 679 2022-03-21T00:09:47Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience, maybe even significantly better than on Windows (dependent the game, and on the hardware). == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this could easily double your performance: *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers]. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]] and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <pre>Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</pre> * Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: might trigger anticheat): An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance arch wiki page]. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. *Only install mesa drivers. Do '''not''' install amdgpu-pro, or amdvlk. They typically perform worse, and the system defaults to use drivers in alphabetical order (thus e.g. '''a'''mdvlk being preferred over '''m'''esa). ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. * For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. == References and notes == <references /> 39f807a3f08eac24755a1c1c27961bbcff439905 694 680 2022-03-22T23:10:03Z Aragorn 3 /* Optional */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience, maybe even significantly better than on Windows (dependent the game, and on the hardware). == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this could easily double your performance: *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers]. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]] and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <pre>Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</pre> * Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: might trigger anticheat): An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You can use <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code> to display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance arch wiki page]. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. *Only install mesa drivers. Do '''not''' install amdgpu-pro, or amdvlk. They typically perform worse, and the system defaults to use drivers in alphabetical order (thus e.g. '''a'''mdvlk being preferred over '''m'''esa). ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. * For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. == References and notes == <references /> 5e8eba3d0ac6c3cf9117ec61459dd758982bc949 695 694 2022-03-22T23:10:59Z Aragorn 3 /* Optional */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience, maybe even significantly better than on Windows (dependent the game, and on the hardware). == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this could easily double your performance: *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers]. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]] and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <pre>Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</pre> * Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: might trigger anticheat): An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You can use <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code> as environment variable to display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance arch wiki page]. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. *Only install mesa drivers. Do '''not''' install amdgpu-pro, or amdvlk. They typically perform worse, and the system defaults to use drivers in alphabetical order (thus e.g. '''a'''mdvlk being preferred over '''m'''esa). ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. * For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. == References and notes == <references /> f90a145d78d4c131e0ef7317983c7f997184e4bb 696 695 2022-03-22T23:11:38Z Aragorn 3 /* Optional */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience, maybe even significantly better than on Windows (dependent the game, and on the hardware). == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this could easily double your performance: *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers]. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]] and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <pre>Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</pre> * Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: might trigger anticheat): An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You can use <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code> as [[Environment variables|environment variable]] to display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance arch wiki page]. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and x11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland, if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE, and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you might not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. *Only install mesa drivers. Do '''not''' install amdgpu-pro, or amdvlk. They typically perform worse, and the system defaults to use drivers in alphabetical order (thus e.g. '''a'''mdvlk being preferred over '''m'''esa). ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use GreenWithEnvy for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. * For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. == References and notes == <references /> 6ba0c556ccb471ac246ceeb97afadf8a0952f6f6 0 41 654 639 2022-03-18T10:33:06Z Aragorn 3 /* Trainer */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game mods modify games in some way. A good source for mods is https://www.nexusmods.com. Sometimes they work in the same way as on Windows, but that's not always the case. [[Reshade|Res?hade]] is an example for a modding tool. == Mod Manager == You can try installing mod Managers from [[Lutris]], if there is an install script. There are scripts (for older versions of) Vortex and NMM. Otherwise, you can try installing them in the same wine prefix. You could do this for example the following way: * Copy the executable into the wine prefix of your game: <code>~/Games/<your_game>/drive_c/users/<your_name>/Downloads/</code> * In Lutris, click your game, then click on the arrow next to the wine bottle on the bottom of the window. Click <code>Run EXE inside Wine prefix</code> * Locate the exe, and run it. * If it works, you can locate the executable of the installed mod manager, and run it in this way. Otherwise, you can also create a new "game" in the same wine prefix and select the executable there. TODO: describe how. == Manual Installation == === DLL overrides === The game can either use ''native'' dlls that come with the game, or use ''builtin'' dlls that come with wine. It (sometimes?/usually?) uses only the ''builtin'' dlls. On Windows, the game would do it the other way around, and first use ''all'' dlls in the game directory, and only if the dll is not there, look somewhere else. Now if you put a different dll from a mod inside the game directory, this will not (not always?) work. That's why you have to tell wine, that it should use the dll from the mod. ==== Example ==== For example, if you want to tell wine to use the ''d3dcompiler_47.dll'' that's in your game folder, and only use the builtin dll if it can't find any dll in the game folder, you would do the following: Open Lutris, click your game, on the bottom, click the up-arrow right next to the wine bottle icon, click <code>Wine configuration</code>, click <code>Libraries</code>, and *insert the name of the dll (without the .dll) <code>d3dcompiler_47</code> in the text box under <code>New override for library</code>. *select it in the list, click <code>Edit</code> and select <code>native, then builtin</code> Alternatively, you could also set <code>WINEDLLOVERRIDES="d3dcompiler_47=n,b"</code> as an environment variable. === Path names === Linux paths are case sensitive, while Windows paths are not. This leads to mod developers using different folder names when referring to the same folder, for example ''folderName'' and ''Foldername''. If your mod doesn't work, this might be the issue, and you can try changing the names so that they are consistent. == Trainer == You can use [https://github.com/leaty/tuxtrain tuxtrain] or [https://github.com/korcankaraokcu/PINCE PINCE]. == Linux native modding tools == There are some game specific Linux native modding tools, you may find a list [[Game specific modding tools|here]]. 556a0c977f35b75ceea333d39753155096d07cc5 681 654 2022-03-21T13:21:13Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Game mods modify games in some way. A good source for mods is https://www.nexusmods.com. Sometimes they work in the same way as on Windows, but that's not always the case. [[Reshade|Res?hade]] is an example for a modding tool. == Mod Manager == You can try installing mod Managers from [[Lutris]], if there is an install script. There are scripts (for older versions of) Vortex and NMM. Otherwise, you can try installing them in the same wine prefix. You could do this for example the following way: * Copy the executable into the wine prefix of your game: <code>~/Games/<your_game>/drive_c/users/<your_name>/Downloads/</code> * In Lutris, click your game, then click on the arrow next to the wine bottle on the bottom of the window. Click <code>Run EXE inside Wine prefix</code> * Locate the exe, and run it. * If it works, you can locate the executable of the installed mod manager, and run it in this way. Otherwise, you can also create a new "game" in the same wine prefix and select the executable there. TODO: describe how. == Manual Installation == === DLL overrides === The game can either use ''native'' dlls that come with the game, or use ''builtin'' dlls that come with wine. It (sometimes?/usually?) uses only the ''builtin'' dlls. On Windows, the game would do it the other way around, and first use ''all'' dlls in the game directory, and only if the dll is not there, look somewhere else. Now if you put a different dll from a mod inside the game directory, this will not (not always?) work. That's why you have to tell wine, that it should use the dll from the mod. ==== Example ==== For example, if you want to tell wine to use the ''d3dcompiler_47.dll'' that's in your game folder, and only use the builtin dll if it can't find any dll in the game folder, you would do the following: Open Lutris, click your game, on the bottom, click the up-arrow right next to the wine bottle icon, click <code>Wine configuration</code>, click <code>Libraries</code>, and *insert the name of the dll (without the .dll) <code>d3dcompiler_47</code> in the text box under <code>New override for library</code>. *select it in the list, click <code>Edit</code> and select <code>native, then builtin</code> Alternatively, you could also set <code>WINEDLLOVERRIDES="d3dcompiler_47=n,b"</code> as an environment variable. === Path names === Linux paths are case sensitive, while Windows paths are not. This leads to mod developers using different folder names when referring to the same folder, for example ''folderName'' and ''Foldername''. If your mod doesn't work, this might be the issue, and you can try changing the names so that they are consistent. == VMs == You can install Windows in VirtualBox, share your game folder with the VM, and install the mod manager inside the VM. You need to install the guest additions for it to work. == Trainer == You can use [https://github.com/leaty/tuxtrain tuxtrain] or [https://github.com/korcankaraokcu/PINCE PINCE]. == Linux native modding tools == There are some game specific Linux native modding tools, you may find a list [[Game specific modding tools|here]]. ad914f2956c57cfae81235fcaf461d17b1aa6ea9 682 681 2022-03-21T13:22:20Z Aragorn 3 /* VMs */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game mods modify games in some way. A good source for mods is https://www.nexusmods.com. Sometimes they work in the same way as on Windows, but that's not always the case. [[Reshade|Res?hade]] is an example for a modding tool. == Mod Manager == You can try installing mod Managers from [[Lutris]], if there is an install script. There are scripts (for older versions of) Vortex and NMM. Otherwise, you can try installing them in the same wine prefix. You could do this for example the following way: * Copy the executable into the wine prefix of your game: <code>~/Games/<your_game>/drive_c/users/<your_name>/Downloads/</code> * In Lutris, click your game, then click on the arrow next to the wine bottle on the bottom of the window. Click <code>Run EXE inside Wine prefix</code> * Locate the exe, and run it. * If it works, you can locate the executable of the installed mod manager, and run it in this way. Otherwise, you can also create a new "game" in the same wine prefix and select the executable there. TODO: describe how. == Manual Installation == === DLL overrides === The game can either use ''native'' dlls that come with the game, or use ''builtin'' dlls that come with wine. It (sometimes?/usually?) uses only the ''builtin'' dlls. On Windows, the game would do it the other way around, and first use ''all'' dlls in the game directory, and only if the dll is not there, look somewhere else. Now if you put a different dll from a mod inside the game directory, this will not (not always?) work. That's why you have to tell wine, that it should use the dll from the mod. ==== Example ==== For example, if you want to tell wine to use the ''d3dcompiler_47.dll'' that's in your game folder, and only use the builtin dll if it can't find any dll in the game folder, you would do the following: Open Lutris, click your game, on the bottom, click the up-arrow right next to the wine bottle icon, click <code>Wine configuration</code>, click <code>Libraries</code>, and *insert the name of the dll (without the .dll) <code>d3dcompiler_47</code> in the text box under <code>New override for library</code>. *select it in the list, click <code>Edit</code> and select <code>native, then builtin</code> Alternatively, you could also set <code>WINEDLLOVERRIDES="d3dcompiler_47=n,b"</code> as an environment variable. === Path names === Linux paths are case sensitive, while Windows paths are not. This leads to mod developers using different folder names when referring to the same folder, for example ''folderName'' and ''Foldername''. If your mod doesn't work, this might be the issue, and you can try changing the names so that they are consistent. == Install mod manager in a VM == You can install Windows in VirtualBox, share your game folder with the VM, and install the mod manager inside the VM. You need to install the guest additions for it to work. == Trainer == You can use [https://github.com/leaty/tuxtrain tuxtrain] or [https://github.com/korcankaraokcu/PINCE PINCE]. == Linux native modding tools == There are some game specific Linux native modding tools, you may find a list [[Game specific modding tools|here]]. 2eff670ef76a21fc9b07c79dd8cba02a0af0253d 683 682 2022-03-22T10:06:45Z Aragorn 3 /* Install mod manager in a VM */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game mods modify games in some way. A good source for mods is https://www.nexusmods.com. Sometimes they work in the same way as on Windows, but that's not always the case. [[Reshade|Res?hade]] is an example for a modding tool. == Mod Manager == You can try installing mod Managers from [[Lutris]], if there is an install script. There are scripts (for older versions of) Vortex and NMM. Otherwise, you can try installing them in the same wine prefix. You could do this for example the following way: * Copy the executable into the wine prefix of your game: <code>~/Games/<your_game>/drive_c/users/<your_name>/Downloads/</code> * In Lutris, click your game, then click on the arrow next to the wine bottle on the bottom of the window. Click <code>Run EXE inside Wine prefix</code> * Locate the exe, and run it. * If it works, you can locate the executable of the installed mod manager, and run it in this way. Otherwise, you can also create a new "game" in the same wine prefix and select the executable there. TODO: describe how. == Manual Installation == === DLL overrides === The game can either use ''native'' dlls that come with the game, or use ''builtin'' dlls that come with wine. It (sometimes?/usually?) uses only the ''builtin'' dlls. On Windows, the game would do it the other way around, and first use ''all'' dlls in the game directory, and only if the dll is not there, look somewhere else. Now if you put a different dll from a mod inside the game directory, this will not (not always?) work. That's why you have to tell wine, that it should use the dll from the mod. ==== Example ==== For example, if you want to tell wine to use the ''d3dcompiler_47.dll'' that's in your game folder, and only use the builtin dll if it can't find any dll in the game folder, you would do the following: Open Lutris, click your game, on the bottom, click the up-arrow right next to the wine bottle icon, click <code>Wine configuration</code>, click <code>Libraries</code>, and *insert the name of the dll (without the .dll) <code>d3dcompiler_47</code> in the text box under <code>New override for library</code>. *select it in the list, click <code>Edit</code> and select <code>native, then builtin</code> Alternatively, you could also set <code>WINEDLLOVERRIDES="d3dcompiler_47=n,b"</code> as an environment variable. === Path names === Linux paths are case sensitive, while Windows paths are not. This leads to mod developers using different folder names when referring to the same folder, for example ''folderName'' and ''Foldername''. If your mod doesn't work, this might be the issue, and you can try changing the names so that they are consistent. == Install mod manager in a VM == You can install Windows in VirtualBox, share your game folder with the VM, and install the mod manager inside the VM. You need to install the guest additions for it to work. In more detail: # Install the game on Linux, for example with Lutris, Heroic, or Steam. # Install Windows in a VM # Share the game folder with the Windows VM # Install a mod manager in the Windows VM # Use the mod manager to install a mod # Play the game that is now modded (on Linux, without VM) == Trainer == You can use [https://github.com/leaty/tuxtrain tuxtrain] or [https://github.com/korcankaraokcu/PINCE PINCE]. == Linux native modding tools == There are some game specific Linux native modding tools, you may find a list [[Game specific modding tools|here]]. e80e87ec2f815844c4d8b6dea6381e2f9565e5fe 684 683 2022-03-22T10:07:34Z Aragorn 3 /* Install mod manager in a VM */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game mods modify games in some way. A good source for mods is https://www.nexusmods.com. Sometimes they work in the same way as on Windows, but that's not always the case. [[Reshade|Res?hade]] is an example for a modding tool. == Mod Manager == You can try installing mod Managers from [[Lutris]], if there is an install script. There are scripts (for older versions of) Vortex and NMM. Otherwise, you can try installing them in the same wine prefix. You could do this for example the following way: * Copy the executable into the wine prefix of your game: <code>~/Games/<your_game>/drive_c/users/<your_name>/Downloads/</code> * In Lutris, click your game, then click on the arrow next to the wine bottle on the bottom of the window. Click <code>Run EXE inside Wine prefix</code> * Locate the exe, and run it. * If it works, you can locate the executable of the installed mod manager, and run it in this way. Otherwise, you can also create a new "game" in the same wine prefix and select the executable there. TODO: describe how. == Manual Installation == === DLL overrides === The game can either use ''native'' dlls that come with the game, or use ''builtin'' dlls that come with wine. It (sometimes?/usually?) uses only the ''builtin'' dlls. On Windows, the game would do it the other way around, and first use ''all'' dlls in the game directory, and only if the dll is not there, look somewhere else. Now if you put a different dll from a mod inside the game directory, this will not (not always?) work. That's why you have to tell wine, that it should use the dll from the mod. ==== Example ==== For example, if you want to tell wine to use the ''d3dcompiler_47.dll'' that's in your game folder, and only use the builtin dll if it can't find any dll in the game folder, you would do the following: Open Lutris, click your game, on the bottom, click the up-arrow right next to the wine bottle icon, click <code>Wine configuration</code>, click <code>Libraries</code>, and *insert the name of the dll (without the .dll) <code>d3dcompiler_47</code> in the text box under <code>New override for library</code>. *select it in the list, click <code>Edit</code> and select <code>native, then builtin</code> Alternatively, you could also set <code>WINEDLLOVERRIDES="d3dcompiler_47=n,b"</code> as an environment variable. === Path names === Linux paths are case sensitive, while Windows paths are not. This leads to mod developers using different folder names when referring to the same folder, for example ''folderName'' and ''Foldername''. If your mod doesn't work, this might be the issue, and you can try changing the names so that they are consistent. == Install mod manager in a VM == If a mod manager is not working well with wine, you can install Windows in VirtualBox, share your game folder with the VM, and install the mod manager inside the VM. You need to install the guest additions for it to work. In more detail: # Install the game on Linux, for example with Lutris, Heroic, or Steam. # Install Windows in a VM # Share the game folder with the Windows VM # Install a mod manager in the Windows VM # Use the mod manager to install a mod # Play the game that is now modded (on Linux, without VM) == Trainer == You can use [https://github.com/leaty/tuxtrain tuxtrain] or [https://github.com/korcankaraokcu/PINCE PINCE]. == Linux native modding tools == There are some game specific Linux native modding tools, you may find a list [[Game specific modding tools|here]]. 5f18e66faf7dc902f19b02f127c29baaf0ee5a2e 685 684 2022-03-22T10:24:00Z Aragorn 3 /* Install mod manager in a VM */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game mods modify games in some way. A good source for mods is https://www.nexusmods.com. Sometimes they work in the same way as on Windows, but that's not always the case. [[Reshade|Res?hade]] is an example for a modding tool. == Mod Manager == You can try installing mod Managers from [[Lutris]], if there is an install script. There are scripts (for older versions of) Vortex and NMM. Otherwise, you can try installing them in the same wine prefix. You could do this for example the following way: * Copy the executable into the wine prefix of your game: <code>~/Games/<your_game>/drive_c/users/<your_name>/Downloads/</code> * In Lutris, click your game, then click on the arrow next to the wine bottle on the bottom of the window. Click <code>Run EXE inside Wine prefix</code> * Locate the exe, and run it. * If it works, you can locate the executable of the installed mod manager, and run it in this way. Otherwise, you can also create a new "game" in the same wine prefix and select the executable there. TODO: describe how. == Manual Installation == === DLL overrides === The game can either use ''native'' dlls that come with the game, or use ''builtin'' dlls that come with wine. It (sometimes?/usually?) uses only the ''builtin'' dlls. On Windows, the game would do it the other way around, and first use ''all'' dlls in the game directory, and only if the dll is not there, look somewhere else. Now if you put a different dll from a mod inside the game directory, this will not (not always?) work. That's why you have to tell wine, that it should use the dll from the mod. ==== Example ==== For example, if you want to tell wine to use the ''d3dcompiler_47.dll'' that's in your game folder, and only use the builtin dll if it can't find any dll in the game folder, you would do the following: Open Lutris, click your game, on the bottom, click the up-arrow right next to the wine bottle icon, click <code>Wine configuration</code>, click <code>Libraries</code>, and *insert the name of the dll (without the .dll) <code>d3dcompiler_47</code> in the text box under <code>New override for library</code>. *select it in the list, click <code>Edit</code> and select <code>native, then builtin</code> Alternatively, you could also set <code>WINEDLLOVERRIDES="d3dcompiler_47=n,b"</code> as an environment variable. === Path names === Linux paths are case sensitive, while Windows paths are not. This leads to mod developers using different folder names when referring to the same folder, for example ''folderName'' and ''Foldername''. If your mod doesn't work, this might be the issue, and you can try changing the names so that they are consistent. == Install mod managers in a VM == If a mod manager is not working well with wine, you can install Windows in VirtualBox, share your game folder with the VM, and install the mod manager inside the VM. You need to install the guest additions for it to work. In more detail: # Install the game on Linux, for example with Lutris, Heroic, or Steam. # Install Windows in a VM # Share the game folder with the Windows VM # Install a mod manager in the Windows VM # Use the mod manager to install a mod # Play the game that is now modded (on Linux, without VM) == Trainer == You can use [https://github.com/leaty/tuxtrain tuxtrain] or [https://github.com/korcankaraokcu/PINCE PINCE]. == Linux native modding tools == There are some game specific Linux native modding tools, you may find a list [[Game specific modding tools|here]]. 382266f0886973cffc25af6754ecb5545fe9185a 686 685 2022-03-22T10:26:02Z Aragorn 3 /* Install mod managers in a VM */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game mods modify games in some way. A good source for mods is https://www.nexusmods.com. Sometimes they work in the same way as on Windows, but that's not always the case. [[Reshade|Res?hade]] is an example for a modding tool. == Mod Manager == You can try installing mod Managers from [[Lutris]], if there is an install script. There are scripts (for older versions of) Vortex and NMM. Otherwise, you can try installing them in the same wine prefix. You could do this for example the following way: * Copy the executable into the wine prefix of your game: <code>~/Games/<your_game>/drive_c/users/<your_name>/Downloads/</code> * In Lutris, click your game, then click on the arrow next to the wine bottle on the bottom of the window. Click <code>Run EXE inside Wine prefix</code> * Locate the exe, and run it. * If it works, you can locate the executable of the installed mod manager, and run it in this way. Otherwise, you can also create a new "game" in the same wine prefix and select the executable there. TODO: describe how. === Install mod managers in a VM === If a mod manager is not working well with wine, you can install Windows in VirtualBox, share your game folder with the VM, and install the mod manager inside the VM. You need to install the guest additions for it to work. In more detail: # Install the game on Linux, for example with Lutris, Heroic, or Steam. # Install Windows in a VM # Share the game folder with the Windows VM # Install a mod manager in the Windows VM # Use the mod manager to install a mod # Play the game that is now modded (on Linux, without VM) == Manual Installation == === DLL overrides === The game can either use ''native'' dlls that come with the game, or use ''builtin'' dlls that come with wine. It (sometimes?/usually?) uses only the ''builtin'' dlls. On Windows, the game would do it the other way around, and first use ''all'' dlls in the game directory, and only if the dll is not there, look somewhere else. Now if you put a different dll from a mod inside the game directory, this will not (not always?) work. That's why you have to tell wine, that it should use the dll from the mod. ==== Example ==== For example, if you want to tell wine to use the ''d3dcompiler_47.dll'' that's in your game folder, and only use the builtin dll if it can't find any dll in the game folder, you would do the following: Open Lutris, click your game, on the bottom, click the up-arrow right next to the wine bottle icon, click <code>Wine configuration</code>, click <code>Libraries</code>, and *insert the name of the dll (without the .dll) <code>d3dcompiler_47</code> in the text box under <code>New override for library</code>. *select it in the list, click <code>Edit</code> and select <code>native, then builtin</code> Alternatively, you could also set <code>WINEDLLOVERRIDES="d3dcompiler_47=n,b"</code> as an environment variable. === Path names === Linux paths are case sensitive, while Windows paths are not. This leads to mod developers using different folder names when referring to the same folder, for example ''folderName'' and ''Foldername''. If your mod doesn't work, this might be the issue, and you can try changing the names so that they are consistent. == Trainer == You can use [https://github.com/leaty/tuxtrain tuxtrain] or [https://github.com/korcankaraokcu/PINCE PINCE]. == Linux native modding tools == There are some game specific Linux native modding tools, you may find a list [[Game specific modding tools|here]]. 505f99350e356ab69b61d91c94dfdf982d68fc29 687 686 2022-03-22T10:26:40Z Aragorn 3 /* Mod Manager */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game mods modify games in some way. A good source for mods is https://www.nexusmods.com. Sometimes they work in the same way as on Windows, but that's not always the case. [[Reshade|Res?hade]] is an example for a modding tool. == Mod Manager == === Install mod managers with Wine === You can try installing mod Managers from [[Lutris]], if there is an install script. There are scripts (for older versions of) Vortex and NMM. Otherwise, you can try installing them in the same wine prefix. You could do this for example the following way: * Copy the executable into the wine prefix of your game: <code>~/Games/<your_game>/drive_c/users/<your_name>/Downloads/</code> * In Lutris, click your game, then click on the arrow next to the wine bottle on the bottom of the window. Click <code>Run EXE inside Wine prefix</code> * Locate the exe, and run it. * If it works, you can locate the executable of the installed mod manager, and run it in this way. Otherwise, you can also create a new "game" in the same wine prefix and select the executable there. TODO: describe how. === Install mod managers in a VM === If a mod manager is not working well with wine, you can install Windows in VirtualBox, share your game folder with the VM, and install the mod manager inside the VM. You need to install the guest additions for it to work. In more detail: # Install the game on Linux, for example with Lutris, Heroic, or Steam. # Install Windows in a VM # Share the game folder with the Windows VM # Install a mod manager in the Windows VM # Use the mod manager to install a mod # Play the game that is now modded (on Linux, without VM) == Manual Installation == === DLL overrides === The game can either use ''native'' dlls that come with the game, or use ''builtin'' dlls that come with wine. It (sometimes?/usually?) uses only the ''builtin'' dlls. On Windows, the game would do it the other way around, and first use ''all'' dlls in the game directory, and only if the dll is not there, look somewhere else. Now if you put a different dll from a mod inside the game directory, this will not (not always?) work. That's why you have to tell wine, that it should use the dll from the mod. ==== Example ==== For example, if you want to tell wine to use the ''d3dcompiler_47.dll'' that's in your game folder, and only use the builtin dll if it can't find any dll in the game folder, you would do the following: Open Lutris, click your game, on the bottom, click the up-arrow right next to the wine bottle icon, click <code>Wine configuration</code>, click <code>Libraries</code>, and *insert the name of the dll (without the .dll) <code>d3dcompiler_47</code> in the text box under <code>New override for library</code>. *select it in the list, click <code>Edit</code> and select <code>native, then builtin</code> Alternatively, you could also set <code>WINEDLLOVERRIDES="d3dcompiler_47=n,b"</code> as an environment variable. === Path names === Linux paths are case sensitive, while Windows paths are not. This leads to mod developers using different folder names when referring to the same folder, for example ''folderName'' and ''Foldername''. If your mod doesn't work, this might be the issue, and you can try changing the names so that they are consistent. == Trainer == You can use [https://github.com/leaty/tuxtrain tuxtrain] or [https://github.com/korcankaraokcu/PINCE PINCE]. == Linux native modding tools == There are some game specific Linux native modding tools, you may find a list [[Game specific modding tools|here]]. afe6a0ac5e5212b25059f3fc5d644130c7afb2c8 688 687 2022-03-22T10:29:49Z Aragorn 3 /* Install mod managers in a VM */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game mods modify games in some way. A good source for mods is https://www.nexusmods.com. Sometimes they work in the same way as on Windows, but that's not always the case. [[Reshade|Res?hade]] is an example for a modding tool. == Mod Manager == Mod managers that are not native will not set dll overrides. If the installed mod uses dlls, you have to [[Modding#DLL overrides|set the overrides manually]]. === Install mod managers with Wine === You can try installing mod Managers from [[Lutris]], if there is an install script. There are scripts (for older versions of) Vortex and NMM. Otherwise, you can try installing them in the same wine prefix. You could do this for example the following way: * Copy the executable into the wine prefix of your game: <code>~/Games/<your_game>/drive_c/users/<your_name>/Downloads/</code> * In Lutris, click your game, then click on the arrow next to the wine bottle on the bottom of the window. Click <code>Run EXE inside Wine prefix</code> * Locate the exe, and run it. * If it works, you can locate the executable of the installed mod manager, and run it in this way. Otherwise, you can also create a new "game" in the same wine prefix and select the executable there. TODO: describe how. === Install mod managers in a VM === If a mod manager is not working well with wine, you can install Windows in VirtualBox, share your game folder with the VM, and install the mod manager inside the VM. You need to install the guest additions for it to work. In more detail: # Install the game on Linux, for example with Lutris, Heroic, or Steam. # Install Windows in a VM # Share the game folder with the Windows VM # Install a mod manager in the Windows VM # Use the mod manager to install a mod # Play the game that is now modded (on Linux, without VM) == Manual Installation == === DLL overrides === The game can either use ''native'' dlls that come with the game, or use ''builtin'' dlls that come with wine. It (sometimes?/usually?) uses only the ''builtin'' dlls. On Windows, the game would do it the other way around, and first use ''all'' dlls in the game directory, and only if the dll is not there, look somewhere else. Now if you put a different dll from a mod inside the game directory, this will not (not always?) work. That's why you have to tell wine, that it should use the dll from the mod. ==== Example ==== For example, if you want to tell wine to use the ''d3dcompiler_47.dll'' that's in your game folder, and only use the builtin dll if it can't find any dll in the game folder, you would do the following: Open Lutris, click your game, on the bottom, click the up-arrow right next to the wine bottle icon, click <code>Wine configuration</code>, click <code>Libraries</code>, and *insert the name of the dll (without the .dll) <code>d3dcompiler_47</code> in the text box under <code>New override for library</code>. *select it in the list, click <code>Edit</code> and select <code>native, then builtin</code> Alternatively, you could also set <code>WINEDLLOVERRIDES="d3dcompiler_47=n,b"</code> as an environment variable. === Path names === Linux paths are case sensitive, while Windows paths are not. This leads to mod developers using different folder names when referring to the same folder, for example ''folderName'' and ''Foldername''. If your mod doesn't work, this might be the issue, and you can try changing the names so that they are consistent. == Trainer == You can use [https://github.com/leaty/tuxtrain tuxtrain] or [https://github.com/korcankaraokcu/PINCE PINCE]. == Linux native modding tools == There are some game specific Linux native modding tools, you may find a list [[Game specific modding tools|here]]. e8a1fa9d7ac909ebe17e6f47558088873cb61a98 689 688 2022-03-22T10:33:31Z Aragorn 3 /* Install mod managers in a VM */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game mods modify games in some way. A good source for mods is https://www.nexusmods.com. Sometimes they work in the same way as on Windows, but that's not always the case. [[Reshade|Res?hade]] is an example for a modding tool. == Mod Manager == Mod managers that are not native will not set dll overrides. If the installed mod uses dlls, you have to [[Modding#DLL overrides|set the overrides manually]]. === Install mod managers with Wine === You can try installing mod Managers from [[Lutris]], if there is an install script. There are scripts (for older versions of) Vortex and NMM. Otherwise, you can try installing them in the same wine prefix. You could do this for example the following way: * Copy the executable into the wine prefix of your game: <code>~/Games/<your_game>/drive_c/users/<your_name>/Downloads/</code> * In Lutris, click your game, then click on the arrow next to the wine bottle on the bottom of the window. Click <code>Run EXE inside Wine prefix</code> * Locate the exe, and run it. * If it works, you can locate the executable of the installed mod manager, and run it in this way. Otherwise, you can also create a new "game" in the same wine prefix and select the executable there. TODO: describe how. === Install mod managers in a VM === If a mod manager is not working well with wine, you can install Windows in VirtualBox, share your game folder with the VM, and install the mod manager inside the VM. You need to install the guest additions for it to work. In more detail: # Install the game on Linux, for example with Lutris, Heroic, or Steam. # Install Windows in a VM # Share the game folder with the Windows VM # Install a mod manager in the Windows VM # Use the mod manager to install a mod # Play the game that is now modded (on Linux, without VM) Optional: Disable internet access for the VM, and enable drag/drop to copy installer files easily to the VM. == Manual Installation == === DLL overrides === The game can either use ''native'' dlls that come with the game, or use ''builtin'' dlls that come with wine. It (sometimes?/usually?) uses only the ''builtin'' dlls. On Windows, the game would do it the other way around, and first use ''all'' dlls in the game directory, and only if the dll is not there, look somewhere else. Now if you put a different dll from a mod inside the game directory, this will not (not always?) work. That's why you have to tell wine, that it should use the dll from the mod. ==== Example ==== For example, if you want to tell wine to use the ''d3dcompiler_47.dll'' that's in your game folder, and only use the builtin dll if it can't find any dll in the game folder, you would do the following: Open Lutris, click your game, on the bottom, click the up-arrow right next to the wine bottle icon, click <code>Wine configuration</code>, click <code>Libraries</code>, and *insert the name of the dll (without the .dll) <code>d3dcompiler_47</code> in the text box under <code>New override for library</code>. *select it in the list, click <code>Edit</code> and select <code>native, then builtin</code> Alternatively, you could also set <code>WINEDLLOVERRIDES="d3dcompiler_47=n,b"</code> as an environment variable. === Path names === Linux paths are case sensitive, while Windows paths are not. This leads to mod developers using different folder names when referring to the same folder, for example ''folderName'' and ''Foldername''. If your mod doesn't work, this might be the issue, and you can try changing the names so that they are consistent. == Trainer == You can use [https://github.com/leaty/tuxtrain tuxtrain] or [https://github.com/korcankaraokcu/PINCE PINCE]. == Linux native modding tools == There are some game specific Linux native modding tools, you may find a list [[Game specific modding tools|here]]. 100d08ce2e0e62f7f84bc7c5912d293efcb3a047 690 689 2022-03-22T10:38:06Z Aragorn 3 /* Install mod managers in a VM */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game mods modify games in some way. A good source for mods is https://www.nexusmods.com. Sometimes they work in the same way as on Windows, but that's not always the case. [[Reshade|Res?hade]] is an example for a modding tool. == Mod Manager == Mod managers that are not native will not set dll overrides. If the installed mod uses dlls, you have to [[Modding#DLL overrides|set the overrides manually]]. === Install mod managers with Wine === You can try installing mod Managers from [[Lutris]], if there is an install script. There are scripts (for older versions of) Vortex and NMM. Otherwise, you can try installing them in the same wine prefix. You could do this for example the following way: * Copy the executable into the wine prefix of your game: <code>~/Games/<your_game>/drive_c/users/<your_name>/Downloads/</code> * In Lutris, click your game, then click on the arrow next to the wine bottle on the bottom of the window. Click <code>Run EXE inside Wine prefix</code> * Locate the exe, and run it. * If it works, you can locate the executable of the installed mod manager, and run it in this way. Otherwise, you can also create a new "game" in the same wine prefix and select the executable there. TODO: describe how. === Install mod managers in a VM === If a mod manager is not working well with wine, you can install Windows in VirtualBox, share your game folder with the VM, and install the mod manager inside the VM. You need to install the guest additions for it to work. In more detail: # Install the game on Linux, for example with Lutris, Heroic, or Steam. # Install Windows in a VM # Share the game folder with the Windows VM # Install a mod manager in the Windows VM # Use the mod manager to install a mod # Play the game that is now modded (on Linux, without VM) Optional: Disable internet access for the VM, and enable drag/drop to copy files easily to the VM. This way, Windows can not send telemetry data, or do unnecessary updates that just take space and processing time. You might even use older (and lighter) versions like Windows 7 if the mod manager is compatible. In this case, you will have to manually download mods, though. == Manual Installation == === DLL overrides === The game can either use ''native'' dlls that come with the game, or use ''builtin'' dlls that come with wine. It (sometimes?/usually?) uses only the ''builtin'' dlls. On Windows, the game would do it the other way around, and first use ''all'' dlls in the game directory, and only if the dll is not there, look somewhere else. Now if you put a different dll from a mod inside the game directory, this will not (not always?) work. That's why you have to tell wine, that it should use the dll from the mod. ==== Example ==== For example, if you want to tell wine to use the ''d3dcompiler_47.dll'' that's in your game folder, and only use the builtin dll if it can't find any dll in the game folder, you would do the following: Open Lutris, click your game, on the bottom, click the up-arrow right next to the wine bottle icon, click <code>Wine configuration</code>, click <code>Libraries</code>, and *insert the name of the dll (without the .dll) <code>d3dcompiler_47</code> in the text box under <code>New override for library</code>. *select it in the list, click <code>Edit</code> and select <code>native, then builtin</code> Alternatively, you could also set <code>WINEDLLOVERRIDES="d3dcompiler_47=n,b"</code> as an environment variable. === Path names === Linux paths are case sensitive, while Windows paths are not. This leads to mod developers using different folder names when referring to the same folder, for example ''folderName'' and ''Foldername''. If your mod doesn't work, this might be the issue, and you can try changing the names so that they are consistent. == Trainer == You can use [https://github.com/leaty/tuxtrain tuxtrain] or [https://github.com/korcankaraokcu/PINCE PINCE]. == Linux native modding tools == There are some game specific Linux native modding tools, you may find a list [[Game specific modding tools|here]]. 068d9639e4162b7d5a17e904c3b030d66f7a23d1 0 30 657 320 2022-03-18T10:38:29Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Reshade let's you apply extra shaders. While it's theoretically possible to do this with vkBasalt, it's not yet fully working. You might also want to use some mods that are written for reshade. ==How to install== ===Automatic=== You can use [https://github.com/kevinlekiller/reshade-steam-proton/blob/main/reshade-linux.sh this script]. Note, that executing external scripts is a security risk. You should always read and understand the content of the script before executing it. ===Manual<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/b2hi3g/reshade_working_in_wine_43/</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=dll name for dx12 is missing}} *Get the architecture of your application. If you don't know it, run <code>file /path/to/your/game.exe</code>. The output will either contain '''x86-64''' (64 bit) or '''80386''' (32 bit). *Download: **If your game is 32 bit: https://download-installer.cdn.mozilla.net/pub/firefox/releases/62.0.3/win32/ach/Firefox%20Setup%2062.0.3.exe **If your game is 64 bit: https://download-installer.cdn.mozilla.net/pub/firefox/releases/62.0.3/win64/ach/Firefox%20Setup%2062.0.3.exe *Download the latest version of Reshade: https://reshade.me/ (alternatively download this older version, it should work: https://reshade.me/downloads/ReShade_Setup_4.9.1.exe) *Move both executables to some folder, and extract them with 7zip: **<code>7z e Firefox\ Setup\ 62.0.3.exe</code> **<code>7z e ReShade_Setup_x.y.z.exe</code> (modify x y and z according to the version you downloaded, for example <code>7z e ReShade_Setup_4.9.1.exe</code> for Reshade version 4.9.1) *From the extracted executables, copy following dlls to the folder your game executable is in: **<code>d3dcompiler.dll</code> (coming from Firefox) **<code>Reshade.dll</code> (coming from Reshade). Rename it to ***<code>d3d9.dll</code> if your game uses Directx9 (this is more likely for older games) ***<code>dxgi.dll</code> if your game uses Directx11 (this is more likely for newer games) *Set [[Modding#DLL overrides|dll overrides]] in winecfg: **Open Lutris, click your game, on the bottom, click the up-arrow right next to the wine bottle icon, click <code>Wine configuration</code>, click <code>Libraries</code>, insert the name of the dll (without the .dll) in the text box under <code>New override for library</code>: ***<code>d3dcompiler_47</code> ***select it in the list, click <code>Edit</code> and select <code>native, then builtin</code> ***Depending on whether your game uses DX9 or DX11: ****<code>d3d9</code> for DX9 ****<code>dxgi</code> for DX11 ***select it in the list, click <code>Edit</code> and select <code>native (Windows)</code> *Get the shaders and textures: <code>git clone <nowiki>https://github.com/crosire/reshade-shaders.git</nowiki></code> and copy the folders <code>Shaders</code> and <code>Textures</code> into the folder where your game executable is in. * Run your application *Open Reshade (by pressing <code>home</code> or <code>Pos1</code>) *Open settings tab, and add the path <code>./Shaders</code> for shaders and <code>./Textures</code> for textures. == References and notes == <references /> 53695bf2af223334879acd476feaa106a69a5d8e 0 45 658 636 2022-03-18T17:26:05Z Aragorn 3 /* GPUs */ wikitext text/x-wiki Hardware compatibility with Linux is sometimes tricky. You can not buy just anything and expect it to work. Some manufacturers don't support Linux at all, and sometimes the support is not good. This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware categories. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. If you buy wrong, you might end up with completely incompatible hardware. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. The important thing in the sticks is the chip. Manufacturers sometimes have the same model with different chips. Chips that often work, are Qualcomm Atheros, and [https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005511/wireless.html Intel]. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. * Laser Printer: * Color Printer: * Scanner: * Combined: == Less problematic Hardware == Your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is much lower. However, you might face some jank, some features might not work, and stuff might not be flawless. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. There are people defending Nvidia, but most people recommend AMD. * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), but they are no option for gaming. **If you want long support, AMD is the way to go, as support is essentially never dropped. * Nvidia provides (proprietary) day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, and known to be problematic. Don't blame Linux if your experience is bad, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s these problems are Nvidias fault]. If you already have one, you'll probably be fine, though. It's not overly problematic. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], which works in a similar way, but doesn't look as good. * If you buy a very old GPU, make sure that it has Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth, and even those often work. You might face problems if you have a device with two GPUs (should be solvable), or other special components (fingerprint reader, etc - might not be solvable). * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***<small>Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack.</small> ***<small>Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger).</small> ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB Digital/Audio converter === *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with [[Misc#Changing%20Mouse%20settings%20(DPI%252C%20lift%20of%20distance%252C%20etc)|booting Windows once to change the settings]] (and you don't need to change them all the time), buy whatever you want. This section is for mice that have native Linux support for settings, including RGB. All mice are required to have a flawless sensor (there is no advantage in being able to change settings if you don't hit anything, right?). * Big size: * Medium size: * Small size: * Many buttons: * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 53fd5770dfca74272237eae0e7693a378bf8c80e 662 658 2022-03-18T18:49:34Z Aragorn 3 /* GPUs */ wikitext text/x-wiki Hardware compatibility with Linux is sometimes tricky. You can not buy just anything and expect it to work. Some manufacturers don't support Linux at all, and sometimes the support is not good. This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware categories. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. If you buy wrong, you might end up with completely incompatible hardware. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. The important thing in the sticks is the chip. Manufacturers sometimes have the same model with different chips. Chips that often work, are Qualcomm Atheros, and [https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005511/wireless.html Intel]. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. * Laser Printer: * Color Printer: * Scanner: * Combined: == Less problematic Hardware == Your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is much lower. However, you might face some jank, some features might not work, and stuff might not be flawless. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. There are people defending Nvidia, but most people recommend AMD. * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), but they are no option for gaming. **If you want long support, AMD is the way to go, as support is essentially never dropped. * Nvidia provides (proprietary) day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, due to not beeing FOSS, and thus sometimes problematic. But don't fear if you already have one, you'll ''probably'' be fine. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], which works in a similar way, but doesn't look as good. * If you buy a very old GPU, make sure that it has Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth, and even those often work. You might face problems if you have a device with two GPUs (should be solvable), or other special components (fingerprint reader, etc - might not be solvable). * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***<small>Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack.</small> ***<small>Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger).</small> ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB Digital/Audio converter === *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with [[Misc#Changing%20Mouse%20settings%20(DPI%252C%20lift%20of%20distance%252C%20etc)|booting Windows once to change the settings]] (and you don't need to change them all the time), buy whatever you want. This section is for mice that have native Linux support for settings, including RGB. All mice are required to have a flawless sensor (there is no advantage in being able to change settings if you don't hit anything, right?). * Big size: * Medium size: * Small size: * Many buttons: * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 9d0fd662554a9d0699cdbe0e54eeb031b199e0c3 663 662 2022-03-18T19:11:31Z Aragorn 3 /* Less problematic Hardware */ wikitext text/x-wiki Hardware compatibility with Linux is sometimes tricky. You can not buy just anything and expect it to work. Some manufacturers don't support Linux at all, and sometimes the support is not good. This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware categories. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. If you buy wrong, you might end up with completely incompatible hardware. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. The important thing in the sticks is the chip. Manufacturers sometimes have the same model with different chips. Chips that often work, are Qualcomm Atheros, and [https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005511/wireless.html Intel]. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. * Laser Printer: * Color Printer: * Scanner: * Combined: == Less problematic Hardware == Your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is much lower. However, you might face some jank, some features might not work, and stuff might not be flawless. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. There are people defending Nvidia, but most people recommend AMD. AMD and Nvidia both work, and you'll ''probably'' be fine with either. However: * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), but they are no option for gaming. **If you want long support, AMD is the way to go, as support is essentially never dropped. * Nvidia provides proprietary day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, due to not being FOSS, and thus sometimes problematic. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], which works in a similar way, but doesn't look as good. * If you buy a very old GPU, make sure that it has Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth, and even those often work. You might face problems if you have a device with two GPUs (should be solvable), or other special components (fingerprint reader, etc - might not be solvable). * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***<small>Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack.</small> ***<small>Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger).</small> ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB Digital/Audio converter === *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with [[Misc#Changing%20Mouse%20settings%20(DPI%252C%20lift%20of%20distance%252C%20etc)|booting Windows once to change the settings]] (and you don't need to change them all the time), buy whatever you want. This section is for mice that have native Linux support for settings, including RGB. All mice are required to have a flawless sensor (there is no advantage in being able to change settings if you don't hit anything, right?). * Big size: * Medium size: * Small size: * Many buttons: * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 576cf380469683cd5d9756021053953a678596d3 664 663 2022-03-18T19:13:02Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Hardware compatibility with Linux is sometimes tricky. You can not buy just anything and expect it to work. Some manufacturers don't support Linux at all, and sometimes the support is not good. This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware categories. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. If you buy wrong, you might end up with completely incompatible hardware. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. The important thing in the sticks is the chip. Manufacturers sometimes have the same model with different chips. Chips that often work, are Qualcomm Atheros, and [https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005511/wireless.html Intel]. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. * Laser Printer: * Color Printer: * Scanner: * Combined: == Less problematic Hardware == Your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is much lower. However, you might face some jank, some features might not work, and stuff might not be flawless. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. There are people defending Nvidia, but most people recommend AMD. AMD and Nvidia both work, and you'll ''probably'' be fine with either. However: * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), but they are no option for gaming. **If you want long support, AMD is the way to go, as support is essentially never dropped. * Nvidia provides proprietary day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, due to not being FOSS. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s Blame Nvidia if you have problems]. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], which works in a similar way, but doesn't look as good. * If you buy a very old GPU, make sure that it has Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth, and even those often work. You might face problems if you have a device with two GPUs (should be solvable), or other special components (fingerprint reader, etc - might not be solvable). * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***<small>Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack.</small> ***<small>Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger).</small> ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB Digital/Audio converter === *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with [[Misc#Changing%20Mouse%20settings%20(DPI%252C%20lift%20of%20distance%252C%20etc)|booting Windows once to change the settings]] (and you don't need to change them all the time), buy whatever you want. This section is for mice that have native Linux support for settings, including RGB. All mice are required to have a flawless sensor (there is no advantage in being able to change settings if you don't hit anything, right?). * Big size: * Medium size: * Small size: * Many buttons: * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * b79153d0356b36291f79554082356dd5e58432f6 665 664 2022-03-18T19:25:02Z Aragorn 3 /* GPUs */ wikitext text/x-wiki Hardware compatibility with Linux is sometimes tricky. You can not buy just anything and expect it to work. Some manufacturers don't support Linux at all, and sometimes the support is not good. This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware categories. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. If you buy wrong, you might end up with completely incompatible hardware. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. The important thing in the sticks is the chip. Manufacturers sometimes have the same model with different chips. Chips that often work, are Qualcomm Atheros, and [https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005511/wireless.html Intel]. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. * Laser Printer: * Color Printer: * Scanner: * Combined: == Less problematic Hardware == Your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is much lower. However, you might face some jank, some features might not work, and stuff might not be flawless. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. There are people defending Nvidia, but most people recommend AMD. AMD and Nvidia both work, and you'll ''probably'' be fine with either. However: * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), but they are no option for gaming. **If you want long support, AMD is the way to go, as support is essentially never dropped. * Nvidia provides proprietary day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, due to not being FOSS. As said, you'll probably going to be fine, but if you're not, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s blame Nvidia]. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], which works in a similar way, but doesn't look as good. * If you buy a very old GPU, make sure that it has Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth, and even those often work. You might face problems if you have a device with two GPUs (should be solvable), or other special components (fingerprint reader, etc - might not be solvable). * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***<small>Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack.</small> ***<small>Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger).</small> ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB Digital/Audio converter === *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with [[Misc#Changing%20Mouse%20settings%20(DPI%252C%20lift%20of%20distance%252C%20etc)|booting Windows once to change the settings]] (and you don't need to change them all the time), buy whatever you want. This section is for mice that have native Linux support for settings, including RGB. All mice are required to have a flawless sensor (there is no advantage in being able to change settings if you don't hit anything, right?). * Big size: * Medium size: * Small size: * Many buttons: * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 7ef2ed9b3e3bb125553a8b27b72c2e4acd6cd784 666 665 2022-03-18T19:25:39Z Aragorn 3 /* GPUs */ wikitext text/x-wiki Hardware compatibility with Linux is sometimes tricky. You can not buy just anything and expect it to work. Some manufacturers don't support Linux at all, and sometimes the support is not good. This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware categories. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. If you buy wrong, you might end up with completely incompatible hardware. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. The important thing in the sticks is the chip. Manufacturers sometimes have the same model with different chips. Chips that often work, are Qualcomm Atheros, and [https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005511/wireless.html Intel]. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. * Laser Printer: * Color Printer: * Scanner: * Combined: == Less problematic Hardware == Your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is much lower. However, you might face some jank, some features might not work, and stuff might not be flawless. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. There are people defending Nvidia, but most people recommend AMD. AMD and Nvidia both work, and you'll ''probably'' be fine with either. However: * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), but they are no option for gaming. **If you want long support, AMD is the way to go, as support is essentially never dropped. * Nvidia provides proprietary day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, due to not being FOSS. As said, you're ''probably'' going to be fine, but if you're not, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s blame Nvidia]. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], which works in a similar way, but doesn't look as good. * If you buy a very old GPU, make sure that it has Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth, and even those often work. You might face problems if you have a device with two GPUs (should be solvable), or other special components (fingerprint reader, etc - might not be solvable). * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***<small>Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack.</small> ***<small>Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger).</small> ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB Digital/Audio converter === *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with [[Misc#Changing%20Mouse%20settings%20(DPI%252C%20lift%20of%20distance%252C%20etc)|booting Windows once to change the settings]] (and you don't need to change them all the time), buy whatever you want. This section is for mice that have native Linux support for settings, including RGB. All mice are required to have a flawless sensor (there is no advantage in being able to change settings if you don't hit anything, right?). * Big size: * Medium size: * Small size: * Many buttons: * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 63dd933f36b12dc5f0a2b49993ac3369370ff604 667 666 2022-03-18T19:28:12Z Aragorn 3 /* GPUs */ wikitext text/x-wiki Hardware compatibility with Linux is sometimes tricky. You can not buy just anything and expect it to work. Some manufacturers don't support Linux at all, and sometimes the support is not good. This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware categories. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. If you buy wrong, you might end up with completely incompatible hardware. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. The important thing in the sticks is the chip. Manufacturers sometimes have the same model with different chips. Chips that often work, are Qualcomm Atheros, and [https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005511/wireless.html Intel]. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. * Laser Printer: * Color Printer: * Scanner: * Combined: == Less problematic Hardware == Your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is much lower. However, you might face some jank, some features might not work, and stuff might not be flawless. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. There are people defending Nvidia, but most people recommend AMD if you're going to buy a new GPU. AMD and Nvidia both work, and you'll ''probably'' be fine with either. However: * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), but they are no option for gaming. **If you want long support, AMD is the way to go, as support is essentially never dropped. * Nvidia provides proprietary day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, due to not being FOSS. As said, you're ''probably'' going to be fine, but if you're not, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s blame Nvidia]. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], which works in a similar way, but doesn't look as good. [https://slow.pics/c/wQOrWj4f FSR 2.0 looks promising]. * If you buy a very old GPU, make sure that it has Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth, and even those often work. You might face problems if you have a device with two GPUs (should be solvable), or other special components (fingerprint reader, etc - might not be solvable). * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***<small>Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack.</small> ***<small>Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger).</small> ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB Digital/Audio converter === *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with [[Misc#Changing%20Mouse%20settings%20(DPI%252C%20lift%20of%20distance%252C%20etc)|booting Windows once to change the settings]] (and you don't need to change them all the time), buy whatever you want. This section is for mice that have native Linux support for settings, including RGB. All mice are required to have a flawless sensor (there is no advantage in being able to change settings if you don't hit anything, right?). * Big size: * Medium size: * Small size: * Many buttons: * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 13a7ca37bb375d522191041c01781b116a9e9792 668 667 2022-03-18T19:37:10Z Aragorn 3 /* GPUs */ wikitext text/x-wiki Hardware compatibility with Linux is sometimes tricky. You can not buy just anything and expect it to work. Some manufacturers don't support Linux at all, and sometimes the support is not good. This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware categories. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a date in the form YYYY-MM-DD. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. If you buy wrong, you might end up with completely incompatible hardware. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. The important thing in the sticks is the chip. Manufacturers sometimes have the same model with different chips. Chips that often work, are Qualcomm Atheros, and [https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005511/wireless.html Intel]. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. * Laser Printer: * Color Printer: * Scanner: * Combined: == Less problematic Hardware == Your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is much lower. However, you might face some jank, some features might not work, and stuff might not be flawless. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. If you want to read more about it, you might find something in [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/tdmup7/unpopular_opinion_i_feel_like_the_whole_nvidia/ this reddit post]. AMD and Nvidia both work, and you'll ''probably'' be fine with either. However: * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), but they are no option for gaming. **If you want long support, AMD is the way to go, as support is essentially never dropped. * Nvidia provides proprietary day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, due to not being FOSS. There might be some delayed features, or some bugs. But as said, you're ''probably'' going to be fine. If you're not, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s blame Nvidia]. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], which works in a similar way, but doesn't look as good. [https://slow.pics/c/wQOrWj4f FSR 2.0 looks promising]. * If you buy a very old GPU, make sure that it has Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth, and even those often work. You might face problems if you have a device with two GPUs (should be solvable), or other special components (fingerprint reader, etc - might not be solvable). * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03-10 ***<small>Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack.</small> ***<small>Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger).</small> ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03-10 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB Digital/Audio converter === *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03-10 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03-10 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with [[Misc#Changing%20Mouse%20settings%20(DPI%252C%20lift%20of%20distance%252C%20etc)|booting Windows once to change the settings]] (and you don't need to change them all the time), buy whatever you want. This section is for mice that have native Linux support for settings, including RGB. All mice are required to have a flawless sensor (there is no advantage in being able to change settings if you don't hit anything, right?). * Big size: * Medium size: * Small size: * Many buttons: * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * debbddc8b691f1fff548de24e897fad73a396a16 669 668 2022-03-19T12:18:56Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Hardware compatibility with Linux is sometimes tricky. You can not buy just anything and expect it to work. Some manufacturers don't support Linux at all, and sometimes the support is not good. This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware categories. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a timestamp in the form YYYY-MM. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. If you buy wrong, you might end up with completely incompatible hardware. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. The important thing in the sticks is the chip. Manufacturers sometimes have the same model with different chips. Chips that often work, are Qualcomm Atheros, and [https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005511/wireless.html Intel]. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. * Laser Printer: * Color Printer: * Scanner: * Combined: == Less problematic Hardware == Your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is much lower. However, you might face some jank, some features might not work, and stuff might not be flawless. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. If you want to read more about it, you might find something in [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/tdmup7/unpopular_opinion_i_feel_like_the_whole_nvidia/ this reddit post]. AMD and Nvidia both work, and you'll ''probably'' be fine with either. However: * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), but they are no option for gaming. **If you want long support, AMD is the way to go, as support is essentially never dropped. * Nvidia provides proprietary day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, due to not being FOSS. There might be some delayed features, or some bugs. But as said, you're ''probably'' going to be fine. If you're not, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s blame Nvidia]. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], which works in a similar way, but doesn't look as good. [https://slow.pics/c/wQOrWj4f FSR 2.0 looks promising]. * If you buy a very old GPU, make sure that it has Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth, and even those often work. You might face problems if you have a device with two GPUs (should be solvable), or other special components (fingerprint reader, etc - might not be solvable). * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03 ***<small>Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack.</small> ***<small>Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger).</small> ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB Digital/Audio converter === *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with [[Misc#Changing%20Mouse%20settings%20(DPI%252C%20lift%20of%20distance%252C%20etc)|booting Windows once to change the settings]] (and you don't need to change them all the time), buy whatever you want. This section is for mice that have native Linux support for settings, including RGB. All mice are required to have a flawless sensor (there is no advantage in being able to change settings if you don't hit anything, right?). * Big size: * Medium size: * Small size: * Many buttons: * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 43e4866dd60b4be0d7787d99d0e5018bed06d652 672 669 2022-03-19T12:20:32Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Hardware compatibility with Linux is sometimes tricky. You can not buy just anything and expect it to work. Some manufacturers don't support Linux at all, and sometimes the support is not good. This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware categories. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Regarding specific recommendations. Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a timestamp in the form YYYY-MM. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. If you buy wrong, you might end up with completely incompatible hardware. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. The important thing in the sticks is the chip. Manufacturers sometimes have the same model with different chips. Chips that often work, are Qualcomm Atheros, and [https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005511/wireless.html Intel]. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. * Laser Printer: * Color Printer: * Scanner: * Combined: == Less problematic Hardware == Your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is much lower. However, you might face some jank, some features might not work, and stuff might not be flawless. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. If you want to read more about it, you might find something in [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/tdmup7/unpopular_opinion_i_feel_like_the_whole_nvidia/ this reddit post]. AMD and Nvidia both work, and you'll ''probably'' be fine with either. However: * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), but they are no option for gaming. **If you want long support, AMD is the way to go, as support is essentially never dropped. * Nvidia provides proprietary day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, due to not being FOSS. There might be some delayed features, or some bugs. But as said, you're ''probably'' going to be fine. If you're not, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s blame Nvidia]. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], which works in a similar way, but doesn't look as good. [https://slow.pics/c/wQOrWj4f FSR 2.0 looks promising]. * If you buy a very old GPU, make sure that it has Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth, and even those often work. You might face problems if you have a device with two GPUs (should be solvable), or other special components (fingerprint reader, etc - might not be solvable). * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03 ***<small>Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack.</small> ***<small>Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger).</small> ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB Digital/Audio converter === *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with [[Misc#Changing%20Mouse%20settings%20(DPI%252C%20lift%20of%20distance%252C%20etc)|booting Windows once to change the settings]] (and you don't need to change them all the time), buy whatever you want. This section is for mice that have native Linux support for settings, including RGB. All mice are required to have a flawless sensor (there is no advantage in being able to change settings if you don't hit anything, right?). * Big size: * Medium size: * Small size: * Many buttons: * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 99c430dddc30c0b2ad2147b1601e305d285c40e6 673 672 2022-03-19T12:22:48Z Aragorn 3 /* GPUs */ wikitext text/x-wiki Hardware compatibility with Linux is sometimes tricky. You can not buy just anything and expect it to work. Some manufacturers don't support Linux at all, and sometimes the support is not good. This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware categories. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Regarding specific recommendations. Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a timestamp in the form YYYY-MM. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. If you buy wrong, you might end up with completely incompatible hardware. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. The important thing in the sticks is the chip. Manufacturers sometimes have the same model with different chips. Chips that often work, are Qualcomm Atheros, and [https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005511/wireless.html Intel]. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. * Laser Printer: * Color Printer: * Scanner: * Combined: == Less problematic Hardware == Your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is much lower. However, you might face some jank, some features might not work, and stuff might not be flawless. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. If you want to read more about it, you might find something in [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/tdmup7/unpopular_opinion_i_feel_like_the_whole_nvidia/ this reddit post]. AMD and Nvidia both work, and you'll ''probably'' be fine with either. However: * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), but they are no option for gaming. **If you want long support, AMD is the way to go, as support is essentially never dropped. * Nvidia provides proprietary day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, due to not being FOSS. There might be some delayed features, or some bugs. But as said, you're ''probably'' going to be fine. If you're not, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s blame Nvidia]. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], which works in a similar way, but doesn't look as good. * If you buy a very old GPU, make sure that it has Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth, and even those often work. You might face problems if you have a device with two GPUs (should be solvable), or other special components (fingerprint reader, etc - might not be solvable). * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03 ***<small>Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack.</small> ***<small>Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger).</small> ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB Digital/Audio converter === *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with [[Misc#Changing%20Mouse%20settings%20(DPI%252C%20lift%20of%20distance%252C%20etc)|booting Windows once to change the settings]] (and you don't need to change them all the time), buy whatever you want. This section is for mice that have native Linux support for settings, including RGB. All mice are required to have a flawless sensor (there is no advantage in being able to change settings if you don't hit anything, right?). * Big size: * Medium size: * Small size: * Many buttons: * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 8bc11257d5d6cdbc6301ac24a3b30b1f40591f55 0 46 670 543 2022-03-19T12:19:32Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki An extensive list of hardware that is known to work. If the device requires tweaking, please mention the tweaking steps. The criteria are not as strict as in the [[Hardware Recommendations|hardware recommendations]] list, but all mentioned hardware should still be somewhat "worthy" for a gaming PC. We really don't need 20 years old Bluetooth sticks, even if they work out of the box. If possible, also add a price and a date in the form YYYY-MM. ==GPUs== {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |AMD |RX 5700XT | | |2022-03 |none |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | |} ==WiFi Sticks== ===2.4Ghz=== ===5Ghz=== ==Bluetooth Sticks== {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Mpow |Bluetooth 5.1 USB-Adapter | | | |none |- |DIGITUS |DN-30210-1 ''up to 10 m range'' ''Bluetooth® 4.0 & 3.0'' ''Full-speed USB 2.0 interface'' |EU |7,05€ |2022-03 |none |- | | | | | | |} ==Bluetooth Headphones== {| class="wikitable" |+Noise Cancelling Over Ear !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Sony |WH-1000XM4 |EU |250€ |2022-03 |none |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} ===Noise Cancelling In-Ear=== ===Over-Ear=== ===In-Ear=== ==Mainboard== ===AMD=== ====AM3==== {| class="wikitable" |+AM4 !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |MSI |B550 MAG Tomahawk |EU |140€ |2022-03 |Fan control not working out of the box. Requires [https://github.com/Fred78290/nct6687d kernel module]. For Arch: Module is available in the [https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/nct6687d-dkms-git AUR]. |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} ===Intel=== ====Sandy Bridge==== ==Printer/Scanner== {| class="wikitable" |+Combined devices !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Samsung |SCX-4200R | | |2022-03 |None |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} {| class="wikitable" |+Printer !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} {| class="wikitable" |+Scanner !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} == Mice == {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !What works !Untested !Sensor !Extra Buttons !Tweaking Steps |- |Steel Series |Rival 300 | | | |DPI, static RGB |RGB settings in Linux |flawless |3 |Boot Windows (for example in a VM + pass through the mouse) and set settings there |- | | | | | | | | | | |- | | | | | | | | | | |} == USB audio converter == {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Sharkoon |Gaming DAC Pro S V2 |EU |30€ |2022-03 |None |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} == Microphones == {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Samson |Meteor Mic |EU |45€ |2022-03 |None |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} dab6a5a7da7a99efa8ed15da933ee477e708693d 671 670 2022-03-19T12:19:45Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki An extensive list of hardware that is known to work. If the device requires tweaking, please mention the tweaking steps. The criteria are not as strict as in the [[Hardware Recommendations|hardware recommendations]] list, but all mentioned hardware should still be somewhat "worthy" for a gaming PC. We really don't need 20 years old Bluetooth sticks, even if they work out of the box. If possible, also add a price and a timestamp in the form YYYY-MM. ==GPUs== {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |AMD |RX 5700XT | | |2022-03 |none |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | |} ==WiFi Sticks== ===2.4Ghz=== ===5Ghz=== ==Bluetooth Sticks== {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Mpow |Bluetooth 5.1 USB-Adapter | | | |none |- |DIGITUS |DN-30210-1 ''up to 10 m range'' ''Bluetooth® 4.0 & 3.0'' ''Full-speed USB 2.0 interface'' |EU |7,05€ |2022-03 |none |- | | | | | | |} ==Bluetooth Headphones== {| class="wikitable" |+Noise Cancelling Over Ear !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Sony |WH-1000XM4 |EU |250€ |2022-03 |none |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} ===Noise Cancelling In-Ear=== ===Over-Ear=== ===In-Ear=== ==Mainboard== ===AMD=== ====AM3==== {| class="wikitable" |+AM4 !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |MSI |B550 MAG Tomahawk |EU |140€ |2022-03 |Fan control not working out of the box. Requires [https://github.com/Fred78290/nct6687d kernel module]. For Arch: Module is available in the [https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/nct6687d-dkms-git AUR]. |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} ===Intel=== ====Sandy Bridge==== ==Printer/Scanner== {| class="wikitable" |+Combined devices !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Samsung |SCX-4200R | | |2022-03 |None |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} {| class="wikitable" |+Printer !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} {| class="wikitable" |+Scanner !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} == Mice == {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !What works !Untested !Sensor !Extra Buttons !Tweaking Steps |- |Steel Series |Rival 300 | | | |DPI, static RGB |RGB settings in Linux |flawless |3 |Boot Windows (for example in a VM + pass through the mouse) and set settings there |- | | | | | | | | | | |- | | | | | | | | | | |} == USB audio converter == {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Sharkoon |Gaming DAC Pro S V2 |EU |30€ |2022-03 |None |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} == Microphones == {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Samson |Meteor Mic |EU |45€ |2022-03 |None |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} faa562d9b2797650fc2f13fa7e8f6306d7387106 0 34 678 648 2022-03-20T23:48:09Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki It is recommended to read the [[Getting started with Linux|long version]], but you should be fine if you just do the following:<ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. You will probably not be able to use the software that you're used to. But usually there is different software that might even be better.</li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have [[Hardware Recommendations|supported hardware]]. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle, or without bugs. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you can choose your GPU, choose AMD. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] and [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use Steam for running games that are on Steam. Most games will work ''just like that'', after [[Steam#Enable Steam Play for all games|enabling Steam Play for all games]].</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other games.</li> <li><p>[[Compositor|Disable Composition]]: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it.</p></li> <li><p>If your performance is bad, read [[Improving performance|this article]].</p></li> <li><p>When Linux gives you a warning, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when [[How to get answers|asking for help]].</p></li><li><p>You (almost) never download software or drivers in the browser. Doing this is a really bad idea, and should only be your last resort if everything else fails. Just look up your distribution (Pop!_OS if you follow our recommendation) + the software, and you should find a better solution (for example a ''ppa'').</p></li><li><p>If you don't like the look, it can easily be changed. Just [https://support.system76.com/articles/desktop-environment/ install a different desktop environment]. KDE Plasma would be a popular choice that looks a lot like Windows, is very customizable, and very comfortable to use. </p></li></ul> 8c78242fad1ced0d8ed200a69d0ca1f266e973a4 0 2 691 597 2022-03-22T18:02:30Z 86.49.255.242 0 Added Kali linux to not recommended distros. wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == The software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. If you've done that and there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. Bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto] * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == The swap (Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux) == If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! ! Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- | Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- | Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for penetration testing only! |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==The habit (what to do after the installation)== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! === Installing Software === If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things === Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. == Windows compatibility== So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exe) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [[Bottles]] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam games, and [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] for compatibility with all other games. You can find all kinds of programs (including games that are not on protondb or lutris) in the wine [https://appdb.winehq.org/ AppDB]. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. === Manually running wine === You typically would not want to do this, this is just for educational purpose. First, let's install Wine. <pre>sudo apt install wine</pre> On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you would open a terminal and type (credit to [[u/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running): <pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> ===DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D=== What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[u/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and [[Lutris]] both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily [[Improving performance|optimized Linux install]]. Your default experience will be worse. ==Troubleshooting== *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. b14f983752c2cb5cefa6ed559b912250a32d01f9 0 50 692 631 2022-03-22T18:24:23Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki You might see some terms you are not familiar with. Here is a collection of some that might help you. {| class="wikitable" |+ !Term !Abbreviation !Explanation |- |Distribution |Distro |The "type" of Linux you are using. Examples: Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, Debian, Arch, ... |- |Desktop Environment |DE |How your Linux looks like. Think of the difference between Windows 7, 10, and 11. Unlike on Windows, this can be changed without reinstalling your system. Examples: KDE Plasma, or Gnome. |- |Window Manager |WM |Arranges your windows at the place you want them to be. Examples: kwin, mutter, i3, qtile, awesomewm, or sway. |- |[[Compositor]] | |Makes visual effects, but costs performance. |- |Package manager | |Essential part of your distro, has the purpose of downloading, installing, and removing packages. Examples: apt, or pacman. |- |Package | |Program, part of a program, or library |- |Library | |Collection of stuff that programs use to function. Typically has the ending ''.so''. (on windows this would be ''.dll'') |- |[[Terminal]] | |Black window with text. Essentially a different way to operate your system. |- |Display Manager | |Starts your DE. Examples: sddm, or gdm. |- |Shell | |The "environment" you have in the terminal. For example zsh, fish, or bash. |- |Display Server | |Draws stuff on the screen. Can be either x.org, or wayland. |- |Kernel | |The "heart" of your system. If a program wants specific resources (reading/writing a file, or getting processing time for example), it asks the kernel, and the kernel delivers them. Linux is actually just the kernel, but most people refer to the whole system (the distribution) when saying "Linux". Like any other part of your system, you can easily change the kernel, too. This can be a good idea if you want extra performance. Examples: linux, linux-lts, linux-zen, linux-tkg-pds, linux-tkg-bmq, xanmod, ... |} 698d927275fdd0375bc275f74e328cc116783d4f 693 692 2022-03-22T18:24:42Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki You might see some terms you are not familiar with. Here is a collection of some that might help you. {| class="wikitable" |+ !Term !Abbreviation !Explanation |- |Distribution |Distro |The "type" of Linux you are using. Examples: Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, Debian, Arch, ... |- |Desktop Environment |DE |How your Linux looks like. Think of the difference between Windows 7, 10, and 11. Unlike on Windows, this can be changed without reinstalling your system. Examples: KDE Plasma, or Gnome. |- |Window Manager |WM |Arranges your windows at the place you want them to be. Examples: kwin, mutter, i3, qtile, awesomewm, or sway. |- |[[Compositor]] | |Makes visual effects, but costs performance. |- |Package manager | |Essential part of your distro, has the purpose of downloading, installing, and removing packages. Examples: apt, or pacman. |- |Package | |Program, part of a program, or library |- |Library | |Collection of stuff that programs use to function. Typically has the ending ''.so''. (on windows this would be ''.dll'') |- |[[Terminal]] | |Black window with text. Essentially a different way to operate your system. |- |Display Manager | |Starts your DE. Examples: sddm, or gdm. |- |Shell | |The "environment" you have in the terminal. Examples: zsh, fish, or bash. |- |Display Server | |Draws stuff on the screen. Can be either x.org, or wayland. |- |Kernel | |The "heart" of your system. If a program wants specific resources (reading/writing a file, or getting processing time for example), it asks the kernel, and the kernel delivers them. Linux is actually just the kernel, but most people refer to the whole system (the distribution) when saying "Linux". Like any other part of your system, you can easily change the kernel, too. This can be a good idea if you want extra performance. Examples: linux, linux-lts, linux-zen, linux-tkg-pds, linux-tkg-bmq, xanmod, ... |} 3c36379f99474e2bba32cfbaedaaae8c70add66e 0 52 697 2022-03-22T23:34:21Z Aragorn 3 Created page with "Environment variables are settings that are passed to programs. == General usage == Environment variables can be written in front of the command that is executed. Syntax: <code>environmentVariable=value myProgram</code>. For example, if you want to pass the variable <code>EDITOR</code> set to <code>nano</code> to <code>crontab -e</code>, you could run <code>EDITOR=nano crontab -e</code>. == Lutris == Let's say you want to enable dxvk_async, so you want to pass <code>D..." wikitext text/x-wiki Environment variables are settings that are passed to programs. == General usage == Environment variables can be written in front of the command that is executed. Syntax: <code>environmentVariable=value myProgram</code>. For example, if you want to pass the variable <code>EDITOR</code> set to <code>nano</code> to <code>crontab -e</code>, you could run <code>EDITOR=nano crontab -e</code>. == Lutris == Let's say you want to enable dxvk_async, so you want to pass <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code> to your game. *Right click your game, click Configure *Click ''System options'' and scroll down to ''Environment Variables'' *Click ''Add'' and input <code>DXVK_ASYNC</code> into the ''Key'' box, and <code>1</code> into ''Value''. c2da720fd9e0b7e18e59660a8bbc5917c1466750 699 697 2022-03-22T23:42:30Z Aragorn 3 /* General usage */ wikitext text/x-wiki Environment variables are settings that are passed to programs. == General usage == Environment variables can be written in front of the command that is executed. Syntax: <code>environmentVariable=value myProgram</code>. For example, if you want to pass the variable <code>EDITOR</code> set to <code>nano</code> to <code>crontab -e</code>, you could run <code>EDITOR=nano crontab -e</code>. If you want to pass more than one variable, just write a space between them, for example <code>LANG=en EDITOR=nano crontab -e</code> == Lutris == Let's say you want to enable dxvk_async, so you want to pass <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code> to your game. *Right click your game, click Configure *Click ''System options'' and scroll down to ''Environment Variables'' *Click ''Add'' and input <code>DXVK_ASYNC</code> into the ''Key'' box, and <code>1</code> into ''Value''. == Steam == Let's say you want to enable dxvk_async, so you want to pass <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code> to your game. * Go to your library, right click your game, click ''Properties'' * In the ''General'' tab, you see ''Launch Options'' * Input <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1 %command%</code> in the box below == Heroic == Let's say you want to enable dxvk_async, so you want to pass <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code> to your game. * Go to your library, click your game, and click ''settings'' * In the ''other'' tab, you see ''Advanced Options (Environment Variables)'' * Input <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1 %command%</code> in the box below 82c5b0506f450a572a232f3739ccb0c70b5a9ffc 700 699 2022-03-22T23:43:56Z Aragorn 3 /* Steam */ wikitext text/x-wiki Environment variables are settings that are passed to programs. == General usage == Environment variables can be written in front of the command that is executed. Syntax: <code>environmentVariable=value myProgram</code>. For example, if you want to pass the variable <code>EDITOR</code> set to <code>nano</code> to <code>crontab -e</code>, you could run <code>EDITOR=nano crontab -e</code>. If you want to pass more than one variable, just write a space between them, for example <code>LANG=en EDITOR=nano crontab -e</code> == Lutris == Let's say you want to enable dxvk_async, so you want to pass <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code> to your game. *Right click your game, click Configure *Click ''System options'' and scroll down to ''Environment Variables'' *Click ''Add'' and input <code>DXVK_ASYNC</code> into the ''Key'' box, and <code>1</code> into ''Value''. == Steam == Let's say you want to enable FSR, so you want to pass <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FS=1</code> to your game. * Go to your library, right click your game, click ''Properties'' * In the ''General'' tab, you see ''Launch Options'' * Input <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FS=1 %command%</code> in the box below == Heroic == Let's say you want to enable dxvk_async, so you want to pass <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code> to your game. * Go to your library, click your game, and click ''settings'' * In the ''other'' tab, you see ''Advanced Options (Environment Variables)'' * Input <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code> in the box below dcc8825825b8ef223c251bc0767d5b64cf5d87b5 0 3 698 157 2022-03-22T23:34:49Z Aragorn 3 /* Setup */ wikitext text/x-wiki FSR can be used to get better performance in games at the cost of visuals. It is comparable with DLSS, but can be applied to every game that runs with wine. There are several modes from ultra quality to maximum performance. For example, it is possible to double your FPS with very little visual loss. FSR only works if the game is GPU limited (your GPU runs at 100%). Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The performance difference might be even bigger if your VRAM is not big enough. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Setup == * Set <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FS=1</code> as [[Environment variables|environment variable]] * In game set your setting according to the table on page 10 of [https://github.com/GPUOpen-Effects/FidelityFX-FSR/blob/master/docs/FidelityFX-FSR-Overview-Integration.pdf this] document: For example, if you want to have Ultra Quality, and your output resolution (the resolution of your actualy monitor) is 1920x1080, you set your ingame resolution to 1477x831. Setting your ingame resolution to your output resolution disables FSR. * In game ** Enable anti aliasing (TAA, MSAA, FXAA, ...) ** Disable effects that generate noise (like Motion Blur, Blur, Chromatic Aberration, Sharpening, etc.) * As of now you need to use the tkg version of wine, and MIP-Bias is not yet implemented. == More configuration options == You can add more options with [[environment variables]]: * <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR_STRENGTH=4</code> This sharpens the image. 4 is an example value. 0 is maximum sharpness, higher values mean less sharpening. (I think 5 is the maximum. If you know more, please edit this.) The default is 2 but this is probably too much for your game. Just experiment with different values. * <code>WINE_VULKAN_NEGATIVE_MIP_BIAS=45</code> This results in textures with higher resolution. 45 is an example value. AMD recommends: {| class="wikitable" !Quality Setting !MIP Bias |- |Ultra Quality |38 |- |Quality |58 |- |Balanced |79 |- |Performance |100 |} * <code>WINE_VULKAN_BIAS_ALL_SAMPLER=1</code> This applies the MIP Bias to everything. 1 is enabled, 0 is disabled. This can result in weird game behaviour. == Examples == * [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/q3dl6y/witcher_3_fsr_is_working_great/ Witcher 3] e631a3b5b4285c02a7edfae43076006e5bad6a2e 0 52 701 700 2022-03-22T23:45:51Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Environment variables are settings that are passed to programs. == General usage == Environment variables can be written in front of the command that is executed. Syntax: <code>environmentVariable=value myProgram</code>. For example, if you want to pass the variable <code>EDITOR</code> set to <code>nano</code> to <code>crontab -e</code>, you could run <code>EDITOR=nano crontab -e</code>. If you want to pass more than one variable, just write a space between them, for example <code>LANG=en EDITOR=nano crontab -e</code> == Lutris == Let's say you want to enable dxvk_async, so you want to pass <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code> to your game. *Right click your game, click Configure *Click ''System options'' and scroll down to ''Environment Variables'' *Click ''Add'' and input <code>DXVK_ASYNC</code> into the ''Key'' box, and <code>1</code> into ''Value''. == Steam == Let's say you want to enable FSR, so you want to pass <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FS=1</code> to your game. * Go to your library, right click your game, click ''Properties'' * In the ''General'' tab, you see ''Launch Options'' * Input <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FS=1 %command%</code> in the box below == Heroic == Let's say you want to enable dxvk_async, ''and'' FSR, ''and'' you want to set the strength to 4, so you want to pass <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FS=1</code> and <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR_STRENGTH=4</code>to your game. * Go to your library, click your game, and click ''settings'' * In the ''other'' tab, you see ''Advanced Options (Environment Variables)'' * Input <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1 W</code><code>INE_FULLSCREEN_FS=1 WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR_STRENGTH=4</code> in the box below a1d83edec9ae59a7f33fc372afcf50f3363f11af 702 701 2022-03-22T23:46:13Z Aragorn 3 /* Heroic */ wikitext text/x-wiki Environment variables are settings that are passed to programs. == General usage == Environment variables can be written in front of the command that is executed. Syntax: <code>environmentVariable=value myProgram</code>. For example, if you want to pass the variable <code>EDITOR</code> set to <code>nano</code> to <code>crontab -e</code>, you could run <code>EDITOR=nano crontab -e</code>. If you want to pass more than one variable, just write a space between them, for example <code>LANG=en EDITOR=nano crontab -e</code> == Lutris == Let's say you want to enable dxvk_async, so you want to pass <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code> to your game. *Right click your game, click Configure *Click ''System options'' and scroll down to ''Environment Variables'' *Click ''Add'' and input <code>DXVK_ASYNC</code> into the ''Key'' box, and <code>1</code> into ''Value''. == Steam == Let's say you want to enable FSR, so you want to pass <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FS=1</code> to your game. * Go to your library, right click your game, click ''Properties'' * In the ''General'' tab, you see ''Launch Options'' * Input <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FS=1 %command%</code> in the box below == Heroic == Let's say you want to enable dxvk_async, ''and'' FSR, ''and'' you want to set the strength to 4, so you want to pass <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>, <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FS=1</code> and <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR_STRENGTH=4</code>to your game. * Go to your library, click your game, and click ''settings'' * In the ''other'' tab, you see ''Advanced Options (Environment Variables)'' * Input <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1 W</code><code>INE_FULLSCREEN_FS=1 WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR_STRENGTH=4</code> in the box below 4625ed6fbf949a04d7be57177746f1b206c9b793 703 702 2022-03-22T23:46:37Z Aragorn 3 /* Heroic */ wikitext text/x-wiki Environment variables are settings that are passed to programs. == General usage == Environment variables can be written in front of the command that is executed. Syntax: <code>environmentVariable=value myProgram</code>. For example, if you want to pass the variable <code>EDITOR</code> set to <code>nano</code> to <code>crontab -e</code>, you could run <code>EDITOR=nano crontab -e</code>. If you want to pass more than one variable, just write a space between them, for example <code>LANG=en EDITOR=nano crontab -e</code> == Lutris == Let's say you want to enable dxvk_async, so you want to pass <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code> to your game. *Right click your game, click Configure *Click ''System options'' and scroll down to ''Environment Variables'' *Click ''Add'' and input <code>DXVK_ASYNC</code> into the ''Key'' box, and <code>1</code> into ''Value''. == Steam == Let's say you want to enable FSR, so you want to pass <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FS=1</code> to your game. * Go to your library, right click your game, click ''Properties'' * In the ''General'' tab, you see ''Launch Options'' * Input <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FS=1 %command%</code> in the box below == Heroic == Let's say you want to enable dxvk_async, ''and'' FSR, ''and'' you want to set the strength to 4, so you want to pass <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>, <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FS=1</code> and <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR_STRENGTH=4</code>to your game. * Go to your library, click your game, and click ''settings'' * In the ''other'' tab, you see ''Advanced Options (Environment Variables)'' * Input <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1 WINE_FULLSCREEN_FS=1 WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR_STRENGTH=4</code> in the box below 18d66c9bbb23ab1da3d9ec8a9a6a573020ca543b 705 703 2022-03-22T23:47:00Z Aragorn 3 /* Heroic */ wikitext text/x-wiki Environment variables are settings that are passed to programs. == General usage == Environment variables can be written in front of the command that is executed. Syntax: <code>environmentVariable=value myProgram</code>. For example, if you want to pass the variable <code>EDITOR</code> set to <code>nano</code> to <code>crontab -e</code>, you could run <code>EDITOR=nano crontab -e</code>. If you want to pass more than one variable, just write a space between them, for example <code>LANG=en EDITOR=nano crontab -e</code> == Lutris == Let's say you want to enable dxvk_async, so you want to pass <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code> to your game. *Right click your game, click Configure *Click ''System options'' and scroll down to ''Environment Variables'' *Click ''Add'' and input <code>DXVK_ASYNC</code> into the ''Key'' box, and <code>1</code> into ''Value''. == Steam == Let's say you want to enable FSR, so you want to pass <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR=1</code> to your game. * Go to your library, right click your game, click ''Properties'' * In the ''General'' tab, you see ''Launch Options'' * Input <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FS=1 %command%</code> in the box below == Heroic == Let's say you want to enable dxvk_async, ''and'' FSR, ''and'' you want to set the strength to 4, so you want to pass <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>, <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FS=1</code> and <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR_STRENGTH=4</code>to your game. * Go to your library, click your game, and click ''settings'' * In the ''other'' tab, you see ''Advanced Options (Environment Variables)'' * Input <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1 WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR=1 WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR_STRENGTH=4</code> in the box below 99959da9ce10390e288be0bb0c22e10d6e7e8e9f 706 705 2022-03-22T23:47:15Z Aragorn 3 /* Heroic */ wikitext text/x-wiki Environment variables are settings that are passed to programs. == General usage == Environment variables can be written in front of the command that is executed. Syntax: <code>environmentVariable=value myProgram</code>. For example, if you want to pass the variable <code>EDITOR</code> set to <code>nano</code> to <code>crontab -e</code>, you could run <code>EDITOR=nano crontab -e</code>. If you want to pass more than one variable, just write a space between them, for example <code>LANG=en EDITOR=nano crontab -e</code> == Lutris == Let's say you want to enable dxvk_async, so you want to pass <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code> to your game. *Right click your game, click Configure *Click ''System options'' and scroll down to ''Environment Variables'' *Click ''Add'' and input <code>DXVK_ASYNC</code> into the ''Key'' box, and <code>1</code> into ''Value''. == Steam == Let's say you want to enable FSR, so you want to pass <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR=1</code> to your game. * Go to your library, right click your game, click ''Properties'' * In the ''General'' tab, you see ''Launch Options'' * Input <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR=1 %command%</code> in the box below == Heroic == Let's say you want to enable dxvk_async, ''and'' FSR, ''and'' you want to set the strength to 4, so you want to pass <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>, <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR=1</code> and <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR_STRENGTH=4</code>to your game. * Go to your library, click your game, and click ''settings'' * In the ''other'' tab, you see ''Advanced Options (Environment Variables)'' * Input <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1 WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR=1 WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR_STRENGTH=4</code> in the box below d036f22e2792e17cacf4c0731b3003f2055ebcfd 707 706 2022-03-22T23:47:55Z Aragorn 3 /* General usage */ wikitext text/x-wiki Environment variables are settings that are passed to programs. == General usage == Environment variables can be written in front of the command that is executed. Syntax: <code>environmentVariable=value command</code>. For example, if you want to pass the variable <code>EDITOR</code> set to <code>nano</code> to <code>crontab -e</code>, you could run <code>EDITOR=nano crontab -e</code>. If you want to pass more than one variable, just write a space between them, for example <code>LANG=en EDITOR=nano crontab -e</code> == Lutris == Let's say you want to enable dxvk_async, so you want to pass <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code> to your game. *Right click your game, click Configure *Click ''System options'' and scroll down to ''Environment Variables'' *Click ''Add'' and input <code>DXVK_ASYNC</code> into the ''Key'' box, and <code>1</code> into ''Value''. == Steam == Let's say you want to enable FSR, so you want to pass <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR=1</code> to your game. * Go to your library, right click your game, click ''Properties'' * In the ''General'' tab, you see ''Launch Options'' * Input <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR=1 %command%</code> in the box below == Heroic == Let's say you want to enable dxvk_async, ''and'' FSR, ''and'' you want to set the strength to 4, so you want to pass <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>, <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR=1</code> and <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR_STRENGTH=4</code>to your game. * Go to your library, click your game, and click ''settings'' * In the ''other'' tab, you see ''Advanced Options (Environment Variables)'' * Input <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1 WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR=1 WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR_STRENGTH=4</code> in the box below d965b01fa92aaf71e959be9f970ae018eaeef8ba 708 707 2022-03-22T23:49:12Z Aragorn 3 /* Heroic */ wikitext text/x-wiki Environment variables are settings that are passed to programs. == General usage == Environment variables can be written in front of the command that is executed. Syntax: <code>environmentVariable=value command</code>. For example, if you want to pass the variable <code>EDITOR</code> set to <code>nano</code> to <code>crontab -e</code>, you could run <code>EDITOR=nano crontab -e</code>. If you want to pass more than one variable, just write a space between them, for example <code>LANG=en EDITOR=nano crontab -e</code> == Lutris == Let's say you want to enable dxvk_async, so you want to pass <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code> to your game. *Right click your game, click Configure *Click ''System options'' and scroll down to ''Environment Variables'' *Click ''Add'' and input <code>DXVK_ASYNC</code> into the ''Key'' box, and <code>1</code> into ''Value''. == Steam == Let's say you want to enable FSR, so you want to pass <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR=1</code> to your game. * Go to your library, right click your game, click ''Properties'' * In the ''General'' tab, you see ''Launch Options'' * Input <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR=1 %command%</code> in the box below == Heroic == Let's say you want to enable dxvk_async, ''and'' FSR, ''and'' you want to set the FSR strength to 4, so you want to pass <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>, <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR=1</code> and <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR_STRENGTH=4</code>to your game. * Go to your library, click your game, and click ''settings'' * In the ''other'' tab, you see ''Advanced Options (Environment Variables)'' * Input <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1 WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR=1 WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR_STRENGTH=4</code> in the box below 71ad7176745736b96eaf7fc3ae36398a4373c739 0 3 704 698 2022-03-22T23:46:57Z Aragorn 3 /* Setup */ wikitext text/x-wiki FSR can be used to get better performance in games at the cost of visuals. It is comparable with DLSS, but can be applied to every game that runs with wine. There are several modes from ultra quality to maximum performance. For example, it is possible to double your FPS with very little visual loss. FSR only works if the game is GPU limited (your GPU runs at 100%). Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The performance difference might be even bigger if your VRAM is not big enough. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Setup == * Set <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR=1</code> as [[Environment variables|environment variable]] * In game set your setting according to the table on page 10 of [https://github.com/GPUOpen-Effects/FidelityFX-FSR/blob/master/docs/FidelityFX-FSR-Overview-Integration.pdf this] document: For example, if you want to have Ultra Quality, and your output resolution (the resolution of your actualy monitor) is 1920x1080, you set your ingame resolution to 1477x831. Setting your ingame resolution to your output resolution disables FSR. * In game ** Enable anti aliasing (TAA, MSAA, FXAA, ...) ** Disable effects that generate noise (like Motion Blur, Blur, Chromatic Aberration, Sharpening, etc.) * As of now you need to use the tkg version of wine, and MIP-Bias is not yet implemented. == More configuration options == You can add more options with [[environment variables]]: * <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR_STRENGTH=4</code> This sharpens the image. 4 is an example value. 0 is maximum sharpness, higher values mean less sharpening. (I think 5 is the maximum. If you know more, please edit this.) The default is 2 but this is probably too much for your game. Just experiment with different values. * <code>WINE_VULKAN_NEGATIVE_MIP_BIAS=45</code> This results in textures with higher resolution. 45 is an example value. AMD recommends: {| class="wikitable" !Quality Setting !MIP Bias |- |Ultra Quality |38 |- |Quality |58 |- |Balanced |79 |- |Performance |100 |} * <code>WINE_VULKAN_BIAS_ALL_SAMPLER=1</code> This applies the MIP Bias to everything. 1 is enabled, 0 is disabled. This can result in weird game behaviour. == Examples == * [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/q3dl6y/witcher_3_fsr_is_working_great/ Witcher 3] cb5d0b104630dea25e1a533b07f809497c2d9fb5 0 41 709 690 2022-03-22T23:50:55Z Aragorn 3 /* Manual Installation */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game mods modify games in some way. A good source for mods is https://www.nexusmods.com. Sometimes they work in the same way as on Windows, but that's not always the case. [[Reshade|Res?hade]] is an example for a modding tool. == Mod Manager == Mod managers that are not native will not set dll overrides. If the installed mod uses dlls, you have to [[Modding#DLL overrides|set the overrides manually]]. === Install mod managers with Wine === You can try installing mod Managers from [[Lutris]], if there is an install script. There are scripts (for older versions of) Vortex and NMM. Otherwise, you can try installing them in the same wine prefix. You could do this for example the following way: * Copy the executable into the wine prefix of your game: <code>~/Games/<your_game>/drive_c/users/<your_name>/Downloads/</code> * In Lutris, click your game, then click on the arrow next to the wine bottle on the bottom of the window. Click <code>Run EXE inside Wine prefix</code> * Locate the exe, and run it. * If it works, you can locate the executable of the installed mod manager, and run it in this way. Otherwise, you can also create a new "game" in the same wine prefix and select the executable there. TODO: describe how. === Install mod managers in a VM === If a mod manager is not working well with wine, you can install Windows in VirtualBox, share your game folder with the VM, and install the mod manager inside the VM. You need to install the guest additions for it to work. In more detail: # Install the game on Linux, for example with Lutris, Heroic, or Steam. # Install Windows in a VM # Share the game folder with the Windows VM # Install a mod manager in the Windows VM # Use the mod manager to install a mod # Play the game that is now modded (on Linux, without VM) Optional: Disable internet access for the VM, and enable drag/drop to copy files easily to the VM. This way, Windows can not send telemetry data, or do unnecessary updates that just take space and processing time. You might even use older (and lighter) versions like Windows 7 if the mod manager is compatible. In this case, you will have to manually download mods, though. == Manual Installation == === DLL overrides === The game can either use ''native'' dlls that come with the game, or use ''builtin'' dlls that come with wine. It (sometimes?/usually?) uses only the ''builtin'' dlls. On Windows, the game would do it the other way around, and first use ''all'' dlls in the game directory, and only if the dll is not there, look somewhere else. Now if you put a different dll from a mod inside the game directory, this will not (not always?) work. That's why you have to tell wine, that it should use the dll from the mod. ==== Example ==== For example, if you want to tell wine to use the ''d3dcompiler_47.dll'' that's in your game folder, and only use the builtin dll if it can't find any dll in the game folder, you would do the following: Open Lutris, click your game, on the bottom, click the up-arrow right next to the wine bottle icon, click <code>Wine configuration</code>, click <code>Libraries</code>, and *insert the name of the dll (without the .dll) <code>d3dcompiler_47</code> in the text box under <code>New override for library</code>. *select it in the list, click <code>Edit</code> and select <code>native, then builtin</code> Alternatively, you could also set <code>WINEDLLOVERRIDES="d3dcompiler_47=n,b"</code> as an [[Environment variables|environment variable]]. === Path names === Linux paths are case sensitive, while Windows paths are not. This leads to mod developers using different folder names when referring to the same folder, for example ''folderName'' and ''Foldername''. If your mod doesn't work, this might be the issue, and you can try changing the names so that they are consistent. == Trainer == You can use [https://github.com/leaty/tuxtrain tuxtrain] or [https://github.com/korcankaraokcu/PINCE PINCE]. == Linux native modding tools == There are some game specific Linux native modding tools, you may find a list [[Game specific modding tools|here]]. bc1ac8a5c8bd9415a7ca3c0ea75c249667607af7 0 30 710 657 2022-03-22T23:54:57Z Aragorn 3 /* Manual[1] */ wikitext text/x-wiki Reshade let's you apply extra shaders. While it's theoretically possible to do this with vkBasalt, it's not yet fully working. You might also want to use some mods that are written for reshade. ==How to install== ===Automatic=== You can use [https://github.com/kevinlekiller/reshade-steam-proton/blob/main/reshade-linux.sh this script]. Note, that executing external scripts is a security risk. You should always read and understand the content of the script before executing it. ===Manual<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/b2hi3g/reshade_working_in_wine_43/</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=dll name for dx12 is missing}} *Get the architecture of your application. If you don't know it, run <code>file /path/to/your/game.exe</code>. The output will either contain '''x86-64''' (64 bit) or '''80386''' (32 bit). *Download: **If your game is 32 bit: https://download-installer.cdn.mozilla.net/pub/firefox/releases/62.0.3/win32/ach/Firefox%20Setup%2062.0.3.exe **If your game is 64 bit: https://download-installer.cdn.mozilla.net/pub/firefox/releases/62.0.3/win64/ach/Firefox%20Setup%2062.0.3.exe *Download the latest version of Reshade: https://reshade.me/ (alternatively download this older version, it should work: https://reshade.me/downloads/ReShade_Setup_4.9.1.exe) *Move both executables to some folder, and extract them with 7zip: **<code>7z e Firefox\ Setup\ 62.0.3.exe</code> **<code>7z e ReShade_Setup_x.y.z.exe</code> (modify x y and z according to the version you downloaded, for example <code>7z e ReShade_Setup_4.9.1.exe</code> for Reshade version 4.9.1) *From the extracted executables, copy following dlls to the folder your game executable is in: **<code>d3dcompiler.dll</code> (coming from Firefox) **<code>Reshade.dll</code> (coming from Reshade). Rename it to ***<code>d3d9.dll</code> if your game uses Directx9 (this is more likely for older games) ***<code>dxgi.dll</code> if your game uses Directx11 (this is more likely for newer games) *Set [[Modding#DLL overrides|dll overrides]] in winecfg, for example with Lutris: **Open Lutris, click your game, on the bottom, click the up-arrow right next to the wine bottle icon, click <code>Wine configuration</code>, click <code>Libraries</code>, insert the name of the dll (without the .dll) in the text box under <code>New override for library</code>: ***<code>d3dcompiler_47</code> ***select it in the list, click <code>Edit</code> and select <code>native, then builtin</code> ***Depending on whether your game uses DX9 or DX11: ****<code>d3d9</code> for DX9 ****<code>dxgi</code> for DX11 ***select it in the list, click <code>Edit</code> and select <code>native (Windows)</code> *Get the shaders and textures: <code>git clone <nowiki>https://github.com/crosire/reshade-shaders.git</nowiki></code> and copy the folders <code>Shaders</code> and <code>Textures</code> into the folder where your game executable is in. * Run your application *Open Reshade (by pressing <code>home</code> or <code>Pos1</code>) *Open settings tab, and add the path <code>./Shaders</code> for shaders and <code>./Textures</code> for textures. == References and notes == <references /> bfd9b4dd8b61dab5bd3ec94db7171703110384a5 0 1 711 640 2022-03-22T23:56:30Z Aragorn 3 /* Other */ wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. === Performance === * [[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Reshade]] - Tool to change colors in your games. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. 558e3c6dc8ab1a309364c4f4d64b5f4d2f754814 738 711 2022-03-23T09:29:20Z Aragorn 3 /* Other */ wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. === Performance === * [[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Reshade]] - Tool to change colors in your games. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs (including games) == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. 9cb1e25f24535f708b7d579bd88e3ee1b7f33705 739 738 2022-03-23T09:29:36Z Aragorn 3 /* Other */ wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. === Performance === * [[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Reshade]] - Tool to change colors in your games. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. eafc6f40925da2c254b38e073ddbc0c395b60136 0 43 712 651 2022-03-23T00:09:08Z Aragorn 3 /* Downsampling */ wikitext text/x-wiki Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. == Watching the temperature == You can use <code>lm_sensors</code>. Before running it for the first time, run <code>sudo sensors-detect</code>. After that, type <code>sensors</code> to see your temperatures. If you want to monitor them for a longer time, type <code>watch sensors</code>. == Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc) == Settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows once, and change stuff there. You can also boot a VM (with KVM) and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings should be kept in Linux. == Audio stuff == === Noise Cancelling === You can use [https://github.com/wwmm/easyeffects EasyEffects] or [https://github.com/lawl/NoiseTorch NoiseTorch]. === Equalizer and more === EasyEffects also has various other audio processing options, like crystalizer, noise gate, equalizer, filter, and much more. NoiseTorch can only cancel noise, but also has the option to tweak how aggressive it cancels noise. === Patching Audio === If you want to have a patchbay to route your audio to various destinations, [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/helvum Helvum] might be what you're looking for. == Make the game look good == === Downsampling === You can use [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope]. For example, use <code>gamescope -w 3840 -h 2160 --</code> as command prefix, to downscale from 4k. If you use it in Lutris, set <code>3840x2160</code> as resolution. You can also use Gamescope if your game doesn't play nicely with your desktop, for example if it doesn't catch your mouse, or if it breaks when loosing focus. === Post Processing === You can use [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) == Bottles == Some people prefer [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] to install games that don't have an install script in [[Lutris]]. ==Using GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long as it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try again to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code><nowiki>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</nowiki></code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. #Follow the instructions in the readme. == Using Checksums == When downloading a file, you might have seen something like <code>sha512: 497907d020870e564b814bb6c4f7eef2f3abdf5d0159ccbd96501a26cef155a8d771a420a16c9348525fa4ce7de3c137ad5ff15a013c84f327edbdea6495d86b easyanticheat_x64.so</code> This is a checksum, or more precise: An <code>sha512</code> checksum for the file <code>easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. This number is for verifying that you have the correct file, and not something that is manipulated or inaccurately transmitted. '''Usage''': Download file, open [[terminal]], and <code>cd Downloads</code>. Then you execute <code>sha512sum easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. The number you see there, should be ''exactly'' the same. Btw: <code>sha512</code> is better than <code>sha256</code>, and ''especially'' better than <code>md5</code>. <code>md5</code> is trash, don't use it. == Game Streaming == You can use [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == RGB == You can use [https://gitlab.com/CalcProgrammer1/OpenRGB OpenRGB]. == Suspend/resume of applications (games, an others) == You can use [https://github.com/Merrit/nyrna nyrna]. Unortunately it doesn't (yet) "survive" reboots. ef98d2f5bfdb6884234ce5d19e7c1a1bdf2e127e 0 5 713 696 2022-03-23T04:52:10Z Marigold 7 /* Major tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience, maybe even significantly better than on Windows (dependent the game, and on the hardware). == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this could easily double your performance: *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers, especially if you have an Nvidia graphics card (GPU)]. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, you likely won't need to do this. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. **X11 is the default on most Ubuntu-based beginner distros like Pop OS! *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <pre>Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</pre> * Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You can use <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code> as an [[Environment variables|environment variable]] to display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. *Only install mesa drivers. Do '''not''' install amdgpu-pro, or amdvlk. They typically perform worse, and the system defaults to use drivers in alphabetical order (thus e.g. '''a'''mdvlk being preferred over '''m'''esa). ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. * For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. == References and notes == <references /> b88aa77fdecab8da69d1a030eeb84d667ea4f44e 714 713 2022-03-23T05:02:00Z Marigold 7 wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this could easily double your performance: *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers, especially if you have an Nvidia graphics card (GPU)]. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, you likely won't need to do this. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. **X11 is the default on most Ubuntu-based beginner distros like Pop OS! *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <pre>Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</pre> * Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You can use <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code> as an [[Environment variables|environment variable]] to display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. *Only install mesa drivers. Do '''not''' install amdgpu-pro, or amdvlk. They typically perform worse, and the system defaults to use drivers in alphabetical order (thus e.g. '''a'''mdvlk being preferred over '''m'''esa). ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. * For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. == References and notes == <references /> df4425b88d52869cefc1b65cf302277af168e048 750 714 2022-03-23T11:26:54Z Aragorn 3 /* Major tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this could easily double your performance: *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers, especially if you have an Nvidia graphics card (GPU)]. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, you likely won't need to do this. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. **X11 is the default on most Ubuntu-based beginner distros like Pop!_OS *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <pre>Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</pre> * Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You can use <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code> as an [[Environment variables|environment variable]] to display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. *Only install mesa drivers. Do '''not''' install amdgpu-pro, or amdvlk. They typically perform worse, and the system defaults to use drivers in alphabetical order (thus e.g. '''a'''mdvlk being preferred over '''m'''esa). ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. * For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. == References and notes == <references /> 72bb6d5f04c54e8c798bf512d488b086a7246cab 0 34 715 678 2022-03-23T08:49:50Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki It is recommended to read the [[Getting started with Linux|long version]], but you should be fine if you just do the following:<ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect, especially if you consider yourself a power user. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. Your knowledge of regedit and powershell is useless, and you may not be able to use the software that you're used to. But usually there is different software that might even be better.</li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have [[Hardware Recommendations|supported hardware]]. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle, or without bugs. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you can choose your GPU, choose AMD. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] and [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use Steam for running games that are on Steam. Most games will work ''just like that'', after [[Steam#Enable Steam Play for all games|enabling Steam Play for all games]].</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other games.</li> <li><p>[[Compositor|Disable Composition]]: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it.</p></li> <li><p>If your performance is bad, read [[Improving performance|this article]].</p></li> <li><p>When Linux gives you a warning, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when [[How to get answers|asking for help]].</p></li><li><p>You (almost) never download software or drivers in the browser. Doing this is a really bad idea, and should only be your last resort if everything else fails. Just look up your distribution (Pop!_OS if you follow our recommendation) + the software, and you should find a better solution (for example a ''ppa'').</p></li><li><p>If you don't like the look, it can easily be changed. Just [https://support.system76.com/articles/desktop-environment/ install a different desktop environment]. KDE Plasma would be a popular choice that looks a lot like Windows, is very customizable, and very comfortable to use. </p></li></ul> c9782be9653da5ad1a43387f95b5162b12d513c0 716 715 2022-03-23T08:53:26Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki It is recommended to read the [[Getting started with Linux|long version]], but you should be fine if you just do the following:<ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect, ''especially'' if you consider yourself a power user. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. Your knowledge of regedit and powershell is useless, and you may not be able to use the software that you're used to. But usually there is different software that might even be better.</li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have [[Hardware Recommendations|supported hardware]]. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle, or without bugs. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you can choose your GPU, choose AMD. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] and [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use Steam for running games that are on Steam. Most games will work ''just like that'', after [[Steam#Enable Steam Play for all games|enabling Steam Play for all games]].</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other games.</li> <li><p>[[Compositor|Disable Composition]]: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it.</p></li> <li><p>If your performance is bad, read [[Improving performance|this article]].</p></li> <li><p>When Linux gives you a warning, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when [[How to get answers|asking for help]].</p></li><li><p>You (almost) never download software or drivers in the browser. Doing this is a really bad idea, and should only be your last resort if everything else fails. Just look up your distribution (Pop!_OS if you follow our recommendation) + the software, and you should find a better solution (for example a ''ppa'').</p></li><li><p>If you don't like the look, it can easily be changed. Just [https://support.system76.com/articles/desktop-environment/ install a different desktop environment]. KDE Plasma would be a popular choice that looks a lot like Windows, is very customizable, and very comfortable to use. </p></li></ul> 4ee5e110968302f1e6feac6da101ade65ceb58b8 717 716 2022-03-23T08:56:09Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki It is recommended to read the [[Getting started with Linux|long version]], but you should be fine if you just do the following:<ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect, ''especially'' if you consider yourself a power user. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. Your knowledge of regedit and powershell is useless, and you may not be able to use the software that you're used to. But usually there is different software that might even be better. Think of being dropped back to level 1 in an MMO. It's like that.</li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have [[Hardware Recommendations|supported hardware]]. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle, or without bugs. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you can choose your GPU, choose AMD. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] and [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use Steam for running games that are on Steam. Most games will work ''just like that'', after [[Steam#Enable Steam Play for all games|enabling Steam Play for all games]].</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other games.</li> <li><p>[[Compositor|Disable Composition]]: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it.</p></li> <li><p>If your performance is bad, read [[Improving performance|this article]].</p></li> <li><p>When Linux gives you a warning, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when [[How to get answers|asking for help]].</p></li><li><p>You (almost) never download software or drivers in the browser. Doing this is a really bad idea, and should only be your last resort if everything else fails. Just look up your distribution (Pop!_OS if you follow our recommendation) + the software, and you should find a better solution (for example a ''ppa'').</p></li><li><p>If you don't like the look, it can easily be changed. Just [https://support.system76.com/articles/desktop-environment/ install a different desktop environment]. KDE Plasma would be a popular choice that looks a lot like Windows, is very customizable, and very comfortable to use. </p></li></ul> d1011685a9f366df2d7cac06243b40d1d62df79c 718 717 2022-03-23T08:57:14Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki It is recommended to read the [[Getting started with Linux|long version]], but you should be fine if you just do the following:<ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect, ''especially'' if you consider yourself a power user. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. Your knowledge of regedit and powershell is useless, and you may not be able to use the software that you're used to. But usually there is different software that might even be better. Think of being dropped back to level 1 in an MMO. It's like that. The good thing is, that you will learn everything much faster than someone who has no previous knowledge.</li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have [[Hardware Recommendations|supported hardware]]. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle, or without bugs. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you can choose your GPU, choose AMD. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] and [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use Steam for running games that are on Steam. Most games will work ''just like that'', after [[Steam#Enable Steam Play for all games|enabling Steam Play for all games]].</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other games.</li> <li><p>[[Compositor|Disable Composition]]: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it.</p></li> <li><p>If your performance is bad, read [[Improving performance|this article]].</p></li> <li><p>When Linux gives you a warning, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when [[How to get answers|asking for help]].</p></li><li><p>You (almost) never download software or drivers in the browser. Doing this is a really bad idea, and should only be your last resort if everything else fails. Just look up your distribution (Pop!_OS if you follow our recommendation) + the software, and you should find a better solution (for example a ''ppa'').</p></li><li><p>If you don't like the look, it can easily be changed. Just [https://support.system76.com/articles/desktop-environment/ install a different desktop environment]. KDE Plasma would be a popular choice that looks a lot like Windows, is very customizable, and very comfortable to use. </p></li></ul> b69b21b17f10f61ef3b3293af5e2302c7aa6a9af 746 718 2022-03-23T11:13:19Z Aragorn 3 remove Lutris wikitext text/x-wiki It is recommended to read the [[Getting started with Linux|long version]], but you should be fine if you just do the following:<ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect, ''especially'' if you consider yourself a power user. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. Your knowledge of regedit and powershell is useless, and you may not be able to use the software that you're used to. But usually there is different software that might even be better. Think of being dropped back to level 1 in an MMO. It's like that. The good thing is, that you will learn everything much faster than someone who has no previous knowledge.</li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have [[Hardware Recommendations|supported hardware]]. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle, or without bugs. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you can choose your GPU, choose AMD. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working on Steam. You can find other games on [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org]. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use Steam for running games that are on Steam. Most games will work ''just like that'', after [[Steam#Enable Steam Play for all games|enabling Steam Play for all games]].</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other games.</li> <li><p>[[Compositor|Disable Composition]]: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it.</p></li> <li><p>If your performance is bad, read [[Improving performance|this article]].</p></li> <li><p>When Linux gives you a warning, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when [[How to get answers|asking for help]].</p></li><li><p>You (almost) never download software or drivers in the browser. Doing this is a really bad idea, and should only be your last resort if everything else fails. Just look up your distribution (Pop!_OS if you follow our recommendation) + the software, and you should find a better solution (for example a ''ppa'').</p></li><li><p>If you don't like the look, it can easily be changed. Just [https://support.system76.com/articles/desktop-environment/ install a different desktop environment]. KDE Plasma would be a popular choice that looks a lot like Windows, is very customizable, and very comfortable to use. </p></li></ul> ced0984caad4cc0d0d6c208277f40bcbc6b5d559 0 45 719 673 2022-03-23T09:04:17Z Aragorn 3 /* Bluetooth Headphones */ wikitext text/x-wiki Hardware compatibility with Linux is sometimes tricky. You can not buy just anything and expect it to work. Some manufacturers don't support Linux at all, and sometimes the support is not good. This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware categories. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Regarding specific recommendations. Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a timestamp in the form YYYY-MM. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. If you buy wrong, you might end up with completely incompatible hardware. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. The important thing in the sticks is the chip. Manufacturers sometimes have the same model with different chips. Chips that often work, are Qualcomm Atheros, and [https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005511/wireless.html Intel]. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. * Laser Printer: * Color Printer: * Scanner: * Combined: == Less problematic Hardware == Your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is much lower. However, you might face some jank, some features might not work, and stuff might not be flawless. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. If you want to read more about it, you might find something in [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/tdmup7/unpopular_opinion_i_feel_like_the_whole_nvidia/ this reddit post]. AMD and Nvidia both work, and you'll ''probably'' be fine with either. However: * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), but they are no option for gaming. **If you want long support, AMD is the way to go, as support is essentially never dropped. * Nvidia provides proprietary day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, due to not being FOSS. There might be some delayed features, or some bugs. But as said, you're ''probably'' going to be fine. If you're not, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s blame Nvidia]. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], which works in a similar way, but doesn't look as good. * If you buy a very old GPU, make sure that it has Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth, and even those often work. You might face problems if you have a device with two GPUs (should be solvable), or other special components (fingerprint reader, etc - might not be solvable). * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03<!-- Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). --> ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB Digital/Audio converter === *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with [[Misc#Changing%20Mouse%20settings%20(DPI%252C%20lift%20of%20distance%252C%20etc)|booting Windows once to change the settings]] (and you don't need to change them all the time), buy whatever you want. This section is for mice that have native Linux support for settings, including RGB. All mice are required to have a flawless sensor (there is no advantage in being able to change settings if you don't hit anything, right?). * Big size: * Medium size: * Small size: * Many buttons: * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. RAM: * DDR3: *DDR4: *DDR5: Fan: == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * c7b16e5f4097bcef3ba3ca0ec7295e0e1377ea10 0 2 720 691 2022-03-23T09:06:23Z Aragorn 3 /* The software */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. If you've done that and there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. Bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto] * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux == If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! ! Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- | Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- | Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for penetration testing only! |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! === Installing Software === If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things === Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. == Windows compatibility== So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exe) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [[Bottles]] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam games, and [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] for compatibility with all other games. You can find all kinds of programs (including games that are not on protondb or lutris) in the wine [https://appdb.winehq.org/ AppDB]. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. === Manually running wine === You typically would not want to do this, this is just for educational purpose. First, let's install Wine. <pre>sudo apt install wine</pre> On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you would open a terminal and type (credit to [[u/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running): <pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> ===DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D=== What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[u/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and [[Lutris]] both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily [[Improving performance|optimized Linux install]]. Your default experience will be worse. ==Troubleshooting== *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. 29375ba831ee9271db51fbbf01d13876adb57406 721 720 2022-03-23T09:07:37Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. If you've done that and there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. Bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto] * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) === Windows compatibility=== So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exe) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [[Bottles]] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam games, and [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] for compatibility with all other games. You can find all kinds of programs (including games that are not on protondb or lutris) in the wine [https://appdb.winehq.org/ AppDB]. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. ==== Manually running wine ==== You typically would not want to do this, this is just for educational purpose. First, let's install Wine. <pre>sudo apt install wine</pre> On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you would open a terminal and type (credit to [[u/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running): <pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> ====DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D==== What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[u/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and [[Lutris]] both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily [[Improving performance|optimized Linux install]]. Your default experience will be worse. == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux == If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! ! Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- | Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- | Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for penetration testing only! |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! === Installing Software === If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things === Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. 7ea99df0b5142a91a60720d25c5a4a8c0efa99e3 725 721 2022-03-23T09:13:38Z Aragorn 3 /* Software */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If you've done that and there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. Bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto] * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! ! Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- | Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- | Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for penetration testing only! |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! === Installing Software === If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things === Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. c06366641b881c9f9f0c91cb2324987abeea5efd 727 725 2022-03-23T09:15:19Z Aragorn 3 /* Windows Compatibility */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If you've done that and there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. Bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto] * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! ! Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- | Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- | Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for penetration testing only! |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! === Installing Software === If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things === Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. 8469b8d0c788cc589fad2a9eb61df90792f26428 729 727 2022-03-23T09:17:46Z Aragorn 3 /* Windows Compatibility */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [[Bottles]] might be good option. Check www.protondb.com for Steam games, and lutris.net for compatibility with all other games. If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. Bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto] * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! ! Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- | Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- | Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for penetration testing only! |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! === Installing Software === If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things === Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. 7524ae56d5d41db36b110e8977300fedab47a8a7 730 729 2022-03-23T09:18:18Z Aragorn 3 /* Windows Compatibility */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [[Bottles]] might be good option. Check www.protondb.com for Steam games, and lutris.net for compatibility with all other games. Bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto] * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! ! Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- | Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- | Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for penetration testing only! |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! === Installing Software === If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things === Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. 5e9b17d8eab0a88d2d8da253c488b46e0d4e3730 731 730 2022-03-23T09:18:43Z Aragorn 3 /* Windows Compatibility */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [[Bottles]] might be good option. Check www.protondb.com for Steam games, and lutris.net for compatibility with all other games. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto] * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! ! Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- | Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- | Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for penetration testing only! |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! === Installing Software === If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things === Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. 4197c94305ea850396a1d73a812e4ed5e61f055d 732 731 2022-03-23T09:19:54Z Aragorn 3 /* Windows Compatibility */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [[Bottles]] might be good option. Check www.protondb.com for Steam games, and lutris.net for compatibility with all other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto] * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! ! Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- | Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- | Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for penetration testing only! |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! === Installing Software === If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things === Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. 6b25e5c26619ce1a0109f385c7b2c107e26cb4dc 743 732 2022-03-23T10:53:42Z Aragorn 3 /* Distributions, or "versions" of Linux */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [[Bottles]] might be good option. Check www.protondb.com for Steam games, and lutris.net for compatibility with all other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto] * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. You might face weird bugs. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! ! Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- | Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- | Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for penetration testing only! |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! === Installing Software === If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things === Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. 98a93ab5cc8760dc3840bfc005123c6edf8b49a0 745 743 2022-03-23T11:12:01Z Aragorn 3 remove Lutris wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [[Bottles]] might be good option. Check www.protondb.com for Steam game compatibility. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto] * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. You might face weird bugs. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! ! Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- | Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- | Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for penetration testing only! |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! === Installing Software === If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things === Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. 8677b78ecec6ebdcff6e8155c80e5e122ec939b2 748 745 2022-03-23T11:21:40Z Aragorn 3 /* Windows Compatibility */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [[Bottles]] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto] * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. You might face weird bugs. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! ! Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- | Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- | Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for penetration testing only! |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! === Installing Software === If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things === Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. 3fe2988df7a5b4deac07ed60e5f56b38f1c37b62 0 53 722 2022-03-23T09:11:24Z Aragorn 3 Created page with "So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exe) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [[Bottles]] might be good option. Check [https://www.pro..." wikitext text/x-wiki So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exe) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [[Bottles]] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam games, and [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] for compatibility with all other games. You can find all kinds of programs (including games that are not on protondb or lutris) in the wine [https://appdb.winehq.org/ AppDB]. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. ==Manually running wine== You typically would not want to do this, this is just for educational purpose. First, let's install Wine.<pre>sudo apt install wine</pre>On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you would open a terminal and type (credit to [[U/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running):<pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> ==DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D== What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[U/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and [[Lutris]] both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily [[Improving performance|optimized Linux install]]. Your default experience will be worse. 66c35562bb10fd844eec4561e53aff49acdb4987 723 722 2022-03-23T09:13:08Z Aragorn 3 Aragorn moved page [[Windows Compatiblity]] to [[Windows Compatibility]] wikitext text/x-wiki So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exe) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [[Bottles]] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam games, and [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] for compatibility with all other games. You can find all kinds of programs (including games that are not on protondb or lutris) in the wine [https://appdb.winehq.org/ AppDB]. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. ==Manually running wine== You typically would not want to do this, this is just for educational purpose. First, let's install Wine.<pre>sudo apt install wine</pre>On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you would open a terminal and type (credit to [[U/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running):<pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> ==DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D== What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[U/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and [[Lutris]] both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily [[Improving performance|optimized Linux install]]. Your default experience will be worse. 66c35562bb10fd844eec4561e53aff49acdb4987 726 723 2022-03-23T09:14:59Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exe) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [[Bottles]] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam games, and [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] for compatibility with all other games. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. But usually you will not need it if you don't want to spend money. You can find all kinds of programs (including games that are not on protondb or lutris) in the wine [https://appdb.winehq.org/ AppDB]. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. ==Manually running wine== You typically would not want to do this, this is just for educational purpose. First, let's install Wine.<pre>sudo apt install wine</pre>On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you would open a terminal and type (credit to [[U/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running):<pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> ==DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D== What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[U/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and [[Lutris]] both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily [[Improving performance|optimized Linux install]]. Your default experience will be worse. ef72e8b8ed6d6e1875dd2741f86a10803e62d5e7 728 726 2022-03-23T09:17:22Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exe) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [[Bottles]] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam games, and [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] for compatibility with all other games. You can find all kinds of programs (including games that are not on protondb or lutris) in the wine [https://appdb.winehq.org/ AppDB]. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. But usually you will not need it if you don't want to spend money. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. ==Manually running wine== You typically would not want to do this, this is just for educational purpose. First, let's install Wine.<pre>sudo apt install wine</pre>On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you would open a terminal and type (credit to [[U/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running):<pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> ==DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D== What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[U/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and [[Lutris]] both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily [[Improving performance|optimized Linux install]]. Your default experience will be worse. ea18706c9b22f4f29b225b4f7d056e5da7757a73 736 728 2022-03-23T09:28:13Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exe) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. == Games == For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For Epic games and GOG you can use [[Heroic]] or Lutris. For other programs, [[Bottles]] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam games, and [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] for compatibility with all other games. If you can't find your game, you can also look in the wine [https://appdb.winehq.org/ AppDB]. == Other Software == You can find all kinds of programs in the wine [https://appdb.winehq.org/ AppDB]. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. But usually you will not need it if you don't want to spend money. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. ==Manually running wine== You typically would not want to do this, this is just for educational purpose. First, let's install Wine.<pre>sudo apt install wine</pre>On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you would open a terminal and type (credit to [[U/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running):<pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> ==DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D== What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[U/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and [[Lutris]] both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily [[Improving performance|optimized Linux install]]. Your default experience will be worse. a586f2bba5eb3048254c832bdd642ad31bd75728 737 736 2022-03-23T09:28:23Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exe) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. == Games == For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For Epic games and GOG you can use [[Heroic]] (or Lutris). For other programs, [[Bottles]] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam games, and [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] for compatibility with all other games. If you can't find your game, you can also look in the wine [https://appdb.winehq.org/ AppDB]. == Other Software == You can find all kinds of programs in the wine [https://appdb.winehq.org/ AppDB]. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. But usually you will not need it if you don't want to spend money. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. ==Manually running wine== You typically would not want to do this, this is just for educational purpose. First, let's install Wine.<pre>sudo apt install wine</pre>On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you would open a terminal and type (credit to [[U/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running):<pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> ==DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D== What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[U/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and [[Lutris]] both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily [[Improving performance|optimized Linux install]]. Your default experience will be worse. 764780ae5580d88d27457921481a4c7e8dab93a3 740 737 2022-03-23T09:30:41Z Aragorn 3 /* Other Software */ wikitext text/x-wiki So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exe) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. == Games == For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For Epic games and GOG you can use [[Heroic]] (or Lutris). For other programs, [[Bottles]] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam games, and [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] for compatibility with all other games. If you can't find your game, you can also look in the wine [https://appdb.winehq.org/ AppDB]. == Other Software == You can find all kinds of programs in the wine [https://appdb.winehq.org/ AppDB]. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. But usually you will not need it if you don't want to spend money. ==Manually running wine== You typically would not want to do this, this is just for educational purpose. First, let's install Wine.<pre>sudo apt install wine</pre>On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you would open a terminal and type (credit to [[U/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running):<pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> ==DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D== What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[U/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and [[Lutris]] both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily [[Improving performance|optimized Linux install]]. Your default experience will be worse. f0c638df7a84f97a819d3c0bb3e5b1b89e87cb95 747 740 2022-03-23T11:14:18Z Aragorn 3 remove Lutris wikitext text/x-wiki So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exe) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. == Games == For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For Epic games and GOG you can use [[Heroic]] (or Lutris). For other programs, [[Bottles]] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam games, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for compatibility with all other games. == Other Software == You can find all kinds of programs in the wine [https://appdb.winehq.org/ AppDB]. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. But usually you will not need it if you don't want to spend money. ==Manually running wine== You typically would not want to do this, this is just for educational purpose. First, let's install Wine.<pre>sudo apt install wine</pre>On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you would open a terminal and type (credit to [[U/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running):<pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> ==DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D== What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[U/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and [[Lutris]] both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily [[Improving performance|optimized Linux install]]. Your default experience will be worse. b18a5b697b8edff3b11515aecb547819ae1fb4d9 749 747 2022-03-23T11:24:29Z Aragorn 3 /* Games */ wikitext text/x-wiki So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exe) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. == Games == For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For Epic games and GOG you can use [[Heroic]] (or Lutris). For other programs, [[Bottles]] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb] for Steam games, and [https://appdb.winehq.org winehq appdb] for compatibility with all other games. == Other Software == You can find all kinds of programs in the wine [https://appdb.winehq.org/ AppDB]. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. But usually you will not need it if you don't want to spend money. ==Manually running wine== You typically would not want to do this, this is just for educational purpose. First, let's install Wine.<pre>sudo apt install wine</pre>On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you would open a terminal and type (credit to [[U/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running):<pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> ==DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D== What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[U/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and [[Lutris]] both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily [[Improving performance|optimized Linux install]]. Your default experience will be worse. be75a9bbd4f315f0cc7d42eb650e1b7db1fea3bb 0 54 724 2022-03-23T09:13:08Z Aragorn 3 Aragorn moved page [[Windows Compatiblity]] to [[Windows Compatibility]] wikitext text/x-wiki #REDIRECT [[Windows Compatibility]] b8fb57a386dca28e18199b09841d403a98da238e 0 28 733 595 2022-03-23T09:22:59Z Aragorn 3 /* General expectations */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux usually isn't the best platform for that. It mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. Many mods are also Windows-only, so you'd have to try running them through WINE. If you're running your game through WINE, you can install mod managers as you would on Windows. However, some may not work, or may not work well. There are Lutris scripts to help with ''Nexus Mod Manager''<ref>https://lutris.net/games/nexus-mod-manager-community-edition/</ref> and ''Vortex''<ref>https://lutris.net/games/vortex-mod-manager/</ref>, but they do not run flawlessly. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://lutris.net/ Lutris], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) in February 2022, which has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]] * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in several years or so. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == e5a99473453c839963347235c0b19775d27d693d 734 733 2022-03-23T09:25:15Z Aragorn 3 /* Future */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux usually isn't the best platform for that. It mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. Many mods are also Windows-only, so you'd have to try running them through WINE. If you're running your game through WINE, you can install mod managers as you would on Windows. However, some may not work, or may not work well. There are Lutris scripts to help with ''Nexus Mod Manager''<ref>https://lutris.net/games/nexus-mod-manager-community-edition/</ref> and ''Vortex''<ref>https://lutris.net/games/vortex-mod-manager/</ref>, but they do not run flawlessly. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://lutris.net/ Lutris], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in several years or so. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == 7f3839173c930af5ca321d9135d55fe7847c260d 735 734 2022-03-23T09:25:42Z Aragorn 3 /* Future */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux usually isn't the best platform for that. It mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. Many mods are also Windows-only, so you'd have to try running them through WINE. If you're running your game through WINE, you can install mod managers as you would on Windows. However, some may not work, or may not work well. There are Lutris scripts to help with ''Nexus Mod Manager''<ref>https://lutris.net/games/nexus-mod-manager-community-edition/</ref> and ''Vortex''<ref>https://lutris.net/games/vortex-mod-manager/</ref>, but they do not run flawlessly. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://lutris.net/ Lutris], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in several years or so. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == ac90ad3cfd1d8e92239f54903471c612e98c9c44 744 735 2022-03-23T11:11:22Z Aragorn 3 remove Lutris wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux usually isn't the best platform for that. It mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. Many mods are also Windows-only, so you'd have to try running them through WINE. If you're running your game through WINE, you can install mod managers as you would on Windows. However, some may not work, or may not work well. There are Lutris scripts to help with ''Nexus Mod Manager''<ref>https://lutris.net/games/nexus-mod-manager-community-edition/</ref> and ''Vortex''<ref>https://lutris.net/games/vortex-mod-manager/</ref>, but they do not run flawlessly. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in several years or so. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == 4c8c15032f7827847b0a214b1ab0a9c430ed80a6 0 50 741 693 2022-03-23T09:37:53Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki You might see some terms you are not familiar with. Here is a collection of some that might help you. {| class="wikitable" |+ !Term !Abbreviation !Explanation |- |Distribution |Distro |The "type" of Linux you are using. Examples: Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, Debian, Arch, ... |- |Desktop Environment |DE |How your Linux looks like. Think of the difference between Windows 7, 10, and 11. Unlike on Windows, this can be changed without reinstalling your system. Examples: KDE Plasma, or Gnome. |- |Window Manager |WM |Arranges your windows at the place you want them to be. Examples: kwin, mutter, i3, qtile, awesomewm, or sway. |- |[[Compositor]] | |Makes visual effects, but costs performance. |- |Package manager | |Essential part of your distro, has the purpose of downloading, installing, and removing packages. Examples: apt, or pacman. |- |Package | |Program, part of a program, or library |- |Library | |Collection of stuff that programs use to function. Typically has the ending ''.so''. (on windows this would be ''.dll'') |- |[[Terminal]] | |Black window with text. Essentially a different way to operate your system. |- |Display Manager | |Starts your DE. Examples: sddm, or gdm. |- |Shell | |The "environment" you have in the terminal. Examples: zsh, fish, or bash. |- |Display Server | |Draws stuff on the screen. Can be either x.org, or wayland. |- |Kernel | |The "heart" of your system. If a program wants specific resources (reading/writing a file, or getting processing time for example), it asks the kernel, and the kernel delivers them. Linux is actually just the kernel, but most people refer to the whole system (the distribution) when saying "Linux". Like any other part of your system, you can easily change the kernel, too. This can be a good idea if you want extra performance. Examples: linux, linux-lts, linux-zen, linux-tkg-pds, linux-tkg-bmq, xanmod, ... |- |Wine | |Compatibility layer to run Windows programs on Linux. |} 9c5e8c1c379fa38dea59bee31625fbdf7996ecd2 742 741 2022-03-23T09:38:31Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki You might see some terms you are not familiar with. Here is a collection of some that might help you. {| class="wikitable" |+ !Term !Abbreviation !Explanation |- |Distribution |Distro |The "type" of Linux you are using. Examples: Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, Debian, Arch, ... |- |Desktop Environment |DE |How your Linux looks like. Think of the difference between Windows 7, 10, and 11. Unlike on Windows, this can be changed without reinstalling your system. Examples: KDE Plasma, or Gnome. |- |Window Manager |WM |Arranges your windows at the place you want them to be. Examples: kwin, mutter, i3, qtile, awesomewm, or sway. |- |[[Compositor]] | |Makes visual effects, but costs performance. |- |Package manager | |Essential part of your distro, has the purpose of downloading, installing, and removing packages. Examples: apt, or pacman. |- |Package | |Program, part of a program, or library |- |Library | |Collection of stuff that programs use to function. Typically has the ending ''.so''. (on windows this would be ''.dll'') |- |[[Terminal]] | |Black window with text. Essentially a different way to operate your system. |- |Display Manager | |Starts your DE. Examples: sddm, or gdm. |- |Shell | |The "environment" you have in the terminal. Examples: zsh, fish, or bash. |- |Display Server | |Draws stuff on the screen. Can be either x.org, or wayland. |- |Kernel | |The "heart" of your system. If a program wants specific resources (reading/writing a file, or getting processing time for example), it asks the kernel, and the kernel delivers them. Linux is actually just the kernel, but most people refer to the whole system (the distribution) when saying "Linux". Examples: linux, linux-lts, linux-zen, linux-tkg-pds, linux-tkg-bmq, xanmod, ... |- |Wine | |Compatibility layer to run Windows programs on Linux. |} f4b68b96285c3ef3c71737e76c4bb095677ac89d 0 5 751 750 2022-03-23T11:31:59Z Aragorn 3 /* Major tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this could easily double your performance: *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers, especially if you have an Nvidia graphics card (GPU)]. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, you likely won't need to do this. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. **To test if you use X11, open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. **X11 is the default on most Ubuntu-based beginner distros like Pop!_OS *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <pre>Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</pre> * Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You can use <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code> as an [[Environment variables|environment variable]] to display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. *Only install mesa drivers. Do '''not''' install amdgpu-pro, or amdvlk. They typically perform worse, and the system defaults to use drivers in alphabetical order (thus e.g. '''a'''mdvlk being preferred over '''m'''esa). ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. * For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. == References and notes == <references /> 77c8e5a6eb2f525b72e22780cd8927581ac76e53 752 751 2022-03-23T11:32:11Z Aragorn 3 /* Major tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this could easily double your performance: *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers, especially if you have an Nvidia graphics card (GPU)]. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, you likely won't need to do this. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. **To test if you use X11, open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <pre>Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</pre> * Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You can use <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code> as an [[Environment variables|environment variable]] to display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. *Only install mesa drivers. Do '''not''' install amdgpu-pro, or amdvlk. They typically perform worse, and the system defaults to use drivers in alphabetical order (thus e.g. '''a'''mdvlk being preferred over '''m'''esa). ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. * For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. == References and notes == <references /> 8239e15be4540c200505ca9f9de67239832146d8 753 752 2022-03-23T11:34:15Z Aragorn 3 /* Input lag, Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this could easily double your performance: *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers, especially if you have an Nvidia graphics card (GPU)]. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, you likely won't need to do this. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. **To test if you use X11, open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <pre>Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</pre> * Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You can use <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code> as an [[Environment variables|environment variable]] to display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices.}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. *Only install mesa drivers. Do '''not''' install amdgpu-pro, or amdvlk. They typically perform worse, and the system defaults to use drivers in alphabetical order (thus e.g. '''a'''mdvlk being preferred over '''m'''esa). ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. * For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. == References and notes == <references /> 07948fd4e31a0c6ba2a5d44794a3f288c9a028a2 754 753 2022-03-23T11:34:30Z Aragorn 3 /* Input lag, Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this could easily double your performance: *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers, especially if you have an Nvidia graphics card (GPU)]. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, you likely won't need to do this. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. **To test if you use X11, open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <pre>Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</pre> * Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You can use <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code> as an [[Environment variables|environment variable]] to display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. *Only install mesa drivers. Do '''not''' install amdgpu-pro, or amdvlk. They typically perform worse, and the system defaults to use drivers in alphabetical order (thus e.g. '''a'''mdvlk being preferred over '''m'''esa). ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. * For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. == References and notes == <references /> 3b0dfbebfe7f0a5873bc42611d50fff44fb8097a 755 754 2022-03-23T11:34:58Z Aragorn 3 /* Input lag, Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this could easily double your performance: *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers, especially if you have an Nvidia graphics card (GPU)]. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, you likely won't need to do this. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. **To test if you use X11, open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <pre>Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</pre> * Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You can use <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code> as an [[Environment variables|environment variable]] to display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. *Only install mesa drivers. Do '''not''' install amdgpu-pro, or amdvlk. They typically perform worse, and the system defaults to use drivers in alphabetical order (thus e.g. '''a'''mdvlk being preferred over '''m'''esa). ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. * For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. == References and notes == <references /> 33cc46c555e45d3c7dbd0b14d3134428207801c8 758 755 2022-03-24T00:21:07Z Slouchy 1 Clarify AMD vulkan driver (radv vs amdvlk) wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this could easily double your performance: *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers, especially if you have an Nvidia graphics card (GPU)]. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, you likely won't need to do this. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. **To test if you use X11, open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <pre>Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</pre> * Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You can use <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code> as an [[Environment variables|environment variable]] to display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not sure if other distros contain the vulkan icds in same location as Arch}} *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases (even tho your mileage may vary). If you experience sub-par performance, check which driver you are using. **To check which Vulkan implementations are installed on system use:<syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/ </syntaxhighlight>Or in lutris go to configure -> System options (tab) -> Vulkan ICD loader with advanced options shown. There should be "AMD RADV Open Source" selected. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. * For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. == References and notes == <references /> 5cd6ae96f98fa1e6f798c662c43080a5cc078261 759 758 2022-03-24T00:22:08Z Slouchy 1 /* AMD */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this could easily double your performance: *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers, especially if you have an Nvidia graphics card (GPU)]. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, you likely won't need to do this. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. **To test if you use X11, open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <pre>Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</pre> * Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You can use <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code> as an [[Environment variables|environment variable]] to display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} *It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not sure if other distros contain the vulkan icds in same location as Arch}} *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases (even tho your mileage may vary). If you experience sub-par performance, check which driver you are using. **To check which Vulkan implementations are installed on system use this command (system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed):<syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/ </syntaxhighlight>Or in lutris go to configure -> System options (tab) -> Vulkan ICD loader with advanced options shown. There should be "AMD RADV Open Source" selected. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. * For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. == References and notes == <references /> 1b62d2953e876c58aa593e6aaaf91821ca566884 760 759 2022-03-24T01:07:15Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this could easily double your performance: *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers, especially if you have an Nvidia graphics card (GPU)]. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, you likely won't need to do this. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. **To test if you use X11, open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) * You can use <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code> as an [[Environment variables|environment variable]] to display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD === {{Needs work|Problem=Not sure if other distros contain the vulkan icds in same location as Arch}} *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases (even tho your mileage may vary). If you experience sub-par performance, check which driver you are using. ** To check which Vulkan implementations are installed on system use this command (system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed): <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code> Or in lutris go to configure -> System options (tab) -> Vulkan ICD loader with advanced options shown. There should be "AMD RADV Open Source" selected. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 7ceec26d9163199001e1b63ddeaf37bbfe05d1ee 761 760 2022-03-24T01:07:53Z Aragorn 3 /* AMD */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this could easily double your performance: *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers, especially if you have an Nvidia graphics card (GPU)]. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, you likely won't need to do this. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. **To test if you use X11, open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) * You can use <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code> as an [[Environment variables|environment variable]] to display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD === {{Needs work|Problem=Not sure if other distros contain the vulkan icds in same location as Arch}} *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases (even tho your mileage may vary). If you experience sub-par performance, check which driver you are using. ** To check which Vulkan implementations are installed on system use this command (system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed): <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code> **Or in lutris go to configure -> System options (tab) -> Vulkan ICD loader with advanced options shown. There should be "AMD RADV Open Source" selected. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 3baf806cf77be08646b942d486ccd2cce992f7da 762 761 2022-03-24T01:09:05Z Aragorn 3 /* AMD */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this could easily double your performance: *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers, especially if you have an Nvidia graphics card (GPU)]. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, you likely won't need to do this. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. **To test if you use X11, open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) * You can use <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code> as an [[Environment variables|environment variable]] to display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD === {{Needs work|Problem=Not sure if other distros contain the vulkan icds in same location as Arch. What should the result of the command look like?}} *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases (even tho your mileage may vary). If you experience sub-par performance, check which driver you are using. ** To check which Vulkan implementations are installed on system use this command (system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed): <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code> **Or in lutris go to configure -> System options (tab) -> Vulkan ICD loader with advanced options shown. There should be "AMD RADV Open Source" selected. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> cc2f43474c68950656f5147878319ad0a309463f 772 762 2022-03-28T07:56:35Z Aragorn 3 /* AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this could easily double your performance: *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers, especially if you have an Nvidia graphics card (GPU)]. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, you likely won't need to do this. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. **To test if you use X11, open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) * You can use <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code> as an [[Environment variables|environment variable]] to display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD === {{Needs work|Problem=Not sure if other distros contain the vulkan icds in same location as Arch.}} *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases (even tho your mileage may vary). If you experience sub-par performance, check which driver you are using. ** To check which Vulkan implementations are installed on system use this command (system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed): <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. **Or in lutris go to configure -> System options (tab) -> Vulkan ICD loader with advanced options shown. There should be "AMD RADV Open Source" selected. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 8e0d6a7a248b8d8e38da877113fdba24dd919af7 773 772 2022-03-28T17:40:50Z Aragorn 3 /* Optional */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this could easily double your performance: *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers, especially if you have an Nvidia graphics card (GPU)]. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, you likely won't need to do this. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. **To test if you use X11, open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) * You can use <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code> as an [[Environment variables|environment variable]] to display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD === {{Needs work|Problem=Not sure if other distros contain the vulkan icds in same location as Arch.}} *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases (even tho your mileage may vary). If you experience sub-par performance, check which driver you are using. ** To check which Vulkan implementations are installed on system use this command (system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed): <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. **Or in lutris go to configure -> System options (tab) -> Vulkan ICD loader with advanced options shown. There should be "AMD RADV Open Source" selected. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 1c0aaf9c4fe99b231e9dab2f109656b22fd13567 774 773 2022-03-28T19:12:33Z Aragorn 3 /* AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks */ Remove vulkan check in Lutris, because apparently this can vary. wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this could easily double your performance: *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers, especially if you have an Nvidia graphics card (GPU)]. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, you likely won't need to do this. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. **To test if you use X11, open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) * You can use <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code> as an [[Environment variables|environment variable]] to display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD === {{Needs work|Problem=Not sure if other distros contain the vulkan icds in same location as Arch.}} *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases (even tho your mileage may vary). If you experience sub-par performance, check which driver you are using. ** To check which Vulkan implementations are installed on system use this command (system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed): <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> da5b38f6fe95035ef6334e2d795709660fddaea0 775 774 2022-03-28T19:13:35Z Aragorn 3 /* AMD */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this could easily double your performance: *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers, especially if you have an Nvidia graphics card (GPU)]. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, you likely won't need to do this. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. **To test if you use X11, open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. But depending on the game, it can still give you something in the scale of ~20% FPS. Maybe more, maybe less. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) * You can use <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code> as an [[Environment variables|environment variable]] to display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD === {{Needs work|Problem=Not sure if other distros contain the vulkan icds in same location as Arch.}} *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases (even tho your mileage may vary). If you experience sub-par performance, check which driver you are using. ** To check which Vulkan implementations are installed on system use this command (system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed): <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> d6e5c17e6ec69c42807426a23857a164f5f72944 779 775 2022-03-30T19:59:55Z Aragorn 3 /* Major tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. If your presets are bad, this could easily double your performance. You should definitely do these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers, especially if you have an Nvidia graphics card (GPU)]. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, you likely won't need to do this. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. **To test if you use X11, open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) * You can use <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code> as an [[Environment variables|environment variable]] to display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD === {{Needs work|Problem=Not sure if other distros contain the vulkan icds in same location as Arch.}} *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases (even tho your mileage may vary). If you experience sub-par performance, check which driver you are using. ** To check which Vulkan implementations are installed on system use this command (system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed): <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 12e64b5f24ca3247479596ce36eef2eddafcf158 780 779 2022-03-30T20:00:58Z Aragorn 3 /* Major tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers, especially if you have an Nvidia graphics card (GPU)]. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, you likely won't need to do this. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. **To test if you use X11, open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section to see how. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) * You can use <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code> as an [[Environment variables|environment variable]] to display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD === {{Needs work|Problem=Not sure if other distros contain the vulkan icds in same location as Arch.}} *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases (even tho your mileage may vary). If you experience sub-par performance, check which driver you are using. ** To check which Vulkan implementations are installed on system use this command (system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed): <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 269508f60c5e05fc6593c7a701cf58ed74f9cbc0 781 780 2022-03-30T20:10:37Z Aragorn 3 /* Major tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers, especially if you have an Nvidia graphics card (GPU)]. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, you likely won't need to do this. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. **To test if you use X11, open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the [[Improving performance#AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks|AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section]] to see how. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *Use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) * You can use <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code> as an [[Environment variables|environment variable]] to display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD === {{Needs work|Problem=Not sure if other distros contain the vulkan icds in same location as Arch.}} *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases (even tho your mileage may vary). If you experience sub-par performance, check which driver you are using. ** To check which Vulkan implementations are installed on system use this command (system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed): <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> c9ce914b092e062962e489af4b31151aa0de5397 782 781 2022-03-30T20:11:44Z Aragorn 3 /* Optional */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers, especially if you have an Nvidia graphics card (GPU)]. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, you likely won't need to do this. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. **To test if you use X11, open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the [[Improving performance#AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks|AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section]] to see how. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you can't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) * You can use <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code> as an [[Environment variables|environment variable]] to display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD === {{Needs work|Problem=Not sure if other distros contain the vulkan icds in same location as Arch.}} *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases (even tho your mileage may vary). If you experience sub-par performance, check which driver you are using. ** To check which Vulkan implementations are installed on system use this command (system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed): <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> d2f29cc409237306bdce7c2d1514cd7623f4253b 783 782 2022-03-30T20:12:11Z Aragorn 3 /* Optional */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers, especially if you have an Nvidia graphics card (GPU)]. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, you likely won't need to do this. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. **To test if you use X11, open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the [[Improving performance#AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks|AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section]] to see how. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): An alternative to NVIDIA Reflex. Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) * You can use <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code> as an [[Environment variables|environment variable]] to display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD === {{Needs work|Problem=Not sure if other distros contain the vulkan icds in same location as Arch.}} *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases (even tho your mileage may vary). If you experience sub-par performance, check which driver you are using. ** To check which Vulkan implementations are installed on system use this command (system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed): <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 948df39f579b704d45ed0eddb004443febde7111 784 783 2022-03-30T20:53:23Z Aragorn 3 /* Optional */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers, especially if you have an Nvidia graphics card (GPU)]. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, you likely won't need to do this. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. **To test if you use X11, open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the [[Improving performance#AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks|AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section]] to see how. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) * Environment variables: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. **Only AMD: ***<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) ***<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. ***<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) ***You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD === {{Needs work|Problem=Not sure if other distros contain the vulkan icds in same location as Arch.}} *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases (even tho your mileage may vary). If you experience sub-par performance, check which driver you are using. ** To check which Vulkan implementations are installed on system use this command (system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed): <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 5c2c8c5f5248857350c0f6d032bb2ff6a1b20c55 785 784 2022-03-30T21:21:43Z Aragorn 3 /* Optional */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers, especially if you have an Nvidia graphics card (GPU)]. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, you likely won't need to do this. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. **To test if you use X11, open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the [[Improving performance#AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks|AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section]] to see how. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) * Environment variables: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. **Only AMD: ***<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) ***<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. ***<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) ***<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. ***You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD === {{Needs work|Problem=Not sure if other distros contain the vulkan icds in same location as Arch.}} *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases (even tho your mileage may vary). If you experience sub-par performance, check which driver you are using. ** To check which Vulkan implementations are installed on system use this command (system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed): <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 3433d44cc7df50dc5b3a86e2c6af698d08e3a12e 786 785 2022-03-30T21:23:11Z Aragorn 3 /* Optional */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers, especially if you have an Nvidia graphics card (GPU)]. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, you likely won't need to do this. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. **To test if you use X11, open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the [[Improving performance#AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks|AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section]] to see how. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) * [[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD === {{Needs work|Problem=Not sure if other distros contain the vulkan icds in same location as Arch.}} *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases (even tho your mileage may vary). If you experience sub-par performance, check which driver you are using. ** To check which Vulkan implementations are installed on system use this command (system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed): <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 2551ab19a3534114e47a21b1f6429ec0222e0cc0 787 786 2022-03-30T21:23:52Z Aragorn 3 /* AMD */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers, especially if you have an Nvidia graphics card (GPU)]. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, you likely won't need to do this. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. **To test if you use X11, open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the [[Improving performance#AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks|AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section]] to see how. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) * [[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD === {{Needs work|Problem=Not sure if other distros contain the vulkan icds in same location as Arch.}} *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases (even tho your mileage may vary). If you experience sub-par performance, check which driver you are using. ** To check which Vulkan implementations are installed on system use this command (system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed): <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. ==== Optional: ==== *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 93ee1837f7f60fed44e4ab3eab6f93e79330ca73 788 787 2022-03-30T21:25:25Z Aragorn 3 /* AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers, especially if you have an Nvidia graphics card (GPU)]. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, you likely won't need to do this. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. **To test if you use X11, open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the [[Improving performance#AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks|AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section]] to see how. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) * [[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD === {{Needs work|Problem=Not sure if other distros contain the vulkan icds in same location as Arch}} *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases (even tho your mileage may vary). If you experience sub-par performance, check which driver you are using. ** To check which Vulkan implementations are installed on system use this command (system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed): <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. ==== Optional: ==== *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 0c84591555bbe37796606888d97e801284b0b818 789 788 2022-03-30T21:29:41Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). You'll probably be fine if you do all ''major tweaks''. Everything else is not as important if you just want something that works. == Major tweaks == This will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers, especially if you have an Nvidia graphics card (GPU)]. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, you likely won't need to do this. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. **To test if you use X11, open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the [[Improving performance#AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks|AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section]] to see how. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== This will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) * [[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD === {{Needs work|Problem=Not sure if other distros contain the vulkan icds in same location as Arch}} *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases (even tho your mileage may vary). If you experience sub-par performance, check which driver you are using. ** To check which Vulkan implementations are installed on system use this command (system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed): <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. ==== Optional: ==== *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 54e54488084956612486ce0333e60064c5a05299 791 789 2022-03-31T07:56:57Z Aragorn 3 /* Major tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). You'll probably be fine if you do all ''major tweaks''. Everything else is not as important if you just want something that works. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers, especially if you have an Nvidia graphics card (GPU)]. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, you likely won't need to do this. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. **To test if you use X11, open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the [[Improving performance#AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks|AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section]] to see how. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) * [[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. ==Input lag, Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD === {{Needs work|Problem=Not sure if other distros contain the vulkan icds in same location as Arch}} *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases (even tho your mileage may vary). If you experience sub-par performance, check which driver you are using. ** To check which Vulkan implementations are installed on system use this command (system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed): <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. ==== Optional: ==== *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 06ebdb6f201b241299dc7403136c4851d2933066 792 791 2022-03-31T07:59:06Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). You'll probably be fine if you do all ''major tweaks''. Everything else is not as important if you just want something that works. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers, especially if you have an Nvidia graphics card (GPU)]. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, you likely won't need to do this. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. **To test if you use X11, open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the [[Improving performance#AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks|AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section]] to see how. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD === {{Needs work|Problem=Not sure if other distros contain the vulkan icds in same location as Arch}} *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases (even tho your mileage may vary). If you experience sub-par performance, check which driver you are using. ** To check which Vulkan implementations are installed on system use this command (system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed): <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) * [[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 4fa0bae604af38ceb5df9b630037004eeea40d95 793 792 2022-03-31T08:04:10Z Aragorn 3 /* Nvidia */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). You'll probably be fine if you do all ''major tweaks''. Everything else is not as important if you just want something that works. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers, especially if you have an Nvidia graphics card (GPU)]. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, you likely won't need to do this. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. **To test if you use X11, open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. *Set GPU and CPU to maximum performance. This might not always be necessary, but will give large improvements in some cases. Definitely try it if you notice stuttering or input lag. **CPU: You can use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] or [[CoreCtrl]] to do this. **GPU: Read the [[Improving performance#AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks|AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks section]] to see how. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD === {{Needs work|Problem=Not sure if other distros contain the vulkan icds in same location as Arch}} *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases (even tho your mileage may vary). If you experience sub-par performance, check which driver you are using. ** To check which Vulkan implementations are installed on system use this command (system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed): <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know, as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) * [[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> e04d7744cac7ebdca3000803cd85446fc186b711 794 793 2022-03-31T08:11:20Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). You'll probably be fine if you do all ''major tweaks''. Everything else is not as important if you just want something that works. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers, especially if you have an Nvidia graphics card (GPU)]. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, you likely won't need to do this. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. **To test if you use X11, open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD === {{Needs work|Problem=Not sure if other distros contain the vulkan icds in same location as Arch}}These tweaks are not overly important for most games. *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases (even tho your mileage may vary). If you experience sub-par performance, check which driver you are using. ** To check which Vulkan implementations are installed on system use this command (system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed): <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) * [[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 90a1b3a637530b54a601711846581898b201fff9 795 794 2022-03-31T08:14:15Z Aragorn 3 /* AMD */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). You'll probably be fine if you do all ''major tweaks''. Everything else is not as important if you just want something that works. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers, especially if you have an Nvidia graphics card (GPU)]. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, you likely won't need to do this. *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. **To test if you use X11, open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD === {{Needs work|Problem=Not sure if other distros contain the vulkan icds in same location as Arch}}These tweaks are not overly important for most games. *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. Setting the GPU to performance only makes a difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in a sub optimal performance. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases (even tho your mileage may vary). If you experience sub-par performance, check which driver you are using. ** To check which Vulkan implementations are installed on system use this command (system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed): <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) * [[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 91161bf3b6f66164792b21409b608678c9b7bf24 796 795 2022-03-31T08:17:00Z Aragorn 3 /* Major tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). You'll probably be fine if you do all ''major tweaks''. Everything else is not as important if you just want something that works. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *If you use X11, [[Compositor|disable composition]]. **To test if you use X11, open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers, especially if you have an Nvidia graphics card (GPU)]. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, you likely won't need to do this. But if something is not working, just try it. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD === {{Needs work|Problem=Not sure if other distros contain the vulkan icds in same location as Arch}}These tweaks are not overly important for most games. *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. Setting the GPU to performance only makes a difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in a sub optimal performance. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases (even tho your mileage may vary). If you experience sub-par performance, check which driver you are using. ** To check which Vulkan implementations are installed on system use this command (system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed): <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) * [[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 3be6b7ba888de674c8e20d00139e5e884900a656 798 796 2022-03-31T08:18:43Z Aragorn 3 /* Major tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). You'll probably be fine if you do all ''major tweaks''. Everything else is not as important if you just want something that works. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use X11]], [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers, especially if you have an Nvidia graphics card (GPU)]. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, you likely won't need to do this. But if something is not working, just try it. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD === {{Needs work|Problem=Not sure if other distros contain the vulkan icds in same location as Arch}}These tweaks are not overly important for most games. *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. Setting the GPU to performance only makes a difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in a sub optimal performance. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases (even tho your mileage may vary). If you experience sub-par performance, check which driver you are using. ** To check which Vulkan implementations are installed on system use this command (system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed): <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) * [[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 3731022233e4d80c01f90220a594bbfc2697478d 800 798 2022-03-31T08:20:49Z Aragorn 3 /* Major tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). You'll probably be fine if you do all ''major tweaks''. Everything else is not as important if you just want something that works. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use X11]], [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers], especially if you have an Nvidia graphics card (GPU). **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, you likely won't need to do this. But if something is not working, just try it. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. ==Minor tweaks== These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD === {{Needs work|Problem=Not sure if other distros contain the vulkan icds in same location as Arch}}These tweaks are not overly important for most games. *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. Setting the GPU to performance only makes a difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in a sub optimal performance. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases (even tho your mileage may vary). If you experience sub-par performance, check which driver you are using. ** To check which Vulkan implementations are installed on system use this command (system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed): <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) * [[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 6c6b3debe59eb659f206de9b1f2de028ac7721f3 0 34 756 746 2022-03-23T20:41:02Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki It is recommended to read the [[Getting started with Linux|long version]], but you should be fine if you just do the following:<ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect, ''especially'' if you consider yourself a power user. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. Your knowledge of regedit and powershell is useless, and you may not be able to use the software that you're used to. But usually there is different software that might even be better. Think of being dropped back to level 1 in an MMO. It's like that. The good thing is, that you will learn everything much faster than someone who has no previous knowledge. <li>Don't immediately remove Windows, try dual booting, or try installing Linux on a laptop first. Give yourself some time to adapt. The beginning will not be easy. </li></li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have [[Hardware Recommendations|supported hardware]]. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle, or without bugs. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you can choose your GPU, choose AMD. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working on Steam. You can find other games on [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org]. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use Steam for running games that are on Steam. Most games will work ''just like that'', after [[Steam#Enable Steam Play for all games|enabling Steam Play for all games]].</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other games.</li> <li><p>[[Compositor|Disable Composition]]: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it.</p></li> <li><p>If your performance is bad, read [[Improving performance|this article]].</p></li> <li><p>When Linux gives you a warning, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when [[How to get answers|asking for help]].</p></li><li><p>You (almost) never download software or drivers in the browser. Doing this is a really bad idea, and should only be your last resort if everything else fails. Just look up your distribution (Pop!_OS if you follow our recommendation) + the software, and you should find a better solution (for example a ''ppa'').</p></li><li><p>If you don't like the look, it can easily be changed. Just [https://support.system76.com/articles/desktop-environment/ install a different desktop environment]. KDE Plasma would be a popular choice that looks a lot like Windows, is very customizable, and very comfortable to use. </p></li></ul> 078d26abe93e4df134a6509f86c4db1b17a12c53 757 756 2022-03-23T20:45:26Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki It is recommended to read the [[Getting started with Linux|long version]], but you should be fine if you just do the following:<ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect, ''especially'' if you consider yourself a power user. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. Your knowledge of regedit and powershell is useless, and you may not be able to use the software that you're used to. But usually there is different software that might even be better. Think of being dropped back to level 1 in an MMO. It's like that. The good thing is, that you will learn everything much faster than someone who has no previous knowledge. <li>Don't immediately remove Windows, try dual booting, or try installing Linux on a laptop first. Give yourself some time to adapt. The beginning will probably not be easy. It's always good to have a fallback if things don't work as expected. You can remove Windows later, if you're sure that you don't need a backup solution. </li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have [[Hardware Recommendations|supported hardware]]. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle, or without bugs. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you can choose your GPU, choose AMD. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working on Steam. You can find other games on [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org]. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use Steam for running games that are on Steam. Most games will work ''just like that'', after [[Steam#Enable Steam Play for all games|enabling Steam Play for all games]].</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other games.</li> <li><p>[[Compositor|Disable Composition]]: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it.</p></li> <li><p>If your performance is bad, read [[Improving performance|this article]].</p></li> <li><p>When Linux gives you a warning, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when [[How to get answers|asking for help]].</p></li><li><p>You (almost) never download software or drivers in the browser. Doing this is a really bad idea, and should only be your last resort if everything else fails. Just look up your distribution (Pop!_OS if you follow our recommendation) + the software, and you should find a better solution (for example a ''ppa'').</p></li><li><p>If you don't like the look, it can easily be changed. Just [https://support.system76.com/articles/desktop-environment/ install a different desktop environment]. KDE Plasma would be a popular choice that looks a lot like Windows, is very customizable, and very comfortable to use. </p></li></ul> e6cb124af7eeb278dcce44dde2d10d3aeb99f22b 769 757 2022-03-24T21:07:44Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki It is recommended to read the [[Getting started with Linux|long version]], but you should be fine if you just do the following:<ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect, ''especially'' if you consider yourself a power user. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. Your knowledge of regedit and powershell is useless, and you may not be able to use the software that you're used to. But usually there is different software that might even be better. Think of being dropped back to level 1 in an MMO. It's like that. The good thing is, that you will learn everything much faster than someone who has no previous knowledge. <li>Don't immediately remove Windows, try dual booting, or try installing Linux on a laptop first. Give yourself some time to adapt. The beginning will probably not be easy. It's always good to have a fallback if things don't work as expected. You can remove Windows later, if you're sure that you don't need a backup solution. </li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have [[Hardware Recommendations|supported hardware]]. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle, or without bugs. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working on Steam. You can find other games on [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org]. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use Steam for running games that are on Steam. Most games will work ''just like that'', after [[Steam#Enable Steam Play for all games|enabling Steam Play for all games]].</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other games.</li> <li><p>[[Compositor|Disable Composition]]: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it.</p></li> <li><p>If your performance is bad, read [[Improving performance|this article]].</p></li> <li><p>When Linux gives you a warning, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when [[How to get answers|asking for help]].</p></li><li><p>You (almost) never download software or drivers in the browser. Doing this is a really bad idea, and should only be your last resort if everything else fails. Just look up your distribution (Pop!_OS if you follow our recommendation) + the software, and you should find a better solution (for example a ''ppa'').</p></li><li><p>If you don't like the look, it can easily be changed. Just [https://support.system76.com/articles/desktop-environment/ install a different desktop environment]. KDE Plasma would be a popular choice that looks a lot like Windows, is very customizable, and very comfortable to use. </p></li></ul> 652a4f4a41bde863e196b19fbeff49d94b90948e 0 41 763 709 2022-03-24T08:20:32Z Aragorn 3 /* Install mod managers in a VM */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game mods modify games in some way. A good source for mods is https://www.nexusmods.com. Sometimes they work in the same way as on Windows, but that's not always the case. [[Reshade|Res?hade]] is an example for a modding tool. == Mod Manager == Mod managers that are not native will not set dll overrides. If the installed mod uses dlls, you have to [[Modding#DLL overrides|set the overrides manually]]. === Install mod managers with Wine === You can try installing mod Managers from [[Lutris]], if there is an install script. There are scripts (for older versions of) Vortex and NMM. Otherwise, you can try installing them in the same wine prefix. You could do this for example the following way: * Copy the executable into the wine prefix of your game: <code>~/Games/<your_game>/drive_c/users/<your_name>/Downloads/</code> * In Lutris, click your game, then click on the arrow next to the wine bottle on the bottom of the window. Click <code>Run EXE inside Wine prefix</code> * Locate the exe, and run it. * If it works, you can locate the executable of the installed mod manager, and run it in this way. Otherwise, you can also create a new "game" in the same wine prefix and select the executable there. TODO: describe how. === Install mod managers in a VM === If a mod manager is not working well with wine, you can install Windows in VirtualBox, share your game folder with the VM, and install the mod manager inside the VM. You need to install the guest additions for it to work. If you want to mod a Linux native game, you can try creating a fake .exe in order for the mod manager to detect the game. In more detail: # Install the game on Linux, for example with Lutris, Heroic, or Steam. # Install Windows in a VM # Share the game folder with the Windows VM # Install a mod manager in the Windows VM # Use the mod manager to install a mod # Play the game that is now modded (on Linux, without VM) Optional: Disable internet access for the VM, and enable drag/drop to copy files easily to the VM. This way, Windows can not send telemetry data, or do unnecessary updates that just take space and processing time. You might even use older (and lighter) versions like Windows 7 if the mod manager is compatible. In this case, you will have to manually download mods, though. == Manual Installation == === DLL overrides === The game can either use ''native'' dlls that come with the game, or use ''builtin'' dlls that come with wine. It (sometimes?/usually?) uses only the ''builtin'' dlls. On Windows, the game would do it the other way around, and first use ''all'' dlls in the game directory, and only if the dll is not there, look somewhere else. Now if you put a different dll from a mod inside the game directory, this will not (not always?) work. That's why you have to tell wine, that it should use the dll from the mod. ==== Example ==== For example, if you want to tell wine to use the ''d3dcompiler_47.dll'' that's in your game folder, and only use the builtin dll if it can't find any dll in the game folder, you would do the following: Open Lutris, click your game, on the bottom, click the up-arrow right next to the wine bottle icon, click <code>Wine configuration</code>, click <code>Libraries</code>, and *insert the name of the dll (without the .dll) <code>d3dcompiler_47</code> in the text box under <code>New override for library</code>. *select it in the list, click <code>Edit</code> and select <code>native, then builtin</code> Alternatively, you could also set <code>WINEDLLOVERRIDES="d3dcompiler_47=n,b"</code> as an [[Environment variables|environment variable]]. === Path names === Linux paths are case sensitive, while Windows paths are not. This leads to mod developers using different folder names when referring to the same folder, for example ''folderName'' and ''Foldername''. If your mod doesn't work, this might be the issue, and you can try changing the names so that they are consistent. == Trainer == You can use [https://github.com/leaty/tuxtrain tuxtrain] or [https://github.com/korcankaraokcu/PINCE PINCE]. == Linux native modding tools == There are some game specific Linux native modding tools, you may find a list [[Game specific modding tools|here]]. c67c69a6c92e1af0125fb0a8ff1709d49c837a86 767 763 2022-03-24T18:35:50Z Aragorn 3 /* Install mod managers in a VM */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game mods modify games in some way. A good source for mods is https://www.nexusmods.com. Sometimes they work in the same way as on Windows, but that's not always the case. [[Reshade|Res?hade]] is an example for a modding tool. == Mod Manager == Mod managers that are not native will not set dll overrides. If the installed mod uses dlls, you have to [[Modding#DLL overrides|set the overrides manually]]. === Install mod managers with Wine === You can try installing mod Managers from [[Lutris]], if there is an install script. There are scripts (for older versions of) Vortex and NMM. Otherwise, you can try installing them in the same wine prefix. You could do this for example the following way: * Copy the executable into the wine prefix of your game: <code>~/Games/<your_game>/drive_c/users/<your_name>/Downloads/</code> * In Lutris, click your game, then click on the arrow next to the wine bottle on the bottom of the window. Click <code>Run EXE inside Wine prefix</code> * Locate the exe, and run it. * If it works, you can locate the executable of the installed mod manager, and run it in this way. Otherwise, you can also create a new "game" in the same wine prefix and select the executable there. TODO: describe how. === Install mod managers in a VM === If a mod manager is not working well with wine, you can install Windows in VirtualBox, share your game folder with the VM, and install the mod manager inside the VM. You need to install the guest additions for it to work. The folder will be mounted as network drive Z. If the mod manager does nothing other than modifying files, this will work. If the mod manager adds dlls, you should have a look at how to do [[Modding#DLL overrides|DLL overrides]]. If you want to mod a Linux native game, you can try creating a fake .exe in order for the mod manager to detect the game. In more detail: # Install the game on Linux, for example with Lutris, Heroic, or Steam. # Install Windows in a VM # Share the game folder with the Windows VM # Install a mod manager in the Windows VM # Use the mod manager to install a mod # Play the game that is now modded (on Linux, without VM) Optional: Disable internet access for the VM, and enable drag/drop to copy files easily to the VM. This way, Windows can not send telemetry data, or do unnecessary updates that just take space and processing time. You might even use older (and lighter) versions like Windows 7 if the mod manager is compatible. In this case, you will have to manually download mods, though. == Manual Installation == === DLL overrides === The game can either use ''native'' dlls that come with the game, or use ''builtin'' dlls that come with wine. It (sometimes?/usually?) uses only the ''builtin'' dlls. On Windows, the game would do it the other way around, and first use ''all'' dlls in the game directory, and only if the dll is not there, look somewhere else. Now if you put a different dll from a mod inside the game directory, this will not (not always?) work. That's why you have to tell wine, that it should use the dll from the mod. ==== Example ==== For example, if you want to tell wine to use the ''d3dcompiler_47.dll'' that's in your game folder, and only use the builtin dll if it can't find any dll in the game folder, you would do the following: Open Lutris, click your game, on the bottom, click the up-arrow right next to the wine bottle icon, click <code>Wine configuration</code>, click <code>Libraries</code>, and *insert the name of the dll (without the .dll) <code>d3dcompiler_47</code> in the text box under <code>New override for library</code>. *select it in the list, click <code>Edit</code> and select <code>native, then builtin</code> Alternatively, you could also set <code>WINEDLLOVERRIDES="d3dcompiler_47=n,b"</code> as an [[Environment variables|environment variable]]. === Path names === Linux paths are case sensitive, while Windows paths are not. This leads to mod developers using different folder names when referring to the same folder, for example ''folderName'' and ''Foldername''. If your mod doesn't work, this might be the issue, and you can try changing the names so that they are consistent. == Trainer == You can use [https://github.com/leaty/tuxtrain tuxtrain] or [https://github.com/korcankaraokcu/PINCE PINCE]. == Linux native modding tools == There are some game specific Linux native modding tools, you may find a list [[Game specific modding tools|here]]. c8264f5a60024c3cbc958e24641de5063c8e54a4 768 767 2022-03-24T18:36:25Z Aragorn 3 /* Install mod managers in a VM */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game mods modify games in some way. A good source for mods is https://www.nexusmods.com. Sometimes they work in the same way as on Windows, but that's not always the case. [[Reshade|Res?hade]] is an example for a modding tool. == Mod Manager == Mod managers that are not native will not set dll overrides. If the installed mod uses dlls, you have to [[Modding#DLL overrides|set the overrides manually]]. === Install mod managers with Wine === You can try installing mod Managers from [[Lutris]], if there is an install script. There are scripts (for older versions of) Vortex and NMM. Otherwise, you can try installing them in the same wine prefix. You could do this for example the following way: * Copy the executable into the wine prefix of your game: <code>~/Games/<your_game>/drive_c/users/<your_name>/Downloads/</code> * In Lutris, click your game, then click on the arrow next to the wine bottle on the bottom of the window. Click <code>Run EXE inside Wine prefix</code> * Locate the exe, and run it. * If it works, you can locate the executable of the installed mod manager, and run it in this way. Otherwise, you can also create a new "game" in the same wine prefix and select the executable there. TODO: describe how. === Install mod managers in a VM === If a mod manager is not working well with wine, you can install Windows in VirtualBox, share your game folder with the VM, and install the mod manager inside the VM. You need to install the guest additions for it to work. The folder will be mounted as network drive Z. If you want to mod a Linux native game, you can try creating a fake .exe in order for the mod manager to detect the game. In more detail: # Install the game on Linux, for example with Lutris, Heroic, or Steam. # Install Windows in a VM # Share the game folder with the Windows VM # Install a mod manager in the Windows VM # Use the mod manager to install a mod # Play the game that is now modded (on Linux, without VM) Optional: Disable internet access for the VM, and enable drag/drop to copy files easily to the VM. This way, Windows can not send telemetry data, or do unnecessary updates that just take space and processing time. You might even use older (and lighter) versions like Windows 7 if the mod manager is compatible. In this case, you will have to manually download mods, though. == Manual Installation == === DLL overrides === The game can either use ''native'' dlls that come with the game, or use ''builtin'' dlls that come with wine. It (sometimes?/usually?) uses only the ''builtin'' dlls. On Windows, the game would do it the other way around, and first use ''all'' dlls in the game directory, and only if the dll is not there, look somewhere else. Now if you put a different dll from a mod inside the game directory, this will not (not always?) work. That's why you have to tell wine, that it should use the dll from the mod. ==== Example ==== For example, if you want to tell wine to use the ''d3dcompiler_47.dll'' that's in your game folder, and only use the builtin dll if it can't find any dll in the game folder, you would do the following: Open Lutris, click your game, on the bottom, click the up-arrow right next to the wine bottle icon, click <code>Wine configuration</code>, click <code>Libraries</code>, and *insert the name of the dll (without the .dll) <code>d3dcompiler_47</code> in the text box under <code>New override for library</code>. *select it in the list, click <code>Edit</code> and select <code>native, then builtin</code> Alternatively, you could also set <code>WINEDLLOVERRIDES="d3dcompiler_47=n,b"</code> as an [[Environment variables|environment variable]]. === Path names === Linux paths are case sensitive, while Windows paths are not. This leads to mod developers using different folder names when referring to the same folder, for example ''folderName'' and ''Foldername''. If your mod doesn't work, this might be the issue, and you can try changing the names so that they are consistent. == Trainer == You can use [https://github.com/leaty/tuxtrain tuxtrain] or [https://github.com/korcankaraokcu/PINCE PINCE]. == Linux native modding tools == There are some game specific Linux native modding tools, you may find a list [[Game specific modding tools|here]]. 45d9dac84d0ed088a64e6dcad198335c15c655d7 0 2 764 748 2022-03-24T10:10:04Z Aragorn 3 /* Other Solutions */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [[Bottles]] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. You might face weird bugs. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! ! Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- | Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- | Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for penetration testing only! |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! === Installing Software === If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things === Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. 9cd83b40f7f58d14f5423babc52dec9899d49cf0 765 764 2022-03-24T10:12:38Z Aragorn 3 /* Recommendations */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [[Bottles]] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. You might face weird bugs. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! ! Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- | Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- | Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for penetration testing only! Your games will probably not work on Kali, and you might have all kinds of problems, like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! === Installing Software === If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things === Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. 0638d29a9019c7cc644a52500370983ebc83a127 766 765 2022-03-24T10:13:07Z Aragorn 3 /* Recommendations */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [[Bottles]] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. You might face weird bugs. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! ! Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- | Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- | Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for penetration testing only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! === Installing Software === If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things === Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. 4d7de6673ab3e9b96152ccbd11519e201749a0c1 0 25 770 268 2022-03-25T00:08:06Z Aragorn 3 /* 2. Installing and importing games */ wikitext text/x-wiki Heroic is an open-source game launcher that primarily supports launching games from the Epic Games Store by leveraging Legendary CLI tool. Heroic aims to be an easy-to-use game launcher with features like a per-game Wine prefix with the ability to easily switch between Wine versions. Heroic Games Launcher is built upon Electron and uses Legendary to interact with Epic Games Services. ==1. Installation== Before installing Heroic it is recommended that you have a working installation of '''Wine''' and '''winetricks''' on your system. All installation methods for Heroic are listed on their [https://github.com/Heroic-Games-Launcher/HeroicGamesLauncher#linux GitHub] You can find a suitable installation file for your distro at their GitHub Releases section [https://github.com/Heroic-Games-Launcher/HeroicGamesLauncher/releases here] === Arch, Manjaro, Garuda, and other Arch based distributions === Install it from the [https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/heroic-games-launcher-bin/ AUR], for example using <code>Pamac</code>: * [https://wiki.manjaro.org/index.php/Arch_User_Repository#Using_GUI_Pamac Enable AUR support] * Search Heroic and install it Alternatively you can use an ''AUR helper'' of your choice, for example <code>paru</code>, or <code>yay</code>: * <code>paru -S heroic-games-launcher-bin</code> * <code>yay -S heroic-games-launcher-bin</code> ===Debian, Ubuntu and Derivatives such as Pop!_OS=== Download the <code>heroic_x.x.x_amd64.deb</code> from the GitHub Releases section. If your OS supports this, you can simply open the downloaded <code>.deb</code> file to begin the installation. Otherwise, you can install it via dpkg by bringing up a [[terminal]] and running the following command sudo dpkg -i ''/path/to/''heroic_x.x.x_amd64.deb <small>Note: <code>amd64</code> here refers to system architecture which this package supports. Make sure that your system is compatible with the program you are trying to install.</small> === Using AppImage === Download the <code>heroic-x.x.x.AppImage</code> from the GitHub Releases section. Make sure you have <code>curl</code> and <code>gawk</code> installed, normally it comes installed in most distros. Make AppImage executable by changing its file properties. [[File:Make Executable.png|none|thumb|Marking file as executable]] '''Or''' You can do the same using terminal chmod +x heroic-x.x.x.AppImage Now you can run the Heroic AppImage == 2. Installing and importing games == Installing games is as easy as going to the '''library''' and selecting a game that you want to play. If you have already downloaded the game and you just want to import it then press on '''Import Game''' otherwise press '''Install''' to start installation in the specified folder. [[File:Heroic install popup.png|none|thumb|Game installation popup]] == 4. See also == [https://github.com/Heroic-Games-Launcher/HeroicGamesLauncher Heroic Games Launcher Github] [https://github.com/derrod/legendary Legendary Github] [https://github.com/CommandMC/EpicLinux/wiki EpicLinux Wiki] <references /> 5ab27f0c49a6ceccd456e3a18cd240e343b057b2 0 53 771 749 2022-03-26T22:44:29Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exe) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. Wine will create a windows environment, with c drive, task manager and everything else. == Games == For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For Epic games and GOG you can use [[Heroic]] (or Lutris). For other programs, [[Bottles]] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb] for Steam games, and [https://appdb.winehq.org winehq appdb] for compatibility with all other games. == Other Software == You can find all kinds of programs in the wine [https://appdb.winehq.org/ AppDB]. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. But usually you will not need it if you don't want to spend money. ==Manually running wine== You typically would not want to do this, this is just for educational purpose. First, let's install Wine.<pre>sudo apt install wine</pre>On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you would open a terminal and type (credit to [[U/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running):<pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> ==DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D== What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[U/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and [[Lutris]] both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily [[Improving performance|optimized Linux install]]. Your default experience will be worse. 3757a39510872234a409bbf20624585dd6fc1442 0 45 776 719 2022-03-29T22:09:23Z Aragorn 3 /* Hardware with RGB support */ wikitext text/x-wiki Hardware compatibility with Linux is sometimes tricky. You can not buy just anything and expect it to work. Some manufacturers don't support Linux at all, and sometimes the support is not good. This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware categories. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Regarding specific recommendations. Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a timestamp in the form YYYY-MM. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. If you buy wrong, you might end up with completely incompatible hardware. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. The important thing in the sticks is the chip. Manufacturers sometimes have the same model with different chips. Chips that often work, are Qualcomm Atheros, and [https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005511/wireless.html Intel]. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. * Laser Printer: * Color Printer: * Scanner: * Combined: == Less problematic Hardware == Your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is much lower. However, you might face some jank, some features might not work, and stuff might not be flawless. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. If you want to read more about it, you might find something in [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/tdmup7/unpopular_opinion_i_feel_like_the_whole_nvidia/ this reddit post]. AMD and Nvidia both work, and you'll ''probably'' be fine with either. However: * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), but they are no option for gaming. **If you want long support, AMD is the way to go, as support is essentially never dropped. * Nvidia provides proprietary day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, due to not being FOSS. There might be some delayed features, or some bugs. But as said, you're ''probably'' going to be fine. If you're not, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s blame Nvidia]. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], which works in a similar way, but doesn't look as good. * If you buy a very old GPU, make sure that it has Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth, and even those often work. You might face problems if you have a device with two GPUs (should be solvable), or other special components (fingerprint reader, etc - might not be solvable). * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But there are incompatible models. ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03<!-- Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). --> ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB Digital/Audio converter === *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with [[Misc#Changing%20Mouse%20settings%20(DPI%252C%20lift%20of%20distance%252C%20etc)|booting Windows once to change the settings]] (and you don't need to change them all the time), buy whatever you want. This section is for mice that have native Linux support for settings, including RGB. All mice are required to have a flawless sensor (there is no advantage in being able to change settings if you don't hit anything, right?). * Big size: * Medium size: * Small size: * Many buttons: * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. * RAM * Fan == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 0a7fc0a362151c712fa7626311594709305faaf9 0 28 777 744 2022-03-29T22:20:30Z Aragorn 3 /* AAA Games */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. It's usually not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in several years or so. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == 8ebc05f403457246845b2b4e678f8220d3be2143 778 777 2022-03-29T22:21:36Z Aragorn 3 /* Future */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. It's usually not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == 90ca6deb4d6fe6d778221d90e0a9590a0da20e52 0 32 790 307 2022-03-30T21:32:58Z Aragorn 3 /* Disabling composition for your games */ wikitext text/x-wiki If you use a DE with X11, then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadow and effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. ==Disabling composition for your games== {{Needs work|Problem=I don't know whether the procedure for disabling composition in Cinnamon actually works. In case this does not work, you should not be using Cinnamon. If you want a DE that looks a bit like Windows, you should choose KDE Plasma instead. Please edit if you know more}} Disabling composition will dramatically improve input lag and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: *If you use Gnome (the default DE on Pop!_OS): You don't have to do anything. Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing Windows does), which is almost as good as disabling compositon. Disabling composition in Gnome is not possible. *If you use KDE: **For Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. **For Steam, Heroic or others: Manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code> before launching the game. The same combination re-enables it. **You can use [https://store.kde.org/p/1502826/ Autocomposer] *If you use Cinnamon: Go to <code>settings</code> -> <code>general</code> -> <code>disable compositing for full-screen window</code> e3a826a5c135e8669883d52cd46975f15576949e 799 790 2022-03-31T08:18:58Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use a DE with X11]], then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadow and effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. ==Disabling composition for your games== {{Needs work|Problem=I don't know whether the procedure for disabling composition in Cinnamon actually works. In case this does not work, you should not be using Cinnamon. If you want a DE that looks a bit like Windows, you should choose KDE Plasma instead. Please edit if you know more}} Disabling composition will dramatically improve input lag and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: *If you use Gnome (the default DE on Pop!_OS): You don't have to do anything. Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing Windows does), which is almost as good as disabling compositon. Disabling composition in Gnome is not possible. *If you use KDE: **For Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. **For Steam, Heroic or others: Manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code> before launching the game. The same combination re-enables it. **You can use [https://store.kde.org/p/1502826/ Autocomposer] *If you use Cinnamon: Go to <code>settings</code> -> <code>general</code> -> <code>disable compositing for full-screen window</code> 2f515b68aa40611c67cde6dccb376d1e70d6d53c 0 43 797 712 2022-03-31T08:18:23Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. == Watching the temperature == You can use <code>lm_sensors</code>. Before running it for the first time, run <code>sudo sensors-detect</code>. After that, type <code>sensors</code> to see your temperatures. If you want to monitor them for a longer time, type <code>watch sensors</code>. == Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc) == Settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows once, and change stuff there. You can also boot a VM (with KVM) and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings should be kept in Linux. == Audio stuff == === Noise Cancelling === You can use [https://github.com/wwmm/easyeffects EasyEffects] or [https://github.com/lawl/NoiseTorch NoiseTorch]. === Equalizer and more === EasyEffects also has various other audio processing options, like crystalizer, noise gate, equalizer, filter, and much more. NoiseTorch can only cancel noise, but also has the option to tweak how aggressive it cancels noise. === Patching Audio === If you want to have a patchbay to route your audio to various destinations, [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/helvum Helvum] might be what you're looking for. == Make the game look good == === Downsampling === You can use [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope]. For example, use <code>gamescope -w 3840 -h 2160 --</code> as command prefix, to downscale from 4k. If you use it in Lutris, set <code>3840x2160</code> as resolution. You can also use Gamescope if your game doesn't play nicely with your desktop, for example if it doesn't catch your mouse, or if it breaks when loosing focus. === Post Processing === You can use [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) == Bottles == Some people prefer [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] to install games that don't have an install script in [[Lutris]]. ==Using GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long as it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try again to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code><nowiki>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</nowiki></code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. #Follow the instructions in the readme. == Using Checksums == When downloading a file, you might have seen something like <code>sha512: 497907d020870e564b814bb6c4f7eef2f3abdf5d0159ccbd96501a26cef155a8d771a420a16c9348525fa4ce7de3c137ad5ff15a013c84f327edbdea6495d86b easyanticheat_x64.so</code> This is a checksum, or more precise: An <code>sha512</code> checksum for the file <code>easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. This number is for verifying that you have the correct file, and not something that is manipulated or inaccurately transmitted. '''Usage''': Download file, open [[terminal]], and <code>cd Downloads</code>. Then you execute <code>sha512sum easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. The number you see there, should be ''exactly'' the same. Btw: <code>sha512</code> is better than <code>sha256</code>, and ''especially'' better than <code>md5</code>. <code>md5</code> is trash, don't use it. == Game Streaming == You can use [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == RGB == You can use [https://gitlab.com/CalcProgrammer1/OpenRGB OpenRGB]. == Suspend/resume of applications (games, an others) == You can use [https://github.com/Merrit/nyrna nyrna]. Unortunately it doesn't (yet) "survive" reboots. == Test whether you use X11 == Open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. 25fcc4735db52996cf204595640d2a52ff7f66f7 0 5 801 800 2022-03-31T08:22:09Z Aragorn 3 /* Major tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). You'll probably be fine if you do all ''major tweaks''. Everything else is not as important if you just want something that works. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use X11]], [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers], especially if you have an Nvidia graphics card (GPU). **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, you likely won't need to do this. But if something is not working, just try it. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==Minor tweaks== These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD === {{Needs work|Problem=Not sure if other distros contain the vulkan icds in same location as Arch}}These tweaks are not overly important for most games. *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. Setting the GPU to performance only makes a difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in a sub optimal performance. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases (even tho your mileage may vary). If you experience sub-par performance, check which driver you are using. ** To check which Vulkan implementations are installed on system use this command (system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed): <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) * [[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 64c2412fe94e8c34cfbb79649c5d0afe64b416d6 802 801 2022-03-31T08:32:06Z Aragorn 3 /* AMD */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). You'll probably be fine if you do all ''major tweaks''. Everything else is not as important if you just want something that works. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use X11]], [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers], especially if you have an Nvidia graphics card (GPU). **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, you likely won't need to do this. But if something is not working, just try it. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==Minor tweaks== These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==AMD/Nvidia specific tweaks== ===AMD === {{Needs work|Problem=Not sure if other distros contain the vulkan icds in same location as Arch}}Check this section if your performance is not what you would expect, or if you just want some extra performance: *Use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. Setting the GPU to performance only makes a difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in a sub optimal performance. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases (even tho your mileage may vary). If you experience sub-par performance, check which driver you are using. ** To check which Vulkan implementations are installed on system use this command (system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed): <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref>Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) * [[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 40b5b2664f0ace9ad1eb9c6b7a964817e0886214 803 802 2022-03-31T08:37:54Z Aragorn 3 /* AMD */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). You'll probably be fine if you do all ''major tweaks''. Everything else is not as important if you just want something that works. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use X11]], [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers], especially if you have an Nvidia graphics card (GPU). **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, you likely won't need to do this. But if something is not working, just try it. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==Minor tweaks== These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== ===AMD === {{Needs work|Problem=Not sure if other distros contain the vulkan icds in same location as Arch}} *You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **The default is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases (even tho your mileage may vary). If you experience sub-par performance, check which driver you are using. ** To check which Vulkan implementations are installed on system use this command (system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed): <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) * [[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 349475592ad8f2dbfcd0cfd9fc971cc1fa433edd 804 803 2022-03-31T08:39:43Z Aragorn 3 /* Optional */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). You'll probably be fine if you do all ''major tweaks''. Everything else is not as important if you just want something that works. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use X11]], [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers], especially if you have an Nvidia graphics card (GPU). **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, you likely won't need to do this. But if something is not working, just try it. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==Minor tweaks== These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== ===AMD === {{Needs work|Problem=Not sure if other distros contain the vulkan icds in same location as Arch}} *You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **The default is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases (even tho your mileage may vary). If you experience sub-par performance, check which driver you are using. ** To check which Vulkan implementations are installed on system use this command (system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed): <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. You can just ignore this section if you don't care about the last couple FPS or about input lag. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) * [[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> fe2958dffc4cf17b6b33543b05b6a2e047e72d70 805 804 2022-03-31T08:40:09Z Aragorn 3 /* Optional */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). You'll probably be fine if you do all ''major tweaks''. Everything else is not as important if you just want something that works. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use X11]], [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers], especially if you have an Nvidia graphics card (GPU). **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, you likely won't need to do this. But if something is not working, just try it. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==Minor tweaks== These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== ===AMD === {{Needs work|Problem=Not sure if other distros contain the vulkan icds in same location as Arch}} *You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **The default is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases (even tho your mileage may vary). If you experience sub-par performance, check which driver you are using. ** To check which Vulkan implementations are installed on system use this command (system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed): <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) * [[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 349475592ad8f2dbfcd0cfd9fc971cc1fa433edd 806 805 2022-03-31T08:41:50Z Aragorn 3 /* Optional */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). You'll probably be fine if you do all ''major tweaks''. Everything else is not as important if you just want something that works. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use X11]], [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers], especially if you have an Nvidia graphics card (GPU). **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, you likely won't need to do this. But if something is not working, just try it. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==Minor tweaks== These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== ===AMD === {{Needs work|Problem=Not sure if other distros contain the vulkan icds in same location as Arch}} *You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **The default is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases (even tho your mileage may vary). If you experience sub-par performance, check which driver you are using. ** To check which Vulkan implementations are installed on system use this command (system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed): <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 55f7c190e9ee9aec95d9b3b2a8226a7797ff83ab 807 806 2022-03-31T08:44:15Z Aragorn 3 /* AMD */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). You'll probably be fine if you do all ''major tweaks''. Everything else is not as important if you just want something that works. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use X11]], [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers], especially if you have an Nvidia graphics card (GPU). **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, you likely won't need to do this. But if something is not working, just try it. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==Minor tweaks== These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== ===AMD === {{Needs work|Problem=Not sure if other distros contain the vulkan icds in same location as Arch}}If everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. *You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **The default is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases (even tho your mileage may vary). If you experience sub-par performance, check which driver you are using. ** To check which Vulkan implementations are installed on system use this command (system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed): <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> fc4aa7620f9b4b5c93edd244ca65d07f59a905f8 808 807 2022-03-31T08:45:26Z Aragorn 3 /* AMD */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). You'll probably be fine if you do all ''major tweaks''. Everything else is not as important if you just want something that works. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use X11]], [[Compositor|disable composition]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers], especially if you have an Nvidia graphics card (GPU). **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, you likely won't need to do this. But if something is not working, just try it. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==Minor tweaks== These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== ===AMD === {{Needs work|Problem=Not sure if other distros contain the vulkan icds in same location as Arch}}If everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **The default is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases (even tho your mileage may vary). If you experience sub-par performance, check which driver you are using. ** To check which Vulkan implementations are installed on system use this command (system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed): <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 202a34974e21dfc83440951c3bd802f170879bc8 809 808 2022-03-31T08:51:16Z Aragorn 3 /* Major tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). You'll probably be fine if you do all ''major tweaks''. Everything else is not as important if you just want something that works. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers], especially if you have an Nvidia graphics card (GPU). **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, you likely won't need to do this. But if something is not working, just try it. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==Minor tweaks== These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== ===AMD === {{Needs work|Problem=Not sure if other distros contain the vulkan icds in same location as Arch}}If everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **The default is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases (even tho your mileage may vary). If you experience sub-par performance, check which driver you are using. ** To check which Vulkan implementations are installed on system use this command (system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed): <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 48069c98b645bce838f66d6fbc5fa43e194015b2 811 809 2022-03-31T19:00:58Z Aragorn 3 /* Minor tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). You'll probably be fine if you do all ''major tweaks''. Everything else is not as important if you just want something that works. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers], especially if you have an Nvidia graphics card (GPU). **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, you likely won't need to do this. But if something is not working, just try it. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== ===AMD === {{Needs work|Problem=Not sure if other distros contain the vulkan icds in same location as Arch}}If everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **The default is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases (even tho your mileage may vary). If you experience sub-par performance, check which driver you are using. ** To check which Vulkan implementations are installed on system use this command (system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed): <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 254a8812113cd3642d15b5d5aabf75ab67f63a1b 812 811 2022-03-31T19:01:52Z Aragorn 3 /* AMD */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). You'll probably be fine if you do all ''major tweaks''. Everything else is not as important if you just want something that works. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers], especially if you have an Nvidia graphics card (GPU). **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, you likely won't need to do this. But if something is not working, just try it. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== ===AMD === {{Needs work|Problem=Not sure if other distros contain the vulkan icds in same location as Arch}}It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **The default is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases (even tho your mileage may vary). If you experience sub-par performance, check which driver you are using. ** To check which Vulkan implementations are installed on system use this command (system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed): <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 13fc220f6d5aeaebceeba3dbfd1a97628f7944a9 813 812 2022-03-31T19:02:21Z Aragorn 3 /* AMD */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). You'll probably be fine if you do all ''major tweaks''. Everything else is not as important if you just want something that works. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers], especially if you have an Nvidia graphics card (GPU). **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, you likely won't need to do this. But if something is not working, just try it. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== ===AMD === {{Needs work|Problem=Not sure if other distros contain the vulkan icds in same location as Arch}}It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **The default is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases (even tho your mileage may vary). If you experience sub-par performance, check which driver you are using. ** To check which Vulkan implementations are installed on system use this [[Terminal|command]] (system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed): <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> c6a9005958bf48f5b3fd0c928e06bf0e9ea65ba1 814 813 2022-03-31T19:02:56Z Aragorn 3 /* AMD/Nvidia specific */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). You'll probably be fine if you do all ''major tweaks''. Everything else is not as important if you just want something that works. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers], especially if you have an Nvidia graphics card (GPU). **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, you likely won't need to do this. But if something is not working, just try it. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== ===AMD === {{Needs work|Problem=Not sure if other distros contain the vulkan icds in same location as Arch}}It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **The default is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases (even tho your mileage may vary). If you experience sub-par performance, check which driver you are using. ** To check which Vulkan implementations are installed on system use this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 424663331430713ba53c6553ac7a380eb5681b0c 815 814 2022-04-01T08:37:13Z Aragorn 3 /* AMD */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). You'll probably be fine if you do all ''major tweaks''. Everything else is not as important if you just want something that works. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers], especially if you have an Nvidia graphics card (GPU). **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, you likely won't need to do this. But if something is not working, just try it. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **The default is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases (even tho your mileage may vary). If you experience sub-par performance, check which driver you are using. ** On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> df0fea0cd7113ca8f03212b60002d2b829dc44a8 816 815 2022-04-01T08:39:11Z Aragorn 3 /* AMD/Nvidia specific */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). You'll probably be fine if you do all ''major tweaks''. Everything else is not as important if you just want something that works. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers], especially if you have an Nvidia graphics card (GPU). **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, you likely won't need to do this. But if something is not working, just try it. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **The default is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. If you experience sub-par performance, check which driver you are using. ** On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 5cafea8f971b2c7edee5978f04267933279daee5 817 816 2022-04-01T08:40:30Z Aragorn 3 /* AMD */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). You'll probably be fine if you do all ''major tweaks''. Everything else is not as important if you just want something that works. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers], especially if you have an Nvidia graphics card (GPU). **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, you likely won't need to do this. But if something is not working, just try it. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **The default is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. But if you experience sub-par performance, check which driver you are using. ** On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 533356ca65e5bd1e9ac754c76e560480edbbaa2e 818 817 2022-04-01T08:41:46Z Aragorn 3 /* Major tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). You'll probably be fine if you do all ''major tweaks''. Everything else is not as important if you just want something that works. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers] **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, you likely won't need to do this. But if something is not working, just try it. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **The default is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. But if you experience sub-par performance, check which driver you are using. ** On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> ef01308abb57e85e35dc601bbc5ae2447ee4131a 819 818 2022-04-03T07:24:07Z Aragorn 3 /* AMD */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). You'll probably be fine if you do all ''major tweaks''. Everything else is not as important if you just want something that works. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers] **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, you likely won't need to do this. But if something is not working, just try it. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *Set you GPU to high performance. **The default (automatic) is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. **You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **Alternatively, you can also use gamemode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. But if you experience sub-par performance, check which driver you are using. ** On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> f69b0dd26e85cc6fb673aae8cb3cd1655c1ec14c 834 819 2022-04-06T08:14:49Z Aragorn 3 /* AMD */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). You'll probably be fine if you do all ''major tweaks''. Everything else is not as important if you just want something that works. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers] **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, you likely won't need to do this. But if something is not working, just try it. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *Set you GPU to high performance. **The default (automatic) is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. **You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **Alternatively, you can also use gamemode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. But if you experience sub-par performance, check which driver you are using. ** On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 4fa025f8ff685c91ea78d4d4931f8bb1341f0659 835 834 2022-04-06T08:19:44Z Aragorn 3 /* Major tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). You'll probably be fine if you do all ''major tweaks''. Everything else is not as important if you just want something that works. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers] **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. ***If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, you may download the old one from their website. This is under no circumstances necessary for AMD cards. Manually downloading AMD drivers is always the worst possible thing you can do. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, you likely won't need to do this. But if something is not working, just try it. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *Set you GPU to high performance. **The default (automatic) is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. **You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **Alternatively, you can also use gamemode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. But if you experience sub-par performance, check which driver you are using. ** On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> ba55b97f36cde682a2d2f0b329789ee7879acd2a 836 835 2022-04-06T08:20:02Z Aragorn 3 /* Major tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). You'll probably be fine if you do all ''major tweaks''. Everything else is not as important if you just want something that works. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers] **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. ***If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, you may download the old driver from their website. This is under no circumstances necessary for AMD cards. Manually downloading AMD drivers is always the worst possible thing you can do. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, you likely won't need to do this. But if something is not working, just try it. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *Set you GPU to high performance. **The default (automatic) is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. **You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **Alternatively, you can also use gamemode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. But if you experience sub-par performance, check which driver you are using. ** On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> adefb1ba78dfa89c85345bd08df56534ba5b4f94 837 836 2022-04-06T08:24:37Z Aragorn 3 /* Major tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). You'll probably be fine if you do all ''major tweaks''. Everything else is not as important if you just want something that works. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers] **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. ***If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, you may download the old driver from their website. This is under no circumstances necessary for AMD cards. Manually downloading AMD drivers is always the worst possible thing you can do. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. You won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *Set you GPU to high performance. **The default (automatic) is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. **You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **Alternatively, you can also use gamemode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. But if you experience sub-par performance, check which driver you are using. ** On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 6cf91e1956b56c9416a015b86af3080777d8b678 839 837 2022-04-06T08:32:25Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). You'll probably be fine if you do all ''major tweaks''. Everything else is not as important if you just want something that works. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers] **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *Set you GPU to high performance. **The default (automatic) is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. **You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **Alternatively, you can also use gamemode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. But if you experience sub-par performance, check which driver you are using. ** On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *If you have an old GPU, it might not be supported by the current driver. In this case you have to install an old one. You can use their website to determine which version you need. **''TODO: How to actually install them? On Arch you can use the AUR, but I don't know about any other distribution. Maybe actually download it from their website?'' == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 3e510d94f78d490505c2b6adfc5c6378f537b9b4 840 839 2022-04-06T08:33:56Z Aragorn 3 /* AMD */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). You'll probably be fine if you do all ''major tweaks''. Everything else is not as important if you just want something that works. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers] **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *Set your GPU to high performance. **The default (automatic) is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. **You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **Alternatively, you can also use gamemode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. But if you experience sub-par performance, check which driver you are using. ** On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *If you have an old GPU, it might not be supported by the current driver. In this case you have to install an old one. You can use their website to determine which version you need. **''TODO: How to actually install them? On Arch you can use the AUR, but I don't know about any other distribution. Maybe actually download it from their website?'' == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 04f781f4233135ac875f911bca8ae25174b4fdfc 841 840 2022-04-06T08:36:01Z Aragorn 3 /* AMD/Nvidia specific */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). You'll probably be fine if you do all ''major tweaks''. Everything else is not as important if you just want something that works. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers] **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *Set your GPU to high performance. **The default (automatic) is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. **You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **Alternatively, you can also use gamemode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. But if you experience sub-par performance, check which driver you are using. ** On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed **Do '''NOT''' download stuff from their website. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *If you have an old GPU, it might not be supported by the current driver. In this case you have to install an old one. You can use their website to determine which version you need. **''TODO: How to actually install them? On Arch you can use the AUR, but I don't know about any other distribution. Maybe actually download it from their website?'' == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 578e76038e2baaf44eb97ea3ca6f1dffac64aaf9 842 841 2022-04-06T08:42:52Z Aragorn 3 /* AMD */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). You'll probably be fine if you do all ''major tweaks''. Everything else is not as important if you just want something that works. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers] **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *Set your GPU to high performance. **The default (automatic) is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. **You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **Alternatively, you can also use gamemode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. ** If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed **Do '''NOT''' download stuff from their website. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *If you have an old GPU, it might not be supported by the current driver. In this case you have to install an old one. You can use their website to determine which version you need. **''TODO: How to actually install them? On Arch you can use the AUR, but I don't know about any other distribution. Maybe actually download it from their website?'' == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 1a305302e91ac444a7507d7fa435884a4bc50bc0 843 842 2022-04-06T08:49:45Z Aragorn 3 /* Minor tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). You'll probably be fine if you do all ''major tweaks''. Everything else is not as important if you just want something that works. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers] **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *Set your GPU to high performance. **The default (automatic) is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. **You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **Alternatively, you can also use gamemode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. ** If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed **Do '''NOT''' download stuff from their website. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *If you have an old GPU, it might not be supported by the current driver. In this case you have to install an old one. You can use their website to determine which version you need. **''TODO: How to actually install them? On Arch you can use the AUR, but I don't know about any other distribution. Maybe actually download it from their website?'' == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but might trip anti cheat! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> d10e989990f5eb7b8af8f79c17f92b2b45106cce 0 32 810 799 2022-03-31T08:53:32Z Aragorn 3 /* Disabling composition for your games */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use a DE with X11]], then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadow and effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. ==Disabling composition for your games== {{Needs work|Problem=I don't know whether the procedure for disabling composition in Cinnamon actually works. In case this does not work, you should not be using Cinnamon. If you want a DE that looks a bit like Windows, you should choose KDE Plasma instead. Please edit if you know more}} Disabling composition will dramatically improve input lag and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: *If you use Gnome (the default DE on Pop!_OS): You don't have to do anything. Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing Windows does), which is almost as good as disabling compositon. Disabling composition in Gnome is not possible. *If you use KDE: **For Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. **For Steam, Heroic or others: Manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code> before launching the game. The same combination re-enables it. (TODO: It may be that Steam and Heroic automatically disable composition. But I don't know.) **You can use [https://store.kde.org/p/1502826/ Autocomposer] *If you use Cinnamon: Go to <code>settings</code> -> <code>general</code> -> <code>disable compositing for full-screen window</code> edb6e461b55eeb2c9b9175ac0437af70be597eb6 0 28 820 778 2022-04-05T23:19:01Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. It's usually not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you (as long as you don't use some North Korean or Chinese distribution) * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. You actually even ''own'' your system. You don't just own a license, you own ''your'' system. * It's also free as in freedom. You can do whatever you want. Your system will not stand in your way if you want to do something. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations at all? Good luck using your system, but it's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows over something like MacOS over something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. Your system literally lets you do whatever you want. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can create your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. * It respects you choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though - you won't be able to boot anymore). * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal "sandbox" (it's not really a sandbox, but has similar properties). * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. The vast majority of software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == 82edd0ffea40613068fda9f61c57a1fc6d4b6c6b 821 820 2022-04-05T23:22:11Z Aragorn 3 /* Advantages */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. It's usually not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you (as long as you don't use some North Korean or Chinese distribution) * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. You actually even ''own'' your system. You don't just own a license, you own ''your'' system. * It's also free as in freedom. You can do whatever you want. Your system will not stand in your way if you want to do something. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations at all? Good luck using your system, but it's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows over something like MacOS over something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. Your system literally lets you do whatever you want. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can create your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. * It respects you choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though - you won't be able to boot anymore). * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal "sandbox" (it's not really a sandbox, but has similar properties). * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. The vast majority of software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == bdadd7ce90c993cbe653d4f2a4602a5af0ad444d 822 821 2022-04-05T23:30:21Z Aragorn 3 /* Advantages */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. It's usually not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you (as long as you don't use some North Korean or Chinese distribution) * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. You actually even ''own'' your system. You don't just own a license, you own ''your'' system. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects you choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though - you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations at all? Good luck using your system, but it's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows over something like MacOS over something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. Your system literally lets you do whatever you want. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can create your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal "sandbox" (it's not really a sandbox, but has similar properties). * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. The vast majority of software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == e8a6b89956a9f4392beb0ac394b262e684c6ae64 823 822 2022-04-05T23:35:21Z Aragorn 3 /* Advantages */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. It's usually not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you (as long as you don't use some North Korean or Chinese distribution) * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. You actually even ''own'' your system. You don't just own a license, you own ''your'' system. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects you choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though - you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations at all? Good luck using your system, but it's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows over something like MacOS over something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is by far not everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can create your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal "sandbox" (it's not really a sandbox, but has similar properties). * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. The vast majority of software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == ce05bcdc2df953505aafc85f45c5420b3259339a 824 823 2022-04-05T23:40:42Z Aragorn 3 /* Advantages */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. It's usually not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you (as long as you don't use some North Korean or Chinese distribution) * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. You actually even ''own'' your system. You don't just own a license, you own ''your'' system. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects you choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though - you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, and you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows over something like MacOS over something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is by far not everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can create your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal "sandbox" (it's not really a sandbox, but has similar properties). * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. The vast majority of software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == 89ed686746a09cade58f1cea176076595e2c0d5f 825 824 2022-04-05T23:41:24Z Aragorn 3 /* Advantages */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. It's usually not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you (as long as you don't use some North Korean or Chinese distribution) * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. You actually even ''own'' your system. You don't just own a license, you own ''your'' system. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects you choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though - you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows over something like MacOS over something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is by far not everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can create your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal "sandbox" (it's not really a sandbox, but has similar properties). * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. The vast majority of software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == b7f9c7944c9a8b32615d5b857b7d7e3ea59b3f8b 826 825 2022-04-05T23:44:30Z Aragorn 3 /* Advantages */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. It's usually not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you (as long as you don't use some North Korean or Chinese distribution) * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. You actually even ''own'' your system. You don't just own a license, you own ''your'' system. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects you choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though - you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows over something like MacOS over something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is by far not everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal "sandbox" (it's not really a sandbox, but has similar properties). * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. The vast majority of software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == f8a4604e246d26bf97d0f2ccf3634626ef0f9270 827 826 2022-04-06T00:00:33Z Aragorn 3 /* Advantages */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. It's usually not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you (as long as you don't use some North Korean or Chinese distribution) * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB or RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable (for games you would probably want more, though). * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. You actually even ''own'' your system. You don't just own a license, you own ''your'' system. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects you choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though - you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows over something like MacOS over something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is by far not everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal "sandbox" (it's not really a sandbox, but has similar properties). * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. The vast majority of software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == 1b2c4adee39f48f4bf306c58a96e1260304de86c 828 827 2022-04-06T00:05:02Z Aragorn 3 /* Advantages */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. It's usually not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you (as long as you don't use some North Korean or Chinese distribution) * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB or RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable. And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. (All of this will probably not be true for gaming, though. Linux can't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster.) * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. You actually even ''own'' your system. You don't just own a license, you own ''your'' system. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects you choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though - you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows over something like MacOS over something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is by far not everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal "sandbox" (it's not really a sandbox, but has similar properties). * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. The vast majority of software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == 66c9e035375a79beb561384e07e45a48fc54adf9 829 828 2022-04-06T00:07:22Z Aragorn 3 /* Advantages */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. It's usually not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you (as long as you don't use some North Korean or Chinese distribution) * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB or RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable. And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. (All of this will probably not be true for gaming, though. Linux can't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster. But it might revive your old Laptop to be usable for office, browsing, and watching videos.) * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. You actually even ''own'' your system. You don't just own a license, you own ''your'' system. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects you choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though - you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows over something like MacOS over something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is by far not everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal "sandbox" (it's not really a sandbox, but has similar properties). * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. The vast majority of software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == 7244c3b0f219f87fb34093195908a50c89161aef 830 829 2022-04-06T00:08:38Z Aragorn 3 /* Advantages */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. It's usually not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you (as long as you don't use some North Korean or Chinese distribution) * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB or RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable. And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. Note, that this will not necessarily help you for gaming, though. Linux can't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster. But it might revive your old Laptop to be usable for office, browsing, and watching videos. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. You actually even ''own'' your system. You don't just own a license, you own ''your'' system. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects you choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though - you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows over something like MacOS over something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is by far not everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal "sandbox" (it's not really a sandbox, but has similar properties). * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. The vast majority of software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == dd874410531a8a68beb9e38736a2b18052329678 831 830 2022-04-06T00:08:58Z Aragorn 3 /* Advantages */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. It's usually not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you (as long as you don't use some North Korean or Chinese distribution) * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB or RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable. And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. Note, that this will not necessarily help you for gaming, though. Linux can't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster. But it might revive your old Laptop to be usable for office, browsing, and watching videos (and maybe play light games). * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. You actually even ''own'' your system. You don't just own a license, you own ''your'' system. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects you choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though - you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows over something like MacOS over something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is by far not everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal "sandbox" (it's not really a sandbox, but has similar properties). * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. The vast majority of software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == b7e7143b477888948cfeffefbd1f1333b445e93b 832 831 2022-04-06T00:11:05Z Aragorn 3 /* Advantages */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. It's usually not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you (as long as you don't use some North Korean or Chinese distribution) * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB or RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable. And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. Note, that this will not necessarily help you for gaming, though. Linux can't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster. But it might revive your old Laptop to be usable for office, browsing, and watching videos (and maybe play light games). It might even improve your battery runtime. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. You actually even ''own'' your system. You don't just own a license, you own ''your'' system. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects you choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though - you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows over something like MacOS over something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is by far not everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal "sandbox" (it's not really a sandbox, but has similar properties). * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. The vast majority of software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == ee5f040e202920757c20a1b1cf86cf5b3274280b 833 832 2022-04-06T00:18:36Z Aragorn 3 /* Advantages */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. It's usually not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you (as long as you don't use some North Korean or Chinese distribution) * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB or RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable. And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. Note, that this will not necessarily help you for gaming, though. Linux can't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster. But it might revive your old Laptop to be usable for office, browsing, and watching videos (and maybe play light games). It might even improve your battery runtime. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. You actually even ''own'' your system. You don't just own a license, you own ''your'' system. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects you choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though - you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows over something like MacOS over something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is by far not everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games ''might'' run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal "sandbox" (it's not really a sandbox, but has similar properties). But other games might run worse, or might not run at all, so your mileage may vary. * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so (again) your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. The vast majority of software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == a27faf5d8b3d9a4eb263c0f88f855908440b178a 844 833 2022-04-06T22:53:20Z Aragorn 3 /* Advantages */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. It's usually not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you (as long as you don't use some North Korean or Chinese distribution) * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB or RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable. And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. Note, that this will not necessarily help you for gaming, though. Linux can't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster. But it might revive your old Laptop to be usable for office, browsing, and watching videos (and maybe play light games). It might even improve your battery runtime. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. You actually even ''own'' your system. You don't just own a license, you own ''your'' system. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects you choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though - you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows over something like MacOS over something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is by far not everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games ''might'' run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal "sandbox" (it's not really a sandbox, but has similar properties). But other games might run worse, or might not run at all, so your mileage may vary. * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so (again) your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. Almost all software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == f628244f31487473300dee629317c8055f83a941 845 844 2022-04-06T22:58:29Z Aragorn 3 /* Advantages */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. It's usually not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you (as long as you don't use some North Korean or Chinese distribution) * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB or RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable (not for gaming of course). And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. It won't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster, though. But it has significantly less overhead than Windows, so if that's the problem it will definitely help. For example, it might revive your old Laptop to be usable for office, browsing, watching videos, and playing light games, and maybe even improve your battery runtime. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. You actually even ''own'' your system. You don't just own a license, you own ''your'' system. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects you choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though - you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows over something like MacOS over something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is by far not everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games ''might'' run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal "sandbox" (it's not really a sandbox, but has similar properties). But other games might run worse, or might not run at all, so your mileage may vary. * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so (again) your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. Almost all software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == 245fb72b46523d59d447211017d3d455dab2a3d4 846 845 2022-04-06T22:59:26Z Aragorn 3 /* Advantages */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. It's usually not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you (as long as you don't use some North Korean or Chinese distribution) * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB or RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable (not for gaming of course). And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. It won't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster, though. But it has significantly less overhead than Windows, so if that's the problem it will definitely help. For example, it might revive your old Laptop to be usable for office, browsing, watching videos, and playing light games. It might even improve your battery runtime. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. You actually even ''own'' your system. You don't just own a license, you own ''your'' system. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects you choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though - you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows over something like MacOS over something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is by far not everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games ''might'' run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal "sandbox" (it's not really a sandbox, but has similar properties). But other games might run worse, or might not run at all, so your mileage may vary. * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so (again) your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. Almost all software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == a43069acb36074557094a6d823364d0ec763bc88 847 846 2022-04-06T23:04:46Z Aragorn 3 /* Advantages */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. It's usually not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you (as long as you don't use some North Korean or Chinese distribution) * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB or RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable (not for serious gaming of course). And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. It won't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster, though. But it has significantly less overhead than Windows, so if that's the problem it will definitely help. For example, it might revive your old Laptop to be usable for office, browsing, watching videos, and playing light games. It might even improve your battery runtime. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. You actually even ''own'' your system. You don't just own a license, you own ''your'' system. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects you choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though - you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows over something like MacOS over something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is by far not everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games ''might'' run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal "sandbox" (it's not really a sandbox, but has similar properties). But other games might run worse, or might not run at all, so your mileage may vary. * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so (again) your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. Almost all software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == b8c92125c12d29bcfc8091ba4a01bd99eb75084a 848 847 2022-04-06T23:06:13Z Aragorn 3 /* Advantages */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. It's usually not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you (as long as you don't use some North Korean or Chinese distribution) * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB or RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable (not for serious gaming of course). And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. It won't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster, though. But it has significantly less overhead than Windows, so if that's the problem it will definitely help. For example, it might revive your old Laptop. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. You actually even ''own'' your system. You don't just own a license, you own ''your'' system. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects you choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though - you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows over something like MacOS over something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is by far not everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games ''might'' run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal "sandbox" (it's not really a sandbox, but has similar properties). But other games might run worse, or might not run at all, so your mileage may vary. * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so (again) your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. Almost all software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == 39fc73a1e72ca8a164ca81b3b9232f112c17c891 849 848 2022-04-06T23:09:53Z Aragorn 3 /* Advantages */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. It's usually not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you (as long as you don't use some North Korean or Chinese distribution) * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB or RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable (not for serious gaming of course). And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. It won't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster, though. But it has significantly less overhead than Windows, so if that's the problem it will definitely help. For example, it might revive your old Laptop. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects you choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though - you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows over something like MacOS over something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is by far not everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games ''might'' run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal "sandbox" (it's not really a sandbox, but has similar properties). But other games might run worse, or might not run at all, so your mileage may vary. * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so (again) your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. Almost all software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == ab3910e06804bc380b9bb41705b2a971bbc5cef9 850 849 2022-04-06T23:12:43Z Aragorn 3 /* Advantages */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. It's usually not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you (as long as you don't use some North Korean or Chinese distribution) * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB or RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable (not for serious gaming of course). And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. It won't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster, though. But it has significantly less overhead than Windows, so if that's the problem it will definitely help. For example, it might revive your old Laptop. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects you choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though - you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows over something like MacOS over something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is by far not everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal Windows filesystem. Of course this doesn't apply to all games, so your mileage may vary. * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so (again) your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. Almost all software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == 5cc70b6246c8f3249bff68b2956eef6a3937d4ad 0 34 838 769 2022-04-06T08:27:33Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki It is recommended to read the [[Getting started with Linux|long version]], but you should be fine if you just do the following:<ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect, ''especially'' if you consider yourself a power user. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. Your knowledge of regedit and powershell is useless, and you may not be able to use the software that you're used to. But usually there is different software that might even be better. Think of being dropped back to level 1 in an MMO. It's like that. The good thing is, that you will learn everything much faster than someone who has no previous knowledge. <li>Don't immediately remove Windows, try dual booting, or try installing Linux on a laptop first. Give yourself some time to adapt. The beginning will probably not be easy. It's always good to have a fallback if things don't work as expected. You can remove Windows later, if you're sure that you don't need a backup solution. </li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have [[Hardware Recommendations|supported hardware]]. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle, or without bugs. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working on Steam. You can find other games on [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org]. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use Steam for running games that are on Steam. Most games will work ''just like that'', after [[Steam#Enable Steam Play for all games|enabling Steam Play for all games]].</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other games.</li> <li><p>[[Compositor|Disable Composition]]: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it.</p></li> <li><p>If your performance is bad, read [[Improving performance|this article]].</p></li> <li><p>'''Don't go to a website and download stuff to install it'''. This is not how Linux works. Even if this is the ''"official"'' way. For example AMD will offer you to download their drivers from the website. Don't do it, this is bad.</p></li> <li><p>When Linux gives you a warning, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when [[How to get answers|asking for help]].</p></li><li><p>You (almost) never download software or drivers in the browser. Doing this is a really bad idea, and should only be your last resort if everything else fails. Just look up your distribution (Pop!_OS if you follow our recommendation) + the software, and you should find a better solution (for example a ''ppa'').</p></li><li><p>If you don't like the look, it can easily be changed. Just [https://support.system76.com/articles/desktop-environment/ install a different desktop environment]. KDE Plasma would be a popular choice that looks a lot like Windows, is very customizable, and very comfortable to use. </p></li></ul> 0d12123780c081f4c09f154a5b90cec80153e433 0 28 851 850 2022-04-06T23:29:18Z Aragorn 3 /* Advantages */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. It's usually not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you (as long as you don't use some North Korean or Chinese distribution) * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB or RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable (not for serious gaming of course). And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. It won't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster, though. But it has significantly less overhead than Windows, so if that's the problem it will definitely help. For example, it might revive your old Laptop. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects you choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though - you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows over something like MacOS over something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is by far not everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. Some examples how Linux can look like: **KDE Plasma: [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/articles/tagline_images/528481101id19192gol.jpg 1] [https://news-cdn.softpedia.com/images/news2/kde-plasma-5-15-desktop-environment-officially-released-here-s-what-s-new-524922-8.jpg 2] [https://www.lffl.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/garuda-linux-dr460nized-1400x788.png 3] **Gnome: [https://forum.garudalinux.org/uploads/default/optimized/2X/e/e6d6150878051d075fb6d8548f5314fcf6c7bf28_2_1035x646.jpeg 1][https://www.cmscritic.com/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cloudinary/pop-os-review-4_hhslpt.png 2][https://i.redd.it/jt3xl3e2qak61.png 3] **i3: [https://pic3.zhimg.com/v2-bad01545e1f69cc0a94633ff771b72e3_1200x500.jpg 1][https://blog.peterge.de/content/images/2020/08/screenshot_20200816_200004.png 2][https://pingvinus.ru/cr_images/userpicture/n/1938-0.png 3] * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal Windows filesystem. Of course this doesn't apply to all games, so your mileage may vary. * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so (again) your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. Almost all software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == 3999103f924841c1e48a13b2c5fc51bafaf0602c 852 851 2022-04-06T23:35:29Z Aragorn 3 /* Advantages */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. It's usually not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you (as long as you don't use some North Korean or Chinese distribution) * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB or RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable (not for serious gaming of course). And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. It won't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster, though. But it has significantly less overhead than Windows, so if that's the problem it will definitely help. For example, it might revive your old Laptop. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects you choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though - you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows over something like MacOS over something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is by far not everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. Some examples how Linux can look like: **KDE Plasma: [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/articles/tagline_images/528481101id19192gol.jpg 1] [https://news-cdn.softpedia.com/images/news2/kde-plasma-5-15-desktop-environment-officially-released-here-s-what-s-new-524922-8.jpg 2] [https://www.lffl.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/garuda-linux-dr460nized-1400x788.png 3] [https://ubuntuhandbook.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/preview-arc-dark.jpg 4] [https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RQLcqtqS-YA/XHTsrV6x_-I/AAAAAAAAU0Y/eKJma9C7vsITXzcDklMTaOXgUdVqBIvWgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot_20190226_073620.png 5][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 6][https://i.redd.it/lvubg0sxnl641.png 7][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 8][https://i.redd.it/8mz4z5kybs631.png 9][https://dot.kde.org/sites/dot.kde.org/files/Screenshot_20200108_105524.png 10] **Gnome: [https://forum.garudalinux.org/uploads/default/optimized/2X/e/e6d6150878051d075fb6d8548f5314fcf6c7bf28_2_1035x646.jpeg 1][https://www.cmscritic.com/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cloudinary/pop-os-review-4_hhslpt.png 2][https://i.redd.it/jt3xl3e2qak61.png 3][https://pingvinus.ru/files/news/manjaro-20-1/manjaro-20.1-gnome.jpg 4][https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/f8e04f89-e155-4926-972e-76e0955933eb/d7p511m-6d5d2454-989c-4565-bfbc-7b11d8853d2d.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2Y4ZTA0Zjg5LWUxNTUtNDkyNi05NzJlLTc2ZTA5NTU5MzNlYlwvZDdwNTExbS02ZDVkMjQ1NC05ODljLTQ1NjUtYmZiYy03YjExZDg4NTNkMmQucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.1gZpEhXzJOTyeEnTOejlRMw0-y_ZXz_YffUuljnrLsU 5][https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/f8e04f89-e155-4926-972e-76e0955933eb/dak2iyb-e5931cb1-e722-43f8-a1ed-63361f901ab9.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2Y4ZTA0Zjg5LWUxNTUtNDkyNi05NzJlLTc2ZTA5NTU5MzNlYlwvZGFrMml5Yi1lNTkzMWNiMS1lNzIyLTQzZjgtYTFlZC02MzM2MWY5MDFhYjkucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.zwpBVOqCfSFqWRDNz1fnEgVkyyXgrj_3NoJNLa0Zlzw 6] **i3: [https://pic3.zhimg.com/v2-bad01545e1f69cc0a94633ff771b72e3_1200x500.jpg 1][https://blog.peterge.de/content/images/2020/08/screenshot_20200816_200004.png 2][https://pingvinus.ru/cr_images/userpicture/n/1938-0.png 3] * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal Windows filesystem. Of course this doesn't apply to all games, so your mileage may vary. * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so (again) your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. Almost all software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == 72981c0ddee03d90a51f800b1874513cebccd635 853 852 2022-04-06T23:38:02Z Aragorn 3 /* Advantages */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. It's usually not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you (as long as you don't use some North Korean or Chinese distribution) * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB or RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable (not for serious gaming of course). And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. It won't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster, though. But it has significantly less overhead than Windows, so if that's the problem it will definitely help. For example, it might revive your old Laptop. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects you choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though - you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows over something like MacOS over something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is by far not everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. Some examples how Linux can look like: **KDE Plasma: [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/articles/tagline_images/528481101id19192gol.jpg 1] [https://news-cdn.softpedia.com/images/news2/kde-plasma-5-15-desktop-environment-officially-released-here-s-what-s-new-524922-8.jpg 2] [https://www.lffl.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/garuda-linux-dr460nized-1400x788.png 3] [https://ubuntuhandbook.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/preview-arc-dark.jpg 4] [https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RQLcqtqS-YA/XHTsrV6x_-I/AAAAAAAAU0Y/eKJma9C7vsITXzcDklMTaOXgUdVqBIvWgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot_20190226_073620.png 5][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 6][https://i.redd.it/lvubg0sxnl641.png 7][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 8][https://i.redd.it/8mz4z5kybs631.png 9][https://dot.kde.org/sites/dot.kde.org/files/Screenshot_20200108_105524.png 10] **Gnome: [https://forum.garudalinux.org/uploads/default/optimized/2X/e/e6d6150878051d075fb6d8548f5314fcf6c7bf28_2_1035x646.jpeg 1][https://www.cmscritic.com/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cloudinary/pop-os-review-4_hhslpt.png 2][https://i.redd.it/jt3xl3e2qak61.png 3][https://pingvinus.ru/files/news/manjaro-20-1/manjaro-20.1-gnome.jpg 4][http://www.jetestelinux.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/manjaro_gnome_1710_mode_nuit.jpg 5][https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/f8e04f89-e155-4926-972e-76e0955933eb/dak2iyb-e5931cb1-e722-43f8-a1ed-63361f901ab9.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2Y4ZTA0Zjg5LWUxNTUtNDkyNi05NzJlLTc2ZTA5NTU5MzNlYlwvZGFrMml5Yi1lNTkzMWNiMS1lNzIyLTQzZjgtYTFlZC02MzM2MWY5MDFhYjkucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.zwpBVOqCfSFqWRDNz1fnEgVkyyXgrj_3NoJNLa0Zlzw 6] **i3: [https://pic3.zhimg.com/v2-bad01545e1f69cc0a94633ff771b72e3_1200x500.jpg 1][https://blog.peterge.de/content/images/2020/08/screenshot_20200816_200004.png 2][https://pingvinus.ru/cr_images/userpicture/n/1938-0.png 3] * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal Windows filesystem. Of course this doesn't apply to all games, so your mileage may vary. * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so (again) your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. Almost all software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == 07de6df378ae9711706d887e6f4a6d2ba48c1ca2 854 853 2022-04-06T23:39:03Z Aragorn 3 /* Advantages */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. It's usually not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you (as long as you don't use some North Korean or Chinese distribution) * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB or RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable (not for serious gaming of course). And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. It won't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster, though. But it has significantly less overhead than Windows, so if that's the problem it will definitely help. For example, it might revive your old Laptop. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects you choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though - you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows over something like MacOS over something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is by far not everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. Some examples how Linux can look like: **KDE Plasma: [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/articles/tagline_images/528481101id19192gol.jpg 1] [https://news-cdn.softpedia.com/images/news2/kde-plasma-5-15-desktop-environment-officially-released-here-s-what-s-new-524922-8.jpg 2] [https://www.lffl.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/garuda-linux-dr460nized-1400x788.png 3] [https://ubuntuhandbook.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/preview-arc-dark.jpg 4] [https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RQLcqtqS-YA/XHTsrV6x_-I/AAAAAAAAU0Y/eKJma9C7vsITXzcDklMTaOXgUdVqBIvWgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot_20190226_073620.png 5][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 6][https://i.redd.it/lvubg0sxnl641.png 7][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 8][https://i.redd.it/8mz4z5kybs631.png 9][https://dot.kde.org/sites/dot.kde.org/files/Screenshot_20200108_105524.png 10][https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FEMS88kEx_8/maxresdefault.jpg 11][https://i.redd.it/f6ywf9pncpy31.png 12] **Gnome: [https://forum.garudalinux.org/uploads/default/optimized/2X/e/e6d6150878051d075fb6d8548f5314fcf6c7bf28_2_1035x646.jpeg 1][https://www.cmscritic.com/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cloudinary/pop-os-review-4_hhslpt.png 2][https://i.redd.it/jt3xl3e2qak61.png 3][https://pingvinus.ru/files/news/manjaro-20-1/manjaro-20.1-gnome.jpg 4][http://www.jetestelinux.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/manjaro_gnome_1710_mode_nuit.jpg 5][https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/f8e04f89-e155-4926-972e-76e0955933eb/dak2iyb-e5931cb1-e722-43f8-a1ed-63361f901ab9.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2Y4ZTA0Zjg5LWUxNTUtNDkyNi05NzJlLTc2ZTA5NTU5MzNlYlwvZGFrMml5Yi1lNTkzMWNiMS1lNzIyLTQzZjgtYTFlZC02MzM2MWY5MDFhYjkucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.zwpBVOqCfSFqWRDNz1fnEgVkyyXgrj_3NoJNLa0Zlzw 6] **i3: [https://pic3.zhimg.com/v2-bad01545e1f69cc0a94633ff771b72e3_1200x500.jpg 1][https://blog.peterge.de/content/images/2020/08/screenshot_20200816_200004.png 2][https://pingvinus.ru/cr_images/userpicture/n/1938-0.png 3] * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal Windows filesystem. Of course this doesn't apply to all games, so your mileage may vary. * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so (again) your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. Almost all software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == 2049e3dd77b580480286424eac1ce0f5f22869d7 855 854 2022-04-06T23:42:50Z Aragorn 3 /* Advantages */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. It's usually not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you (as long as you don't use some North Korean or Chinese distribution) * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB or RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable (not for serious gaming of course). And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. It won't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster, though. But it has significantly less overhead than Windows, so if that's the problem it will definitely help. For example, it might revive your old Laptop. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects you choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though - you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows over something like MacOS over something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is by far not everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. Some examples how Linux can look like: **KDE Plasma: [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/articles/tagline_images/528481101id19192gol.jpg 1][https://news-cdn.softpedia.com/images/news2/kde-plasma-5-15-desktop-environment-officially-released-here-s-what-s-new-524922-8.jpg 2][https://www.lffl.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/garuda-linux-dr460nized-1400x788.png 3][https://ubuntuhandbook.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/preview-arc-dark.jpg 4][https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RQLcqtqS-YA/XHTsrV6x_-I/AAAAAAAAU0Y/eKJma9C7vsITXzcDklMTaOXgUdVqBIvWgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot_20190226_073620.png 5][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 6][https://i.redd.it/lvubg0sxnl641.png 7][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 8][https://i.redd.it/8mz4z5kybs631.png 9][https://dot.kde.org/sites/dot.kde.org/files/Screenshot_20200108_105524.png 10][https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FEMS88kEx_8/maxresdefault.jpg 11][https://i.redd.it/f6ywf9pncpy31.png 12][https://i.imgur.com/kYX3ewJ.png 13][https://forum.endeavouros.com/uploads/default/original/2X/6/6e6c1619652607552c45b001ad2dbfb9d01ea21d.jpeg 14][https://64.media.tumblr.com/7d87d7b245c9aa4f63e03eef74f60aaf/d629d44890280e21-53/s1280x1920/91400c9a320154d938df43796cd6a2b607f7ccf2.png 15] **Gnome: [https://forum.garudalinux.org/uploads/default/optimized/2X/e/e6d6150878051d075fb6d8548f5314fcf6c7bf28_2_1035x646.jpeg 1][https://www.cmscritic.com/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cloudinary/pop-os-review-4_hhslpt.png 2][https://i.redd.it/jt3xl3e2qak61.png 3][https://pingvinus.ru/files/news/manjaro-20-1/manjaro-20.1-gnome.jpg 4][http://www.jetestelinux.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/manjaro_gnome_1710_mode_nuit.jpg 5][https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/f8e04f89-e155-4926-972e-76e0955933eb/dak2iyb-e5931cb1-e722-43f8-a1ed-63361f901ab9.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2Y4ZTA0Zjg5LWUxNTUtNDkyNi05NzJlLTc2ZTA5NTU5MzNlYlwvZGFrMml5Yi1lNTkzMWNiMS1lNzIyLTQzZjgtYTFlZC02MzM2MWY5MDFhYjkucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.zwpBVOqCfSFqWRDNz1fnEgVkyyXgrj_3NoJNLa0Zlzw 6] **i3: [https://pic3.zhimg.com/v2-bad01545e1f69cc0a94633ff771b72e3_1200x500.jpg 1][https://blog.peterge.de/content/images/2020/08/screenshot_20200816_200004.png 2][https://pingvinus.ru/cr_images/userpicture/n/1938-0.png 3] * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal Windows filesystem. Of course this doesn't apply to all games, so your mileage may vary. * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so (again) your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. Almost all software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == 8af840381c2eb20d8b037d185268b6db71f9431c 856 855 2022-04-06T23:45:50Z Aragorn 3 /* Advantages */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. It's usually not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you (as long as you don't use some North Korean or Chinese distribution) * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB or RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable (not for serious gaming of course). And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. It won't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster, though. But it has significantly less overhead than Windows, so if that's the problem it will definitely help. For example, it might revive your old Laptop. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects you choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though - you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows over something like MacOS over something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is by far not everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. Some examples how Linux can look like: **KDE Plasma: [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/articles/tagline_images/528481101id19192gol.jpg 1][https://news-cdn.softpedia.com/images/news2/kde-plasma-5-15-desktop-environment-officially-released-here-s-what-s-new-524922-8.jpg 2][https://www.lffl.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/garuda-linux-dr460nized-1400x788.png 3][https://ubuntuhandbook.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/preview-arc-dark.jpg 4][https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RQLcqtqS-YA/XHTsrV6x_-I/AAAAAAAAU0Y/eKJma9C7vsITXzcDklMTaOXgUdVqBIvWgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot_20190226_073620.png 5][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 6][https://i.redd.it/lvubg0sxnl641.png 7][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 8][https://i.redd.it/8mz4z5kybs631.png 9][https://dot.kde.org/sites/dot.kde.org/files/Screenshot_20200108_105524.png 10][https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FEMS88kEx_8/maxresdefault.jpg 11][https://i.redd.it/f6ywf9pncpy31.png 12][https://i.imgur.com/kYX3ewJ.png 13][https://forum.endeavouros.com/uploads/default/original/2X/6/6e6c1619652607552c45b001ad2dbfb9d01ea21d.jpeg 14][https://64.media.tumblr.com/7d87d7b245c9aa4f63e03eef74f60aaf/d629d44890280e21-53/s1280x1920/91400c9a320154d938df43796cd6a2b607f7ccf2.png 15] **Gnome: [https://forum.garudalinux.org/uploads/default/optimized/2X/e/e6d6150878051d075fb6d8548f5314fcf6c7bf28_2_1035x646.jpeg 1][https://www.cmscritic.com/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cloudinary/pop-os-review-4_hhslpt.png 2][https://i.redd.it/jt3xl3e2qak61.png 3][https://pingvinus.ru/files/news/manjaro-20-1/manjaro-20.1-gnome.jpg 4][http://www.jetestelinux.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/manjaro_gnome_1710_mode_nuit.jpg 5][https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/f8e04f89-e155-4926-972e-76e0955933eb/dak2iyb-e5931cb1-e722-43f8-a1ed-63361f901ab9.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2Y4ZTA0Zjg5LWUxNTUtNDkyNi05NzJlLTc2ZTA5NTU5MzNlYlwvZGFrMml5Yi1lNTkzMWNiMS1lNzIyLTQzZjgtYTFlZC02MzM2MWY5MDFhYjkucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.zwpBVOqCfSFqWRDNz1fnEgVkyyXgrj_3NoJNLa0Zlzw 6] **i3: [https://pic3.zhimg.com/v2-bad01545e1f69cc0a94633ff771b72e3_1200x500.jpg 1][https://preview.redd.it/f2jg3znpr1g31.png?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=9b64dde84ccb1e0ba20e8bba5ee6516123273bd2 2][https://pingvinus.ru/cr_images/userpicture/n/1938-0.png 3] * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal Windows filesystem. Of course this doesn't apply to all games, so your mileage may vary. * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so (again) your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. Almost all software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == 58d98e186c9011cd51122154422d23dcee04fef5 857 856 2022-04-06T23:58:09Z Aragorn 3 /* Advantages */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. It's usually not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you (as long as you don't use some North Korean or Chinese distribution) * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB or RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable (not for serious gaming of course). And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. It won't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster, though. But it has significantly less overhead than Windows, so if that's the problem it will definitely help. For example, it might revive your old Laptop. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects you choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though - you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows over something like MacOS over something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is by far not everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. Some examples what Linux can look like: **KDE Plasma: [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/articles/tagline_images/528481101id19192gol.jpg 1][https://news-cdn.softpedia.com/images/news2/kde-plasma-5-15-desktop-environment-officially-released-here-s-what-s-new-524922-8.jpg 2][https://www.lffl.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/garuda-linux-dr460nized-1400x788.png 3][https://ubuntuhandbook.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/preview-arc-dark.jpg 4][https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RQLcqtqS-YA/XHTsrV6x_-I/AAAAAAAAU0Y/eKJma9C7vsITXzcDklMTaOXgUdVqBIvWgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot_20190226_073620.png 5][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 6][https://i.redd.it/lvubg0sxnl641.png 7][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 8][https://i.redd.it/8mz4z5kybs631.png 9][https://dot.kde.org/sites/dot.kde.org/files/Screenshot_20200108_105524.png 10][https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FEMS88kEx_8/maxresdefault.jpg 11][https://i.redd.it/f6ywf9pncpy31.png 12][https://i.imgur.com/kYX3ewJ.png 13][https://forum.endeavouros.com/uploads/default/original/2X/6/6e6c1619652607552c45b001ad2dbfb9d01ea21d.jpeg 14][https://64.media.tumblr.com/7d87d7b245c9aa4f63e03eef74f60aaf/d629d44890280e21-53/s1280x1920/91400c9a320154d938df43796cd6a2b607f7ccf2.png 15] **Gnome: [https://forum.garudalinux.org/uploads/default/optimized/2X/e/e6d6150878051d075fb6d8548f5314fcf6c7bf28_2_1035x646.jpeg 1][https://www.cmscritic.com/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cloudinary/pop-os-review-4_hhslpt.png 2][https://i.redd.it/jt3xl3e2qak61.png 3][https://pingvinus.ru/files/news/manjaro-20-1/manjaro-20.1-gnome.jpg 4][http://www.jetestelinux.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/manjaro_gnome_1710_mode_nuit.jpg 5][https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/f8e04f89-e155-4926-972e-76e0955933eb/dak2iyb-e5931cb1-e722-43f8-a1ed-63361f901ab9.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2Y4ZTA0Zjg5LWUxNTUtNDkyNi05NzJlLTc2ZTA5NTU5MzNlYlwvZGFrMml5Yi1lNTkzMWNiMS1lNzIyLTQzZjgtYTFlZC02MzM2MWY5MDFhYjkucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.zwpBVOqCfSFqWRDNz1fnEgVkyyXgrj_3NoJNLa0Zlzw 6] **i3: [https://pic3.zhimg.com/v2-bad01545e1f69cc0a94633ff771b72e3_1200x500.jpg 1][https://preview.redd.it/f2jg3znpr1g31.png?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=9b64dde84ccb1e0ba20e8bba5ee6516123273bd2 2][https://pingvinus.ru/cr_images/userpicture/n/1938-0.png 3] * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal Windows filesystem. Of course this doesn't apply to all games, so your mileage may vary. * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so (again) your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. Almost all software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == 7c27b649302e23944153843c8d12c66a21777c75 859 857 2022-04-07T07:45:40Z Aragorn 3 /* Advantages */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. It's usually not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you (as long as you don't use some North Korean or Chinese distribution) * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB or RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable (not for serious gaming of course). And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. It won't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster, though. But it has significantly less overhead than Windows, so if that's the problem it will definitely help. For example, it might revive your old Laptop. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects you choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though - you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows over something like MacOS over something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is by far not everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. Some examples what Linux can look like: **KDE Plasma: [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/articles/tagline_images/528481101id19192gol.jpg 1][https://news-cdn.softpedia.com/images/news2/kde-plasma-5-15-desktop-environment-officially-released-here-s-what-s-new-524922-8.jpg 2][https://www.lffl.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/garuda-linux-dr460nized-1400x788.png 3][https://ubuntuhandbook.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/preview-arc-dark.jpg 4][https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RQLcqtqS-YA/XHTsrV6x_-I/AAAAAAAAU0Y/eKJma9C7vsITXzcDklMTaOXgUdVqBIvWgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot_20190226_073620.png 5][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 6][https://i.redd.it/lvubg0sxnl641.png 7][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 8][https://i.redd.it/8mz4z5kybs631.png 9][https://dot.kde.org/sites/dot.kde.org/files/Screenshot_20200108_105524.png 10][https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FEMS88kEx_8/maxresdefault.jpg 11][https://i.redd.it/f6ywf9pncpy31.png 12][https://i.imgur.com/kYX3ewJ.png 13][https://forum.endeavouros.com/uploads/default/original/2X/6/6e6c1619652607552c45b001ad2dbfb9d01ea21d.jpeg 14][https://64.media.tumblr.com/7d87d7b245c9aa4f63e03eef74f60aaf/d629d44890280e21-53/s1280x1920/91400c9a320154d938df43796cd6a2b607f7ccf2.png 15][https://i.redd.it/0x4pz8o10xq81.png 16][https://i.redd.it/7a5mwp393jo81.png 17][https://i.redd.it/cv5gc2tne4r81.png 18] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=plasma&sort=top and more] **Gnome: [https://forum.garudalinux.org/uploads/default/optimized/2X/e/e6d6150878051d075fb6d8548f5314fcf6c7bf28_2_1035x646.jpeg 1][https://www.cmscritic.com/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cloudinary/pop-os-review-4_hhslpt.png 2][https://i.redd.it/jt3xl3e2qak61.png 3][https://pingvinus.ru/files/news/manjaro-20-1/manjaro-20.1-gnome.jpg 4][http://www.jetestelinux.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/manjaro_gnome_1710_mode_nuit.jpg 5][https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/f8e04f89-e155-4926-972e-76e0955933eb/dak2iyb-e5931cb1-e722-43f8-a1ed-63361f901ab9.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2Y4ZTA0Zjg5LWUxNTUtNDkyNi05NzJlLTc2ZTA5NTU5MzNlYlwvZGFrMml5Yi1lNTkzMWNiMS1lNzIyLTQzZjgtYTFlZC02MzM2MWY5MDFhYjkucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.zwpBVOqCfSFqWRDNz1fnEgVkyyXgrj_3NoJNLa0Zlzw 6][https://i.redd.it/b06ms6vfe0r81.png 7][https://i.redd.it/uvenc4r0dun81.png 8][https://i.redd.it/kw1enzggqmo81.png 9][https://i.redd.it/gdtwdhbk4tr81.png 10][https://i.redd.it/uk9uihckcsd41.png 11] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=gnome&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&sort=top and more] **i3: [https://pic3.zhimg.com/v2-bad01545e1f69cc0a94633ff771b72e3_1200x500.jpg 1][https://preview.redd.it/f2jg3znpr1g31.png?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=9b64dde84ccb1e0ba20e8bba5ee6516123273bd2 2][https://pingvinus.ru/cr_images/userpicture/n/1938-0.png 3][https://i.redd.it/rpojcv4d3nr81.png 4][https://i.redd.it/lkviraiador81.png 5][https://i.redd.it/or7veqoicdq81.png 6] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=i3&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&sort=top and more] * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal Windows filesystem. Of course this doesn't apply to all games, so your mileage may vary. * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so (again) your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. Almost all software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == ed6c7099e9e63dcfe6f3e845d006aed133183f64 860 859 2022-04-08T17:11:37Z Aragorn 3 /* Advantages */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. It's usually not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you (as long as you don't use some North Korean or Chinese distribution) * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB or RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable (not for serious gaming of course). And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. It won't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster, though. But it has significantly less overhead than Windows, so if that's the problem it will definitely help. For example, it might revive your old Laptop. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects you choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though - you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows over something like MacOS over something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is by far not everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. Some examples what Linux can look like: **KDE Plasma: [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/articles/tagline_images/528481101id19192gol.jpg 1][https://news-cdn.softpedia.com/images/news2/kde-plasma-5-15-desktop-environment-officially-released-here-s-what-s-new-524922-8.jpg 2][https://www.lffl.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/garuda-linux-dr460nized-1400x788.png 3][https://ubuntuhandbook.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/preview-arc-dark.jpg 4][https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RQLcqtqS-YA/XHTsrV6x_-I/AAAAAAAAU0Y/eKJma9C7vsITXzcDklMTaOXgUdVqBIvWgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot_20190226_073620.png 5][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 6][https://i.redd.it/lvubg0sxnl641.png 7][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 8][https://i.redd.it/8mz4z5kybs631.png 9][https://dot.kde.org/sites/dot.kde.org/files/Screenshot_20200108_105524.png 10][https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FEMS88kEx_8/maxresdefault.jpg 11][https://i.redd.it/f6ywf9pncpy31.png 12][https://i.imgur.com/kYX3ewJ.png 13][https://forum.endeavouros.com/uploads/default/original/2X/6/6e6c1619652607552c45b001ad2dbfb9d01ea21d.jpeg 14][https://64.media.tumblr.com/7d87d7b245c9aa4f63e03eef74f60aaf/d629d44890280e21-53/s1280x1920/91400c9a320154d938df43796cd6a2b607f7ccf2.png 15][https://i.redd.it/0x4pz8o10xq81.png 16][https://i.redd.it/7a5mwp393jo81.png 17][https://i.redd.it/cv5gc2tne4r81.png 18] [https://i.redd.it/t65bae91v3s81.jpg 19] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=plasma&sort=top and more] **Gnome: [https://forum.garudalinux.org/uploads/default/optimized/2X/e/e6d6150878051d075fb6d8548f5314fcf6c7bf28_2_1035x646.jpeg 1][https://www.cmscritic.com/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cloudinary/pop-os-review-4_hhslpt.png 2][https://i.redd.it/jt3xl3e2qak61.png 3][https://pingvinus.ru/files/news/manjaro-20-1/manjaro-20.1-gnome.jpg 4][http://www.jetestelinux.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/manjaro_gnome_1710_mode_nuit.jpg 5][https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/f8e04f89-e155-4926-972e-76e0955933eb/dak2iyb-e5931cb1-e722-43f8-a1ed-63361f901ab9.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2Y4ZTA0Zjg5LWUxNTUtNDkyNi05NzJlLTc2ZTA5NTU5MzNlYlwvZGFrMml5Yi1lNTkzMWNiMS1lNzIyLTQzZjgtYTFlZC02MzM2MWY5MDFhYjkucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.zwpBVOqCfSFqWRDNz1fnEgVkyyXgrj_3NoJNLa0Zlzw 6][https://i.redd.it/b06ms6vfe0r81.png 7][https://i.redd.it/uvenc4r0dun81.png 8][https://i.redd.it/kw1enzggqmo81.png 9][https://i.redd.it/gdtwdhbk4tr81.png 10][https://i.redd.it/uk9uihckcsd41.png 11] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=gnome&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&sort=top and more] **i3: [https://pic3.zhimg.com/v2-bad01545e1f69cc0a94633ff771b72e3_1200x500.jpg 1][https://preview.redd.it/f2jg3znpr1g31.png?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=9b64dde84ccb1e0ba20e8bba5ee6516123273bd2 2][https://pingvinus.ru/cr_images/userpicture/n/1938-0.png 3][https://i.redd.it/rpojcv4d3nr81.png 4][https://i.redd.it/lkviraiador81.png 5][https://i.redd.it/or7veqoicdq81.png 6] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=i3&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&sort=top and more] * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal Windows filesystem. Of course this doesn't apply to all games, so your mileage may vary. * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so (again) your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. Almost all software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == 91a071ed57906e05de33e1c0671386d0e0cfad25 861 860 2022-04-08T17:13:52Z Aragorn 3 /* Advantages */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. It's usually not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you (as long as you don't use some North Korean or Chinese distribution) * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB or RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable (not for serious gaming of course). And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. It won't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster, though. But it has significantly less overhead than Windows, so if that's the problem it will definitely help. For example, it might revive your old Laptop. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects you choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though - you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows over something like MacOS over something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is by far not everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. Some examples what Linux can look like: **KDE Plasma: [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/articles/tagline_images/528481101id19192gol.jpg 1][https://news-cdn.softpedia.com/images/news2/kde-plasma-5-15-desktop-environment-officially-released-here-s-what-s-new-524922-8.jpg 2][https://www.lffl.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/garuda-linux-dr460nized-1400x788.png 3][https://ubuntuhandbook.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/preview-arc-dark.jpg 4][https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RQLcqtqS-YA/XHTsrV6x_-I/AAAAAAAAU0Y/eKJma9C7vsITXzcDklMTaOXgUdVqBIvWgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot_20190226_073620.png 5][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 6][https://i.redd.it/lvubg0sxnl641.png 7][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 8][https://i.redd.it/8mz4z5kybs631.png 9][https://dot.kde.org/sites/dot.kde.org/files/Screenshot_20200108_105524.png 10][https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FEMS88kEx_8/maxresdefault.jpg 11][https://i.redd.it/f6ywf9pncpy31.png 12][https://i.imgur.com/kYX3ewJ.png 13][https://forum.endeavouros.com/uploads/default/original/2X/6/6e6c1619652607552c45b001ad2dbfb9d01ea21d.jpeg 14][https://i.redd.it/e4w1uvk48fr81.jpg 15][https://i.redd.it/0x4pz8o10xq81.png 16][https://i.redd.it/7a5mwp393jo81.png 17][https://i.redd.it/cv5gc2tne4r81.png 18] [https://i.redd.it/t65bae91v3s81.jpg 19] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=plasma&sort=top and more] **Gnome: [https://forum.garudalinux.org/uploads/default/optimized/2X/e/e6d6150878051d075fb6d8548f5314fcf6c7bf28_2_1035x646.jpeg 1][https://www.cmscritic.com/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cloudinary/pop-os-review-4_hhslpt.png 2][https://i.redd.it/jt3xl3e2qak61.png 3][https://pingvinus.ru/files/news/manjaro-20-1/manjaro-20.1-gnome.jpg 4][http://www.jetestelinux.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/manjaro_gnome_1710_mode_nuit.jpg 5][https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/f8e04f89-e155-4926-972e-76e0955933eb/dak2iyb-e5931cb1-e722-43f8-a1ed-63361f901ab9.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2Y4ZTA0Zjg5LWUxNTUtNDkyNi05NzJlLTc2ZTA5NTU5MzNlYlwvZGFrMml5Yi1lNTkzMWNiMS1lNzIyLTQzZjgtYTFlZC02MzM2MWY5MDFhYjkucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.zwpBVOqCfSFqWRDNz1fnEgVkyyXgrj_3NoJNLa0Zlzw 6][https://i.redd.it/b06ms6vfe0r81.png 7][https://i.redd.it/uvenc4r0dun81.png 8][https://i.redd.it/kw1enzggqmo81.png 9][https://i.redd.it/gdtwdhbk4tr81.png 10][https://i.redd.it/uk9uihckcsd41.png 11] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=gnome&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&sort=top and more] **i3: [https://pic3.zhimg.com/v2-bad01545e1f69cc0a94633ff771b72e3_1200x500.jpg 1][https://preview.redd.it/f2jg3znpr1g31.png?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=9b64dde84ccb1e0ba20e8bba5ee6516123273bd2 2][https://pingvinus.ru/cr_images/userpicture/n/1938-0.png 3][https://i.redd.it/rpojcv4d3nr81.png 4][https://i.redd.it/lkviraiador81.png 5][https://i.redd.it/or7veqoicdq81.png 6] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=i3&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&sort=top and more] * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal Windows filesystem. Of course this doesn't apply to all games, so your mileage may vary. * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so (again) your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. Almost all software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == 3851cfd7bb24a70864f04bce8d9451f24102ad5c 862 861 2022-04-08T17:16:14Z Aragorn 3 /* Advantages */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. It's usually not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you (as long as you don't use some North Korean or Chinese distribution) * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB or RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable (not for serious gaming of course). And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. It won't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster, though. But it has significantly less overhead than Windows, so if that's the problem it will definitely help. For example, it might revive your old Laptop. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects you choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though - you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows over something like MacOS over something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is by far not everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. Some examples what Linux can look like: **KDE Plasma: [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/articles/tagline_images/528481101id19192gol.jpg 1][https://news-cdn.softpedia.com/images/news2/kde-plasma-5-15-desktop-environment-officially-released-here-s-what-s-new-524922-8.jpg 2][https://www.lffl.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/garuda-linux-dr460nized-1400x788.png 3][https://ubuntuhandbook.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/preview-arc-dark.jpg 4][https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RQLcqtqS-YA/XHTsrV6x_-I/AAAAAAAAU0Y/eKJma9C7vsITXzcDklMTaOXgUdVqBIvWgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot_20190226_073620.png 5][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 6][https://i.redd.it/lvubg0sxnl641.png 7][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 8][https://i.redd.it/8mz4z5kybs631.png 9][https://i.redd.it/jup9nde0f0l81.png 10][https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FEMS88kEx_8/maxresdefault.jpg 11][https://i.redd.it/f6ywf9pncpy31.png 12][https://i.imgur.com/kYX3ewJ.png 13][https://forum.endeavouros.com/uploads/default/original/2X/6/6e6c1619652607552c45b001ad2dbfb9d01ea21d.jpeg 14][https://i.redd.it/e4w1uvk48fr81.jpg 15][https://i.redd.it/0x4pz8o10xq81.png 16][https://i.redd.it/7a5mwp393jo81.png 17][https://i.redd.it/cv5gc2tne4r81.png 18] [https://i.redd.it/t65bae91v3s81.jpg 19] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=plasma&sort=top and more] **Gnome: [https://forum.garudalinux.org/uploads/default/optimized/2X/e/e6d6150878051d075fb6d8548f5314fcf6c7bf28_2_1035x646.jpeg 1][https://www.cmscritic.com/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cloudinary/pop-os-review-4_hhslpt.png 2][https://i.redd.it/jt3xl3e2qak61.png 3][https://pingvinus.ru/files/news/manjaro-20-1/manjaro-20.1-gnome.jpg 4][http://www.jetestelinux.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/manjaro_gnome_1710_mode_nuit.jpg 5][https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/f8e04f89-e155-4926-972e-76e0955933eb/dak2iyb-e5931cb1-e722-43f8-a1ed-63361f901ab9.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2Y4ZTA0Zjg5LWUxNTUtNDkyNi05NzJlLTc2ZTA5NTU5MzNlYlwvZGFrMml5Yi1lNTkzMWNiMS1lNzIyLTQzZjgtYTFlZC02MzM2MWY5MDFhYjkucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.zwpBVOqCfSFqWRDNz1fnEgVkyyXgrj_3NoJNLa0Zlzw 6][https://i.redd.it/b06ms6vfe0r81.png 7][https://i.redd.it/uvenc4r0dun81.png 8][https://i.redd.it/kw1enzggqmo81.png 9][https://i.redd.it/gdtwdhbk4tr81.png 10][https://i.redd.it/uk9uihckcsd41.png 11] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=gnome&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&sort=top and more] **i3: [https://pic3.zhimg.com/v2-bad01545e1f69cc0a94633ff771b72e3_1200x500.jpg 1][https://preview.redd.it/f2jg3znpr1g31.png?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=9b64dde84ccb1e0ba20e8bba5ee6516123273bd2 2][https://pingvinus.ru/cr_images/userpicture/n/1938-0.png 3][https://i.redd.it/rpojcv4d3nr81.png 4][https://i.redd.it/lkviraiador81.png 5][https://i.redd.it/or7veqoicdq81.png 6] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=i3&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&sort=top and more] * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal Windows filesystem. Of course this doesn't apply to all games, so your mileage may vary. * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so (again) your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. Almost all software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == 2ad34d9de2273b96025b370963c266dec337a884 863 862 2022-04-08T18:56:33Z Aragorn 3 /* Advantages */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. It's usually not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you (as long as you don't use some North Korean or Chinese distribution) * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB or RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable (not for serious gaming of course). And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. It won't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster, though. But it has significantly less overhead than Windows, so if that's the problem it will definitely help. For example, it might revive your old Laptop. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects you choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though - you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows over something like MacOS over something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is by far not everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. Some examples what Linux can look like: **KDE Plasma: [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/articles/tagline_images/528481101id19192gol.jpg 1][https://news-cdn.softpedia.com/images/news2/kde-plasma-5-15-desktop-environment-officially-released-here-s-what-s-new-524922-8.jpg 2][https://www.lffl.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/garuda-linux-dr460nized-1400x788.png 3][https://ubuntuhandbook.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/preview-arc-dark.jpg 4][https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RQLcqtqS-YA/XHTsrV6x_-I/AAAAAAAAU0Y/eKJma9C7vsITXzcDklMTaOXgUdVqBIvWgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot_20190226_073620.png 5][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 6][https://i.redd.it/lvubg0sxnl641.png 7][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 8][https://i.redd.it/8mz4z5kybs631.png 9][https://i.redd.it/jup9nde0f0l81.png 10][https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FEMS88kEx_8/maxresdefault.jpg 11][https://i.redd.it/f6ywf9pncpy31.png 12][https://i.imgur.com/kYX3ewJ.png 13][https://forum.endeavouros.com/uploads/default/original/2X/6/6e6c1619652607552c45b001ad2dbfb9d01ea21d.jpeg 14][https://i.redd.it/e4w1uvk48fr81.jpg 15][https://i.redd.it/0x4pz8o10xq81.png 16][https://i.redd.it/7a5mwp393jo81.png 17][https://i.redd.it/cv5gc2tne4r81.png 18] [https://i.redd.it/t65bae91v3s81.jpg 19] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=plasma&sort=top and more] **Gnome: [https://forum.garudalinux.org/uploads/default/optimized/2X/e/e6d6150878051d075fb6d8548f5314fcf6c7bf28_2_1035x646.jpeg 1][https://www.cmscritic.com/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cloudinary/pop-os-review-4_hhslpt.png 2][https://i.redd.it/jt3xl3e2qak61.png 3][https://pingvinus.ru/files/news/manjaro-20-1/manjaro-20.1-gnome.jpg 4][http://www.jetestelinux.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/manjaro_gnome_1710_mode_nuit.jpg 5][https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/f8e04f89-e155-4926-972e-76e0955933eb/dak2iyb-e5931cb1-e722-43f8-a1ed-63361f901ab9.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2Y4ZTA0Zjg5LWUxNTUtNDkyNi05NzJlLTc2ZTA5NTU5MzNlYlwvZGFrMml5Yi1lNTkzMWNiMS1lNzIyLTQzZjgtYTFlZC02MzM2MWY5MDFhYjkucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.zwpBVOqCfSFqWRDNz1fnEgVkyyXgrj_3NoJNLa0Zlzw 6][https://i.redd.it/b06ms6vfe0r81.png 7][https://i.redd.it/uvenc4r0dun81.png 8][https://i.redd.it/kw1enzggqmo81.png 9][https://i.redd.it/gdtwdhbk4tr81.png 10][https://i.redd.it/uk9uihckcsd41.png 1112] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=gnome&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&sort=top and more] **i3: [https://pic3.zhimg.com/v2-bad01545e1f69cc0a94633ff771b72e3_1200x500.jpg 1][https://preview.redd.it/f2jg3znpr1g31.png?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=9b64dde84ccb1e0ba20e8bba5ee6516123273bd2 2][https://pingvinus.ru/cr_images/userpicture/n/1938-0.png 3][https://i.redd.it/rpojcv4d3nr81.png 4][https://i.redd.it/lkviraiador81.png 5][https://i.redd.it/or7veqoicdq81.png 6] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=i3&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&sort=top and more] * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal Windows filesystem. Of course this doesn't apply to all games, so your mileage may vary. * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so (again) your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. Almost all software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == 36e944c32f4195604c9fc31984aeca54993a253f 864 863 2022-04-08T18:58:47Z Aragorn 3 /* Advantages */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. It's usually not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you (as long as you don't use some North Korean or Chinese distribution) * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB or RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable (not for serious gaming of course). And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. It won't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster, though. But it has significantly less overhead than Windows, so if that's the problem it will definitely help. For example, it might revive your old Laptop. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects you choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though - you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows over something like MacOS over something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is by far not everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. Some examples what Linux can look like: **KDE Plasma: [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/articles/tagline_images/528481101id19192gol.jpg 1][https://news-cdn.softpedia.com/images/news2/kde-plasma-5-15-desktop-environment-officially-released-here-s-what-s-new-524922-8.jpg 2][https://www.lffl.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/garuda-linux-dr460nized-1400x788.png 3][https://ubuntuhandbook.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/preview-arc-dark.jpg 4][https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RQLcqtqS-YA/XHTsrV6x_-I/AAAAAAAAU0Y/eKJma9C7vsITXzcDklMTaOXgUdVqBIvWgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot_20190226_073620.png 5][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 6][https://i.redd.it/lvubg0sxnl641.png 7][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 8][https://i.redd.it/8mz4z5kybs631.png 9][https://i.redd.it/jup9nde0f0l81.png 10][https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FEMS88kEx_8/maxresdefault.jpg 11][https://i.redd.it/f6ywf9pncpy31.png 12][https://i.imgur.com/kYX3ewJ.png 13][https://forum.endeavouros.com/uploads/default/original/2X/6/6e6c1619652607552c45b001ad2dbfb9d01ea21d.jpeg 14][https://i.redd.it/e4w1uvk48fr81.jpg 15][https://i.redd.it/0x4pz8o10xq81.png 16][https://i.redd.it/7a5mwp393jo81.png 17][https://i.redd.it/cv5gc2tne4r81.png 18] [https://i.redd.it/t65bae91v3s81.jpg 19] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=plasma&sort=top and more] **Gnome: [https://forum.garudalinux.org/uploads/default/optimized/2X/e/e6d6150878051d075fb6d8548f5314fcf6c7bf28_2_1035x646.jpeg 1][https://www.cmscritic.com/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cloudinary/pop-os-review-4_hhslpt.png 2][https://i.redd.it/jt3xl3e2qak61.png 3][https://pingvinus.ru/files/news/manjaro-20-1/manjaro-20.1-gnome.jpg 4][http://www.jetestelinux.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/manjaro_gnome_1710_mode_nuit.jpg 5][https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/f8e04f89-e155-4926-972e-76e0955933eb/dak2iyb-e5931cb1-e722-43f8-a1ed-63361f901ab9.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2Y4ZTA0Zjg5LWUxNTUtNDkyNi05NzJlLTc2ZTA5NTU5MzNlYlwvZGFrMml5Yi1lNTkzMWNiMS1lNzIyLTQzZjgtYTFlZC02MzM2MWY5MDFhYjkucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.zwpBVOqCfSFqWRDNz1fnEgVkyyXgrj_3NoJNLa0Zlzw 6][https://i.redd.it/b06ms6vfe0r81.png 7][https://i.redd.it/uvenc4r0dun81.png 8][https://i.redd.it/kw1enzggqmo81.png 9][https://i.redd.it/gdtwdhbk4tr81.png 10][https://i.redd.it/uk9uihckcsd41.png 11] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=gnome&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&sort=top and more] **i3: [https://pic3.zhimg.com/v2-bad01545e1f69cc0a94633ff771b72e3_1200x500.jpg 1][https://preview.redd.it/f2jg3znpr1g31.png?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=9b64dde84ccb1e0ba20e8bba5ee6516123273bd2 2][https://pingvinus.ru/cr_images/userpicture/n/1938-0.png 3][https://i.redd.it/rpojcv4d3nr81.png 4][https://i.redd.it/lkviraiador81.png 5][https://i.redd.it/or7veqoicdq81.png 6] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=i3&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&sort=top and more] * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal Windows filesystem. Of course this doesn't apply to all games, so your mileage may vary. * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so (again) your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. Almost all software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == 2ad34d9de2273b96025b370963c266dec337a884 865 864 2022-04-08T23:17:15Z Aragorn 3 /* Advantages */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. It's usually not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you (as long as you don't use some North Korean or Chinese distribution) * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB or RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable (not for serious gaming of course). And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. It won't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster, though. But it has significantly less overhead than Windows, so if that's the problem it will definitely help. For example, it might revive your old Laptop. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects you choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though - you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows over something like MacOS over something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is by far not everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. Some examples what Linux can look like: **KDE Plasma: [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/articles/tagline_images/528481101id19192gol.jpg 1][https://news-cdn.softpedia.com/images/news2/kde-plasma-5-15-desktop-environment-officially-released-here-s-what-s-new-524922-8.jpg 2][https://www.lffl.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/garuda-linux-dr460nized-1400x788.png 3][https://ubuntuhandbook.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/preview-arc-dark.jpg 4][https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RQLcqtqS-YA/XHTsrV6x_-I/AAAAAAAAU0Y/eKJma9C7vsITXzcDklMTaOXgUdVqBIvWgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot_20190226_073620.png 5][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 6][https://i.redd.it/lvubg0sxnl641.png 7][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 8][https://i.redd.it/8mz4z5kybs631.png 9][https://i.redd.it/jup9nde0f0l81.png 10][https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FEMS88kEx_8/maxresdefault.jpg 11][https://i.redd.it/f6ywf9pncpy31.png 12][https://i.imgur.com/kYX3ewJ.png 13][https://forum.endeavouros.com/uploads/default/original/2X/6/6e6c1619652607552c45b001ad2dbfb9d01ea21d.jpeg 14][https://i.redd.it/e4w1uvk48fr81.jpg 15][https://i.redd.it/0x4pz8o10xq81.png 16][https://i.redd.it/7a5mwp393jo81.png 17][https://i.redd.it/cv5gc2tne4r81.png 18] [https://i.redd.it/t65bae91v3s81.jpg 19] [https://64.media.tumblr.com/9bda2b57523402c142d4f797c8ad0093/d629d44890280e21-7d/s1280x1920/ad696bc813582410c77f9879cc0334b76ab252ea.jpg 20] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=plasma&sort=top and more] **Gnome: [https://forum.garudalinux.org/uploads/default/optimized/2X/e/e6d6150878051d075fb6d8548f5314fcf6c7bf28_2_1035x646.jpeg 1][https://www.cmscritic.com/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cloudinary/pop-os-review-4_hhslpt.png 2][https://i.redd.it/jt3xl3e2qak61.png 3][https://pingvinus.ru/files/news/manjaro-20-1/manjaro-20.1-gnome.jpg 4][http://www.jetestelinux.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/manjaro_gnome_1710_mode_nuit.jpg 5][https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/f8e04f89-e155-4926-972e-76e0955933eb/dak2iyb-e5931cb1-e722-43f8-a1ed-63361f901ab9.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2Y4ZTA0Zjg5LWUxNTUtNDkyNi05NzJlLTc2ZTA5NTU5MzNlYlwvZGFrMml5Yi1lNTkzMWNiMS1lNzIyLTQzZjgtYTFlZC02MzM2MWY5MDFhYjkucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.zwpBVOqCfSFqWRDNz1fnEgVkyyXgrj_3NoJNLa0Zlzw 6][https://i.redd.it/b06ms6vfe0r81.png 7][https://i.redd.it/uvenc4r0dun81.png 8][https://i.redd.it/kw1enzggqmo81.png 9][https://i.redd.it/gdtwdhbk4tr81.png 10][https://i.redd.it/uk9uihckcsd41.png 11] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=gnome&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&sort=top and more] **i3: [https://pic3.zhimg.com/v2-bad01545e1f69cc0a94633ff771b72e3_1200x500.jpg 1][https://preview.redd.it/f2jg3znpr1g31.png?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=9b64dde84ccb1e0ba20e8bba5ee6516123273bd2 2][https://pingvinus.ru/cr_images/userpicture/n/1938-0.png 3][https://i.redd.it/rpojcv4d3nr81.png 4][https://i.redd.it/lkviraiador81.png 5][https://i.redd.it/or7veqoicdq81.png 6] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=i3&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&sort=top and more] * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal Windows filesystem. Of course this doesn't apply to all games, so your mileage may vary. * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so (again) your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. Almost all software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == 9291bc2b706c92750d061382436a3d9d1df6bce4 875 865 2022-04-11T15:24:14Z Aragorn 3 /* Advantages */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. It's usually not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you (as long as you don't use some North Korean or Chinese distribution) * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB or RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable (not for serious gaming of course). And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. It won't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster, though. But it has significantly less overhead than Windows, so if that's the problem it will definitely help. For example, it might revive your old Laptop. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects you choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though - you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows over something like MacOS over something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is by far not everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. Some examples what Linux can look like: **KDE Plasma: [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/articles/tagline_images/528481101id19192gol.jpg 1][https://news-cdn.softpedia.com/images/news2/kde-plasma-5-15-desktop-environment-officially-released-here-s-what-s-new-524922-8.jpg 2][https://www.lffl.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/garuda-linux-dr460nized-1400x788.png 3][https://ubuntuhandbook.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/preview-arc-dark.jpg 4][https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RQLcqtqS-YA/XHTsrV6x_-I/AAAAAAAAU0Y/eKJma9C7vsITXzcDklMTaOXgUdVqBIvWgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot_20190226_073620.png 5][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 6][https://i.redd.it/lvubg0sxnl641.png 7][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 8][https://i.redd.it/8mz4z5kybs631.png 9][https://i.redd.it/jup9nde0f0l81.png 10][https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FEMS88kEx_8/maxresdefault.jpg 11][https://i.redd.it/f6ywf9pncpy31.png 12][https://i.imgur.com/kYX3ewJ.png 13][https://forum.endeavouros.com/uploads/default/original/2X/6/6e6c1619652607552c45b001ad2dbfb9d01ea21d.jpeg 14][https://i.redd.it/e4w1uvk48fr81.jpg 15][https://i.redd.it/0x4pz8o10xq81.png 16][https://i.redd.it/7a5mwp393jo81.png 17][https://i.redd.it/cv5gc2tne4r81.png 18] [https://i.redd.it/t65bae91v3s81.jpg 19] [https://64.media.tumblr.com/9bda2b57523402c142d4f797c8ad0093/d629d44890280e21-7d/s1280x1920/ad696bc813582410c77f9879cc0334b76ab252ea.jpg 20] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=plasma&sort=top and more] **Gnome: [https://forum.garudalinux.org/uploads/default/optimized/2X/e/e6d6150878051d075fb6d8548f5314fcf6c7bf28_2_1035x646.jpeg 1][https://www.cmscritic.com/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cloudinary/pop-os-review-4_hhslpt.png 2][https://i.redd.it/jt3xl3e2qak61.png 3][https://pingvinus.ru/files/news/manjaro-20-1/manjaro-20.1-gnome.jpg 4][http://www.jetestelinux.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/manjaro_gnome_1710_mode_nuit.jpg 5][https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/f8e04f89-e155-4926-972e-76e0955933eb/dak2iyb-e5931cb1-e722-43f8-a1ed-63361f901ab9.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2Y4ZTA0Zjg5LWUxNTUtNDkyNi05NzJlLTc2ZTA5NTU5MzNlYlwvZGFrMml5Yi1lNTkzMWNiMS1lNzIyLTQzZjgtYTFlZC02MzM2MWY5MDFhYjkucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.zwpBVOqCfSFqWRDNz1fnEgVkyyXgrj_3NoJNLa0Zlzw 6][https://i.redd.it/b06ms6vfe0r81.png 7][https://i.redd.it/uvenc4r0dun81.png 8][https://i.redd.it/kw1enzggqmo81.png 9][https://i.redd.it/gdtwdhbk4tr81.png 10][https://i.redd.it/uk9uihckcsd41.png 11] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=gnome&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&sort=top and more] **tiling window managers: [https://pic3.zhimg.com/v2-bad01545e1f69cc0a94633ff771b72e3_1200x500.jpg 1][https://preview.redd.it/f2jg3znpr1g31.png?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=9b64dde84ccb1e0ba20e8bba5ee6516123273bd2 2][https://pingvinus.ru/cr_images/userpicture/n/1938-0.png 3][https://i.redd.it/rpojcv4d3nr81.png 4][https://i.redd.it/lkviraiador81.png 5][https://i.redd.it/or7veqoicdq81.png 6][https://i.redd.it/ptbibz0gdk861.png 7] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=i3&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&sort=top and more] * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal Windows filesystem. Of course this doesn't apply to all games, so your mileage may vary. * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so (again) your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. Almost all software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == c075588ccc312ab9d477334e73a04705edd39365 876 875 2022-04-11T15:25:54Z Aragorn 3 /* Advantages */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. It's usually not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you (as long as you don't use some North Korean or Chinese distribution) * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB or RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable (not for serious gaming of course). And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. It won't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster, though. But it has significantly less overhead than Windows, so if that's the problem it will definitely help. For example, it might revive your old Laptop. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects you choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though - you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows over something like MacOS over something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is by far not everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. Some examples what Linux can look like: **KDE Plasma: [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/articles/tagline_images/528481101id19192gol.jpg 1][https://news-cdn.softpedia.com/images/news2/kde-plasma-5-15-desktop-environment-officially-released-here-s-what-s-new-524922-8.jpg 2][https://www.lffl.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/garuda-linux-dr460nized-1400x788.png 3][https://ubuntuhandbook.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/preview-arc-dark.jpg 4][https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RQLcqtqS-YA/XHTsrV6x_-I/AAAAAAAAU0Y/eKJma9C7vsITXzcDklMTaOXgUdVqBIvWgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot_20190226_073620.png 5][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 6][https://i.redd.it/lvubg0sxnl641.png 7][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 8][https://i.redd.it/8mz4z5kybs631.png 9][https://i.redd.it/jup9nde0f0l81.png 10][https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FEMS88kEx_8/maxresdefault.jpg 11][https://i.redd.it/f6ywf9pncpy31.png 12][https://i.imgur.com/kYX3ewJ.png 13][https://forum.endeavouros.com/uploads/default/original/2X/6/6e6c1619652607552c45b001ad2dbfb9d01ea21d.jpeg 14][https://i.redd.it/e4w1uvk48fr81.jpg 15][https://i.redd.it/0x4pz8o10xq81.png 16][https://i.redd.it/7a5mwp393jo81.png 17][https://i.redd.it/cv5gc2tne4r81.png 18] [https://i.redd.it/t65bae91v3s81.jpg 19] [https://64.media.tumblr.com/9bda2b57523402c142d4f797c8ad0093/d629d44890280e21-7d/s1280x1920/ad696bc813582410c77f9879cc0334b76ab252ea.jpg 20] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=plasma&sort=top and more] **Gnome: [https://forum.garudalinux.org/uploads/default/optimized/2X/e/e6d6150878051d075fb6d8548f5314fcf6c7bf28_2_1035x646.jpeg 1][https://www.cmscritic.com/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cloudinary/pop-os-review-4_hhslpt.png 2][https://i.redd.it/jt3xl3e2qak61.png 3][https://pingvinus.ru/files/news/manjaro-20-1/manjaro-20.1-gnome.jpg 4][http://www.jetestelinux.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/manjaro_gnome_1710_mode_nuit.jpg 5][https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/f8e04f89-e155-4926-972e-76e0955933eb/dak2iyb-e5931cb1-e722-43f8-a1ed-63361f901ab9.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2Y4ZTA0Zjg5LWUxNTUtNDkyNi05NzJlLTc2ZTA5NTU5MzNlYlwvZGFrMml5Yi1lNTkzMWNiMS1lNzIyLTQzZjgtYTFlZC02MzM2MWY5MDFhYjkucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.zwpBVOqCfSFqWRDNz1fnEgVkyyXgrj_3NoJNLa0Zlzw 6][https://i.redd.it/b06ms6vfe0r81.png 7][https://i.redd.it/uvenc4r0dun81.png 8][https://i.redd.it/kw1enzggqmo81.png 9][https://i.redd.it/gdtwdhbk4tr81.png 10][https://i.redd.it/uk9uihckcsd41.png 11] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=gnome&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&sort=top and more] **tiling window managers: [https://pic3.zhimg.com/v2-bad01545e1f69cc0a94633ff771b72e3_1200x500.jpg 1][https://preview.redd.it/f2jg3znpr1g31.png?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=9b64dde84ccb1e0ba20e8bba5ee6516123273bd2 2][https://pingvinus.ru/cr_images/userpicture/n/1938-0.png 3][https://i.redd.it/rpojcv4d3nr81.png 4][https://i.redd.it/lkviraiador81.png 5][https://i.redd.it/or7veqoicdq81.png 6][https://i.redd.it/ptbibz0gdk861.png 7] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/ and more] * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal Windows filesystem. Of course this doesn't apply to all games, so your mileage may vary. * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so (again) your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. Almost all software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == 206bfd159f98f82fca4ce516014931ecbc31da43 877 876 2022-04-11T15:26:58Z Aragorn 3 /* Advantages */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. It's usually not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you (as long as you don't use some North Korean or Chinese distribution) * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB or RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable (not for serious gaming of course). And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. It won't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster, though. But it has significantly less overhead than Windows, so if that's the problem it will definitely help. For example, it might revive your old Laptop. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects you choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though - you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows over something like MacOS over something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is by far not everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. Some examples what Linux can look like: **KDE Plasma: [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/articles/tagline_images/528481101id19192gol.jpg 1][https://news-cdn.softpedia.com/images/news2/kde-plasma-5-15-desktop-environment-officially-released-here-s-what-s-new-524922-8.jpg 2][https://www.lffl.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/garuda-linux-dr460nized-1400x788.png 3][https://ubuntuhandbook.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/preview-arc-dark.jpg 4][https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RQLcqtqS-YA/XHTsrV6x_-I/AAAAAAAAU0Y/eKJma9C7vsITXzcDklMTaOXgUdVqBIvWgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot_20190226_073620.png 5][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 6][https://i.redd.it/lvubg0sxnl641.png 7][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 8][https://i.redd.it/8mz4z5kybs631.png 9][https://i.redd.it/jup9nde0f0l81.png 10][https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FEMS88kEx_8/maxresdefault.jpg 11][https://i.redd.it/f6ywf9pncpy31.png 12][https://i.imgur.com/kYX3ewJ.png 13][https://forum.endeavouros.com/uploads/default/original/2X/6/6e6c1619652607552c45b001ad2dbfb9d01ea21d.jpeg 14][https://i.redd.it/e4w1uvk48fr81.jpg 15][https://i.redd.it/0x4pz8o10xq81.png 16][https://i.redd.it/7a5mwp393jo81.png 17][https://i.redd.it/cv5gc2tne4r81.png 18] [https://i.redd.it/t65bae91v3s81.jpg 19] [https://64.media.tumblr.com/9bda2b57523402c142d4f797c8ad0093/d629d44890280e21-7d/s1280x1920/ad696bc813582410c77f9879cc0334b76ab252ea.jpg 20] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=plasma&sort=top and more] **Gnome: [https://forum.garudalinux.org/uploads/default/optimized/2X/e/e6d6150878051d075fb6d8548f5314fcf6c7bf28_2_1035x646.jpeg 1][https://www.cmscritic.com/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cloudinary/pop-os-review-4_hhslpt.png 2][https://i.redd.it/jt3xl3e2qak61.png 3][https://pingvinus.ru/files/news/manjaro-20-1/manjaro-20.1-gnome.jpg 4][http://www.jetestelinux.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/manjaro_gnome_1710_mode_nuit.jpg 5][https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/f8e04f89-e155-4926-972e-76e0955933eb/dak2iyb-e5931cb1-e722-43f8-a1ed-63361f901ab9.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2Y4ZTA0Zjg5LWUxNTUtNDkyNi05NzJlLTc2ZTA5NTU5MzNlYlwvZGFrMml5Yi1lNTkzMWNiMS1lNzIyLTQzZjgtYTFlZC02MzM2MWY5MDFhYjkucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.zwpBVOqCfSFqWRDNz1fnEgVkyyXgrj_3NoJNLa0Zlzw 6][https://i.redd.it/b06ms6vfe0r81.png 7][https://i.redd.it/uvenc4r0dun81.png 8][https://i.redd.it/kw1enzggqmo81.png 9][https://i.redd.it/gdtwdhbk4tr81.png 10][https://i.redd.it/uk9uihckcsd41.png 11] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=gnome&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&sort=top and more] **tiling window managers: [https://pic3.zhimg.com/v2-bad01545e1f69cc0a94633ff771b72e3_1200x500.jpg 1][https://preview.redd.it/f2jg3znpr1g31.png?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=9b64dde84ccb1e0ba20e8bba5ee6516123273bd2 2][https://pingvinus.ru/cr_images/userpicture/n/1938-0.png 3][https://i.redd.it/rpojcv4d3nr81.png 4][https://i.redd.it/lkviraiador81.png 5][https://i.redd.it/or7veqoicdq81.png 6][https://i.redd.it/ptbibz0gdk861.png 7] **[https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/ and many more] * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal Windows filesystem. Of course this doesn't apply to all games, so your mileage may vary. * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so (again) your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. Almost all software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == 6600cf5b4d1273c0072478280562b0906a023834 878 877 2022-04-11T15:29:19Z Aragorn 3 /* Advantages */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. It's usually not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you (as long as you don't use some North Korean or Chinese distribution) * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB or RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable (not for serious gaming of course). And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. It won't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster, though. But it has significantly less overhead than Windows, so if that's the problem it will definitely help. For example, it might revive your old Laptop. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects you choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though - you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows over something like MacOS over something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is by far not everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. Some examples what Linux can look like: **KDE Plasma: [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/articles/tagline_images/528481101id19192gol.jpg 1][https://news-cdn.softpedia.com/images/news2/kde-plasma-5-15-desktop-environment-officially-released-here-s-what-s-new-524922-8.jpg 2][https://www.lffl.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/garuda-linux-dr460nized-1400x788.png 3][https://ubuntuhandbook.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/preview-arc-dark.jpg 4][https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RQLcqtqS-YA/XHTsrV6x_-I/AAAAAAAAU0Y/eKJma9C7vsITXzcDklMTaOXgUdVqBIvWgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot_20190226_073620.png 5][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 6][https://i.redd.it/lvubg0sxnl641.png 7][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 8][https://i.redd.it/8mz4z5kybs631.png 9][https://i.redd.it/jup9nde0f0l81.png 10][https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FEMS88kEx_8/maxresdefault.jpg 11][https://i.redd.it/f6ywf9pncpy31.png 12][https://i.imgur.com/kYX3ewJ.png 13][https://forum.endeavouros.com/uploads/default/original/2X/6/6e6c1619652607552c45b001ad2dbfb9d01ea21d.jpeg 14][https://i.redd.it/e4w1uvk48fr81.jpg 15][https://i.redd.it/0x4pz8o10xq81.png 16][https://i.redd.it/7a5mwp393jo81.png 17][https://i.redd.it/cv5gc2tne4r81.png 18] [https://i.redd.it/t65bae91v3s81.jpg 19] [https://64.media.tumblr.com/9bda2b57523402c142d4f797c8ad0093/d629d44890280e21-7d/s1280x1920/ad696bc813582410c77f9879cc0334b76ab252ea.jpg 20] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=plasma&sort=top and] [https://store.kde.org/browse?cat=104&ord=latest more] **Gnome: [https://forum.garudalinux.org/uploads/default/optimized/2X/e/e6d6150878051d075fb6d8548f5314fcf6c7bf28_2_1035x646.jpeg 1][https://www.cmscritic.com/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cloudinary/pop-os-review-4_hhslpt.png 2][https://i.redd.it/jt3xl3e2qak61.png 3][https://pingvinus.ru/files/news/manjaro-20-1/manjaro-20.1-gnome.jpg 4][http://www.jetestelinux.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/manjaro_gnome_1710_mode_nuit.jpg 5][https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/f8e04f89-e155-4926-972e-76e0955933eb/dak2iyb-e5931cb1-e722-43f8-a1ed-63361f901ab9.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2Y4ZTA0Zjg5LWUxNTUtNDkyNi05NzJlLTc2ZTA5NTU5MzNlYlwvZGFrMml5Yi1lNTkzMWNiMS1lNzIyLTQzZjgtYTFlZC02MzM2MWY5MDFhYjkucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.zwpBVOqCfSFqWRDNz1fnEgVkyyXgrj_3NoJNLa0Zlzw 6][https://i.redd.it/b06ms6vfe0r81.png 7][https://i.redd.it/uvenc4r0dun81.png 8][https://i.redd.it/kw1enzggqmo81.png 9][https://i.redd.it/gdtwdhbk4tr81.png 10][https://i.redd.it/uk9uihckcsd41.png 11] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=gnome&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&sort=top and] [https://www.gnome-look.org/browse/ more] **tiling window managers: [https://pic3.zhimg.com/v2-bad01545e1f69cc0a94633ff771b72e3_1200x500.jpg 1][https://preview.redd.it/f2jg3znpr1g31.png?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=9b64dde84ccb1e0ba20e8bba5ee6516123273bd2 2][https://pingvinus.ru/cr_images/userpicture/n/1938-0.png 3][https://i.redd.it/rpojcv4d3nr81.png 4][https://i.redd.it/lkviraiador81.png 5][https://i.redd.it/or7veqoicdq81.png 6][https://i.redd.it/ptbibz0gdk861.png 7] **[https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/ and many more (mixed, but mostly tiling window managers)] * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal Windows filesystem. Of course this doesn't apply to all games, so your mileage may vary. * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so (again) your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. Almost all software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == c8ff279c1709073593903fdc7223ac76b6bc3387 879 878 2022-04-11T15:30:25Z Aragorn 3 /* Advantages */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get them working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. It's usually not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you (as long as you don't use some North Korean or Chinese distribution) * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB or RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable (not for serious gaming of course). And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. It won't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster, though. But it has significantly less overhead than Windows, so if that's the problem it will definitely help. For example, it might revive your old Laptop. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects you choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though - you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows over something like MacOS over something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is by far not everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. Some examples what Linux can look like: **KDE Plasma: [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/articles/tagline_images/528481101id19192gol.jpg 1][https://news-cdn.softpedia.com/images/news2/kde-plasma-5-15-desktop-environment-officially-released-here-s-what-s-new-524922-8.jpg 2][https://www.lffl.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/garuda-linux-dr460nized-1400x788.png 3][https://ubuntuhandbook.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/preview-arc-dark.jpg 4][https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RQLcqtqS-YA/XHTsrV6x_-I/AAAAAAAAU0Y/eKJma9C7vsITXzcDklMTaOXgUdVqBIvWgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot_20190226_073620.png 5][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 6][https://i.redd.it/lvubg0sxnl641.png 7][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 8][https://i.redd.it/8mz4z5kybs631.png 9][https://i.redd.it/jup9nde0f0l81.png 10][https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FEMS88kEx_8/maxresdefault.jpg 11][https://i.redd.it/f6ywf9pncpy31.png 12][https://i.imgur.com/kYX3ewJ.png 13][https://forum.endeavouros.com/uploads/default/original/2X/6/6e6c1619652607552c45b001ad2dbfb9d01ea21d.jpeg 14][https://i.redd.it/e4w1uvk48fr81.jpg 15][https://i.redd.it/0x4pz8o10xq81.png 16][https://i.redd.it/7a5mwp393jo81.png 17][https://i.redd.it/cv5gc2tne4r81.png 18] [https://i.redd.it/t65bae91v3s81.jpg 19] [https://64.media.tumblr.com/9bda2b57523402c142d4f797c8ad0093/d629d44890280e21-7d/s1280x1920/ad696bc813582410c77f9879cc0334b76ab252ea.jpg 20] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=plasma&sort=top and] [https://store.kde.org/browse?cat=104&ord=rating more] **Gnome: [https://forum.garudalinux.org/uploads/default/optimized/2X/e/e6d6150878051d075fb6d8548f5314fcf6c7bf28_2_1035x646.jpeg 1][https://www.cmscritic.com/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cloudinary/pop-os-review-4_hhslpt.png 2][https://i.redd.it/jt3xl3e2qak61.png 3][https://pingvinus.ru/files/news/manjaro-20-1/manjaro-20.1-gnome.jpg 4][http://www.jetestelinux.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/manjaro_gnome_1710_mode_nuit.jpg 5][https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/f8e04f89-e155-4926-972e-76e0955933eb/dak2iyb-e5931cb1-e722-43f8-a1ed-63361f901ab9.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2Y4ZTA0Zjg5LWUxNTUtNDkyNi05NzJlLTc2ZTA5NTU5MzNlYlwvZGFrMml5Yi1lNTkzMWNiMS1lNzIyLTQzZjgtYTFlZC02MzM2MWY5MDFhYjkucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.zwpBVOqCfSFqWRDNz1fnEgVkyyXgrj_3NoJNLa0Zlzw 6][https://i.redd.it/b06ms6vfe0r81.png 7][https://i.redd.it/uvenc4r0dun81.png 8][https://i.redd.it/kw1enzggqmo81.png 9][https://i.redd.it/gdtwdhbk4tr81.png 10][https://i.redd.it/uk9uihckcsd41.png 11] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=gnome&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&sort=top and] [https://www.gnome-look.org/browse?ord=rating more] **tiling window managers: [https://pic3.zhimg.com/v2-bad01545e1f69cc0a94633ff771b72e3_1200x500.jpg 1][https://preview.redd.it/f2jg3znpr1g31.png?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=9b64dde84ccb1e0ba20e8bba5ee6516123273bd2 2][https://pingvinus.ru/cr_images/userpicture/n/1938-0.png 3][https://i.redd.it/rpojcv4d3nr81.png 4][https://i.redd.it/lkviraiador81.png 5][https://i.redd.it/or7veqoicdq81.png 6][https://i.redd.it/ptbibz0gdk861.png 7] **[https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/ and many more (mixed, but mostly tiling window managers)] * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal Windows filesystem. Of course this doesn't apply to all games, so your mileage may vary. * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so (again) your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. Almost all software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == c7aeedebb5c4a07b46878c2faa655badf62b8bdf 0 5 858 843 2022-04-07T05:37:47Z Aragorn 3 /* Optional */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). You'll probably be fine if you do all ''major tweaks''. Everything else is not as important if you just want something that works. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers] **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *Set your GPU to high performance. **The default (automatic) is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. **You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **Alternatively, you can also use gamemode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. ** If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed **Do '''NOT''' download stuff from their website. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *If you have an old GPU, it might not be supported by the current driver. In this case you have to install an old one. You can use their website to determine which version you need. **''TODO: How to actually install them? On Arch you can use the AUR, but I don't know about any other distribution. Maybe actually download it from their website?'' == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but there is the potential that it might trip anti cheat (even though this never actually happened so far)! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. KDE Plasma is currently the best DE for Wayland.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> ab757be868374d8291c0b16ef759ce07bcd85af0 894 858 2022-04-24T21:50:37Z Aragorn 3 /* Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). You'll probably be fine if you do all ''major tweaks''. Everything else is not as important if you just want something that works. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers] **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *Set your GPU to high performance. **The default (automatic) is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. **You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **Alternatively, you can also use gamemode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. ** If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed **Do '''NOT''' download stuff from their website. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *If you have an old GPU, it might not be supported by the current driver. In this case you have to install an old one. You can use their website to determine which version you need. **''TODO: How to actually install them? On Arch you can use the AUR, but I don't know about any other distribution. Maybe actually download it from their website?'' == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but there is the potential that it might trip anti cheat (even though this never actually happened so far)! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> a786328557eac374b6573da84501f4e58b0e61c5 895 894 2022-04-24T21:54:28Z Aragorn 3 /* Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). You'll probably be fine if you do all ''major tweaks''. Everything else is not as important if you just want something that works. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers] **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *Set your GPU to high performance. **The default (automatic) is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. **You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **Alternatively, you can also use gamemode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. ** If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed **Do '''NOT''' download stuff from their website. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *If you have an old GPU, it might not be supported by the current driver. In this case you have to install an old one. You can use their website to determine which version you need. **''TODO: How to actually install them? On Arch you can use the AUR, but I don't know about any other distribution. Maybe actually download it from their website?'' == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but there is the potential that it might trip anti cheat (even though this never actually happened so far)! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *If you care about input lag: You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> bc0e147cb0ffa0494924b39cb70238b28c0b25e9 896 895 2022-04-25T11:03:32Z Aragorn 3 /* Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). You'll probably be fine if you do all ''major tweaks''. Everything else is not as important if you just want something that works. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers] **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *Set your GPU to high performance. **The default (automatic) is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. **You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **Alternatively, you can also use gamemode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. ** If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed **Do '''NOT''' download stuff from their website. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *If you have an old GPU, it might not be supported by the current driver. In this case you have to install an old one. You can use their website to determine which version you need. **''TODO: How to actually install them? On Arch you can use the AUR, but I don't know about any other distribution. Maybe actually download it from their website?'' == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but there is the potential that it might trip anti cheat (even though this never actually happened so far)! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *If you care about input lag: You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE).<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> cf0d13436de1b30aeb35b42a3d219bee8a68cd84 897 896 2022-04-25T11:04:24Z Aragorn 3 /* Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). You'll probably be fine if you do all ''major tweaks''. Everything else is not as important if you just want something that works. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers] **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *Set your GPU to high performance. **The default (automatic) is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. **You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **Alternatively, you can also use gamemode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. ** If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed **Do '''NOT''' download stuff from their website. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *If you have an old GPU, it might not be supported by the current driver. In this case you have to install an old one. You can use their website to determine which version you need. **''TODO: How to actually install them? On Arch you can use the AUR, but I don't know about any other distribution. Maybe actually download it from their website?'' == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but there is the potential that it might trip anti cheat (even though this never actually happened so far)! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} * It appears that KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition (currently) is (one of) the best regarding performance, and input lag. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> **Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. *If you care about input lag: You should only use Wayland if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref>https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it. Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 3422b8f2ac9113ac6275a4fdcc7824bf2249de1f 898 897 2022-04-25T11:15:23Z Aragorn 3 /* Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). You'll probably be fine if you do all ''major tweaks''. Everything else is not as important if you just want something that works. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers] **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *Set your GPU to high performance. **The default (automatic) is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. **You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **Alternatively, you can also use gamemode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. ** If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed **Do '''NOT''' download stuff from their website. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *If you have an old GPU, it might not be supported by the current driver. In this case you have to install an old one. You can use their website to determine which version you need. **''TODO: How to actually install them? On Arch you can use the AUR, but I don't know about any other distribution. Maybe actually download it from their website?'' == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but there is the potential that it might trip anti cheat (even though this never actually happened so far)! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the default DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this, you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering if your 99th percentile is bad. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good choice. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> It might be better to avoid Cinnamon. === Wayland === Differences are much bigger. You will only get good input lag if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 9a38ed3433e351431e06eaab89018215cf9306e8 899 898 2022-04-25T11:26:40Z Aragorn 3 /* Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). You'll probably be fine if you do all ''major tweaks''. Everything else is not as important if you just want something that works. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers] **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *Set your GPU to high performance. **The default (automatic) is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. **You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **Alternatively, you can also use gamemode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. ** If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed **Do '''NOT''' download stuff from their website. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *If you have an old GPU, it might not be supported by the current driver. In this case you have to install an old one. You can use their website to determine which version you need. **''TODO: How to actually install them? On Arch you can use the AUR, but I don't know about any other distribution. Maybe actually download it from their website?'' == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but there is the potential that it might trip anti cheat (even though this never actually happened so far)! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. I'm not sure if disabling composition is possible in Cinnamon (the default DE of Mint). If it is not possible, this would make Cinnamon one of the worst choices}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good choice. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> It might be better to avoid Cinnamon. === Wayland === Differences are much bigger. You will only get good input lag if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> cb7d3ebaf2d3f06afad9c3670cd7f6038f79e7f0 0 43 866 797 2022-04-09T15:29:00Z Aragorn 3 /* Game Streaming */ wikitext text/x-wiki Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. == Watching the temperature == You can use <code>lm_sensors</code>. Before running it for the first time, run <code>sudo sensors-detect</code>. After that, type <code>sensors</code> to see your temperatures. If you want to monitor them for a longer time, type <code>watch sensors</code>. == Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc) == Settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows once, and change stuff there. You can also boot a VM (with KVM) and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings should be kept in Linux. == Audio stuff == === Noise Cancelling === You can use [https://github.com/wwmm/easyeffects EasyEffects] or [https://github.com/lawl/NoiseTorch NoiseTorch]. === Equalizer and more === EasyEffects also has various other audio processing options, like crystalizer, noise gate, equalizer, filter, and much more. NoiseTorch can only cancel noise, but also has the option to tweak how aggressive it cancels noise. === Patching Audio === If you want to have a patchbay to route your audio to various destinations, [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/helvum Helvum] might be what you're looking for. == Make the game look good == === Downsampling === You can use [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope]. For example, use <code>gamescope -w 3840 -h 2160 --</code> as command prefix, to downscale from 4k. If you use it in Lutris, set <code>3840x2160</code> as resolution. You can also use Gamescope if your game doesn't play nicely with your desktop, for example if it doesn't catch your mouse, or if it breaks when loosing focus. === Post Processing === You can use [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) == Bottles == Some people prefer [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] to install games that don't have an install script in [[Lutris]]. ==Using GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long as it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try again to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code><nowiki>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</nowiki></code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. #Follow the instructions in the readme. == Using Checksums == When downloading a file, you might have seen something like <code>sha512: 497907d020870e564b814bb6c4f7eef2f3abdf5d0159ccbd96501a26cef155a8d771a420a16c9348525fa4ce7de3c137ad5ff15a013c84f327edbdea6495d86b easyanticheat_x64.so</code> This is a checksum, or more precise: An <code>sha512</code> checksum for the file <code>easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. This number is for verifying that you have the correct file, and not something that is manipulated or inaccurately transmitted. '''Usage''': Download file, open [[terminal]], and <code>cd Downloads</code>. Then you execute <code>sha512sum easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. The number you see there, should be ''exactly'' the same. Btw: <code>sha512</code> is better than <code>sha256</code>, and ''especially'' better than <code>md5</code>. <code>md5</code> is trash, don't use it. == Game Streaming == You can use [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == RGB == You can use [https://gitlab.com/CalcProgrammer1/OpenRGB OpenRGB]. For razer hardware, you can use this driver: https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer == Suspend/resume of applications (games, an others) == You can use [https://github.com/Merrit/nyrna nyrna]. Unortunately it doesn't (yet) "survive" reboots. == Test whether you use X11 == Open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. 7c24772cb0bcc08b6a667acf0acd629b998a44a3 867 866 2022-04-09T15:30:09Z Aragorn 3 /* RGB */ wikitext text/x-wiki Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. == Watching the temperature == You can use <code>lm_sensors</code>. Before running it for the first time, run <code>sudo sensors-detect</code>. After that, type <code>sensors</code> to see your temperatures. If you want to monitor them for a longer time, type <code>watch sensors</code>. == Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc) == Settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows once, and change stuff there. You can also boot a VM (with KVM) and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings should be kept in Linux. == Audio stuff == === Noise Cancelling === You can use [https://github.com/wwmm/easyeffects EasyEffects] or [https://github.com/lawl/NoiseTorch NoiseTorch]. === Equalizer and more === EasyEffects also has various other audio processing options, like crystalizer, noise gate, equalizer, filter, and much more. NoiseTorch can only cancel noise, but also has the option to tweak how aggressive it cancels noise. === Patching Audio === If you want to have a patchbay to route your audio to various destinations, [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/helvum Helvum] might be what you're looking for. == Make the game look good == === Downsampling === You can use [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope]. For example, use <code>gamescope -w 3840 -h 2160 --</code> as command prefix, to downscale from 4k. If you use it in Lutris, set <code>3840x2160</code> as resolution. You can also use Gamescope if your game doesn't play nicely with your desktop, for example if it doesn't catch your mouse, or if it breaks when loosing focus. === Post Processing === You can use [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) == Bottles == Some people prefer [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] to install games that don't have an install script in [[Lutris]]. ==Using GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long as it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try again to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code><nowiki>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</nowiki></code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. #Follow the instructions in the readme. == Using Checksums == When downloading a file, you might have seen something like <code>sha512: 497907d020870e564b814bb6c4f7eef2f3abdf5d0159ccbd96501a26cef155a8d771a420a16c9348525fa4ce7de3c137ad5ff15a013c84f327edbdea6495d86b easyanticheat_x64.so</code> This is a checksum, or more precise: An <code>sha512</code> checksum for the file <code>easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. This number is for verifying that you have the correct file, and not something that is manipulated or inaccurately transmitted. '''Usage''': Download file, open [[terminal]], and <code>cd Downloads</code>. Then you execute <code>sha512sum easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. The number you see there, should be ''exactly'' the same. Btw: <code>sha512</code> is better than <code>sha256</code>, and ''especially'' better than <code>md5</code>. <code>md5</code> is trash, don't use it. == Game Streaming == You can use [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == RGB == You can use [https://gitlab.com/CalcProgrammer1/OpenRGB OpenRGB]. == Razer control driver: == For razer hardware, you can use this driver: https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer == Suspend/resume of applications (games, an others) == You can use [https://github.com/Merrit/nyrna nyrna]. Unortunately it doesn't (yet) "survive" reboots. == Test whether you use X11 == Open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. e05202f7a00901cf9e0f8200962b1edda4128206 868 867 2022-04-09T15:30:15Z Aragorn 3 /* Razer control driver: */ wikitext text/x-wiki Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. == Watching the temperature == You can use <code>lm_sensors</code>. Before running it for the first time, run <code>sudo sensors-detect</code>. After that, type <code>sensors</code> to see your temperatures. If you want to monitor them for a longer time, type <code>watch sensors</code>. == Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc) == Settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows once, and change stuff there. You can also boot a VM (with KVM) and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings should be kept in Linux. == Audio stuff == === Noise Cancelling === You can use [https://github.com/wwmm/easyeffects EasyEffects] or [https://github.com/lawl/NoiseTorch NoiseTorch]. === Equalizer and more === EasyEffects also has various other audio processing options, like crystalizer, noise gate, equalizer, filter, and much more. NoiseTorch can only cancel noise, but also has the option to tweak how aggressive it cancels noise. === Patching Audio === If you want to have a patchbay to route your audio to various destinations, [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/helvum Helvum] might be what you're looking for. == Make the game look good == === Downsampling === You can use [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope]. For example, use <code>gamescope -w 3840 -h 2160 --</code> as command prefix, to downscale from 4k. If you use it in Lutris, set <code>3840x2160</code> as resolution. You can also use Gamescope if your game doesn't play nicely with your desktop, for example if it doesn't catch your mouse, or if it breaks when loosing focus. === Post Processing === You can use [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) == Bottles == Some people prefer [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] to install games that don't have an install script in [[Lutris]]. ==Using GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long as it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try again to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code><nowiki>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</nowiki></code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. #Follow the instructions in the readme. == Using Checksums == When downloading a file, you might have seen something like <code>sha512: 497907d020870e564b814bb6c4f7eef2f3abdf5d0159ccbd96501a26cef155a8d771a420a16c9348525fa4ce7de3c137ad5ff15a013c84f327edbdea6495d86b easyanticheat_x64.so</code> This is a checksum, or more precise: An <code>sha512</code> checksum for the file <code>easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. This number is for verifying that you have the correct file, and not something that is manipulated or inaccurately transmitted. '''Usage''': Download file, open [[terminal]], and <code>cd Downloads</code>. Then you execute <code>sha512sum easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. The number you see there, should be ''exactly'' the same. Btw: <code>sha512</code> is better than <code>sha256</code>, and ''especially'' better than <code>md5</code>. <code>md5</code> is trash, don't use it. == Game Streaming == You can use [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == RGB == You can use [https://gitlab.com/CalcProgrammer1/OpenRGB OpenRGB]. == Razer control driver == For razer hardware, you can use this driver: https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer == Suspend/resume of applications (games, an others) == You can use [https://github.com/Merrit/nyrna nyrna]. Unortunately it doesn't (yet) "survive" reboots. == Test whether you use X11 == Open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. be13911a5208b9cf5104f089d56169011cb30a35 869 868 2022-04-09T21:48:01Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. == Watching the temperature == You can use <code>lm_sensors</code>. Before running it for the first time, run <code>sudo sensors-detect</code>. After that, type <code>sensors</code> to see your temperatures. If you want to monitor them for a longer time, type <code>watch sensors</code>. == Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc) == Settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows once, and change stuff there. You can also boot a VM (with KVM) and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings should be kept in Linux. == Audio stuff == === Noise Cancelling === You can use [https://github.com/wwmm/easyeffects EasyEffects] or [https://github.com/lawl/NoiseTorch NoiseTorch]. === Equalizer and more === EasyEffects also has various other audio processing options, like crystalizer, noise gate, equalizer, filter, and much more. NoiseTorch can only cancel noise, but also has the option to tweak how aggressive it cancels noise. === Patching Audio === If you want to have a patchbay to route your audio to various destinations, [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/helvum Helvum] might be what you're looking for. == Make the game look good == === Downsampling === You can use [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope]. For example, use <code>gamescope -w 3840 -h 2160 --</code> as command prefix, to downscale from 4k. If you use it in Lutris, set <code>3840x2160</code> as resolution. You can also use Gamescope if your game doesn't play nicely with your desktop, for example if it doesn't catch your mouse, or if it breaks when loosing focus. === Post Processing === You can use [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) == Bottles == Some people prefer [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] to install games that don't have an install script in [[Lutris]]. ==Using GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long as it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try again to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code><nowiki>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</nowiki></code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. #Follow the instructions in the readme. == Using Checksums == When downloading a file, you might have seen something like <code>sha512: 497907d020870e564b814bb6c4f7eef2f3abdf5d0159ccbd96501a26cef155a8d771a420a16c9348525fa4ce7de3c137ad5ff15a013c84f327edbdea6495d86b easyanticheat_x64.so</code> This is a checksum, or more precise: An <code>sha512</code> checksum for the file <code>easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. This number is for verifying that you have the correct file, and not something that is manipulated or inaccurately transmitted. '''Usage''': Download file, open [[terminal]], and <code>cd Downloads</code>. Then you execute <code>sha512sum easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. The number you see there, should be ''exactly'' the same. Btw: <code>sha512</code> is better than <code>sha256</code>, and ''especially'' better than <code>md5</code>. <code>md5</code> is trash, don't use it. == Game Streaming == You can use [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == RGB == You can use [https://gitlab.com/CalcProgrammer1/OpenRGB OpenRGB]. == Razer control driver == For razer hardware, you can use this driver: https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer == Suspend/resume of applications (games, an others) == You can use [https://github.com/Merrit/nyrna nyrna]. Unortunately it doesn't (yet) "survive" reboots. == Test whether you use X11 == Open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. == Disable swapping for a game == You can do it like [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/u02y88/psa_disable_swap_for_games_and_dont_submit_bogus/ this]. f7c28a7c0651f3ee1e643dfa329ad1d79b26ef36 0 34 870 838 2022-04-10T14:35:57Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki It is recommended to read the [[Getting started with Linux|long version]], but you should be fine if you just do the following:<ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect, ''especially'' if you consider yourself a power user. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. Your knowledge of regedit and powershell is useless, and you may not be able to use the software that you're used to. But usually there is different software that might even be better. Think of being dropped back to level 1 in an MMO. It's like that. The good thing is, that you will learn everything much faster than someone who has no previous knowledge. <li>Don't immediately remove Windows, try dual booting, or try installing Linux on a laptop first. Give yourself some time to adapt. The beginning will probably not be easy. It's always good to have a fallback if things don't work as expected. You can remove Windows later, if you're sure that you don't need a backup solution. </li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have [[Hardware Recommendations|supported hardware]]. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle, or without bugs. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working on Steam. You can find other games on [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org]. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use Steam for running games that are on Steam. Most games will work ''just like that'', after [[Steam#Enable Steam Play for all games|enabling Steam Play for all games]].</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other games.</li> <li><p>[[Compositor|Disable Composition]]: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it.</p></li> <li><p>If your performance is bad, read [[Improving performance|this article]].</p></li> <li><p>'''Don't go to a website and download stuff to install it'''. This is not how Linux works. Even if this is the ''"official"'' way. For example AMD will offer you to download their drivers from the website. Don't do it, this is bad.</p></li> <li><p>Linux usually doesn't protect you from shooting yourself in the foot, but instead delivers the bullet in the most efficient way possible. If Linux actually warns you, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when [[How to get answers|asking for help]].</p></li><li><p>You (almost) never download software or drivers in the browser. Doing this is a really bad idea, and should only be your last resort if everything else fails. Just look up your distribution (Pop!_OS if you follow our recommendation) + the software, and you should find a better solution (for example a ''ppa'').</p></li><li><p>If you don't like the look, it can easily be changed. Just [https://support.system76.com/articles/desktop-environment/ install a different desktop environment]. KDE Plasma would be a popular choice that looks a lot like Windows, is very customizable, and very comfortable to use. </p></li></ul> f4e97615a3ae857f5eee486d88468755600a4ef2 871 870 2022-04-10T14:41:20Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki It is recommended to read the [[Getting started with Linux|long version]], but you should be fine if you just do the following:<ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect, ''especially'' if you consider yourself a power user. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. Your knowledge of regedit and powershell is useless, and you may not be able to use the software that you're used to. But usually there is different software that might even be better. Think of being dropped back to level 1 in an MMO. It's like that. The good thing is, that you will learn everything much faster than someone who has no previous knowledge. <li>Don't immediately remove Windows, try dual booting, or try installing Linux on a laptop first. Give yourself some time to adapt. The beginning will probably not be easy. It's always good to have a fallback if things don't work as expected. You can remove Windows later, if you're sure that you don't need a backup solution. </li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have [[Hardware Recommendations|supported hardware]]. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle, or without bugs. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working on Steam. You can find other games on [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org]. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use Steam for running games that are on Steam. Most games will work ''just like that'', after [[Steam#Enable Steam Play for all games|enabling Steam Play for all games]].</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other games.</li> <li><p>[[Compositor|Disable Composition]]: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it.</p></li> <li><p>If your performance is bad, read [[Improving performance|this article]].</p></li> <li><p>'''Don't go to a website and download stuff to install it'''. This is not how Linux works. Even if this is the ''"official"'' way. For example AMD will offer you to download their drivers from the website. Don't do it, this is bad.</p></li> <li><p>If you use the terminal, Linux will usually not protect you from shooting yourself in the foot. Instead, it will deliver the bullet in the most efficient way possible. If Linux actually warns you that you might be doing something stupid, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when [[How to get answers|asking for help]].</p></li><li><p>You (almost) never download software or drivers in the browser. Doing this is a really bad idea, and should only be your last resort if everything else fails. Just look up your distribution (Pop!_OS if you follow our recommendation) + the software, and you should find a better solution (for example a ''ppa'').</p></li><li><p>If you don't like the look, it can easily be changed. Just [https://support.system76.com/articles/desktop-environment/ install a different desktop environment]. KDE Plasma would be a popular choice that looks a lot like Windows, is very customizable, and very comfortable to use. </p></li></ul> 834031dcd753346a042b5c562d8b312607a81b8f 0 45 872 776 2022-04-10T14:50:03Z Aragorn 3 /* Bluetooth Headphones */ wikitext text/x-wiki Hardware compatibility with Linux is sometimes tricky. You can not buy just anything and expect it to work. Some manufacturers don't support Linux at all, and sometimes the support is not good. This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware categories. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Regarding specific recommendations. Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a timestamp in the form YYYY-MM. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. If you buy wrong, you might end up with completely incompatible hardware. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. The important thing in the sticks is the chip. Manufacturers sometimes have the same model with different chips. Chips that often work, are Qualcomm Atheros, and [https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005511/wireless.html Intel]. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. * Laser Printer: * Color Printer: * Scanner: * Combined: == Less problematic Hardware == Your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is much lower. However, you might face some jank, some features might not work, and stuff might not be flawless. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. If you want to read more about it, you might find something in [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/tdmup7/unpopular_opinion_i_feel_like_the_whole_nvidia/ this reddit post]. AMD and Nvidia both work, and you'll ''probably'' be fine with either. However: * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), but they are no option for gaming. **If you want long support, AMD is the way to go, as support is essentially never dropped. * Nvidia provides proprietary day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, due to not being FOSS. There might be some delayed features, or some bugs. But as said, you're ''probably'' going to be fine. If you're not, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s blame Nvidia]. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], which works in a similar way, but doesn't look as good. * If you buy a very old GPU, make sure that it has Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth, and even those often work. You might face problems if you have a device with two GPUs (should be solvable), or other special components (fingerprint reader, etc - might not be solvable). * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Bluetooth Headphones === Most Bluetooth headphones ''should'' be fine. But anyways, here are a couple recommendations: ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03<!-- Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). --> ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB Digital/Audio converter === *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with [[Misc#Changing%20Mouse%20settings%20(DPI%252C%20lift%20of%20distance%252C%20etc)|booting Windows once to change the settings]] (and you don't need to change them all the time), buy whatever you want. This section is for mice that have native Linux support for settings, including RGB. All mice are required to have a flawless sensor (there is no advantage in being able to change settings if you don't hit anything, right?). * Big size: * Medium size: * Small size: * Many buttons: * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. * RAM * Fan == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 721a315a68a34e88396577ffb59971be9cd108ea 873 872 2022-04-10T14:50:16Z Aragorn 3 /* Bluetooth Headphones */ wikitext text/x-wiki Hardware compatibility with Linux is sometimes tricky. You can not buy just anything and expect it to work. Some manufacturers don't support Linux at all, and sometimes the support is not good. This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware categories. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Regarding specific recommendations. Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a timestamp in the form YYYY-MM. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. If you buy wrong, you might end up with completely incompatible hardware. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. The important thing in the sticks is the chip. Manufacturers sometimes have the same model with different chips. Chips that often work, are Qualcomm Atheros, and [https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005511/wireless.html Intel]. ==== 2.4Ghz ==== ==== 5Ghz ==== === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. * Laser Printer: * Color Printer: * Scanner: * Combined: == Less problematic Hardware == Your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is much lower. However, you might face some jank, some features might not work, and stuff might not be flawless. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. If you want to read more about it, you might find something in [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/tdmup7/unpopular_opinion_i_feel_like_the_whole_nvidia/ this reddit post]. AMD and Nvidia both work, and you'll ''probably'' be fine with either. However: * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), but they are no option for gaming. **If you want long support, AMD is the way to go, as support is essentially never dropped. * Nvidia provides proprietary day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, due to not being FOSS. There might be some delayed features, or some bugs. But as said, you're ''probably'' going to be fine. If you're not, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s blame Nvidia]. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], which works in a similar way, but doesn't look as good. * If you buy a very old GPU, make sure that it has Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth, and even those often work. You might face problems if you have a device with two GPUs (should be solvable), or other special components (fingerprint reader, etc - might not be solvable). * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: ** Premium: ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Bluetooth Headphones === Most (if not all) Bluetooth headphones should be fine. But anyways, here are a couple recommendations: ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03<!-- Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). --> ** Good value: ** Cheap: * In-Ear * Headsets ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Over-Ear * In-Ear * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03 ** Good value: ** Cheap: === Mainboard === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM3 * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== Intel ==== * Sandy Bridge === USB Digital/Audio converter === *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with [[Misc#Changing%20Mouse%20settings%20(DPI%252C%20lift%20of%20distance%252C%20etc)|booting Windows once to change the settings]] (and you don't need to change them all the time), buy whatever you want. This section is for mice that have native Linux support for settings, including RGB. All mice are required to have a flawless sensor (there is no advantage in being able to change settings if you don't hit anything, right?). * Big size: * Medium size: * Small size: * Many buttons: * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. * RAM * Fan == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 336add3aff936b37db55dcb195979cd5b80a5c06 874 873 2022-04-10T14:53:07Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Hardware compatibility with Linux is sometimes tricky. You can not buy just anything and expect it to work. Some manufacturers don't support Linux at all, and sometimes the support is not good. This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware categories. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Regarding specific recommendations. Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a timestamp in the form YYYY-MM. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. If you buy wrong, you might end up with completely incompatible hardware. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. The important thing in the sticks is the chip. Manufacturers sometimes have the same model with different chips. Chips that often work, are Qualcomm Atheros, and [https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005511/wireless.html Intel]. === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will probably never work. == Less problematic Hardware == Your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is much lower. However, you might face some jank, some features might not work, and stuff might not be flawless. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. If you want to read more about it, you might find something in [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/tdmup7/unpopular_opinion_i_feel_like_the_whole_nvidia/ this reddit post]. AMD and Nvidia both work, and you'll ''probably'' be fine with either. However: * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), but they are no option for gaming. **If you want long support, AMD is the way to go, as support is essentially never dropped. * Nvidia provides proprietary day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, due to not being FOSS. There might be some delayed features, or some bugs. But as said, you're ''probably'' going to be fine. If you're not, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s blame Nvidia]. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], which works in a similar way, but doesn't look as good. * If you buy a very old GPU, make sure that it has Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth, and even those often work. You might face problems if you have a device with two GPUs (should be solvable), or other special components (fingerprint reader, etc - might not be solvable). * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: === Bluetooth Headphones === Most (if not all) Bluetooth headphones should be fine. But anyways, here are a couple recommendations: ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03<!-- Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). --> ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03 === Mainboard === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== USB Digital/Audio converter ==== *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with [[Misc#Changing%20Mouse%20settings%20(DPI%252C%20lift%20of%20distance%252C%20etc)|booting Windows once to change the settings]] (and you don't need to change them all the time), buy whatever you want. This section is for mice that have native Linux support for settings, including RGB. All mice are required to have a flawless sensor (there is no advantage in being able to change settings if you don't hit anything, right?). * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. * RAM * Fan == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 473bd57268b338cf13a16f55330e1fc3257e46d2 888 874 2022-04-19T15:08:47Z Aragorn 3 /* Bluetooth Sticks */ wikitext text/x-wiki Hardware compatibility with Linux is sometimes tricky. You can not buy just anything and expect it to work. Some manufacturers don't support Linux at all, and sometimes the support is not good. This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware categories. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Regarding specific recommendations. Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a timestamp in the form YYYY-MM. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. If you buy wrong, you might end up with completely incompatible hardware. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. The important thing in the sticks is the chip. Manufacturers sometimes have the same model with different chips. Chips that often work, are Qualcomm Atheros, and [https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005511/wireless.html Intel]. === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. == Less problematic Hardware == Your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is much lower. However, you might face some jank, some features might not work, and stuff might not be flawless. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. If you want to read more about it, you might find something in [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/tdmup7/unpopular_opinion_i_feel_like_the_whole_nvidia/ this reddit post]. AMD and Nvidia both work, and you'll ''probably'' be fine with either. However: * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), but they are no option for gaming. **If you want long support, AMD is the way to go, as support is essentially never dropped. * Nvidia provides proprietary day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, due to not being FOSS. There might be some delayed features, or some bugs. But as said, you're ''probably'' going to be fine. If you're not, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s blame Nvidia]. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], which works in a similar way, but doesn't look as good. * If you buy a very old GPU, make sure that it has Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth, and even those often work. You might face problems if you have a device with two GPUs (should be solvable), or other special components (fingerprint reader, etc - might not be solvable). * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: === Bluetooth Headphones === Most (if not all) Bluetooth headphones should be fine. But anyways, here are a couple recommendations: ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03<!-- Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). --> ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03 === Mainboard === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== USB Digital/Audio converter ==== *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with [[Misc#Changing%20Mouse%20settings%20(DPI%252C%20lift%20of%20distance%252C%20etc)|booting Windows once to change the settings]] (and you don't need to change them all the time), buy whatever you want. This section is for mice that have native Linux support for settings, including RGB. All mice are required to have a flawless sensor (there is no advantage in being able to change settings if you don't hit anything, right?). * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. * RAM * Fan == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * c47be0f42d2e2fd83db6f7601ccfa7ccbde8f4f8 0 3 880 704 2022-04-13T08:39:43Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki FSR can be used to get better performance in games at the cost of visuals. It is comparable with DLSS, but can be applied to every game. There are several modes from ultra quality to maximum performance. For example, it is possible to double your FPS with very little visual loss. FSR only works if the game is GPU limited (your GPU runs at 100%). Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The performance difference might be even bigger if your VRAM is not big enough. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Setup with Wine == === Basic setup === * Set <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR=1</code> as [[Environment variables|environment variable]] * In game set your setting according to the table on page 10 of [https://github.com/GPUOpen-Effects/FidelityFX-FSR/blob/master/docs/FidelityFX-FSR-Overview-Integration.pdf this] document: For example, if you want to have Ultra Quality, and your output resolution (the resolution of your actualy monitor) is 1920x1080, you set your ingame resolution to 1477x831. Setting your ingame resolution to your output resolution disables FSR. * In game ** Enable anti aliasing (TAA, MSAA, FXAA, ...) ** Disable effects that generate noise (like Motion Blur, Blur, Chromatic Aberration, Sharpening, etc.) * As of now you need to use the tkg version of wine, and MIP-Bias is not yet implemented. === More configuration options === You can add more options with [[environment variables]]: * <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR_STRENGTH=4</code> This sharpens the image. 4 is an example value. 0 is maximum sharpness, higher values mean less sharpening. (I think 5 is the maximum. If you know more, please edit this.) The default is 2 but this is probably too much for your game. Just experiment with different values. * <code>WINE_VULKAN_NEGATIVE_MIP_BIAS=45</code> This results in textures with higher resolution. 45 is an example value. AMD recommends: {| class="wikitable" !Quality Setting !MIP Bias |- |Ultra Quality |38 |- |Quality |58 |- |Balanced |79 |- |Performance |100 |} * <code>WINE_VULKAN_BIAS_ALL_SAMPLER=1</code> This applies the MIP Bias to everything. 1 is enabled, 0 is disabled. This can result in weird game behaviour. === Examples === * [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/q3dl6y/witcher_3_fsr_is_working_great/ Witcher 3] == Setup with Gamescope == You can enable FSR in Gamescope with <code>gamescope -U --</code> as command prefix. This also works for native games. 01e410e8d55d2f65b1c49d1f306e18786aa1dceb 881 880 2022-04-13T08:42:41Z Aragorn 3 /* Setup with Gamescope */ wikitext text/x-wiki FSR can be used to get better performance in games at the cost of visuals. It is comparable with DLSS, but can be applied to every game. There are several modes from ultra quality to maximum performance. For example, it is possible to double your FPS with very little visual loss. FSR only works if the game is GPU limited (your GPU runs at 100%). Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The performance difference might be even bigger if your VRAM is not big enough. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Setup with Wine == === Basic setup === * Set <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR=1</code> as [[Environment variables|environment variable]] * In game set your setting according to the table on page 10 of [https://github.com/GPUOpen-Effects/FidelityFX-FSR/blob/master/docs/FidelityFX-FSR-Overview-Integration.pdf this] document: For example, if you want to have Ultra Quality, and your output resolution (the resolution of your actualy monitor) is 1920x1080, you set your ingame resolution to 1477x831. Setting your ingame resolution to your output resolution disables FSR. * In game ** Enable anti aliasing (TAA, MSAA, FXAA, ...) ** Disable effects that generate noise (like Motion Blur, Blur, Chromatic Aberration, Sharpening, etc.) * As of now you need to use the tkg version of wine, and MIP-Bias is not yet implemented. === More configuration options === You can add more options with [[environment variables]]: * <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR_STRENGTH=4</code> This sharpens the image. 4 is an example value. 0 is maximum sharpness, higher values mean less sharpening. (I think 5 is the maximum. If you know more, please edit this.) The default is 2 but this is probably too much for your game. Just experiment with different values. * <code>WINE_VULKAN_NEGATIVE_MIP_BIAS=45</code> This results in textures with higher resolution. 45 is an example value. AMD recommends: {| class="wikitable" !Quality Setting !MIP Bias |- |Ultra Quality |38 |- |Quality |58 |- |Balanced |79 |- |Performance |100 |} * <code>WINE_VULKAN_BIAS_ALL_SAMPLER=1</code> This applies the MIP Bias to everything. 1 is enabled, 0 is disabled. This can result in weird game behaviour. === Examples === * [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/q3dl6y/witcher_3_fsr_is_working_great/ Witcher 3] == Setup with Gamescope == You can enable FSR in Gamescope with <code>gamescope -U --fsr-sharpness 4 --</code> as command prefix. 4 is an example value, replace it by something between 0 and 20, where 0 is maximum sharpness, and 20 is lowest. This also works for native games. 0db71e926220dd517c066d8327cfe042c7a9f9cf 882 881 2022-04-13T08:43:01Z Aragorn 3 /* Setup with Gamescope */ wikitext text/x-wiki FSR can be used to get better performance in games at the cost of visuals. It is comparable with DLSS, but can be applied to every game. There are several modes from ultra quality to maximum performance. For example, it is possible to double your FPS with very little visual loss. FSR only works if the game is GPU limited (your GPU runs at 100%). Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The performance difference might be even bigger if your VRAM is not big enough. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Setup with Wine == === Basic setup === * Set <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR=1</code> as [[Environment variables|environment variable]] * In game set your setting according to the table on page 10 of [https://github.com/GPUOpen-Effects/FidelityFX-FSR/blob/master/docs/FidelityFX-FSR-Overview-Integration.pdf this] document: For example, if you want to have Ultra Quality, and your output resolution (the resolution of your actualy monitor) is 1920x1080, you set your ingame resolution to 1477x831. Setting your ingame resolution to your output resolution disables FSR. * In game ** Enable anti aliasing (TAA, MSAA, FXAA, ...) ** Disable effects that generate noise (like Motion Blur, Blur, Chromatic Aberration, Sharpening, etc.) * As of now you need to use the tkg version of wine, and MIP-Bias is not yet implemented. === More configuration options === You can add more options with [[environment variables]]: * <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR_STRENGTH=4</code> This sharpens the image. 4 is an example value. 0 is maximum sharpness, higher values mean less sharpening. (I think 5 is the maximum. If you know more, please edit this.) The default is 2 but this is probably too much for your game. Just experiment with different values. * <code>WINE_VULKAN_NEGATIVE_MIP_BIAS=45</code> This results in textures with higher resolution. 45 is an example value. AMD recommends: {| class="wikitable" !Quality Setting !MIP Bias |- |Ultra Quality |38 |- |Quality |58 |- |Balanced |79 |- |Performance |100 |} * <code>WINE_VULKAN_BIAS_ALL_SAMPLER=1</code> This applies the MIP Bias to everything. 1 is enabled, 0 is disabled. This can result in weird game behaviour. === Examples === * [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/q3dl6y/witcher_3_fsr_is_working_great/ Witcher 3] == Setup with Gamescope == You can enable FSR in Gamescope with <code>gamescope -U --fsr-sharpness 4 --</code> as command prefix. 4 is an example value, replace it by something between 0 (max) and 20 (min). This also works for native games. bbdbdecc39f2446f6ddc4bf69c7530abeae84dc0 0 41 883 768 2022-04-13T08:44:12Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Game mods modify games in some way. A good source for mods is https://www.nexusmods.com. Sometimes they work in the same way as on Windows, but that's not always the case. [[Reshade]] is an example for a modding tool. == Mod Manager == Mod managers that are not native will not set dll overrides. If the installed mod uses dlls, you have to [[Modding#DLL overrides|set the overrides manually]]. === Install mod managers with Wine === You can try installing mod Managers from [[Lutris]], if there is an install script. There are scripts (for older versions of) Vortex and NMM. Otherwise, you can try installing them in the same wine prefix. You could do this for example the following way: * Copy the executable into the wine prefix of your game: <code>~/Games/<your_game>/drive_c/users/<your_name>/Downloads/</code> * In Lutris, click your game, then click on the arrow next to the wine bottle on the bottom of the window. Click <code>Run EXE inside Wine prefix</code> * Locate the exe, and run it. * If it works, you can locate the executable of the installed mod manager, and run it in this way. Otherwise, you can also create a new "game" in the same wine prefix and select the executable there. TODO: describe how. === Install mod managers in a VM === If a mod manager is not working well with wine, you can install Windows in VirtualBox, share your game folder with the VM, and install the mod manager inside the VM. You need to install the guest additions for it to work. The folder will be mounted as network drive Z. If you want to mod a Linux native game, you can try creating a fake .exe in order for the mod manager to detect the game. In more detail: # Install the game on Linux, for example with Lutris, Heroic, or Steam. # Install Windows in a VM # Share the game folder with the Windows VM # Install a mod manager in the Windows VM # Use the mod manager to install a mod # Play the game that is now modded (on Linux, without VM) Optional: Disable internet access for the VM, and enable drag/drop to copy files easily to the VM. This way, Windows can not send telemetry data, or do unnecessary updates that just take space and processing time. You might even use older (and lighter) versions like Windows 7 if the mod manager is compatible. In this case, you will have to manually download mods, though. == Manual Installation == === DLL overrides === The game can either use ''native'' dlls that come with the game, or use ''builtin'' dlls that come with wine. It (sometimes?/usually?) uses only the ''builtin'' dlls. On Windows, the game would do it the other way around, and first use ''all'' dlls in the game directory, and only if the dll is not there, look somewhere else. Now if you put a different dll from a mod inside the game directory, this will not (not always?) work. That's why you have to tell wine, that it should use the dll from the mod. ==== Example ==== For example, if you want to tell wine to use the ''d3dcompiler_47.dll'' that's in your game folder, and only use the builtin dll if it can't find any dll in the game folder, you would do the following: Open Lutris, click your game, on the bottom, click the up-arrow right next to the wine bottle icon, click <code>Wine configuration</code>, click <code>Libraries</code>, and *insert the name of the dll (without the .dll) <code>d3dcompiler_47</code> in the text box under <code>New override for library</code>. *select it in the list, click <code>Edit</code> and select <code>native, then builtin</code> Alternatively, you could also set <code>WINEDLLOVERRIDES="d3dcompiler_47=n,b"</code> as an [[Environment variables|environment variable]]. === Path names === Linux paths are case sensitive, while Windows paths are not. This leads to mod developers using different folder names when referring to the same folder, for example ''folderName'' and ''Foldername''. If your mod doesn't work, this might be the issue, and you can try changing the names so that they are consistent. == Trainer == You can use [https://github.com/leaty/tuxtrain tuxtrain] or [https://github.com/korcankaraokcu/PINCE PINCE]. == Linux native modding tools == There are some game specific Linux native modding tools, you may find a list [[Game specific modding tools|here]]. 6abea951cb267dfc07792ad2b011d9796688c9f2 886 883 2022-04-16T07:00:11Z Aragorn 3 /* Install mod managers in a VM */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game mods modify games in some way. A good source for mods is https://www.nexusmods.com. Sometimes they work in the same way as on Windows, but that's not always the case. [[Reshade]] is an example for a modding tool. == Mod Manager == Mod managers that are not native will not set dll overrides. If the installed mod uses dlls, you have to [[Modding#DLL overrides|set the overrides manually]]. === Install mod managers with Wine === You can try installing mod Managers from [[Lutris]], if there is an install script. There are scripts (for older versions of) Vortex and NMM. Otherwise, you can try installing them in the same wine prefix. You could do this for example the following way: * Copy the executable into the wine prefix of your game: <code>~/Games/<your_game>/drive_c/users/<your_name>/Downloads/</code> * In Lutris, click your game, then click on the arrow next to the wine bottle on the bottom of the window. Click <code>Run EXE inside Wine prefix</code> * Locate the exe, and run it. * If it works, you can locate the executable of the installed mod manager, and run it in this way. Otherwise, you can also create a new "game" in the same wine prefix and select the executable there. TODO: describe how. === Install mod managers in a VM === If a mod manager is not working well with wine, you can install Windows in VirtualBox, share your game folder with the VM, and install the mod manager inside the VM. You need to install the guest additions for it to work. The folder will be mounted as network drive Z. This will not work with every mod manager and every mod (for example it will not work with MO2). If you want to mod a Linux native game, you can try creating a fake .exe in order for the mod manager to detect the game. In more detail: # Install the game on Linux, for example with Lutris, Heroic, or Steam. # Install Windows in a VM # Share the game folder with the Windows VM # Install a mod manager in the Windows VM # Use the mod manager to install a mod # Play the game that is now modded (on Linux, without VM) Optional: Disable internet access for the VM, and enable drag/drop to copy files easily to the VM. This way, Windows can not send telemetry data, or do unnecessary updates that just take space and processing time. You might even use older (and lighter) versions like Windows 7 if the mod manager is compatible. In this case, you will have to manually download mods, though. == Manual Installation == === DLL overrides === The game can either use ''native'' dlls that come with the game, or use ''builtin'' dlls that come with wine. It (sometimes?/usually?) uses only the ''builtin'' dlls. On Windows, the game would do it the other way around, and first use ''all'' dlls in the game directory, and only if the dll is not there, look somewhere else. Now if you put a different dll from a mod inside the game directory, this will not (not always?) work. That's why you have to tell wine, that it should use the dll from the mod. ==== Example ==== For example, if you want to tell wine to use the ''d3dcompiler_47.dll'' that's in your game folder, and only use the builtin dll if it can't find any dll in the game folder, you would do the following: Open Lutris, click your game, on the bottom, click the up-arrow right next to the wine bottle icon, click <code>Wine configuration</code>, click <code>Libraries</code>, and *insert the name of the dll (without the .dll) <code>d3dcompiler_47</code> in the text box under <code>New override for library</code>. *select it in the list, click <code>Edit</code> and select <code>native, then builtin</code> Alternatively, you could also set <code>WINEDLLOVERRIDES="d3dcompiler_47=n,b"</code> as an [[Environment variables|environment variable]]. === Path names === Linux paths are case sensitive, while Windows paths are not. This leads to mod developers using different folder names when referring to the same folder, for example ''folderName'' and ''Foldername''. If your mod doesn't work, this might be the issue, and you can try changing the names so that they are consistent. == Trainer == You can use [https://github.com/leaty/tuxtrain tuxtrain] or [https://github.com/korcankaraokcu/PINCE PINCE]. == Linux native modding tools == There are some game specific Linux native modding tools, you may find a list [[Game specific modding tools|here]]. e577e250d62df28111f4affb7c9ac442ef30e3d8 887 886 2022-04-16T07:03:47Z Aragorn 3 /* Install mod managers with Wine */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game mods modify games in some way. A good source for mods is https://www.nexusmods.com. Sometimes they work in the same way as on Windows, but that's not always the case. [[Reshade]] is an example for a modding tool. == Mod Manager == Mod managers that are not native will not set dll overrides. If the installed mod uses dlls, you have to [[Modding#DLL overrides|set the overrides manually]]. === Install mod managers with Wine === You can try installing mod Managers from [[Lutris]], if there is an install script. For example there are scripts (for older versions of) Vortex and NMM. Otherwise, you can try installing them in the same wine prefix. You could do this for example in the following way: * Copy the executable into the wine prefix of your game: <code>~/Games/<your_game>/drive_c/users/<your_name>/Downloads/</code> * In Lutris, click your game, then click on the arrow next to the wine bottle on the bottom of the window. Click <code>Run EXE inside Wine prefix</code> * Locate the exe, and run it. * If it works, you can locate the executable of the installed mod manager, and run it in this way. Otherwise, you can also create a new "game" in the same wine prefix and select the executable there. TODO: describe how. === Install mod managers in a VM === If a mod manager is not working well with wine, you can install Windows in VirtualBox, share your game folder with the VM, and install the mod manager inside the VM. You need to install the guest additions for it to work. The folder will be mounted as network drive Z. This will not work with every mod manager and every mod. For example it will not work with MO2 (however, MO2 is working in Wine<ref>https://github.com/Modorganizer2/modorganizer/issues/372</ref>). If you want to mod a Linux native game, you can try creating a fake .exe in order for the mod manager to detect the game. In more detail: # Install the game on Linux, for example with Lutris, Heroic, or Steam. # Install Windows in a VM # Share the game folder with the Windows VM # Install a mod manager in the Windows VM # Use the mod manager to install a mod # Play the game that is now modded (on Linux, without VM) Optional: Disable internet access for the VM, and enable drag/drop to copy files easily to the VM. This way, Windows can not send telemetry data, or do unnecessary updates that just take space and processing time. You might even use older (and lighter) versions like Windows 7 if the mod manager is compatible. In this case, you will have to manually download mods, though. == Manual Installation == === DLL overrides === The game can either use ''native'' dlls that come with the game, or use ''builtin'' dlls that come with wine. It (sometimes?/usually?) uses only the ''builtin'' dlls. On Windows, the game would do it the other way around, and first use ''all'' dlls in the game directory, and only if the dll is not there, look somewhere else. Now if you put a different dll from a mod inside the game directory, this will not (not always?) work. That's why you have to tell wine, that it should use the dll from the mod. ==== Example ==== For example, if you want to tell wine to use the ''d3dcompiler_47.dll'' that's in your game folder, and only use the builtin dll if it can't find any dll in the game folder, you would do the following: Open Lutris, click your game, on the bottom, click the up-arrow right next to the wine bottle icon, click <code>Wine configuration</code>, click <code>Libraries</code>, and *insert the name of the dll (without the .dll) <code>d3dcompiler_47</code> in the text box under <code>New override for library</code>. *select it in the list, click <code>Edit</code> and select <code>native, then builtin</code> Alternatively, you could also set <code>WINEDLLOVERRIDES="d3dcompiler_47=n,b"</code> as an [[Environment variables|environment variable]]. === Path names === Linux paths are case sensitive, while Windows paths are not. This leads to mod developers using different folder names when referring to the same folder, for example ''folderName'' and ''Foldername''. If your mod doesn't work, this might be the issue, and you can try changing the names so that they are consistent. == Trainer == You can use [https://github.com/leaty/tuxtrain tuxtrain] or [https://github.com/korcankaraokcu/PINCE PINCE]. == Linux native modding tools == There are some game specific Linux native modding tools, you may find a list [[Game specific modding tools|here]]. b5ea508141cf9ee8d05d47fd6ccc68f0161a02de 0 32 884 810 2022-04-15T21:40:21Z Aragorn 3 /* Disabling composition for your games */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use a DE with X11]], then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadow and effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. ==Disabling composition for your games== {{Needs work|Problem=I don't know whether the procedure for disabling composition in Cinnamon actually works. In case this does not work, you should not be using Cinnamon. If you want a DE that looks a bit like Windows, you should choose KDE Plasma instead. Please edit if you know more}} Disabling composition will dramatically improve input lag and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: *If you use Gnome (the default DE on Pop!_OS): You don't have to do anything. Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing Windows does), which is almost as good as disabling compositon. Disabling composition in Gnome is not possible. *If you use KDE: **For Lutris: ***To disable it for a single game: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. ***To disable it for all games: Click <code>...</code> in the top right corner -> <code>Preferences</code> -> <code>Global options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code> **For Steam, Heroic or others: Manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code> before launching the game. The same combination re-enables it. (TODO: It may be that Steam and Heroic automatically disable composition. But I don't know.) **You can use [https://store.kde.org/p/1502826/ Autocomposer] *If you use Cinnamon: Go to <code>settings</code> -> <code>general</code> -> <code>disable compositing for full-screen window</code> eec3c6b405e921161a9c35b5a308eb9d539302b0 885 884 2022-04-15T21:41:22Z Aragorn 3 /* Disabling composition for your games */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use a DE with X11]], then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadow and effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. ==Disabling composition for your games== {{Needs work|Problem=I don't know whether the procedure for disabling composition in Cinnamon actually works. In case this does not work, you should not be using Cinnamon. If you want a DE that looks a bit like Windows, you should choose KDE Plasma instead. Please edit if you know more}} Disabling composition will dramatically improve input lag and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: *If you use Gnome (the default DE on Pop!_OS): You don't have to do anything. Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing Windows does), which is almost as good as disabling compositon. Disabling composition in Gnome is not possible. *If you use KDE: **For Lutris: ***To disable it for a single game: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. ***To disable it for all games: Click <code>...</code> in the top right corner -> <code>Preferences</code> -> <code>Global options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code> **For Steam, Heroic or others: Manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code> before launching the game. The same combination re-enables it. (TODO: It may be that Steam and Heroic automatically disable composition. But I don't know.) **You can use [https://store.kde.org/p/1502826/ Autocomposer]. This should make it unnecessary to do anything of the above. *If you use Cinnamon: Go to <code>settings</code> -> <code>general</code> -> <code>disable compositing for full-screen window</code> 4deac4cb5ae68dddb93e7093927a308fdab01b6d 900 885 2022-04-25T11:36:04Z Aragorn 3 /* Disabling composition for your games */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use a DE with X11]], then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadow and effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. ==Disabling composition for your games== {{Needs work|Problem=I don't know whether the procedure for disabling composition in Cinnamon actually works. In case this does not work, you should not be using Cinnamon. If you want a DE that looks a bit like Windows, you should choose KDE Plasma instead. Please edit if you know more}} Disabling composition will dramatically improve input lag and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: *If you use Gnome (the default DE on Pop!_OS): You don't have to do anything. Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing Windows does), which is almost as good as disabling compositon. Disabling composition in Gnome is not possible. *If you use KDE: **For Lutris: ***To disable it for a single game: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. ***To disable it for all games: Click <code>...</code> in the top right corner -> <code>Preferences</code> -> <code>Global options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code> **For Steam, Heroic or others: Manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code> before launching the game. The same combination re-enables it. (TODO: It may be that Steam and Heroic automatically disable composition. But I don't know.) **You can use [https://store.kde.org/p/1502826/ Autocomposer]. This should make it unnecessary to do anything of the above. *If you use Cinnamon: Go to <code>settings</code> -> <code>general</code> -> <code>disable compositing for full-screen window</code> *Xfce: **Disable composition with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Xfwm#Configuration</ref> **Enable it again with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> **For Steam: You can automate disabling/enabling with the launch option: <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false; %command%; xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code><ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensiveLinux/comments/6b3cs5/comment/dhjw7z7/?context=3</ref> 7fab9c4dea7e71567b4f90975643a5c2aee685cf 0 44 889 574 2022-04-21T08:01:09Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Steam runs natively on Linux. You can probably just install it from your App store. Usually you want to use ''Steam (Runtime)''. Only use ''Steam (native)'' if you know why you want to use it. If you use the Flatpak version, you will also need to use the Flatpak version of other software that you want to use with it, like MangoHud. == Enable Steam Play for all games == In order to run games that are not explicitly whitelisted by Valve, go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. If something doesn't work, check out [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE]. == ProtonUp-Qt == You can use [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] to make the installation and update process of [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] simple: * 1. Download the [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] AppImage * 2. Mark the AppImage as executable * 3. Double-click the AppImage to run ProtonUp-Qt Alternatively, you can install it from [https://flathub.org/apps/details/net.davidotek.pupgui2 Flathub]. == Launch Options == You may find something like <code>-screen-width 1280 -screen-height 720 -screen-fullscreen 0</code> on protondb. These are ''launch options''. To use them, you right click on the game, and in the <code>general</code> tab, there is a field called <code>launch options</code>. You paste them (for example <code>%command% -screen-height 1920 -screen-width 1080 -screen-fullscreen</code>) in there. <code>%command%</code> is the command to start the game. Some launch options go before this command (commands to execute programs, for example <code>gamemoderun</code> or <code>mangohud</code>), and some go behind it (flags that are passed to the game itself, typically stuff that starts with a <code>-</code>). == Steam Tinker Launch == [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch Steam Tinker Launch] is a swiss army knife tool that allows easy customization of multiple options for Steam games. It includes helpers for custom commands, Vortex, Mod Organizer 2, Proton GE, Proton/DXVK/wine options, winetricks, ReShade + easy selection for shaders, FSR, debugging, side-by-side VR automation, SteamGridDB, SpecialK, Proton KillSwitch, Gamescope, GameMode, and more. You can find a more comprehensive list of features in the [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch/wiki wiki] (dropdownlist on the right). f8e469c7771f110bb9fe7e1925ff13bbcc51358f 0 15 890 634 2022-04-21T13:19:46Z Aragorn 3 /* Installing Windows games without an install script */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[File:Lutris icon.png|thumb|Lutris icon.]] '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that primarily provides installers for games not available on Steam. It can also act as a single app for your whole game library. You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam. == Installing Lutris == You can typically install Lutris through your distribution's app store (e.g. GNOME Software, Discover, Pop Shop). For example, on Pop!_OS, go to the '''Pop Shop''' and search "Lutris". [[File:Pop Shop - Lutris.png|frameless|581x581px]] Then, click install. See Lutris's [https://lutris.net/downloads download page] for more ways to install it. == Finding a game on Lutris == The most important feature of Lutris is that you can install games and launchers not found on Steam using '''install scripts'''. If you want to use an install script, select Lutris in '''Sources''' and click "Community Installers". [[File:Communityinstallers.png|frameless|496x496px]] Then, in the top bar, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. [[File:Installscripts.png|frameless|430x430px]] Here, we'll click on the game with the photo, and click "install". There may be multiple install scripts options, so pick what seems most standard. If your first choice doesn't work, you could try the other ones. You don't have to use the Lutris client to find install scripts - you can [https://lutris.net/games look up install scripts] on Lutris's website. === Installation === Typically, when installing a game, Lutris will ask if you want to download certain files. [[File:Lutrisinstalls.png|none|thumb|384x384px|Installing Overwatch on Lutris.]] Review the files to make sure everything looks okay, and then just press '''continue'''. Don't worry about the individual download buttons. === Install games that you own on GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam === Login to these stores by navigating to their tab in '''Sources''', and logging in to them by clicking the '''Connect''' icon. [[File:Lutrislogin.png|frameless]] After logging in, Lutris should display the games you own from that store. You can also enable the Epic Games Store as a source, but using [[Heroic|the Heroic Games launcher]] or just installing the Epic Games Store itself through Lutris are probably easier options. == Configuration Options == You might want to [[Improving performance|improve the performance]] of your games with stuff like: *Esync * Fsync * [[Gamemode]] * [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution]] *[https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/wine-ge-custom/releases Wine-GE], instead of using Lutris's WINE You can also improve visuals with: *[https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] for downscaling *[https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or [[reshade]] == Installing Windows games without an install script == '''This is NOT what you would usually do when installing a game! Only do the following if there is no install script!''' *Click the plus on the top left * Select a name and select Wine as runner. * Select Game options, and select the executable ** Select the new folder as Wine prefix ** Select the prefix architecture (if you're not sure select 64-bit) *** Create a new folder where you want to install your game (for example <code>~/Games/MyNewGame</code>) * Select Runner options ** Select the Wine version (try different ones, including the ones from tkg and GE) * Click Save * Start your game ** Click through the installer * Right click the game in Lutris, click Configure ** Select Game options and modify the executable to be the actual game executable. (This could be <code>~/Games/MyNewGame/drive_c/Program Files(x86)/CoolGame/bin/CoolGame.exe</code>) * Start your game. **It will probably work, but if it's not, see the ''troubleshooting'' section. == Troubleshooting == This [https://piped.kavin.rocks/watch?v=oFB-Ly8RcOw video guide] explains how to install a game with a Lutris install script in more depth. If you encounter an issue installing your game, look up the game's name on the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/ Linux Gaming subreddit] to see if anyone's had the same issue and solved it. You should also check whether the game currently runs on Linux. === General approach: === (if the above does not work) * Close Lutris, open a [[terminal]], type <code>lutris</code> and press enter. Lutris will now open, but you will see more information in the terminal. * Try running the game with different presets like other Wine version, with/without DXVK, with/without Esync, Fsync, Windowed (virtual desktop), etc. * Right click your game, go to Runner options, and set ''Output debugging info'' to ''Enabled''. * Start your game and pay close attention to the output in the terminal ** Try to understand the problem ** For example, you can use Winetricks to install missing dependencies === Winetricks === Winetricks is an easy way to do various stuff with Wine, including but not limited to installing libraries and other dependencies for your games. ==FAQ== ====What are runners?==== ''Runners'' are "methods" to run your programs. '''Linux''' is for native Linux games. '''Steam''' is for Steam games - though, using Steam itself to run those games is easier. '''Wine''' is what you want to use for every other Windows game. Other runners are available, these are mainly emulators for various consoles, or DOS (DosBox) ==See also== [https://lutris.net/ Lutris website] [[Category:Popular apps]] ccab9970076a3e63acf7910264785a8c8abef9a5 0 1 891 739 2022-04-24T18:03:46Z Aragorn 3 /* Other */ wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. === Performance === * [[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Reshade]] - Tool to change colors in your games. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. 1de61303f6ffb58ab37c02f499cbb6e0866e2040 0 55 892 2022-04-24T18:17:16Z Aragorn 3 Created page with "The desktop environment is the interface of your system. Think of the differences between Windows 7, Vista, 8, 10, 11. That's the ''Desktop Environment'' (''DE''). The good thing on Linux is, that you have large choice about what to use. And you can even install multiple DEs at the same time and switch between them! The most popular options are the following: == Gnome == The default on Pop!_OS. Polished, easy to use, but customizing is a bit tricky. If you don't want t..." wikitext text/x-wiki The desktop environment is the interface of your system. Think of the differences between Windows 7, Vista, 8, 10, 11. That's the ''Desktop Environment'' (''DE''). The good thing on Linux is, that you have large choice about what to use. And you can even install multiple DEs at the same time and switch between them! The most popular options are the following: == Gnome == The default on Pop!_OS. Polished, easy to use, but customizing is a bit tricky. If you don't want to mess with it too much, it's a solid choice. It supports display unredirection, so you don't even have to mess with [[Compositor|composition]] (but you do loose a little bit of responsiveness). == KDE == Looks much like Windows, and has many nice quality of life features. Easy to customize, but if you're not careful you might break it. Supports disabling [[Compositor|composition]]. == Xfce == == Cinnamon == People often seem to report problems. Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] might be problematic. == LXQt == == LXDE == == Pantheon == be8e256d19059bf06a4e15ba3acf99636aa15106 893 892 2022-04-24T18:20:45Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki The desktop environment is the interface of your system. Think of the differences between Windows 7, Vista, 8, 10, 11. That's the ''Desktop Environment'' (''DE''). The good thing on Linux is, that you have large choice about what to use. And you can even install multiple DEs at the same time and switch between them! All choices are much lighter than Windows. There are differences, but everything will use less than 1GB of RAM, and if your CPU is fit for gaming the CPU usage will very likely not matter. The most popular options are the following: == Gnome == The default on Pop!_OS. Polished, easy to use, but customizing is a bit tricky. If you don't want to mess with it too much, it's a solid choice. It supports display unredirection, so you don't even have to mess with [[Compositor|composition]] (but you do loose a little bit of responsiveness). == KDE == Looks much like Windows, and has many nice quality of life features. Easy to customize, but if you're not careful you might break it. Supports disabling [[Compositor|composition]]. == Xfce == == Cinnamon == People often seem to report problems. Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] might be problematic. == LXQt == == LXDE == == Pantheon == b6b2eae82184bb40d3fc4fe94c936e976a361a3f 0 32 901 900 2022-04-25T11:42:44Z Aragorn 3 /* Disabling composition for your games */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use a DE with X11]], then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadow and effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. ==Disabling composition for your games== Disabling composition will dramatically improve input lag and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: ===Gnome=== This is the default DE on Pop!_OS. You don't have to do anything. Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing Windows does), which is almost as good as disabling compositon. Disabling composition in Gnome is not possible. ===KDE=== *For Lutris: **To disable it for a single game: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. **To disable it for all games: Click <code>...</code> in the top right corner -> <code>Preferences</code> -> <code>Global options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code> *For Steam, Heroic or others: Manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code> before launching the game. The same combination re-enables it. (TODO: It may be that Steam and Heroic automatically disable composition. But I don't know.) *You can use [https://store.kde.org/p/1502826/ Autocomposer]. This should make it unnecessary to do anything of the above. *If you want to use a terminal command (for example for automation, launch options for Steam, etc): ** disable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor suspend</code> ** enable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor resume</code> ===Cinnamon === {{Needs work|Problem=I don't know whether the procedure for disabling composition in Cinnamon actually works. In case this does not work, you should not be using Cinnamon. If you want a DE that looks a bit like Windows, you should choose KDE Plasma instead. Please edit if you know more}} Go to <code>settings</code> -> <code>general</code> -> <code>disable compositing for full-screen window</code> ===Xfce:=== *Disable composition with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Xfwm#Configuration</ref> *Enable it again with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> * For Steam: You can automate disabling/enabling with the launch option: <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false; %command%; xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code><ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensiveLinux/comments/6b3cs5/comment/dhjw7z7/?context=3</ref> == References and notes == <references /> a8012cdaed5a3facdc1e11432de9cbc12aea79fb 902 901 2022-04-25T11:44:08Z Aragorn 3 /* KDE */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use a DE with X11]], then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadow and effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. ==Disabling composition for your games== Disabling composition will dramatically improve input lag and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: ===Gnome=== This is the default DE on Pop!_OS. You don't have to do anything. Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing Windows does), which is almost as good as disabling compositon. Disabling composition in Gnome is not possible. ===KDE=== {{Needs work|Problem=It may be that Steam and Heroic automatically disable composition. But I don't know.}} *For Lutris: **To disable it for a single game: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. **To disable it for all games: Click <code>...</code> in the top right corner -> <code>Preferences</code> -> <code>Global options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code> *You can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code> before launching a game. The same combination re-enables it. *You can use [https://store.kde.org/p/1502826/ Autocomposer]. This should make it unnecessary to do anything of the above. *If you want to use a terminal command (for example for automation, launch options for Steam, etc): ** disable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor suspend</code> ** enable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor resume</code> ===Cinnamon === {{Needs work|Problem=I don't know whether the procedure for disabling composition in Cinnamon actually works. In case this does not work, you should not be using Cinnamon. If you want a DE that looks a bit like Windows, you should choose KDE Plasma instead. Please edit if you know more}} Go to <code>settings</code> -> <code>general</code> -> <code>disable compositing for full-screen window</code> ===Xfce:=== *Disable composition with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Xfwm#Configuration</ref> *Enable it again with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> * For Steam: You can automate disabling/enabling with the launch option: <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false; %command%; xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code><ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensiveLinux/comments/6b3cs5/comment/dhjw7z7/?context=3</ref> == References and notes == <references /> 22339b9f6319cdeae506a73231036cf82bb07138 903 902 2022-04-25T11:44:23Z Aragorn 3 /* KDE */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use a DE with X11]], then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadow and effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. ==Disabling composition for your games== Disabling composition will dramatically improve input lag and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: ===Gnome=== This is the default DE on Pop!_OS. You don't have to do anything. Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing Windows does), which is almost as good as disabling compositon. Disabling composition in Gnome is not possible. ===KDE=== {{Needs work|Problem=It may be that Steam and Heroic automatically disable composition. But I don't know}} *For Lutris: **To disable it for a single game: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. **To disable it for all games: Click <code>...</code> in the top right corner -> <code>Preferences</code> -> <code>Global options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code> *You can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code> before launching a game. The same combination re-enables it. *You can use [https://store.kde.org/p/1502826/ Autocomposer]. This should make it unnecessary to do anything of the above. *If you want to use a terminal command (for example for automation, launch options for Steam, etc): ** disable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor suspend</code> ** enable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor resume</code> ===Cinnamon === {{Needs work|Problem=I don't know whether the procedure for disabling composition in Cinnamon actually works. In case this does not work, you should not be using Cinnamon. If you want a DE that looks a bit like Windows, you should choose KDE Plasma instead. Please edit if you know more}} Go to <code>settings</code> -> <code>general</code> -> <code>disable compositing for full-screen window</code> ===Xfce:=== *Disable composition with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Xfwm#Configuration</ref> *Enable it again with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> * For Steam: You can automate disabling/enabling with the launch option: <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false; %command%; xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code><ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensiveLinux/comments/6b3cs5/comment/dhjw7z7/?context=3</ref> == References and notes == <references /> 30b0aabe5fb261d2fb88721aafc8b6ac64e04ee1 904 903 2022-04-25T11:54:38Z Aragorn 3 /* Cinnamon */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use a DE with X11]], then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadow and effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. ==Disabling composition for your games== Disabling composition will dramatically improve input lag and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: ===Gnome=== This is the default DE on Pop!_OS. You don't have to do anything. Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing Windows does), which is almost as good as disabling compositon. Disabling composition in Gnome is not possible. ===KDE=== {{Needs work|Problem=It may be that Steam and Heroic automatically disable composition. But I don't know}} *For Lutris: **To disable it for a single game: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. **To disable it for all games: Click <code>...</code> in the top right corner -> <code>Preferences</code> -> <code>Global options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code> *You can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code> before launching a game. The same combination re-enables it. *You can use [https://store.kde.org/p/1502826/ Autocomposer]. This should make it unnecessary to do anything of the above. *If you want to use a terminal command (for example for automation, launch options for Steam, etc): ** disable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor suspend</code> ** enable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor resume</code> ===Cinnamon === {{Needs work|Problem=I don't know whether the procedure for disabling composition in Cinnamon actually works. It might not work well, only work sometimes, not at all, only for fullscreen windows... I don't know. But there are many reports about problems, and I couldn't find any solution so far. In case this does not work properly, you should not be using Cinnamon. If you want a DE that looks a bit like Windows, you should choose KDE Plasma instead. Please edit if you know more}} Go to <code>settings</code> -> <code>general</code> -> <code>disable compositing for full-screen window</code> ===Xfce:=== *Disable composition with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Xfwm#Configuration</ref> *Enable it again with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> * For Steam: You can automate disabling/enabling with the launch option: <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false; %command%; xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code><ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensiveLinux/comments/6b3cs5/comment/dhjw7z7/?context=3</ref> == References and notes == <references /> 9de7fe66cb2067fddd9bc101f09936b5847ecf5c 905 904 2022-04-25T11:55:34Z Aragorn 3 /* KDE */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use a DE with X11]], then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadow and effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. ==Disabling composition for your games== Disabling composition will dramatically improve input lag and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: ===Gnome=== This is the default DE on Pop!_OS. You don't have to do anything. Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing Windows does), which is almost as good as disabling compositon. Disabling composition in Gnome is not possible. ===KDE=== {{Needs work|Problem=It may be that Steam and Heroic automatically disable composition. But I don't know}}There are many options to disable composition: *For Lutris: **To disable it for a single game: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. **To disable it for all games: Click <code>...</code> in the top right corner -> <code>Preferences</code> -> <code>Global options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code> *You can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code> before launching a game. The same combination re-enables it. *You can use [https://store.kde.org/p/1502826/ Autocomposer]. This should make it unnecessary to do anything of the above. *If you want to use a terminal command (for example for automation, launch options for Steam, etc): ** disable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor suspend</code> ** enable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor resume</code> ===Cinnamon === {{Needs work|Problem=I don't know whether the procedure for disabling composition in Cinnamon actually works. It might not work well, only work sometimes, not at all, only for fullscreen windows... I don't know. But there are many reports about problems, and I couldn't find any solution so far. In case this does not work properly, you should not be using Cinnamon. If you want a DE that looks a bit like Windows, you should choose KDE Plasma instead. Please edit if you know more}} Go to <code>settings</code> -> <code>general</code> -> <code>disable compositing for full-screen window</code> ===Xfce:=== *Disable composition with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Xfwm#Configuration</ref> *Enable it again with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> * For Steam: You can automate disabling/enabling with the launch option: <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false; %command%; xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code><ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensiveLinux/comments/6b3cs5/comment/dhjw7z7/?context=3</ref> == References and notes == <references /> d9dd59667a22190a3de457b1ae59fca1771638d8 906 905 2022-04-25T11:57:03Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use a DE with X11]], then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadow and effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. ==Disabling composition for your games== Disabling composition will dramatically improve input lag and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: ===Gnome=== This is the default DE on Pop!_OS. You don't have to do anything. Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing Windows does), which is almost as good as disabling compositon. Disabling composition in Gnome is not possible. ===KDE=== {{Needs work|Problem=It may be that Steam and Heroic automatically disable composition}}There are many options to disable composition: *For Lutris: **To disable it for a single game: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. **To disable it for all games: Click <code>...</code> in the top right corner -> <code>Preferences</code> -> <code>Global options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code> *You can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code> before launching a game. The same combination re-enables it. *You can use [https://store.kde.org/p/1502826/ Autocomposer]. This should make it unnecessary to do anything of the above. *If you want to use a terminal command (for example for automation, launch options for Steam, etc): ** disable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor suspend</code> ** enable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor resume</code> ===Cinnamon === {{Needs work|Problem=I don't know whether the procedure for disabling composition in Cinnamon actually works. It might not work well, only work sometimes, not at all, only for fullscreen windows... But there are many reports about problems, and I couldn't find any solution so far. In case this does not work properly, you should not be using Cinnamon. If you want a DE that looks a bit like Windows, you should choose KDE Plasma instead. Please edit if you know more}} Go to <code>settings</code> -> <code>general</code> -> <code>disable compositing for full-screen window</code> ===Xfce:=== *Disable composition with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Xfwm#Configuration</ref> *Enable it again with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> * For Steam: You can automate disabling/enabling with the launch option: <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false; %command%; xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code><ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensiveLinux/comments/6b3cs5/comment/dhjw7z7/?context=3</ref> == References and notes == <references /> 6eff16b8b99d4284194809deab34761784bb1540 907 906 2022-04-25T11:58:22Z Aragorn 3 /* Disabling composition for your games */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use a DE with X11]], then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadow and effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. ==Disabling composition for your games== Disabling composition will dramatically improve performance, input lag, and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: ===Gnome=== This is the default DE on Pop!_OS. You don't have to do anything. Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing Windows does), which is almost as good as disabling compositon. Disabling composition in Gnome is not possible. ===KDE=== {{Needs work|Problem=It may be that Steam and Heroic automatically disable composition}}There are many options to disable composition: *For Lutris: **To disable it for a single game: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. **To disable it for all games: Click <code>...</code> in the top right corner -> <code>Preferences</code> -> <code>Global options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code> *You can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code> before launching a game. The same combination re-enables it. *You can use [https://store.kde.org/p/1502826/ Autocomposer]. This should make it unnecessary to do anything of the above. *If you want to use a terminal command (for example for automation, launch options for Steam, etc): ** disable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor suspend</code> ** enable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor resume</code> ===Cinnamon === {{Needs work|Problem=I don't know whether the procedure for disabling composition in Cinnamon actually works. It might not work well, only work sometimes, not at all, only for fullscreen windows... But there are many reports about problems, and I couldn't find any solution so far. In case this does not work properly, you should not be using Cinnamon. If you want a DE that looks a bit like Windows, you should choose KDE Plasma instead. Please edit if you know more}} Go to <code>settings</code> -> <code>general</code> -> <code>disable compositing for full-screen window</code> ===Xfce:=== *Disable composition with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Xfwm#Configuration</ref> *Enable it again with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> * For Steam: You can automate disabling/enabling with the launch option: <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false; %command%; xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code><ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensiveLinux/comments/6b3cs5/comment/dhjw7z7/?context=3</ref> == References and notes == <references /> 12a4d35e57c4bd941907f2d5213fdd92086af093 908 907 2022-04-25T12:07:36Z Aragorn 3 /* Cinnamon */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use a DE with X11]], then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadow and effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. ==Disabling composition for your games== Disabling composition will dramatically improve performance, input lag, and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: ===Gnome=== This is the default DE on Pop!_OS. You don't have to do anything. Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing Windows does), which is almost as good as disabling compositon. Disabling composition in Gnome is not possible. ===KDE=== {{Needs work|Problem=It may be that Steam and Heroic automatically disable composition}}There are many options to disable composition: *For Lutris: **To disable it for a single game: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. **To disable it for all games: Click <code>...</code> in the top right corner -> <code>Preferences</code> -> <code>Global options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code> *You can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code> before launching a game. The same combination re-enables it. *You can use [https://store.kde.org/p/1502826/ Autocomposer]. This should make it unnecessary to do anything of the above. *If you want to use a terminal command (for example for automation, launch options for Steam, etc): ** disable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor suspend</code> ** enable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor resume</code> ===Cinnamon === It appears that it is not possible to disabling composition reliably on Cinnamon! If you want a DE that looks a bit like Windows, have a look at KDE Plasma instead. Anyways, here is something that may, or may not work: Go to <code>settings</code> -> <code>general</code> -> <code>disable compositing for full-screen window</code> ===Xfce:=== *Disable composition with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Xfwm#Configuration</ref> *Enable it again with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> * For Steam: You can automate disabling/enabling with the launch option: <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false; %command%; xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code><ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensiveLinux/comments/6b3cs5/comment/dhjw7z7/?context=3</ref> == References and notes == <references /> 9ca3b6f7793adfa123c4bbda5b0d828c8f59c912 909 908 2022-04-25T12:07:50Z Aragorn 3 /* Cinnamon */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use a DE with X11]], then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadow and effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. ==Disabling composition for your games== Disabling composition will dramatically improve performance, input lag, and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: ===Gnome=== This is the default DE on Pop!_OS. You don't have to do anything. Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing Windows does), which is almost as good as disabling compositon. Disabling composition in Gnome is not possible. ===KDE=== {{Needs work|Problem=It may be that Steam and Heroic automatically disable composition}}There are many options to disable composition: *For Lutris: **To disable it for a single game: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. **To disable it for all games: Click <code>...</code> in the top right corner -> <code>Preferences</code> -> <code>Global options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code> *You can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code> before launching a game. The same combination re-enables it. *You can use [https://store.kde.org/p/1502826/ Autocomposer]. This should make it unnecessary to do anything of the above. *If you want to use a terminal command (for example for automation, launch options for Steam, etc): ** disable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor suspend</code> ** enable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor resume</code> ===Cinnamon === '''It appears that it is not possible to disabling composition reliably on Cinnamon!''' If you want a DE that looks a bit like Windows, have a look at KDE Plasma instead. Anyways, here is something that may, or may not work: Go to <code>settings</code> -> <code>general</code> -> <code>disable compositing for full-screen window</code> ===Xfce:=== *Disable composition with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Xfwm#Configuration</ref> *Enable it again with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> * For Steam: You can automate disabling/enabling with the launch option: <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false; %command%; xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code><ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensiveLinux/comments/6b3cs5/comment/dhjw7z7/?context=3</ref> == References and notes == <references /> 82d8d65f4e7433b5196c3ab58be6a630a632596c 919 909 2022-04-25T12:46:25Z Aragorn 3 /* Disabling composition for your games */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use a DE with X11]], then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadow and effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. ==Disabling composition for your games== Disabling composition will dramatically improve performance, input lag, and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: ===Gnome=== This is the default DE on Pop!_OS. You don't have to do anything. Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing Windows does), which is almost as good as disabling compositon. Disabling composition in Gnome is not possible. ===KDE=== {{Needs work|Problem=It may be that Steam and Heroic automatically disable composition}}There are many options to disable composition: *For Lutris: **To disable it for a single game: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. **To disable it for all games: Click <code>...</code> in the top right corner -> <code>Preferences</code> -> <code>Global options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code> *You can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code> before launching a game. The same combination re-enables it. *You can use [https://store.kde.org/p/1502826/ Autocomposer]. This should make it unnecessary to do anything of the above. *If you want to use a terminal command (for example for automation, launch options for Steam, etc): ** disable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor suspend</code> ** enable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor resume</code> ===Xfce:=== *Disable composition with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Xfwm#Configuration</ref> *Enable it again with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> * For Steam: You can automate disabling/enabling with the launch option: <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false; %command%; xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code><ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensiveLinux/comments/6b3cs5/comment/dhjw7z7/?context=3</ref> == DEs without the ability do disable composition == ===Cinnamon === It appears that it is not possible to disabling composition reliably on Cinnamon. If you want a DE that looks a bit like Windows, have a look at KDE Plasma instead. Anyways, here is something that may, or may not work: Go to <code>settings</code> -> <code>general</code> -> <code>disable compositing for full-screen window</code> === Pantheon === Only available on Elementary OS. Unfortunately it appears to not support disabling composition.<ref>https://elementaryos.stackexchange.com/questions/4483/how-can-i-disable-composite-and-effects-in-elementary-os</ref> == References and notes == <references /> 6a0906b3225bed9f95b0d267327c29f691025f30 932 919 2022-04-25T21:33:48Z Aragorn 3 /* DEs without the ability do disable composition */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use a DE with X11]], then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadow and effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. ==Disabling composition for your games== Disabling composition will dramatically improve performance, input lag, and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: ===Gnome=== This is the default DE on Pop!_OS. You don't have to do anything. Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing Windows does), which is almost as good as disabling compositon. Disabling composition in Gnome is not possible. ===KDE=== {{Needs work|Problem=It may be that Steam and Heroic automatically disable composition}}There are many options to disable composition: *For Lutris: **To disable it for a single game: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. **To disable it for all games: Click <code>...</code> in the top right corner -> <code>Preferences</code> -> <code>Global options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code> *You can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code> before launching a game. The same combination re-enables it. *You can use [https://store.kde.org/p/1502826/ Autocomposer]. This should make it unnecessary to do anything of the above. *If you want to use a terminal command (for example for automation, launch options for Steam, etc): ** disable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor suspend</code> ** enable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor resume</code> ===Xfce:=== *Disable composition with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Xfwm#Configuration</ref> *Enable it again with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> * For Steam: You can automate disabling/enabling with the launch option: <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false; %command%; xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code><ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensiveLinux/comments/6b3cs5/comment/dhjw7z7/?context=3</ref> ===Cinnamon === Disabling composition is a bit problematic. If you want a DE that looks a bit like Windows, you might want to have a look at KDE Plasma instead. Anyways, here is something that may, or may not work: Go to <code>settings</code> -> <code>general</code> -> <code>disable compositing for full-screen window</code> You can also disable it completely, but this might lead to visual degradation in desktop mode: <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>General</code> -> <code>Disable compositing</code> === Pantheon === Only available on Elementary OS. Unfortunately it appears to not support disabling composition.<ref>https://elementaryos.stackexchange.com/questions/4483/how-can-i-disable-composite-and-effects-in-elementary-os</ref> == References and notes == <references /> 460708dfbe524a5be6d6fb904c14899fc37de9f4 937 932 2022-04-26T15:46:13Z Aragorn 3 /* Cinnamon */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use a DE with X11]], then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadow and effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. ==Disabling composition for your games== Disabling composition will dramatically improve performance, input lag, and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: ===Gnome=== This is the default DE on Pop!_OS. You don't have to do anything. Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing Windows does), which is almost as good as disabling compositon. Disabling composition in Gnome is not possible. ===KDE=== {{Needs work|Problem=It may be that Steam and Heroic automatically disable composition}}There are many options to disable composition: *For Lutris: **To disable it for a single game: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. **To disable it for all games: Click <code>...</code> in the top right corner -> <code>Preferences</code> -> <code>Global options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code> *You can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code> before launching a game. The same combination re-enables it. *You can use [https://store.kde.org/p/1502826/ Autocomposer]. This should make it unnecessary to do anything of the above. *If you want to use a terminal command (for example for automation, launch options for Steam, etc): ** disable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor suspend</code> ** enable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor resume</code> ===Xfce:=== *Disable composition with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Xfwm#Configuration</ref> *Enable it again with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> * For Steam: You can automate disabling/enabling with the launch option: <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false; %command%; xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code><ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensiveLinux/comments/6b3cs5/comment/dhjw7z7/?context=3</ref> ===Cinnamon === Unfortunately, you have to disable composition completely. This might lead to visual degradation in desktop mode, but all other options yield bad gaming performance. If you want a DE that looks a bit like Windows, you might want to have a look at KDE Plasma instead. To disable it: <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>General</code> -> <code>Disable compositing</code> === Pantheon === Unfortunately it appears to not support disabling composition.<ref>https://elementaryos.stackexchange.com/questions/4483/how-can-i-disable-composite-and-effects-in-elementary-os</ref> == References and notes == <references /> cdb0d06d3b6570dc587785e073b065e3c92e9f9d 939 937 2022-04-26T15:49:58Z Aragorn 3 /* Cinnamon */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use a DE with X11]], then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadow and effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. ==Disabling composition for your games== Disabling composition will dramatically improve performance, input lag, and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: ===Gnome=== This is the default DE on Pop!_OS. You don't have to do anything. Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing Windows does), which is almost as good as disabling compositon. Disabling composition in Gnome is not possible. ===KDE=== {{Needs work|Problem=It may be that Steam and Heroic automatically disable composition}}There are many options to disable composition: *For Lutris: **To disable it for a single game: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. **To disable it for all games: Click <code>...</code> in the top right corner -> <code>Preferences</code> -> <code>Global options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code> *You can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code> before launching a game. The same combination re-enables it. *You can use [https://store.kde.org/p/1502826/ Autocomposer]. This should make it unnecessary to do anything of the above. *If you want to use a terminal command (for example for automation, launch options for Steam, etc): ** disable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor suspend</code> ** enable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor resume</code> ===Xfce:=== *Disable composition with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Xfwm#Configuration</ref> *Enable it again with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> * For Steam: You can automate disabling/enabling with the launch option: <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false; %command%; xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code><ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensiveLinux/comments/6b3cs5/comment/dhjw7z7/?context=3</ref> ===Cinnamon === Unfortunately, you have to disable composition completely. This might lead to visual degradation in desktop mode (no effects, no shadows, no transparency, no window previews, more tearing), but all other options yield bad gaming performance. If you want a DE that looks a bit like Windows, you might want to have a look at KDE Plasma instead. To disable it: <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>General</code> -> <code>Disable compositing</code> === Pantheon === Unfortunately it appears to not support disabling composition.<ref>https://elementaryos.stackexchange.com/questions/4483/how-can-i-disable-composite-and-effects-in-elementary-os</ref> == References and notes == <references /> 74e39b705315cd4ea4deaab81ee9bbe26207ce1a 0 2 910 766 2022-04-25T12:09:50Z Aragorn 3 /* Recommendations */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [[Bottles]] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- | [https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] | Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. You might face weird bugs, including the [[Compositor#Cinnamon|inability to disable composition]]! |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! ! Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- | Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- | Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for penetration testing only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! === Installing Software === If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things === Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. 8d2c0fb8670822f597c7b608fb9055ea169941de 911 910 2022-04-25T12:11:59Z Aragorn 3 /* Recommendations */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [[Bottles]] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ Endeavour] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! ! Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- | Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- | Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for penetration testing only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. You might face weird bugs, including the [[Compositor#Cinnamon|inability to disable composition]]! However, it's probably fine for a computer that you don't need for gaming. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! === Installing Software === If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things === Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. cf53bda99dcdb5d6c9f63dd68d59bbd6b5ce52bf 912 911 2022-04-25T12:12:53Z Aragorn 3 /* Recommendations */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [[Bottles]] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- | [https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- | [https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] | Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] | Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- | [https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- | [https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] | Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. |- | [https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] | If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- | Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! ! Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- | Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- | Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for penetration testing only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. You might face weird bugs, including the [[Compositor#Cinnamon|inability to disable composition]]! However, it's probably fine for a computer that you don't need for gaming. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! === Installing Software === If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things === Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' * Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. 5cc62ea7367d24eb4ccaea60ce3c83e86425dfc3 913 912 2022-04-25T12:15:50Z Aragorn 3 /* Recommendations */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [[Bottles]] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, but specifically made to be great for gaming. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. |- |[https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- |Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- |Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for penetration testing only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. You might face weird bugs, including the [[Compositor#Cinnamon|inability to disable composition]]! However, it's probably fine for a computer that you don't need for gaming. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. ===Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further=== Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== * Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> f0049c54f58e1434e0a9e981bc1c73ea3835f1f4 914 913 2022-04-25T12:21:18Z Aragorn 3 /* Distributions, or "versions" of Linux */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [[Bottles]] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, but specifically made to be great for gaming. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. |- |[https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- |Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- |Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for penetration testing only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. You might face weird bugs, including the [[Compositor#Cinnamon|inability to disable composition]]! However, it's probably fine for a computer that you don't need for gaming, or if you change the desktop environment. Mint is a good distribution, and only listed as anti recommendation because most people will not change the default DE. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. ===Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further=== Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== * Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 2b4be2580968ad8e1f8dfe7ade52ff3ec1f852b9 915 914 2022-04-25T12:21:54Z Aragorn 3 /* Avoid Problems */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [[Bottles]] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, but specifically made to be great for gaming. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. |- |[https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- |Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- |Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for penetration testing only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. The default desktop environment of Linux Mint, ''Cinnamon'' is nice, but doesn't get the most attention. You might face weird bugs, including the [[Compositor#Cinnamon|inability to disable composition]]! However, it's probably fine for a computer that you don't need for gaming, or if you change the desktop environment. Mint is a good distribution, and only listed as anti recommendation because most people will use the default DE. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. ===Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further=== Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== * Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> ef7fbc41b87afee71a4db0d027d4d5d0180843ae 916 915 2022-04-25T12:30:26Z Aragorn 3 /* Recommendations */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [[Bottles]] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, but specifically made to be great for gaming. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. |- |[https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- |Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- |Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for penetration testing only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, and only listed here because the default DE ''Cinnamon'' is not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs, including the [[Compositor#Cinnamon|inability to disable composition]]! However, it's probably fine for a computer that you don't need for gaming, or if you change the desktop environment. Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. ===Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further=== Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== * Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 617e9dacbc0ce1028dc787c7e37e5786b253419f 917 916 2022-04-25T12:34:19Z Aragorn 3 /* Recommendations */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [[Bottles]] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, but specifically made to be great for gaming. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. |- |[https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- |Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- |Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for penetration testing only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref>, including the [[Compositor#Cinnamon|inability to disable composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. ===Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further=== Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== * Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 80af0472d889f99173a1695133e33ac4b19ee834 918 917 2022-04-25T12:43:32Z Aragorn 3 /* Recommendations */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [[Bottles]] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, but specifically made to be great for gaming. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- |Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- |Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for penetration testing only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref>, including the [[Compositor#Cinnamon|inability to disable composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to disable composition which makes it a bad choice for gaming. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. ===Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further=== Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== * Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> a4d4cf850c01df4b591a88d3420af280e6a1f1fb 920 918 2022-04-25T12:47:53Z Aragorn 3 /* Recommendations */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [[Bottles]] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, but specifically made to be great for gaming. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- |Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- |Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for penetration testing only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref>, including the [[Compositor#Cinnamon|inability to disable composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive aesthetic and user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. ===Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further=== Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== * Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 0db25fbe1db41e9c6dae4233bf4cca63bd802ba6 921 920 2022-04-25T12:50:14Z Aragorn 3 /* Recommendations */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [[Bottles]] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, but specifically made to be great for gaming. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- |Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- |Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for penetration testing only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref>, including the [[Compositor#Cinnamon|inability to disable composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. ===Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further=== Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== * Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> e358781a81f636c2581ec90eaddb5470b7ea377d 933 921 2022-04-25T21:34:34Z Aragorn 3 /* Distributions, or "versions" of Linux */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [[Bottles]] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, but specifically made to be great for gaming. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- |Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- |Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for penetration testing only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref>, including the [[Compositor#Cinnamon|problems with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. ===Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further=== Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== * Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> f8829e22f21d756b22cb13c7797b77704b047717 938 933 2022-04-26T15:47:09Z Aragorn 3 /* Recommendations */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [[Bottles]] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, but specifically made to be great for gaming. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- |Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- |Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for penetration testing only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref>, including [[Compositor#Cinnamon|problems with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. ===Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further=== Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== * Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> e34a1787372c7f6e2a2508a456a7a4d2bc41730f 941 938 2022-04-27T07:55:55Z Aragorn 3 /* Recommendations */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [[Bottles]] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, but specifically made to be great for gaming. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- |Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- |Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for penetration testing only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref>. Cinnamon has performance issues, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|problems with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. ===Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further=== Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== * Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 9a60ed54c9dcb414fa9026d32c3217e336680b7e 942 941 2022-04-27T07:56:24Z Aragorn 3 /* Recommendations */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [[Bottles]] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, but specifically made to be great for gaming. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- |Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- |Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for penetration testing only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref>. Cinnamon issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. ===Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further=== Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== * Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> d474684be3c01da937c113ef2182fd0abe24c93b 943 942 2022-04-27T07:56:44Z Aragorn 3 /* Recommendations */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [[Bottles]] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has a Nvidia and a AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, but specifically made to be great for gaming. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- |Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- |Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for penetration testing only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. ===Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further=== Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== * Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 2fde41930ffa088fceea52953184d96ece63c92f 946 943 2022-05-11T08:11:47Z Aragorn 3 /* Recommendations */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [[Bottles]] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, but specifically made to be great for gaming. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- |Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- |Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for penetration testing only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. ===Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further=== Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== * Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> cc7f844d0c7aa6fa061a51ca4e1e73cd3306d621 947 946 2022-05-11T08:12:45Z Aragorn 3 /* Recommendations */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [[Bottles]] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, but specifically made to be great for gaming. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, which use the <code>dnf</code> package manager and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- |Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- |Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for penetration testing only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. ===Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further=== Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== * Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 22f7fd6bae3ad66d3c51f51f6c7b0913cc1a80dc 948 947 2022-05-11T08:14:39Z Aragorn 3 /* Recommendations */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [[Bottles]] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, but specifically made to be great for gaming. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- |Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- |Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for penetration testing only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. ===Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further=== Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== * Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 1ef24408f5d3172fc097a358bb99ea5c874d3bd3 0 5 922 899 2022-04-25T12:52:10Z Aragorn 3 /* Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). You'll probably be fine if you do all ''major tweaks''. Everything else is not as important if you just want something that works. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers] **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *Set your GPU to high performance. **The default (automatic) is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. **You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **Alternatively, you can also use gamemode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. ** If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed **Do '''NOT''' download stuff from their website. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *If you have an old GPU, it might not be supported by the current driver. In this case you have to install an old one. You can use their website to determine which version you need. **''TODO: How to actually install them? On Arch you can use the AUR, but I don't know about any other distribution. Maybe actually download it from their website?'' == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but there is the potential that it might trip anti cheat (even though this never actually happened so far)! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **For AMD GPUs, create the following file: <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with the content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers.}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good choice. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> You should avoid Cinnamon and Pantheon. === Wayland === Differences are much bigger. You will only get good input lag if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> e552f2be4ca97749f479d46020642969b8ac222b 936 922 2022-04-26T08:38:55Z Aragorn 3 /* Optional */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). You'll probably be fine if you do all ''major tweaks''. Everything else is not as important if you just want something that works. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers] **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *Set your GPU to high performance. **The default (automatic) is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. **You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **Alternatively, you can also use gamemode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. ** If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed **Do '''NOT''' download stuff from their website. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *If you have an old GPU, it might not be supported by the current driver. In this case you have to install an old one. You can use their website to determine which version you need. **''TODO: How to actually install them? On Arch you can use the AUR, but I don't know about any other distribution. Maybe actually download it from their website?'' == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but there is the potential that it might trip anti cheat (even though this never actually happened so far)! Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers.}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good choice. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> You should avoid Cinnamon and Pantheon. === Wayland === Differences are much bigger. You will only get good input lag if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 4db1d4e43078a1d0497bffe9eb60a84cc47f8893 944 936 2022-04-29T17:55:30Z Aragorn 3 /* Optional */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). You'll probably be fine if you do all ''major tweaks''. Everything else is not as important if you just want something that works. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers] **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *Set your GPU to high performance. **The default (automatic) is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. **You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **Alternatively, you can also use gamemode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. ** If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed **Do '''NOT''' download stuff from their website. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *If you have an old GPU, it might not be supported by the current driver. In this case you have to install an old one. You can use their website to determine which version you need. **''TODO: How to actually install them? On Arch you can use the AUR, but I don't know about any other distribution. Maybe actually download it from their website?'' == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers.}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good choice. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> You should avoid Cinnamon and Pantheon. === Wayland === Differences are much bigger. You will only get good input lag if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> ebbbe6007e1ef01a8d84e8845b058ccd8fbd39f8 0 55 923 893 2022-04-25T12:57:36Z Aragorn 3 /* Xfce */ wikitext text/x-wiki The desktop environment is the interface of your system. Think of the differences between Windows 7, Vista, 8, 10, 11. That's the ''Desktop Environment'' (''DE''). The good thing on Linux is, that you have large choice about what to use. And you can even install multiple DEs at the same time and switch between them! All choices are much lighter than Windows. There are differences, but everything will use less than 1GB of RAM, and if your CPU is fit for gaming the CPU usage will very likely not matter. The most popular options are the following: == Gnome == The default on Pop!_OS. Polished, easy to use, but customizing is a bit tricky. If you don't want to mess with it too much, it's a solid choice. It supports display unredirection, so you don't even have to mess with [[Compositor|composition]] (but you do loose a little bit of responsiveness). == KDE == Looks much like Windows, and has many nice quality of life features. Easy to customize, but if you're not careful you might break it. Supports disabling composition. == Xfce == Light weight and customizable, but not as feature rich and user friendly as KDE. Supports disabling composition. == Cinnamon == People often seem to report problems. Disabling composition might be problematic. == LXQt == Lightweigt DE. == LXDE == Very lightweight, especially low on RAM, but discontinued. == Pantheon == Good looking DE, and only available on ElementaryOS. Does '''not''' support disabling composition! a4a1f2e6ad0e85b94154d025fd91adc9e575b58e 924 923 2022-04-25T12:58:36Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki The desktop environment is the interface of your system. Think of the differences between Windows 7, Vista, 8, 10, 11. That's the ''Desktop Environment'' (''DE''). The good thing on Linux is, that you have large choice about what to use. And you can even install multiple DEs at the same time and switch between them! All choices are much lighter than Windows. There are differences, but everything will use less than 1GB of RAM, and if your CPU is fit for gaming the CPU usage will very likely not matter. The most popular options are Gnome and KDE. If you want a good experience, it's probably a good idea to stick to one of these two. == Gnome == The default on Pop!_OS. Polished, easy to use, but customizing is a bit tricky. If you don't want to mess with it too much, it's a solid choice. It supports display unredirection, so you don't even have to mess with [[Compositor|composition]] (but you do loose a little bit of responsiveness). == KDE == Looks much like Windows, and has many nice quality of life features. Easy to customize, but if you're not careful you might break it. Supports disabling composition. == Xfce == Light weight and customizable, but not as feature rich and user friendly as KDE. Supports disabling composition. == Cinnamon == People often seem to report problems. Disabling composition might be problematic. == LXQt == Lightweigt DE. == LXDE == Very lightweight, especially low on RAM, but discontinued. == Pantheon == Good looking DE, and only available on ElementaryOS. Does '''not''' support disabling composition! 1c0dbdcef4e90f0b0f4157b83d2cf9da9c544313 925 924 2022-04-25T13:00:07Z Aragorn 3 /* KDE */ wikitext text/x-wiki The desktop environment is the interface of your system. Think of the differences between Windows 7, Vista, 8, 10, 11. That's the ''Desktop Environment'' (''DE''). The good thing on Linux is, that you have large choice about what to use. And you can even install multiple DEs at the same time and switch between them! All choices are much lighter than Windows. There are differences, but everything will use less than 1GB of RAM, and if your CPU is fit for gaming the CPU usage will very likely not matter. The most popular options are Gnome and KDE. If you want a good experience, it's probably a good idea to stick to one of these two. == Gnome == The default on Pop!_OS. Polished, easy to use, but customizing is a bit tricky. If you don't want to mess with it too much, it's a solid choice. It supports display unredirection, so you don't even have to mess with [[Compositor|composition]] (but you do loose a little bit of responsiveness). == KDE == Light weight DE, looks much like Windows, and has many nice quality of life features. Easy to customize, but if you're not careful you might break it. Supports disabling composition. == Xfce == Light weight and customizable, but not as feature rich and user friendly as KDE. Supports disabling composition. == Cinnamon == People often seem to report problems. Disabling composition might be problematic. == LXQt == Lightweigt DE. == LXDE == Very lightweight, especially low on RAM, but discontinued. == Pantheon == Good looking DE, and only available on ElementaryOS. Does '''not''' support disabling composition! 68d6ba94074dbacdd4b79879182b4f732f41875e 926 925 2022-04-25T13:01:04Z Aragorn 3 /* KDE */ wikitext text/x-wiki The desktop environment is the interface of your system. Think of the differences between Windows 7, Vista, 8, 10, 11. That's the ''Desktop Environment'' (''DE''). The good thing on Linux is, that you have large choice about what to use. And you can even install multiple DEs at the same time and switch between them! All choices are much lighter than Windows. There are differences, but everything will use less than 1GB of RAM, and if your CPU is fit for gaming the CPU usage will very likely not matter. The most popular options are Gnome and KDE. If you want a good experience, it's probably a good idea to stick to one of these two. == Gnome == The default on Pop!_OS. Polished, easy to use, but customizing is a bit tricky. If you don't want to mess with it too much, it's a solid choice. It supports display unredirection, so you don't even have to mess with [[Compositor|composition]] (but you do loose a little bit of responsiveness). == KDE == Light weight DE, looks much like Windows, and has many nice quality of life features, effects, themes, etc. Easy to customize, but if you're not careful you might break it. Supports disabling composition. == Xfce == Light weight and customizable, but not as feature rich and user friendly as KDE. Supports disabling composition. == Cinnamon == People often seem to report problems. Disabling composition might be problematic. == LXQt == Lightweigt DE. == LXDE == Very lightweight, especially low on RAM, but discontinued. == Pantheon == Good looking DE, and only available on ElementaryOS. Does '''not''' support disabling composition! 361d6738142875ac79862a0a88990c51b8027f16 927 926 2022-04-25T13:02:16Z Aragorn 3 /* Xfce */ wikitext text/x-wiki The desktop environment is the interface of your system. Think of the differences between Windows 7, Vista, 8, 10, 11. That's the ''Desktop Environment'' (''DE''). The good thing on Linux is, that you have large choice about what to use. And you can even install multiple DEs at the same time and switch between them! All choices are much lighter than Windows. There are differences, but everything will use less than 1GB of RAM, and if your CPU is fit for gaming the CPU usage will very likely not matter. The most popular options are Gnome and KDE. If you want a good experience, it's probably a good idea to stick to one of these two. == Gnome == The default on Pop!_OS. Polished, easy to use, but customizing is a bit tricky. If you don't want to mess with it too much, it's a solid choice. It supports display unredirection, so you don't even have to mess with [[Compositor|composition]] (but you do loose a little bit of responsiveness). == KDE == Light weight DE, looks much like Windows, and has many nice quality of life features, effects, themes, etc. Easy to customize, but if you're not careful you might break it. Supports disabling composition. == Xfce == Light weight and customizable, but not as feature rich and user friendly as KDE. Supports disabling composition. Might be a better choice than KDE if your CPU is really bad. == Cinnamon == People often seem to report problems. Disabling composition might be problematic. == LXQt == Lightweigt DE. == LXDE == Very lightweight, especially low on RAM, but discontinued. == Pantheon == Good looking DE, and only available on ElementaryOS. Does '''not''' support disabling composition! eba1f3a93a12fdcdfe53bcaf843702c0faea83e5 928 927 2022-04-25T13:03:46Z Aragorn 3 /* Xfce */ wikitext text/x-wiki The desktop environment is the interface of your system. Think of the differences between Windows 7, Vista, 8, 10, 11. That's the ''Desktop Environment'' (''DE''). The good thing on Linux is, that you have large choice about what to use. And you can even install multiple DEs at the same time and switch between them! All choices are much lighter than Windows. There are differences, but everything will use less than 1GB of RAM, and if your CPU is fit for gaming the CPU usage will very likely not matter. The most popular options are Gnome and KDE. If you want a good experience, it's probably a good idea to stick to one of these two. == Gnome == The default on Pop!_OS. Polished, easy to use, but customizing is a bit tricky. If you don't want to mess with it too much, it's a solid choice. It supports display unredirection, so you don't even have to mess with [[Compositor|composition]] (but you do loose a little bit of responsiveness). == KDE == Light weight DE, looks much like Windows, and has many nice quality of life features, effects, themes, etc. Easy to customize, but if you're not careful you might break it. Supports disabling composition. == Xfce == Light weight and customizable, but not as feature rich and user friendly as KDE. Supports disabling composition. Might be a better choice than KDE if your CPU is really bad (bad in the sense like 20 years old). == Cinnamon == People often seem to report problems. Disabling composition might be problematic. == LXQt == Lightweigt DE. == LXDE == Very lightweight, especially low on RAM, but discontinued. == Pantheon == Good looking DE, and only available on ElementaryOS. Does '''not''' support disabling composition! 21fa75feecf1bd02b9aa3a07242ab3b3f97899eb 929 928 2022-04-25T13:04:14Z Aragorn 3 /* Xfce */ wikitext text/x-wiki The desktop environment is the interface of your system. Think of the differences between Windows 7, Vista, 8, 10, 11. That's the ''Desktop Environment'' (''DE''). The good thing on Linux is, that you have large choice about what to use. And you can even install multiple DEs at the same time and switch between them! All choices are much lighter than Windows. There are differences, but everything will use less than 1GB of RAM, and if your CPU is fit for gaming the CPU usage will very likely not matter. The most popular options are Gnome and KDE. If you want a good experience, it's probably a good idea to stick to one of these two. == Gnome == The default on Pop!_OS. Polished, easy to use, but customizing is a bit tricky. If you don't want to mess with it too much, it's a solid choice. It supports display unredirection, so you don't even have to mess with [[Compositor|composition]] (but you do loose a little bit of responsiveness). == KDE == Light weight DE, looks much like Windows, and has many nice quality of life features, effects, themes, etc. Easy to customize, but if you're not careful you might break it. Supports disabling composition. == Xfce == Light weight and customizable, but not as feature rich and user friendly as KDE. Supports disabling composition. == Cinnamon == People often seem to report problems. Disabling composition might be problematic. == LXQt == Lightweigt DE. == LXDE == Very lightweight, especially low on RAM, but discontinued. == Pantheon == Good looking DE, and only available on ElementaryOS. Does '''not''' support disabling composition! 361d6738142875ac79862a0a88990c51b8027f16 930 929 2022-04-25T13:05:21Z Aragorn 3 /* KDE */ wikitext text/x-wiki The desktop environment is the interface of your system. Think of the differences between Windows 7, Vista, 8, 10, 11. That's the ''Desktop Environment'' (''DE''). The good thing on Linux is, that you have large choice about what to use. And you can even install multiple DEs at the same time and switch between them! All choices are much lighter than Windows. There are differences, but everything will use less than 1GB of RAM, and if your CPU is fit for gaming the CPU usage will very likely not matter. The most popular options are Gnome and KDE. If you want a good experience, it's probably a good idea to stick to one of these two. == Gnome == The default on Pop!_OS. Polished, easy to use, but customizing is a bit tricky. If you don't want to mess with it too much, it's a solid choice. It supports display unredirection, so you don't even have to mess with [[Compositor|composition]] (but you do loose a little bit of responsiveness). == KDE == Looks much like Windows, and has many nice quality of life features, effects, themes, etc. Easy to customize, but if you're not careful you might break it. Supports disabling composition. If you disable the effects, it's pretty light weight. == Xfce == Light weight and customizable, but not as feature rich and user friendly as KDE. Supports disabling composition. == Cinnamon == People often seem to report problems. Disabling composition might be problematic. == LXQt == Lightweigt DE. == LXDE == Very lightweight, especially low on RAM, but discontinued. == Pantheon == Good looking DE, and only available on ElementaryOS. Does '''not''' support disabling composition! de8bbccde8568a1ee8feb5df07784bc89f1fb710 931 930 2022-04-25T13:09:09Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki The desktop environment is the interface of your system. Think of the differences between Windows 7, Vista, 8, 10, 11. That's the ''Desktop Environment'' (''DE''). The good thing on Linux is, that you have large choice about what to use. And you can even install multiple DEs at the same time and switch between them! All choices are much lighter than Windows. There are differences, but everything will use less than 1GB of RAM, and the CPU usage is so low that it will not matter on a gaming PC. The most popular options are Gnome and KDE. If you want a good experience, it's probably a good idea to stick to one of these two. == Gnome == The default on Pop!_OS. Polished, easy to use, but customizing is a bit tricky. If you don't want to mess with it too much, it's a solid choice. It supports display unredirection, so you don't even have to mess with [[Compositor|composition]] (but you do loose a little bit of responsiveness). == KDE == Looks much like Windows, and has many nice quality of life features, effects, themes, etc. Easy to customize, but if you're not careful you might break it. Supports disabling composition. If you disable the effects, it's pretty light weight. == Xfce == Light weight and customizable, but not as feature rich and user friendly as KDE. Supports disabling composition. == LXQt == Lightweigt DE. == LXDE == Very lightweight, especially low on RAM, but discontinued. == Cinnamon == People often seem to report problems. Disabling composition might be problematic. == Pantheon == Good looking DE, and only available on ElementaryOS. Does '''not''' support disabling composition! cb01b599fa1d0e91500c22be20aaf2dc7ca852d7 0 41 934 887 2022-04-26T08:29:12Z Aragorn 3 /* Manual Installation */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game mods modify games in some way. A good source for mods is https://www.nexusmods.com. Sometimes they work in the same way as on Windows, but that's not always the case. [[Reshade]] is an example for a modding tool. == Mod Manager == Mod managers that are not native will not set dll overrides. If the installed mod uses dlls, you have to [[Modding#DLL overrides|set the overrides manually]]. === Install mod managers with Wine === You can try installing mod Managers from [[Lutris]], if there is an install script. For example there are scripts (for older versions of) Vortex and NMM. Otherwise, you can try installing them in the same wine prefix. You could do this for example in the following way: * Copy the executable into the wine prefix of your game: <code>~/Games/<your_game>/drive_c/users/<your_name>/Downloads/</code> * In Lutris, click your game, then click on the arrow next to the wine bottle on the bottom of the window. Click <code>Run EXE inside Wine prefix</code> * Locate the exe, and run it. * If it works, you can locate the executable of the installed mod manager, and run it in this way. Otherwise, you can also create a new "game" in the same wine prefix and select the executable there. TODO: describe how. === Install mod managers in a VM === If a mod manager is not working well with wine, you can install Windows in VirtualBox, share your game folder with the VM, and install the mod manager inside the VM. You need to install the guest additions for it to work. The folder will be mounted as network drive Z. This will not work with every mod manager and every mod. For example it will not work with MO2 (however, MO2 is working in Wine<ref>https://github.com/Modorganizer2/modorganizer/issues/372</ref>). If you want to mod a Linux native game, you can try creating a fake .exe in order for the mod manager to detect the game. In more detail: # Install the game on Linux, for example with Lutris, Heroic, or Steam. # Install Windows in a VM # Share the game folder with the Windows VM # Install a mod manager in the Windows VM # Use the mod manager to install a mod # Play the game that is now modded (on Linux, without VM) Optional: Disable internet access for the VM, and enable drag/drop to copy files easily to the VM. This way, Windows can not send telemetry data, or do unnecessary updates that just take space and processing time. You might even use older (and lighter) versions like Windows 7 if the mod manager is compatible. In this case, you will have to manually download mods, though. == Manual Installation == === DLL overrides === The game can either use ''native'' dlls that come with the game, or use ''builtin'' dlls that come with wine. It (sometimes?/usually?) uses only the ''builtin'' dlls. On Windows, the game would do it the other way around, and first use ''all'' dlls in the game directory, and only if the dll is not there, look somewhere else. Now if you put a different dll from a mod inside the game directory, this will not (not always?) work. That's why you have to tell wine, that it should use the dll from the mod. ==== Example ==== For example, if you want to tell wine to use the ''d3dcompiler_47.dll'' that's in your game folder, and only use the builtin dll if it can't find any dll in the game folder, you would do the following: Open Lutris, click your game, on the bottom, click the up-arrow right next to the wine bottle icon, click <code>Wine configuration</code>, click <code>Libraries</code>, and *insert the name of the dll (without the .dll) <code>d3dcompiler_47</code> in the text box under <code>New override for library</code>. *select it in the list, click <code>Edit</code> and select <code>native, then builtin</code> Alternatively, you could also set <code>WINEDLLOVERRIDES="d3dcompiler_47=n,b"</code> as an [[Environment variables|environment variable]]. === Path names === Linux paths are case sensitive, while Windows paths are not. This leads to mod developers using different folder names when referring to the same folder, for example ''folderName'' and ''Foldername''. If your mod doesn't work, this might be the issue, and you can try changing the names so that they are consistent. == Trainer == * [https://github.com/leaty/tuxtrain tuxtrain] * [https://github.com/korcankaraokcu/PINCE PINCE] * [https://github.com/scanmem/scanmem scanmem] * [https://linuxhint.com/use-gameconqueror-cheat-engine-linux/ gameconqueror] * [https://github.com/evg-zhabotinsky/libspeedhack libspeedhack] == Linux native modding tools == There are some game specific Linux native modding tools, you may find a list [[Game specific modding tools|here]]. 1a54fd29efd14559c0a5a300327936ccc7c46264 935 934 2022-04-26T08:30:53Z Aragorn 3 /* Trainer */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game mods modify games in some way. A good source for mods is https://www.nexusmods.com. Sometimes they work in the same way as on Windows, but that's not always the case. [[Reshade]] is an example for a modding tool. == Mod Manager == Mod managers that are not native will not set dll overrides. If the installed mod uses dlls, you have to [[Modding#DLL overrides|set the overrides manually]]. === Install mod managers with Wine === You can try installing mod Managers from [[Lutris]], if there is an install script. For example there are scripts (for older versions of) Vortex and NMM. Otherwise, you can try installing them in the same wine prefix. You could do this for example in the following way: * Copy the executable into the wine prefix of your game: <code>~/Games/<your_game>/drive_c/users/<your_name>/Downloads/</code> * In Lutris, click your game, then click on the arrow next to the wine bottle on the bottom of the window. Click <code>Run EXE inside Wine prefix</code> * Locate the exe, and run it. * If it works, you can locate the executable of the installed mod manager, and run it in this way. Otherwise, you can also create a new "game" in the same wine prefix and select the executable there. TODO: describe how. === Install mod managers in a VM === If a mod manager is not working well with wine, you can install Windows in VirtualBox, share your game folder with the VM, and install the mod manager inside the VM. You need to install the guest additions for it to work. The folder will be mounted as network drive Z. This will not work with every mod manager and every mod. For example it will not work with MO2 (however, MO2 is working in Wine<ref>https://github.com/Modorganizer2/modorganizer/issues/372</ref>). If you want to mod a Linux native game, you can try creating a fake .exe in order for the mod manager to detect the game. In more detail: # Install the game on Linux, for example with Lutris, Heroic, or Steam. # Install Windows in a VM # Share the game folder with the Windows VM # Install a mod manager in the Windows VM # Use the mod manager to install a mod # Play the game that is now modded (on Linux, without VM) Optional: Disable internet access for the VM, and enable drag/drop to copy files easily to the VM. This way, Windows can not send telemetry data, or do unnecessary updates that just take space and processing time. You might even use older (and lighter) versions like Windows 7 if the mod manager is compatible. In this case, you will have to manually download mods, though. == Manual Installation == === DLL overrides === The game can either use ''native'' dlls that come with the game, or use ''builtin'' dlls that come with wine. It (sometimes?/usually?) uses only the ''builtin'' dlls. On Windows, the game would do it the other way around, and first use ''all'' dlls in the game directory, and only if the dll is not there, look somewhere else. Now if you put a different dll from a mod inside the game directory, this will not (not always?) work. That's why you have to tell wine, that it should use the dll from the mod. ==== Example ==== For example, if you want to tell wine to use the ''d3dcompiler_47.dll'' that's in your game folder, and only use the builtin dll if it can't find any dll in the game folder, you would do the following: Open Lutris, click your game, on the bottom, click the up-arrow right next to the wine bottle icon, click <code>Wine configuration</code>, click <code>Libraries</code>, and *insert the name of the dll (without the .dll) <code>d3dcompiler_47</code> in the text box under <code>New override for library</code>. *select it in the list, click <code>Edit</code> and select <code>native, then builtin</code> Alternatively, you could also set <code>WINEDLLOVERRIDES="d3dcompiler_47=n,b"</code> as an [[Environment variables|environment variable]]. === Path names === Linux paths are case sensitive, while Windows paths are not. This leads to mod developers using different folder names when referring to the same folder, for example ''folderName'' and ''Foldername''. If your mod doesn't work, this might be the issue, and you can try changing the names so that they are consistent. == Trainer == {{Needs work|Problem=I didn't test any of these, and just copied some links from answers to reddit posts asking about this kind of stuff. Maybe some are redundant or not working well. Please edit this if you have any idea what these tools do}} *[https://github.com/leaty/tuxtrain tuxtrain] * [https://github.com/korcankaraokcu/PINCE PINCE] * [https://github.com/scanmem/scanmem scanmem] * [https://linuxhint.com/use-gameconqueror-cheat-engine-linux/ gameconqueror] * [https://github.com/evg-zhabotinsky/libspeedhack libspeedhack] == Linux native modding tools == There are some game specific Linux native modding tools, you may find a list [[Game specific modding tools|here]]. f90b09f23ee8d9dfc4749d803d6fdc78ae439738 0 43 940 869 2022-04-27T00:07:34Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. == Watching the temperature == You can use <code>lm_sensors</code>. Before running it for the first time, run <code>sudo sensors-detect</code>. After that, type <code>sensors</code> to see your temperatures. If you want to monitor them for a longer time, type <code>watch sensors</code>. == Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc) == Settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows once, and change stuff there. You can also boot a VM (with KVM) and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings should be kept in Linux. == Audio stuff == === Noise Cancelling === You can use [https://github.com/wwmm/easyeffects EasyEffects] or [https://github.com/lawl/NoiseTorch NoiseTorch]. === Equalizer and more === EasyEffects also has various other audio processing options, like crystalizer, noise gate, equalizer, filter, and much more. NoiseTorch can only cancel noise, but also has the option to tweak how aggressive it cancels noise. === Patching Audio === If you want to have a patchbay to route your audio to various destinations, [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/helvum Helvum] might be what you're looking for. == Make the game look good == === Downsampling === You can use [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope]. For example, use <code>gamescope -w 3840 -h 2160 --</code> as command prefix, to downscale from 4k. If you use it in Lutris, set <code>3840x2160</code> as resolution. You can also use Gamescope if your game doesn't play nicely with your desktop, for example if it doesn't catch your mouse, or if it breaks when loosing focus. === Post Processing === You can use [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) == Bottles == Some people prefer [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] to install games that don't have an install script in [[Lutris]]. ==Using GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long as it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try again to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code><nowiki>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</nowiki></code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. #Follow the instructions in the readme. == Using Checksums == When downloading a file, you might have seen something like <code>sha512: 497907d020870e564b814bb6c4f7eef2f3abdf5d0159ccbd96501a26cef155a8d771a420a16c9348525fa4ce7de3c137ad5ff15a013c84f327edbdea6495d86b easyanticheat_x64.so</code> This is a checksum, or more precise: An <code>sha512</code> checksum for the file <code>easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. This number is for verifying that you have the correct file, and not something that is manipulated or inaccurately transmitted. '''Usage''': Download file, open [[terminal]], and <code>cd Downloads</code>. Then you execute <code>sha512sum easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. The number you see there, should be ''exactly'' the same. Btw: <code>sha512</code> is better than <code>sha256</code>, and ''especially'' better than <code>md5</code>. <code>md5</code> is trash, don't use it. == Game Streaming == You can use [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == RGB == You can use [https://gitlab.com/CalcProgrammer1/OpenRGB OpenRGB]. == Razer control driver == For razer hardware, you can use this driver: https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer == Suspend/resume of applications (games, an others) == You can use [https://github.com/Merrit/nyrna nyrna]. Unortunately it doesn't (yet) "survive" reboots. == Test whether you use X11 == Open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. == Disable swapping for a game == You can do it like [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/u02y88/psa_disable_swap_for_games_and_dont_submit_bogus/ this]. == Simultaneously play two different games on the same device == https://www.reddit.com/r/tuxedocomputers/comments/ucdvj7/finally_did_it_two_different_users_playing/ 43c1e7c0bf29d01efc66538cc169a1a377854a13 0 48 945 623 2022-05-10T10:12:28Z Aragorn 3 /* Potentially relevant information */ wikitext text/x-wiki Sooner or later, you will probably have some kind of problem. For example, you might want to know how to connect to wifi. Now you might think, that searching ''"Linux connect wifi"'' would give you a useful result. This is not the case. How you connect to wifi, depends heavily of the desktop environment you are using. The process will be different in each of them. == Potentially relevant information == The following information are not always important, for example your desktop environment is not important if you look for something about the command line. * The name of your '''distribution'''. ''"linux failed update"'' might give you all kind of information, probably something about Ubuntu. If you use Manjaro, this will not be helpful, and ''"manjaro failed update"'' will give you better results. * The name of the '''desktop environment''' you are using (especially important if it's not the default of your distribution). ''"linux extract tar"'' will give you a tutorial about how to extract a tar in the command line. ''"kde extract tar"'' will give you a tutorial about how to do it with a GUI (clicking some buttons), in this case KDE Plasma. * The '''exact error message'''. If your updates fail, ''"updates fail ubuntu"'' might not give you useful results, but ''"ubuntu update Encountered a section with no Package"'' will probably be more helpful. Usually, the first error is the actual problem, so look out for this one. If you ask a question in a forum, include as much as possible. * Your '''hardware specs'''. ''"apex crash ubuntu"'' might give you far worse results than ''"apex crash ubuntu nvidia 2070ti"'' * When asking in a forum, include '''logs''' if there are any. You might also try looking at the logs yourself. But if you give too many information, the results might get worse. If possible, try to generalize: ''"apex crash ubuntu gnome nvidia geforce 2070ti"'' might give you worse results than ''"apex crash linux nvidia"''. Limiting the search results to the last year might also be useful in some cases. If you ask a question in a forum, always include as much as possible (in a reasonable magnitute). e853722179d22e43f9d07aeae83df1ed3d4f07ea 0 45 949 888 2022-05-11T09:00:49Z Aragorn 3 /* Gaming Laptops */ wikitext text/x-wiki Hardware compatibility with Linux is sometimes tricky. You can not buy just anything and expect it to work. Some manufacturers don't support Linux at all, and sometimes the support is not good. This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware categories. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Regarding specific recommendations. Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a timestamp in the form YYYY-MM. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. If you buy wrong, you might end up with completely incompatible hardware. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. The important thing in the sticks is the chip. Manufacturers sometimes have the same model with different chips. Chips that often work, are Qualcomm Atheros, and [https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005511/wireless.html Intel]. === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. == Less problematic Hardware == Your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is much lower. However, you might face some jank, some features might not work, and stuff might not be flawless. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. If you want to read more about it, you might find something in [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/tdmup7/unpopular_opinion_i_feel_like_the_whole_nvidia/ this reddit post]. AMD and Nvidia both work, and you'll ''probably'' be fine with either. However: * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), but they are no option for gaming. **If you want long support, AMD is the way to go, as support is essentially never dropped. * Nvidia provides proprietary day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, due to not being FOSS. There might be some delayed features, or some bugs. But as said, you're ''probably'' going to be fine. If you're not, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s blame Nvidia]. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], which works in a similar way, but doesn't look as good. * If you buy a very old GPU, make sure that it has Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth, and even those often work. You might face problems if you have a device with two GPUs (should be solvable), or other special components (fingerprint reader, etc - might not be solvable). * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo **Slimbook * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: === Bluetooth Headphones === Most (if not all) Bluetooth headphones should be fine. But anyways, here are a couple recommendations: ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03<!-- Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). --> ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03 === Mainboard === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== USB Digital/Audio converter ==== *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with [[Misc#Changing%20Mouse%20settings%20(DPI%252C%20lift%20of%20distance%252C%20etc)|booting Windows once to change the settings]] (and you don't need to change them all the time), buy whatever you want. This section is for mice that have native Linux support for settings, including RGB. All mice are required to have a flawless sensor (there is no advantage in being able to change settings if you don't hit anything, right?). * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. * RAM * Fan == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 179a0706e39449952d0580903b16a82ecfc941fb 0 28 950 879 2022-05-11T21:22:52Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get everything working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends. It's usually not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you (as long as you don't use some North Korean or Chinese distribution) * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB or RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable (not for serious gaming of course). And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. It won't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster, though. But it has significantly less overhead than Windows, so if that's the problem it will definitely help. For example, it might revive your old Laptop. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects you choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though - you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows over something like MacOS over something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is by far not everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. Some examples what Linux can look like: **KDE Plasma: [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/articles/tagline_images/528481101id19192gol.jpg 1][https://news-cdn.softpedia.com/images/news2/kde-plasma-5-15-desktop-environment-officially-released-here-s-what-s-new-524922-8.jpg 2][https://www.lffl.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/garuda-linux-dr460nized-1400x788.png 3][https://ubuntuhandbook.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/preview-arc-dark.jpg 4][https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RQLcqtqS-YA/XHTsrV6x_-I/AAAAAAAAU0Y/eKJma9C7vsITXzcDklMTaOXgUdVqBIvWgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot_20190226_073620.png 5][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 6][https://i.redd.it/lvubg0sxnl641.png 7][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 8][https://i.redd.it/8mz4z5kybs631.png 9][https://i.redd.it/jup9nde0f0l81.png 10][https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FEMS88kEx_8/maxresdefault.jpg 11][https://i.redd.it/f6ywf9pncpy31.png 12][https://i.imgur.com/kYX3ewJ.png 13][https://forum.endeavouros.com/uploads/default/original/2X/6/6e6c1619652607552c45b001ad2dbfb9d01ea21d.jpeg 14][https://i.redd.it/e4w1uvk48fr81.jpg 15][https://i.redd.it/0x4pz8o10xq81.png 16][https://i.redd.it/7a5mwp393jo81.png 17][https://i.redd.it/cv5gc2tne4r81.png 18] [https://i.redd.it/t65bae91v3s81.jpg 19] [https://64.media.tumblr.com/9bda2b57523402c142d4f797c8ad0093/d629d44890280e21-7d/s1280x1920/ad696bc813582410c77f9879cc0334b76ab252ea.jpg 20] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=plasma&sort=top and] [https://store.kde.org/browse?cat=104&ord=rating more] **Gnome: [https://forum.garudalinux.org/uploads/default/optimized/2X/e/e6d6150878051d075fb6d8548f5314fcf6c7bf28_2_1035x646.jpeg 1][https://www.cmscritic.com/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cloudinary/pop-os-review-4_hhslpt.png 2][https://i.redd.it/jt3xl3e2qak61.png 3][https://pingvinus.ru/files/news/manjaro-20-1/manjaro-20.1-gnome.jpg 4][http://www.jetestelinux.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/manjaro_gnome_1710_mode_nuit.jpg 5][https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/f8e04f89-e155-4926-972e-76e0955933eb/dak2iyb-e5931cb1-e722-43f8-a1ed-63361f901ab9.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2Y4ZTA0Zjg5LWUxNTUtNDkyNi05NzJlLTc2ZTA5NTU5MzNlYlwvZGFrMml5Yi1lNTkzMWNiMS1lNzIyLTQzZjgtYTFlZC02MzM2MWY5MDFhYjkucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.zwpBVOqCfSFqWRDNz1fnEgVkyyXgrj_3NoJNLa0Zlzw 6][https://i.redd.it/b06ms6vfe0r81.png 7][https://i.redd.it/uvenc4r0dun81.png 8][https://i.redd.it/kw1enzggqmo81.png 9][https://i.redd.it/gdtwdhbk4tr81.png 10][https://i.redd.it/uk9uihckcsd41.png 11] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=gnome&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&sort=top and] [https://www.gnome-look.org/browse?ord=rating more] **tiling window managers: [https://pic3.zhimg.com/v2-bad01545e1f69cc0a94633ff771b72e3_1200x500.jpg 1][https://preview.redd.it/f2jg3znpr1g31.png?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=9b64dde84ccb1e0ba20e8bba5ee6516123273bd2 2][https://pingvinus.ru/cr_images/userpicture/n/1938-0.png 3][https://i.redd.it/rpojcv4d3nr81.png 4][https://i.redd.it/lkviraiador81.png 5][https://i.redd.it/or7veqoicdq81.png 6][https://i.redd.it/ptbibz0gdk861.png 7] **[https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/ and many more (mixed, but mostly tiling window managers)] * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal Windows filesystem. Of course this doesn't apply to all games, so your mileage may vary. * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so (again) your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. Almost all software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == 3b76bcb3de0692507160536d2b183bf264f052bb 0 43 951 940 2022-05-11T21:28:31Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. == Watching the temperature == You can use <code>lm_sensors</code>. Before running it for the first time, run <code>sudo sensors-detect</code>. After that, type <code>sensors</code> to see your temperatures. If you want to monitor them for a longer time, type <code>watch sensors</code>. == Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc) == Settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows once, and change stuff there. You can also boot a VM (with KVM) and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings should be kept in Linux. == Audio stuff == === Noise Cancelling === You can use [https://github.com/wwmm/easyeffects EasyEffects] or [https://github.com/lawl/NoiseTorch NoiseTorch]. === Equalizer and more === EasyEffects also has various other audio processing options, like crystalizer, noise gate, equalizer, filter, and much more. NoiseTorch can only cancel noise, but also has the option to tweak how aggressive it cancels noise. === Patching Audio === If you want to have a patchbay to route your audio to various destinations, [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/helvum Helvum] might be what you're looking for. == Make the game look good == === Downsampling === You can use [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope]. For example, use <code>gamescope -w 3840 -h 2160 --</code> as command prefix, to downscale from 4k. If you use it in Lutris, set <code>3840x2160</code> as resolution. You can also use Gamescope if your game doesn't play nicely with your desktop, for example if it doesn't catch your mouse, or if it breaks when loosing focus. === Post Processing === You can use [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) == Bottles == Some people prefer [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] to install games that don't have an install script in [[Lutris]]. ==Using GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long as it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try again to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code><nowiki>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</nowiki></code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. #Follow the instructions in the readme. == Using Checksums == When downloading a file, you might have seen something like <code>sha512: 497907d020870e564b814bb6c4f7eef2f3abdf5d0159ccbd96501a26cef155a8d771a420a16c9348525fa4ce7de3c137ad5ff15a013c84f327edbdea6495d86b easyanticheat_x64.so</code> This is a checksum, or more precise: An <code>sha512</code> checksum for the file <code>easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. This number is for verifying that you have the correct file, and not something that is manipulated or inaccurately transmitted. '''Usage''': Download file, open [[terminal]], and <code>cd Downloads</code>. Then you execute <code>sha512sum easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. The number you see there, should be ''exactly'' the same. Btw: <code>sha512</code> is better than <code>sha256</code>, and ''especially'' better than <code>md5</code>. <code>md5</code> is trash, don't use it. == Game Streaming == You can use [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == RGB == You can use [https://gitlab.com/CalcProgrammer1/OpenRGB OpenRGB]. == Razer control driver == For razer hardware, you can use this driver: https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer == Logitech control software == Solaar is a Linux device manager for Logitech devices. You can do stuff like changing DPI, or button mappings, etc. https://github.com/pwr-Solaar/Solaar == Suspend/resume of applications (games, an others) == You can use [https://github.com/Merrit/nyrna nyrna]. Unortunately it doesn't (yet) "survive" reboots. == Test whether you use X11 == Open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. == Disable swapping for a game == You can do it like [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/u02y88/psa_disable_swap_for_games_and_dont_submit_bogus/ this]. == Simultaneously play two different games on the same device == https://www.reddit.com/r/tuxedocomputers/comments/ucdvj7/finally_did_it_two_different_users_playing/ ca1adfa3fcac76cbe223f7e79fef5610a9b22c77 0 45 952 949 2022-05-11T21:32:45Z Aragorn 3 /* Mice */ wikitext text/x-wiki Hardware compatibility with Linux is sometimes tricky. You can not buy just anything and expect it to work. Some manufacturers don't support Linux at all, and sometimes the support is not good. This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware categories. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Regarding specific recommendations. Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a timestamp in the form YYYY-MM. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. If you buy wrong, you might end up with completely incompatible hardware. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. The important thing in the sticks is the chip. Manufacturers sometimes have the same model with different chips. Chips that often work, are Qualcomm Atheros, and [https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005511/wireless.html Intel]. === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. == Less problematic Hardware == Your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is much lower. However, you might face some jank, some features might not work, and stuff might not be flawless. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. If you want to read more about it, you might find something in [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/tdmup7/unpopular_opinion_i_feel_like_the_whole_nvidia/ this reddit post]. AMD and Nvidia both work, and you'll ''probably'' be fine with either. However: * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), but they are no option for gaming. **If you want long support, AMD is the way to go, as support is essentially never dropped. * Nvidia provides proprietary day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, due to not being FOSS. There might be some delayed features, or some bugs. But as said, you're ''probably'' going to be fine. If you're not, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s blame Nvidia]. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], which works in a similar way, but doesn't look as good. * If you buy a very old GPU, make sure that it has Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth, and even those often work. You might face problems if you have a device with two GPUs (should be solvable), or other special components (fingerprint reader, etc - might not be solvable). * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo **Slimbook * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: === Bluetooth Headphones === Most (if not all) Bluetooth headphones should be fine. But anyways, here are a couple recommendations: ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03<!-- Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). --> ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03 === Mainboard === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== USB Digital/Audio converter ==== *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with [[Misc#Changing%20Mouse%20settings%20(DPI%252C%20lift%20of%20distance%252C%20etc)|booting Windows once to change the settings]] (and you don't need to change them all the time), buy whatever you want. If you want native support, you can have a look at [https://pwr-solaar.github.io/Solaar/devices solaar] (for logitech) or [https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer openrazer]. * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. If you want native support, you can have a look at [https://pwr-solaar.github.io/Solaar/devices solaar] (for logitech) or [https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer openrazer]. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. * RAM * Fan == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * b8d4bfebb64da9d6125b1df6c77e65bdab0d690b 976 952 2022-05-19T21:50:01Z Slouchy 1 /* Gaming Laptops */ Added laptop recommendation wikitext text/x-wiki Hardware compatibility with Linux is sometimes tricky. You can not buy just anything and expect it to work. Some manufacturers don't support Linux at all, and sometimes the support is not good. This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware categories. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Regarding specific recommendations. Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a timestamp in the form YYYY-MM. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. If you buy wrong, you might end up with completely incompatible hardware. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. The important thing in the sticks is the chip. Manufacturers sometimes have the same model with different chips. Chips that often work, are Qualcomm Atheros, and [https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005511/wireless.html Intel]. === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. == Less problematic Hardware == Your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is much lower. However, you might face some jank, some features might not work, and stuff might not be flawless. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. If you want to read more about it, you might find something in [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/tdmup7/unpopular_opinion_i_feel_like_the_whole_nvidia/ this reddit post]. AMD and Nvidia both work, and you'll ''probably'' be fine with either. However: * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), but they are no option for gaming. **If you want long support, AMD is the way to go, as support is essentially never dropped. * Nvidia provides proprietary day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, due to not being FOSS. There might be some delayed features, or some bugs. But as said, you're ''probably'' going to be fine. If you're not, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s blame Nvidia]. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], which works in a similar way, but doesn't look as good. * If you buy a very old GPU, make sure that it has Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth, and even those often work. You might face problems if you have a device with two GPUs (should be solvable), or other special components (fingerprint reader, etc - might not be solvable). * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo **Slimbook * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: **Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15ACH6 | EU | around 800-1 000 € (multiple similar models available) | Available without OS | Out of the box full compatibility (WiFi since kernel 5.16, on older manual installation of driver<ref>https://github.com/lwfinger/rtw89</ref> needed) === Bluetooth Headphones === Most (if not all) Bluetooth headphones should be fine. But anyways, here are a couple recommendations: ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03<!-- Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). --> ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03 === Mainboard === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== USB Digital/Audio converter ==== *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with [[Misc#Changing%20Mouse%20settings%20(DPI%252C%20lift%20of%20distance%252C%20etc)|booting Windows once to change the settings]] (and you don't need to change them all the time), buy whatever you want. If you want native support, you can have a look at [https://pwr-solaar.github.io/Solaar/devices solaar] (for logitech) or [https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer openrazer]. * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. If you want native support, you can have a look at [https://pwr-solaar.github.io/Solaar/devices solaar] (for logitech) or [https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer openrazer]. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. * RAM * Fan == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 2aeb29770300bbf5281e80462b377615d723cebe 0 44 953 889 2022-05-13T09:45:04Z Aragorn 3 /* Enable Steam Play for all games */ wikitext text/x-wiki Steam runs natively on Linux. You can probably just install it from your App store. Usually you want to use ''Steam (Runtime)''. Only use ''Steam (native)'' if you know why you want to use it. If you use the Flatpak version, you will also need to use the Flatpak version of other software that you want to use with it, like MangoHud. == Enable Steam Play for all games == In order to run games that are not explicitly whitelisted by Valve, go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. It's usually a good idea to use [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE]. It has lots of benefits like improved game compatibility, raw mouse input, and much more. == ProtonUp-Qt == You can use [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] to make the installation and update process of [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] simple: * 1. Download the [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] AppImage * 2. Mark the AppImage as executable * 3. Double-click the AppImage to run ProtonUp-Qt Alternatively, you can install it from [https://flathub.org/apps/details/net.davidotek.pupgui2 Flathub]. == Launch Options == You may find something like <code>-screen-width 1280 -screen-height 720 -screen-fullscreen 0</code> on protondb. These are ''launch options''. To use them, you right click on the game, and in the <code>general</code> tab, there is a field called <code>launch options</code>. You paste them (for example <code>%command% -screen-height 1920 -screen-width 1080 -screen-fullscreen</code>) in there. <code>%command%</code> is the command to start the game. Some launch options go before this command (commands to execute programs, for example <code>gamemoderun</code> or <code>mangohud</code>), and some go behind it (flags that are passed to the game itself, typically stuff that starts with a <code>-</code>). == Steam Tinker Launch == [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch Steam Tinker Launch] is a swiss army knife tool that allows easy customization of multiple options for Steam games. It includes helpers for custom commands, Vortex, Mod Organizer 2, Proton GE, Proton/DXVK/wine options, winetricks, ReShade + easy selection for shaders, FSR, debugging, side-by-side VR automation, SteamGridDB, SpecialK, Proton KillSwitch, Gamescope, GameMode, and more. You can find a more comprehensive list of features in the [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch/wiki wiki] (dropdownlist on the right). 291346aeff74929a57acb4d01364f7b3b5ed3e13 997 953 2022-05-23T19:21:36Z Aragorn 3 /* Enable Steam Play for all games */ wikitext text/x-wiki Steam runs natively on Linux. You can probably just install it from your App store. Usually you want to use ''Steam (Runtime)''. Only use ''Steam (native)'' if you know why you want to use it. If you use the Flatpak version, you will also need to use the Flatpak version of other software that you want to use with it, like MangoHud. == Enable Steam Play for all games == In order to run games that are not explicitly whitelisted by Valve, go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. It's usually a good idea to use [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE]. It has lots of benefits like improved game compatibility, raw mouse input, and much more. Installation instructions are [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom#installation= here]. == ProtonUp-Qt == You can use [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] to make the installation and update process of [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] simple: * 1. Download the [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] AppImage * 2. Mark the AppImage as executable * 3. Double-click the AppImage to run ProtonUp-Qt Alternatively, you can install it from [https://flathub.org/apps/details/net.davidotek.pupgui2 Flathub]. == Launch Options == You may find something like <code>-screen-width 1280 -screen-height 720 -screen-fullscreen 0</code> on protondb. These are ''launch options''. To use them, you right click on the game, and in the <code>general</code> tab, there is a field called <code>launch options</code>. You paste them (for example <code>%command% -screen-height 1920 -screen-width 1080 -screen-fullscreen</code>) in there. <code>%command%</code> is the command to start the game. Some launch options go before this command (commands to execute programs, for example <code>gamemoderun</code> or <code>mangohud</code>), and some go behind it (flags that are passed to the game itself, typically stuff that starts with a <code>-</code>). == Steam Tinker Launch == [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch Steam Tinker Launch] is a swiss army knife tool that allows easy customization of multiple options for Steam games. It includes helpers for custom commands, Vortex, Mod Organizer 2, Proton GE, Proton/DXVK/wine options, winetricks, ReShade + easy selection for shaders, FSR, debugging, side-by-side VR automation, SteamGridDB, SpecialK, Proton KillSwitch, Gamescope, GameMode, and more. You can find a more comprehensive list of features in the [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch/wiki wiki] (dropdownlist on the right). bd05d240bef6aa6c5ac2dd409ec64c1745c0328f 0 32 954 939 2022-05-14T15:37:06Z Aragorn 3 /* Xfce: */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use a DE with X11]], then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadow and effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. ==Disabling composition for your games== Disabling composition will dramatically improve performance, input lag, and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: ===Gnome=== This is the default DE on Pop!_OS. You don't have to do anything. Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing Windows does), which is almost as good as disabling compositon. Disabling composition in Gnome is not possible. ===KDE=== {{Needs work|Problem=It may be that Steam and Heroic automatically disable composition}}There are many options to disable composition: *For Lutris: **To disable it for a single game: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. **To disable it for all games: Click <code>...</code> in the top right corner -> <code>Preferences</code> -> <code>Global options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code> *You can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code> before launching a game. The same combination re-enables it. *You can use [https://store.kde.org/p/1502826/ Autocomposer]. This should make it unnecessary to do anything of the above. *If you want to use a terminal command (for example for automation, launch options for Steam, etc): ** disable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor suspend</code> ** enable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor resume</code> ===Xfce=== *Disable composition with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Xfwm#Configuration</ref> *Enable it again with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> * For Steam: You can automate disabling/enabling with the launch option: <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false; %command%; xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code><ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensiveLinux/comments/6b3cs5/comment/dhjw7z7/?context=3</ref> ===Cinnamon === Unfortunately, you have to disable composition completely. This might lead to visual degradation in desktop mode (no effects, no shadows, no transparency, no window previews, more tearing), but all other options yield bad gaming performance. If you want a DE that looks a bit like Windows, you might want to have a look at KDE Plasma instead. To disable it: <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>General</code> -> <code>Disable compositing</code> === Pantheon === Unfortunately it appears to not support disabling composition.<ref>https://elementaryos.stackexchange.com/questions/4483/how-can-i-disable-composite-and-effects-in-elementary-os</ref> == References and notes == <references /> 1e399e15d0e83c68c3d5390bb9a76f1d85aea19b 994 954 2022-05-21T20:21:17Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use a DE with X11]], then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadow and effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. ==Disabling composition for your games== Disabling composition will dramatically improve performance, input lag, and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: ===Gnome=== This is the default DE on Pop!_OS. You don't have to do anything. Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing Windows does), which is almost as good as disabling compositon. Disabling composition in Gnome is not possible. ===KDE=== {{Needs work|Problem=It may be that Heroic automatically disables composition}}There are many options to disable composition: *For Lutris: **To disable it for a single game: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. **To disable it for all games: Click <code>...</code> in the top right corner -> <code>Preferences</code> -> <code>Global options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code> *You can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code> before launching a game. The same combination re-enables it. *You can use [https://store.kde.org/p/1502826/ Autocomposer]. This should make it unnecessary to do anything of the above. *If you want to use a terminal command (for example for automation, launch options for Steam, etc): ** disable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor suspend</code> ** enable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor resume</code> ===Xfce=== *Disable composition with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Xfwm#Configuration</ref> *Enable it again with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> * For Steam: You can automate disabling/enabling with the launch option: <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false; %command%; xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code><ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensiveLinux/comments/6b3cs5/comment/dhjw7z7/?context=3</ref> ===Cinnamon === Unfortunately, you have to disable composition completely. This might lead to visual degradation in desktop mode (no effects, no shadows, no transparency, no window previews, more tearing), but all other options yield bad gaming performance. If you want a DE that looks a bit like Windows, you might want to have a look at KDE Plasma instead. To disable it: <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>General</code> -> <code>Disable compositing</code> === Pantheon === Unfortunately it appears to not support disabling composition.<ref>https://elementaryos.stackexchange.com/questions/4483/how-can-i-disable-composite-and-effects-in-elementary-os</ref> == References and notes == <references /> 4d76a603f6dfe13514f047534b51111d26f851f2 0 55 955 931 2022-05-16T08:50:38Z Whom 12 Fleshing most of the page out a bit. wikitext text/x-wiki The desktop environment is the interface of your system. Think of the differences between Windows 7, Vista, 8, 10, 11. That's the ''Desktop Environment'' (''DE''). The good thing on Linux is, that you have large choice about what to use. And you can even install multiple DEs at the same time and switch between them! All choices are much lighter than Windows. There are differences, but everything will use less than 1GB of RAM, and the CPU usage is so low that it will not matter on a gaming PC. The most popular options are Gnome and KDE. If you want a good experience, it's probably a good idea to stick to one of these two. == GNOME == The default on Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Fedora, and many other distributions. Polished and easy to use, but customization is a bit stiff. A solid choice, though not built for extensive customization. GNOME supports display unredirection, so you don't even have to mess with [[Compositor|composition]]. Is fully-featured in X11 mode, but Wayland lacks VRR (Freesync/G-SYNC) support, so if you're used to using those features on Windows, you may want to use the X11 session or choose another option. == KDE == Looks much like Windows by default, and has many nice quality of life features, effects, themes, etc. Easy to customize, but susceptible to breakage as a result. Supports disabling composition. Though already lighter than Windows out of the box, KDE can be slimmed down dramatically by disabling effects. == Xfce == Lightweight and customizable, but not as feature rich and user friendly as KDE. Supports disabling composition, but is inconsistent with doing so automatically. == LXDE == Very lightweight, especially low on RAM, but discontinued. == LXQt == Being the successor to LXDE, LXQt is also extremely lightweight. == Cinnamon == The default DE on Linux Mint. Cinnamon attempts to be very simple and traditional, looking much like Windows. People often seem to report problems and development is rather slow and conservative. Disabling composition might be problematic. == Pantheon == Good looking DE, and only available on ElementaryOS. Does '''not''' support disabling composition! a2594e2c540669d166d6c0b1ee4940ee5f444948 0 28 956 950 2022-05-16T08:54:47Z Whom 12 /* Game Modding */ Clarification on modding tools wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get everything working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends on the individual tools the modding community uses. It's often not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you (as long as you don't use some North Korean or Chinese distribution) * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB or RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable (not for serious gaming of course). And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. It won't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster, though. But it has significantly less overhead than Windows, so if that's the problem it will definitely help. For example, it might revive your old Laptop. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects you choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though - you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows over something like MacOS over something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is by far not everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. Some examples what Linux can look like: **KDE Plasma: [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/articles/tagline_images/528481101id19192gol.jpg 1][https://news-cdn.softpedia.com/images/news2/kde-plasma-5-15-desktop-environment-officially-released-here-s-what-s-new-524922-8.jpg 2][https://www.lffl.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/garuda-linux-dr460nized-1400x788.png 3][https://ubuntuhandbook.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/preview-arc-dark.jpg 4][https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RQLcqtqS-YA/XHTsrV6x_-I/AAAAAAAAU0Y/eKJma9C7vsITXzcDklMTaOXgUdVqBIvWgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot_20190226_073620.png 5][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 6][https://i.redd.it/lvubg0sxnl641.png 7][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 8][https://i.redd.it/8mz4z5kybs631.png 9][https://i.redd.it/jup9nde0f0l81.png 10][https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FEMS88kEx_8/maxresdefault.jpg 11][https://i.redd.it/f6ywf9pncpy31.png 12][https://i.imgur.com/kYX3ewJ.png 13][https://forum.endeavouros.com/uploads/default/original/2X/6/6e6c1619652607552c45b001ad2dbfb9d01ea21d.jpeg 14][https://i.redd.it/e4w1uvk48fr81.jpg 15][https://i.redd.it/0x4pz8o10xq81.png 16][https://i.redd.it/7a5mwp393jo81.png 17][https://i.redd.it/cv5gc2tne4r81.png 18] [https://i.redd.it/t65bae91v3s81.jpg 19] [https://64.media.tumblr.com/9bda2b57523402c142d4f797c8ad0093/d629d44890280e21-7d/s1280x1920/ad696bc813582410c77f9879cc0334b76ab252ea.jpg 20] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=plasma&sort=top and] [https://store.kde.org/browse?cat=104&ord=rating more] **Gnome: [https://forum.garudalinux.org/uploads/default/optimized/2X/e/e6d6150878051d075fb6d8548f5314fcf6c7bf28_2_1035x646.jpeg 1][https://www.cmscritic.com/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cloudinary/pop-os-review-4_hhslpt.png 2][https://i.redd.it/jt3xl3e2qak61.png 3][https://pingvinus.ru/files/news/manjaro-20-1/manjaro-20.1-gnome.jpg 4][http://www.jetestelinux.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/manjaro_gnome_1710_mode_nuit.jpg 5][https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/f8e04f89-e155-4926-972e-76e0955933eb/dak2iyb-e5931cb1-e722-43f8-a1ed-63361f901ab9.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2Y4ZTA0Zjg5LWUxNTUtNDkyNi05NzJlLTc2ZTA5NTU5MzNlYlwvZGFrMml5Yi1lNTkzMWNiMS1lNzIyLTQzZjgtYTFlZC02MzM2MWY5MDFhYjkucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.zwpBVOqCfSFqWRDNz1fnEgVkyyXgrj_3NoJNLa0Zlzw 6][https://i.redd.it/b06ms6vfe0r81.png 7][https://i.redd.it/uvenc4r0dun81.png 8][https://i.redd.it/kw1enzggqmo81.png 9][https://i.redd.it/gdtwdhbk4tr81.png 10][https://i.redd.it/uk9uihckcsd41.png 11] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=gnome&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&sort=top and] [https://www.gnome-look.org/browse?ord=rating more] **tiling window managers: [https://pic3.zhimg.com/v2-bad01545e1f69cc0a94633ff771b72e3_1200x500.jpg 1][https://preview.redd.it/f2jg3znpr1g31.png?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=9b64dde84ccb1e0ba20e8bba5ee6516123273bd2 2][https://pingvinus.ru/cr_images/userpicture/n/1938-0.png 3][https://i.redd.it/rpojcv4d3nr81.png 4][https://i.redd.it/lkviraiador81.png 5][https://i.redd.it/or7veqoicdq81.png 6][https://i.redd.it/ptbibz0gdk861.png 7] **[https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/ and many more (mixed, but mostly tiling window managers)] * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal Windows filesystem. Of course this doesn't apply to all games, so your mileage may vary. * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so (again) your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. Almost all software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == ad70267651b065c39bc7dd51e27492f46a0ee92b 957 956 2022-05-16T08:58:56Z Whom 12 /* Advantages */ Cleaning things up wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get everything working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends on the individual tools the modding community uses. It's often not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you. * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB or RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable (not for serious gaming of course). And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. It won't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster, though. But it has significantly less overhead than Windows, so if that's the problem it will definitely help. For example, it might revive your old Laptop. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects your choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though—you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows to something like MacOS to something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is not even close to everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. Some examples of what Linux can look like: **KDE Plasma: [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/articles/tagline_images/528481101id19192gol.jpg 1][https://news-cdn.softpedia.com/images/news2/kde-plasma-5-15-desktop-environment-officially-released-here-s-what-s-new-524922-8.jpg 2][https://www.lffl.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/garuda-linux-dr460nized-1400x788.png 3][https://ubuntuhandbook.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/preview-arc-dark.jpg 4][https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RQLcqtqS-YA/XHTsrV6x_-I/AAAAAAAAU0Y/eKJma9C7vsITXzcDklMTaOXgUdVqBIvWgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot_20190226_073620.png 5][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 6][https://i.redd.it/lvubg0sxnl641.png 7][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 8][https://i.redd.it/8mz4z5kybs631.png 9][https://i.redd.it/jup9nde0f0l81.png 10][https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FEMS88kEx_8/maxresdefault.jpg 11][https://i.redd.it/f6ywf9pncpy31.png 12][https://i.imgur.com/kYX3ewJ.png 13][https://forum.endeavouros.com/uploads/default/original/2X/6/6e6c1619652607552c45b001ad2dbfb9d01ea21d.jpeg 14][https://i.redd.it/e4w1uvk48fr81.jpg 15][https://i.redd.it/0x4pz8o10xq81.png 16][https://i.redd.it/7a5mwp393jo81.png 17][https://i.redd.it/cv5gc2tne4r81.png 18] [https://i.redd.it/t65bae91v3s81.jpg 19] [https://64.media.tumblr.com/9bda2b57523402c142d4f797c8ad0093/d629d44890280e21-7d/s1280x1920/ad696bc813582410c77f9879cc0334b76ab252ea.jpg 20] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=plasma&sort=top and] [https://store.kde.org/browse?cat=104&ord=rating more] **GNOME: [https://forum.garudalinux.org/uploads/default/optimized/2X/e/e6d6150878051d075fb6d8548f5314fcf6c7bf28_2_1035x646.jpeg 1][https://www.cmscritic.com/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cloudinary/pop-os-review-4_hhslpt.png 2][https://i.redd.it/jt3xl3e2qak61.png 3][https://pingvinus.ru/files/news/manjaro-20-1/manjaro-20.1-gnome.jpg 4][http://www.jetestelinux.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/manjaro_gnome_1710_mode_nuit.jpg 5][https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/f8e04f89-e155-4926-972e-76e0955933eb/dak2iyb-e5931cb1-e722-43f8-a1ed-63361f901ab9.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2Y4ZTA0Zjg5LWUxNTUtNDkyNi05NzJlLTc2ZTA5NTU5MzNlYlwvZGFrMml5Yi1lNTkzMWNiMS1lNzIyLTQzZjgtYTFlZC02MzM2MWY5MDFhYjkucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.zwpBVOqCfSFqWRDNz1fnEgVkyyXgrj_3NoJNLa0Zlzw 6][https://i.redd.it/b06ms6vfe0r81.png 7][https://i.redd.it/uvenc4r0dun81.png 8][https://i.redd.it/kw1enzggqmo81.png 9][https://i.redd.it/gdtwdhbk4tr81.png 10][https://i.redd.it/uk9uihckcsd41.png 11] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=gnome&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&sort=top and] [https://www.gnome-look.org/browse?ord=rating more] **Tiling window managers: [https://pic3.zhimg.com/v2-bad01545e1f69cc0a94633ff771b72e3_1200x500.jpg 1][https://preview.redd.it/f2jg3znpr1g31.png?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=9b64dde84ccb1e0ba20e8bba5ee6516123273bd2 2][https://pingvinus.ru/cr_images/userpicture/n/1938-0.png 3][https://i.redd.it/rpojcv4d3nr81.png 4][https://i.redd.it/lkviraiador81.png 5][https://i.redd.it/or7veqoicdq81.png 6][https://i.redd.it/ptbibz0gdk861.png 7] **[https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/ and many more] * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal Windows filesystem. Of course this doesn't apply to all games, so your mileage may vary. * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so (again) your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. Almost all software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == 843c6df8b686397ce708a67db0890eb4a13ccba3 0 34 958 871 2022-05-16T13:53:07Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki It is recommended to read the [[Getting started with Linux|long version]], but you should be fine if you just do the following:<ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect, ''especially'' if you consider yourself a power user. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. Your knowledge of regedit and powershell is useless, you will not be able to troubleshoot issues the way you're used to, and your favorite software to do something might not be available. Think of it like being dropped back to level 1 in an MMO. It's like that. There will be issues, and you will have no clue what to do. Imagine installing Windows and your performance being bad. You obviously would install the GPU drivers. Now imagine you would use Windows for the first time, and you have to figure out what the fuck is wrong. Be prepared for this. It will happen, and it will happen more than once. The good thing is, that you will learn everything much faster than someone who has no previous knowledge. <li>Don't immediately remove Windows, try dual booting, or try installing Linux on a laptop first. Give yourself some time to adapt. The beginning will probably not be easy. It's always good to have a fallback if things don't work as expected. You can remove Windows later, if you're sure that you don't need a backup solution. </li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have [[Hardware Recommendations|supported hardware]]. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle, or without bugs. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working on Steam. You can find other games on [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org]. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use Steam for running games that are on Steam. Most games will work ''just like that'', after [[Steam#Enable Steam Play for all games|enabling Steam Play for all games]].</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other games.</li> <li><p>[[Compositor|Disable Composition]]: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it.</p></li> <li><p>If your performance is bad, read [[Improving performance|this article]].</p></li> <li><p>'''Don't go to a website and download stuff to install it'''. This is not how Linux works. Even if this is the ''"official"'' way. For example AMD will offer you to download their drivers from the website. Don't do it, this is bad.</p></li> <li><p>If you use the terminal, Linux will usually not protect you from shooting yourself in the foot. Instead, it will deliver the bullet in the most efficient way possible. If Linux actually warns you that you might be doing something stupid, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when [[How to get answers|asking for help]].</p></li><li><p>You (almost) never download software or drivers in the browser. Doing this is a really bad idea, and should only be your last resort if everything else fails. Just look up your distribution (Pop!_OS if you follow our recommendation) + the software, and you should find a better solution (for example a ''ppa'').</p></li><li><p>If you don't like the look, it can easily be changed. Just [https://support.system76.com/articles/desktop-environment/ install a different desktop environment]. KDE Plasma would be a popular choice that looks a lot like Windows, is very customizable, and very comfortable to use. </p></li></ul> aaf5bcd9366300f341fb66dd9a4ca878907ca314 959 958 2022-05-16T13:56:36Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki It is recommended to read the [[Getting started with Linux|long version]], but you should be fine if you just do the following:<ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect, ''especially'' if you consider yourself a power user. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. Your knowledge of regedit and powershell is useless, you will not be able to troubleshoot issues the way you're used to, and your favorite software to do something might not be available. Think of it like being dropped back to level 1 in an MMO. It's like that. There will be issues, and you will have no clue what to do. Imagine installing Windows and your performance being bad. You obviously would install the GPU drivers. Now imagine you would use Windows for the first time, and you have to figure out what the fuck is wrong. Be prepared for this. It will happen, and it will happen more than once. The good thing is, that you will learn everything much faster than someone who has no previous knowledge. But keep in mind that you have years of experience with Windows, and absolutely no knowledge of how to use Linux. Don't expect to know how to do everything, and be prepared to put time and effort into learning stuff. <li>Don't immediately remove Windows, try dual booting, or try installing Linux on a laptop first. Give yourself some time to adapt. The beginning will probably not be easy. It's always good to have a fallback if things don't work as expected. You can remove Windows later, if you're sure that you don't need a backup solution. </li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have [[Hardware Recommendations|supported hardware]]. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle, or without bugs. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working on Steam. You can find other games on [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org]. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use Steam for running games that are on Steam. Most games will work ''just like that'', after [[Steam#Enable Steam Play for all games|enabling Steam Play for all games]].</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other games.</li> <li><p>[[Compositor|Disable Composition]]: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it.</p></li> <li><p>If your performance is bad, read [[Improving performance|this article]].</p></li> <li><p>'''Don't go to a website and download stuff to install it'''. This is not how Linux works. Even if this is the ''"official"'' way. For example AMD will offer you to download their drivers from the website. Don't do it, this is bad.</p></li> <li><p>If you use the terminal, Linux will usually not protect you from shooting yourself in the foot. Instead, it will deliver the bullet in the most efficient way possible. If Linux actually warns you that you might be doing something stupid, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when [[How to get answers|asking for help]].</p></li><li><p>You (almost) never download software or drivers in the browser. Doing this is a really bad idea, and should only be your last resort if everything else fails. Just look up your distribution (Pop!_OS if you follow our recommendation) + the software, and you should find a better solution (for example a ''ppa'').</p></li><li><p>If you don't like the look, it can easily be changed. Just [https://support.system76.com/articles/desktop-environment/ install a different desktop environment]. KDE Plasma would be a popular choice that looks a lot like Windows, is very customizable, and very comfortable to use. </p></li></ul> 2f935f95914b0cf09826057056d911a0019b0d93 960 959 2022-05-16T14:01:39Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki It is recommended to read the [[Getting started with Linux|long version]], but you should be fine if you just do the following:<ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect, ''especially'' if you consider yourself a power user. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. Your knowledge of regedit and powershell is useless, you will not be able to troubleshoot issues the way you're used to, and your favorite software to do something might not be available. Think of it like being dropped back to level 1 in an MMO. It's like that. There will be issues, and you will have no clue what to do. Imagine installing Windows and your performance being bad. You obviously would install the GPU drivers. Now imagine you would use Windows for the first time, and you have to figure out what the fuck is wrong. Be prepared for this. It will happen, and it will happen more than once. The good thing is, that you will learn everything much faster than someone who has no previous knowledge. But keep in mind that you have years of experience with Windows, and absolutely no knowledge of how to use Linux. Don't expect to know how to do everything, and be prepared to put time and effort into learning stuff. You might think that Linux is more complicated than Windows, just keep going, and you will get to the point where you will think the opposite. <li>Don't immediately remove Windows, try dual booting, or try installing Linux on a laptop first. Give yourself some time to adapt. The beginning will probably not be easy. It's always good to have a fallback if things don't work as expected. You can remove Windows later, if you're sure that you don't need a backup solution. </li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have [[Hardware Recommendations|supported hardware]]. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle, or without bugs. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working on Steam. You can find other games on [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org]. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use Steam for running games that are on Steam. Most games will work ''just like that'', after [[Steam#Enable Steam Play for all games|enabling Steam Play for all games]].</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other games.</li> <li><p>[[Compositor|Disable Composition]]: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it.</p></li> <li><p>If your performance is bad, read [[Improving performance|this article]].</p></li> <li><p>'''Don't go to a website and download stuff to install it'''. This is not how Linux works. Even if this is the ''"official"'' way. For example AMD will offer you to download their drivers from the website. Don't do it, this is bad.</p></li> <li><p>If you use the terminal, Linux will usually not protect you from shooting yourself in the foot. Instead, it will deliver the bullet in the most efficient way possible. If Linux actually warns you that you might be doing something stupid, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when [[How to get answers|asking for help]].</p></li><li><p>You (almost) never download software or drivers in the browser. Doing this is a really bad idea, and should only be your last resort if everything else fails. Just look up your distribution (Pop!_OS if you follow our recommendation) + the software, and you should find a better solution (for example a ''ppa'').</p></li><li><p>If you don't like the look, it can easily be changed. Just [https://support.system76.com/articles/desktop-environment/ install a different desktop environment]. KDE Plasma would be a popular choice that looks a lot like Windows, is very customizable, and very comfortable to use. </p></li></ul> 705e9117a693ffcae5e128e3a2349d88169cfff6 961 960 2022-05-16T14:01:49Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki It is recommended to read the [[Getting started with Linux|long version]], but you should be fine if you just do the following:<ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect, ''especially'' if you consider yourself a power user. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. Your knowledge of regedit and powershell is useless, you will not be able to troubleshoot issues the way you're used to, and your favorite software to do something might not be available. Think of it like being dropped back to level 1 in an MMO. It's like that. There will be issues, and you will have no clue what to do. Imagine installing Windows and your performance being bad. You obviously would install the GPU drivers. Now imagine you would use Windows for the first time, and you have to figure out what the fuck is wrong. Be prepared for this. It will happen, and it will happen more than once. The good thing is, that you will learn everything much faster than someone who has no previous knowledge. But keep in mind that you have years of experience with Windows, and absolutely no knowledge of how to use Linux. Don't expect to know how to do everything, and be prepared to put time and effort into learning stuff. You will probably think that Linux is more complicated than Windows, just keep going, and you will get to the point where you will think the opposite. <li>Don't immediately remove Windows, try dual booting, or try installing Linux on a laptop first. Give yourself some time to adapt. The beginning will probably not be easy. It's always good to have a fallback if things don't work as expected. You can remove Windows later, if you're sure that you don't need a backup solution. </li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have [[Hardware Recommendations|supported hardware]]. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle, or without bugs. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working on Steam. You can find other games on [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org]. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use Steam for running games that are on Steam. Most games will work ''just like that'', after [[Steam#Enable Steam Play for all games|enabling Steam Play for all games]].</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other games.</li> <li><p>[[Compositor|Disable Composition]]: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it.</p></li> <li><p>If your performance is bad, read [[Improving performance|this article]].</p></li> <li><p>'''Don't go to a website and download stuff to install it'''. This is not how Linux works. Even if this is the ''"official"'' way. For example AMD will offer you to download their drivers from the website. Don't do it, this is bad.</p></li> <li><p>If you use the terminal, Linux will usually not protect you from shooting yourself in the foot. Instead, it will deliver the bullet in the most efficient way possible. If Linux actually warns you that you might be doing something stupid, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when [[How to get answers|asking for help]].</p></li><li><p>You (almost) never download software or drivers in the browser. Doing this is a really bad idea, and should only be your last resort if everything else fails. Just look up your distribution (Pop!_OS if you follow our recommendation) + the software, and you should find a better solution (for example a ''ppa'').</p></li><li><p>If you don't like the look, it can easily be changed. Just [https://support.system76.com/articles/desktop-environment/ install a different desktop environment]. KDE Plasma would be a popular choice that looks a lot like Windows, is very customizable, and very comfortable to use. </p></li></ul> 0a0d1e5ff8a2e27215bcf6e1eca9d4cf6c13739b 962 961 2022-05-16T14:02:28Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki It is recommended to read the [[Getting started with Linux|long version]], but you should be fine if you just do the following:<ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect, ''especially'' if you consider yourself a power user. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. Your knowledge of regedit and powershell is useless, you will not be able to troubleshoot issues the way you're used to, and your favorite software to do something might not be available. Think of it like being dropped back to level 1 in an MMO. It's like that. There will be issues, and you will have no clue what to do. Imagine installing Windows and your performance being bad. You obviously would install the GPU drivers. Now imagine you would use Windows for the first time, and you have to figure out what the fuck is wrong. Be prepared for this. It will happen, and it will happen more than once. The good thing is, that you will learn everything much faster than someone who has no previous knowledge. But keep in mind that you have years of experience with Windows, and absolutely no knowledge of how to use Linux. Don't expect to know how to do everything, and be prepared to put time and effort into learning stuff. You will probably think that Linux is more complicated than Windows, just keep going, and you will get to the point where you will think the opposite. But it will take time. <li>Don't immediately remove Windows, try dual booting, or try installing Linux on a laptop first. Give yourself some time to adapt. The beginning will probably not be easy. It's always good to have a fallback if things don't work as expected. You can remove Windows later, if you're sure that you don't need a backup solution. </li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have [[Hardware Recommendations|supported hardware]]. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle, or without bugs. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working on Steam. You can find other games on [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org]. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use Steam for running games that are on Steam. Most games will work ''just like that'', after [[Steam#Enable Steam Play for all games|enabling Steam Play for all games]].</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other games.</li> <li><p>[[Compositor|Disable Composition]]: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it.</p></li> <li><p>If your performance is bad, read [[Improving performance|this article]].</p></li> <li><p>'''Don't go to a website and download stuff to install it'''. This is not how Linux works. Even if this is the ''"official"'' way. For example AMD will offer you to download their drivers from the website. Don't do it, this is bad.</p></li> <li><p>If you use the terminal, Linux will usually not protect you from shooting yourself in the foot. Instead, it will deliver the bullet in the most efficient way possible. If Linux actually warns you that you might be doing something stupid, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when [[How to get answers|asking for help]].</p></li><li><p>You (almost) never download software or drivers in the browser. Doing this is a really bad idea, and should only be your last resort if everything else fails. Just look up your distribution (Pop!_OS if you follow our recommendation) + the software, and you should find a better solution (for example a ''ppa'').</p></li><li><p>If you don't like the look, it can easily be changed. Just [https://support.system76.com/articles/desktop-environment/ install a different desktop environment]. KDE Plasma would be a popular choice that looks a lot like Windows, is very customizable, and very comfortable to use. </p></li></ul> 467c52f185007c871fc5135bf53c9e826c5c6c0e 963 962 2022-05-16T14:04:13Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki It is recommended to read the [[Getting started with Linux|long version]], but you should be fine if you just do the following:<ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect, ''especially'' if you consider yourself a power user. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. Your knowledge of regedit and powershell is useless, you will not be able to troubleshoot issues the way you're used to, and your favorite software to do something might not be available. Think of it like being dropped back to level 1 in an MMO. It's like that. There will be issues, and you will have no clue what to do. Imagine installing Windows and your performance being bad. You obviously would install the GPU drivers. Now imagine you would use Windows for the first time, and you have to figure out what the fuck is wrong. Be prepared for this. It will happen, and it will happen more than once. The good thing is, that you will learn everything much faster than someone who has no previous knowledge. But keep in mind that you have years of experience with Windows, and absolutely no knowledge of how to use Linux. Don't expect to know how to do everything, and be prepared to put time and effort into learning stuff. You will probably think that Linux is more complicated than Windows, just keep going, and you'll get to the point where you'll think the opposite. But it will take time. <li>Don't immediately remove Windows, try dual booting, or try installing Linux on a laptop first. Give yourself some time to adapt. The beginning will probably not be easy. It's always good to have a fallback if things don't work as expected. You can remove Windows later, if you're sure that you don't need a backup solution. </li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have [[Hardware Recommendations|supported hardware]]. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle, or without bugs. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working on Steam. You can find other games on [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org]. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use Steam for running games that are on Steam. Most games will work ''just like that'', after [[Steam#Enable Steam Play for all games|enabling Steam Play for all games]].</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other games.</li> <li><p>[[Compositor|Disable Composition]]: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it.</p></li> <li><p>If your performance is bad, read [[Improving performance|this article]].</p></li> <li><p>'''Don't go to a website and download stuff to install it'''. This is not how Linux works. Even if this is the ''"official"'' way. For example AMD will offer you to download their drivers from the website. Don't do it, this is bad.</p></li> <li><p>If you use the terminal, Linux will usually not protect you from shooting yourself in the foot. Instead, it will deliver the bullet in the most efficient way possible. If Linux actually warns you that you might be doing something stupid, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when [[How to get answers|asking for help]].</p></li><li><p>You (almost) never download software or drivers in the browser. Doing this is a really bad idea, and should only be your last resort if everything else fails. Just look up your distribution (Pop!_OS if you follow our recommendation) + the software, and you should find a better solution (for example a ''ppa'').</p></li><li><p>If you don't like the look, it can easily be changed. Just [https://support.system76.com/articles/desktop-environment/ install a different desktop environment]. KDE Plasma would be a popular choice that looks a lot like Windows, is very customizable, and very comfortable to use. </p></li></ul> e35a46093d2b5e3be33b078b4ba93f4c470d0c0b 0 5 964 944 2022-05-17T11:23:54Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. You can just ignore it if your performance is already good enough and you don't want to bother reading this article. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers] **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *Set your GPU to high performance. **The default (automatic) is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. **You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **Alternatively, you can also use gamemode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. ** If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed **Do '''NOT''' download stuff from their website. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *If you have an old GPU, it might not be supported by the current driver. In this case you have to install an old one. You can use their website to determine which version you need. **''TODO: How to actually install them? On Arch you can use the AUR, but I don't know about any other distribution. Maybe actually download it from their website?'' == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might dramatically improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers.}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good choice. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> You should avoid Cinnamon and Pantheon. === Wayland === Differences are much bigger. You will only get good input lag if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 67df5a728f83267bd01eac8129b2c9e06972fd66 965 964 2022-05-17T11:27:56Z Aragorn 3 /* Optional */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. You can just ignore it if your performance is already good enough and you don't want to bother reading this article. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers] **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *Set your GPU to high performance. **The default (automatic) is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. **You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **Alternatively, you can also use gamemode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. ** If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed **Do '''NOT''' download stuff from their website. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *If you have an old GPU, it might not be supported by the current driver. In this case you have to install an old one. You can use their website to determine which version you need. **''TODO: How to actually install them? On Arch you can use the AUR, but I don't know about any other distribution. Maybe actually download it from their website?'' == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers.}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good choice. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> You should avoid Cinnamon and Pantheon. === Wayland === Differences are much bigger. You will only get good input lag if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 34fc9c3f292afa9f613d56fe82cf9525093011ed 966 965 2022-05-17T11:28:46Z Aragorn 3 /* Optional */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game performance on Linux varies from game to game. Some games run better than on Windows, some run worse. Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. But even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows (depending on the game, and on the hardware). Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. You can just ignore it if your performance is already good enough and you don't want to bother reading this article. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers] **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *Set your GPU to high performance. **The default (automatic) is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. **You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **Alternatively, you can also use gamemode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. ** If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed **Do '''NOT''' download stuff from their website. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *If you have an old GPU, it might not be supported by the current driver. In this case you have to install an old one. You can use their website to determine which version you need. **''TODO: How to actually install them? On Arch you can use the AUR, but I don't know about any other distribution. Maybe actually download it from their website?'' == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. GE-Proton and GE-Wine are compatible. *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers.}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good choice. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> You should avoid Cinnamon and Pantheon. === Wayland === Differences are much bigger. You will only get good input lag if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> ecb8cbdde1d99888dea3200e1adde7a7e1108d6a 967 966 2022-05-17T13:17:08Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will be compared to Windows. There are cases where your VRAM might be too small for DXVK which would severely decrease your performance. In other cases you might get performance improvements of 30% and even more. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%). If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. And even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. You can just ignore it if your performance is already good enough and you don't want to bother reading the rest of this article. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers] **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *Set your GPU to high performance. **The default (automatic) is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. **You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **Alternatively, you can also use gamemode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. ** If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed **Do '''NOT''' download stuff from their website. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *If you have an old GPU, it might not be supported by the current driver. In this case you have to install an old one. You can use their website to determine which version you need. **''TODO: How to actually install them? On Arch you can use the AUR, but I don't know about any other distribution. Maybe actually download it from their website?'' == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. GE-Proton and GE-Wine are compatible. *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers.}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good choice. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> You should avoid Cinnamon and Pantheon. === Wayland === Differences are much bigger. You will only get good input lag if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> f55fff660c8f7acfdf76efa062cd818b0f0dfeb8 968 967 2022-05-17T13:17:54Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will be compared to Windows. There are cases where your VRAM might be too small for DXVK which would severely decrease your performance. In other cases you might get performance improvements of 30% and even more. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%) as on Windows. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. And even if your performance is already good, you might be able to get an even better experience - maybe even significantly better than on Windows. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. You can just ignore it if your performance is already good enough and you don't want to bother reading the rest of this article. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers] **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *Set your GPU to high performance. **The default (automatic) is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. **You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **Alternatively, you can also use gamemode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. ** If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed **Do '''NOT''' download stuff from their website. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *If you have an old GPU, it might not be supported by the current driver. In this case you have to install an old one. You can use their website to determine which version you need. **''TODO: How to actually install them? On Arch you can use the AUR, but I don't know about any other distribution. Maybe actually download it from their website?'' == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. GE-Proton and GE-Wine are compatible. *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers.}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good choice. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> You should avoid Cinnamon and Pantheon. === Wayland === Differences are much bigger. You will only get good input lag if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 6e8f9348c963cbe46c0c78e3c8cdf143503574db 969 968 2022-05-17T13:18:16Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will be compared to Windows. There are cases where your VRAM might be too small for DXVK which would severely decrease your performance. In other cases you might get performance improvements of 30% and even more. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%) as on Windows. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. You can just ignore it if your performance is already good enough and you don't want to bother reading the rest of this article. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers] **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *Set your GPU to high performance. **The default (automatic) is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. **You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **Alternatively, you can also use gamemode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. ** If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed **Do '''NOT''' download stuff from their website. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *If you have an old GPU, it might not be supported by the current driver. In this case you have to install an old one. You can use their website to determine which version you need. **''TODO: How to actually install them? On Arch you can use the AUR, but I don't know about any other distribution. Maybe actually download it from their website?'' == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. GE-Proton and GE-Wine are compatible. *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers.}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good choice. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> You should avoid Cinnamon and Pantheon. === Wayland === Differences are much bigger. You will only get good input lag if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 9bcf24c0de047d5306162608c5fef2ca056159b0 970 969 2022-05-17T13:19:47Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. There are cases where your VRAM might be too small for DXVK which would severely decrease your performance. In other cases you might get performance improvements of 30% and even more. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%) as on Windows. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. You can just ignore it if your performance is already good enough and you don't want to bother reading the rest of this article. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers] **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *Set your GPU to high performance. **The default (automatic) is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. **You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **Alternatively, you can also use gamemode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. ** If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed **Do '''NOT''' download stuff from their website. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *If you have an old GPU, it might not be supported by the current driver. In this case you have to install an old one. You can use their website to determine which version you need. **''TODO: How to actually install them? On Arch you can use the AUR, but I don't know about any other distribution. Maybe actually download it from their website?'' == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. GE-Proton and GE-Wine are compatible. *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers.}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good choice. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> You should avoid Cinnamon and Pantheon. === Wayland === Differences are much bigger. You will only get good input lag if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> feda3a50891b802f9e1bb33e32697a4c8d6b2ec8 971 970 2022-05-17T13:22:59Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. There are cases where your VRAM might be too small for DXVK which would severely decrease your performance. In other cases you might get performance improvements of 30% and even more. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%) as on Windows. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. You can just ignore it if your performance is already good enough and you don't want to bother reading the rest of this article. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers] **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *Set your GPU to high performance. **The default (automatic) is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. **You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **Alternatively, you can also use gamemode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. ** If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed **Do '''NOT''' download stuff from their website. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *If you have an old GPU, it might not be supported by the current driver. In this case you have to install an old one. You can use their website to determine which version you need. **''TODO: How to actually install them? On Arch you can use the AUR, but I don't know about any other distribution. Maybe actually download it from their website?'' == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. GE-Proton and GE-Wine are compatible. *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers.}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good choice. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> You should avoid Cinnamon and Pantheon. === Wayland === Differences are much bigger. You will only get good input lag if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> a6b03d237e31733b97802d8181588ff18ec01fc5 972 971 2022-05-17T13:25:46Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. There are cases where your VRAM might be too small for DXVK which would severely decrease your performance. In other cases you might get performance improvements of 30% and even more. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%) as on Windows. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done for input lag, FPS drops, and performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers] **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *Set your GPU to high performance. **The default (automatic) is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. **You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **Alternatively, you can also use gamemode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. ** If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed **Do '''NOT''' download stuff from their website. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *If you have an old GPU, it might not be supported by the current driver. In this case you have to install an old one. You can use their website to determine which version you need. **''TODO: How to actually install them? On Arch you can use the AUR, but I don't know about any other distribution. Maybe actually download it from their website?'' == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. GE-Proton and GE-Wine are compatible. *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers.}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good choice. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> You should avoid Cinnamon and Pantheon. === Wayland === Differences are much bigger. You will only get good input lag if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> bd71f821f92e39e80ca174289b5a869564fc0622 973 972 2022-05-17T13:27:54Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. There are cases where your VRAM might be too small for DXVK which would severely decrease your performance. In other cases you might get performance improvements of 30% and even more. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%) as on Windows. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers] **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *Set your GPU to high performance. **The default (automatic) is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. **You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **Alternatively, you can also use gamemode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. ** If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed **Do '''NOT''' download stuff from their website. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *If you have an old GPU, it might not be supported by the current driver. In this case you have to install an old one. You can use their website to determine which version you need. **''TODO: How to actually install them? On Arch you can use the AUR, but I don't know about any other distribution. Maybe actually download it from their website?'' == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. GE-Proton and GE-Wine are compatible. *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers.}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good choice. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> You should avoid Cinnamon and Pantheon. === Wayland === Differences are much bigger. You will only get good input lag if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 7b19f9d9f78940cd78dc307efefbc643a03e1485 977 973 2022-05-19T22:46:01Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%) as on Windows. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers] **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *Set your GPU to high performance. **The default (automatic) is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. **You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **Alternatively, you can also use gamemode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. ** If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed **Do '''NOT''' download stuff from their website. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *If you have an old GPU, it might not be supported by the current driver. In this case you have to install an old one. You can use their website to determine which version you need. **''TODO: How to actually install them? On Arch you can use the AUR, but I don't know about any other distribution. Maybe actually download it from their website?'' == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. GE-Proton and GE-Wine are compatible. *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers.}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good choice. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> You should avoid Cinnamon and Pantheon. === Wayland === Differences are much bigger. You will only get good input lag if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 8e6059dadd906ef20281e03929c129dee9b03a4a 1000 977 2022-05-28T21:02:51Z Aragorn 3 /* Optional */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%) as on Windows. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers] **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *Set your GPU to high performance. **The default (automatic) is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. **You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **Alternatively, you can also use gamemode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. ** If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed **Do '''NOT''' download stuff from their website. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *If you have an old GPU, it might not be supported by the current driver. In this case you have to install an old one. You can use their website to determine which version you need. **''TODO: How to actually install them? On Arch you can use the AUR, but I don't know about any other distribution. Maybe actually download it from their website?'' == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a patched DXVK-Version (TODO: Where to get it, how to use it?). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers.}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good choice. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> You should avoid Cinnamon and Pantheon. === Wayland === Differences are much bigger. You will only get good input lag if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> d1e392ad955455e602d8c7f82cb7611a199e30e8 0 46 974 671 2022-05-19T21:37:31Z Slouchy 1 /* Printer/Scanner */ Added new printer wikitext text/x-wiki An extensive list of hardware that is known to work. If the device requires tweaking, please mention the tweaking steps. The criteria are not as strict as in the [[Hardware Recommendations|hardware recommendations]] list, but all mentioned hardware should still be somewhat "worthy" for a gaming PC. We really don't need 20 years old Bluetooth sticks, even if they work out of the box. If possible, also add a price and a timestamp in the form YYYY-MM. ==GPUs== {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |AMD |RX 5700XT | | |2022-03 |none |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | |} ==WiFi Sticks== ===2.4Ghz=== ===5Ghz=== ==Bluetooth Sticks== {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Mpow |Bluetooth 5.1 USB-Adapter | | | |none |- |DIGITUS |DN-30210-1 ''up to 10 m range'' ''Bluetooth® 4.0 & 3.0'' ''Full-speed USB 2.0 interface'' |EU |7,05€ |2022-03 |none |- | | | | | | |} ==Bluetooth Headphones== {| class="wikitable" |+Noise Cancelling Over Ear !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Sony |WH-1000XM4 |EU |250€ |2022-03 |none |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} ===Noise Cancelling In-Ear=== ===Over-Ear=== ===In-Ear=== ==Mainboard== ===AMD=== ====AM3==== {| class="wikitable" |+AM4 !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |MSI |B550 MAG Tomahawk |EU |140€ |2022-03 |Fan control not working out of the box. Requires [https://github.com/Fred78290/nct6687d kernel module]. For Arch: Module is available in the [https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/nct6687d-dkms-git AUR]. |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} ===Intel=== ====Sandy Bridge==== ==Printer/Scanner== {| class="wikitable" |+Combined devices !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Samsung |SCX-4200R | | |2022-03 |None |- |Brother |MFC L2712DN | | | |Driver not included in kernel - needs downloading. Available in AUR and from official website in .deb and .rpm. Scanning into computer from device (via menu on the device itself) is supported, but it is recommended to modify scripts in installation folder to your liking. |- | | | | | | |} {| class="wikitable" |+Printer !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} {| class="wikitable" |+Scanner !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} == Mice == {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !What works !Untested !Sensor !Extra Buttons !Tweaking Steps |- |Steel Series |Rival 300 | | | |DPI, static RGB |RGB settings in Linux |flawless |3 |Boot Windows (for example in a VM + pass through the mouse) and set settings there |- | | | | | | | | | | |- | | | | | | | | | | |} == USB audio converter == {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Sharkoon |Gaming DAC Pro S V2 |EU |30€ |2022-03 |None |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} == Microphones == {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Samson |Meteor Mic |EU |45€ |2022-03 |None |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} bac5a630ed41316c0783f945a8eced372ceaf79f 975 974 2022-05-19T21:41:49Z Slouchy 1 /* Mice */ Added SS Rival 100 wikitext text/x-wiki An extensive list of hardware that is known to work. If the device requires tweaking, please mention the tweaking steps. The criteria are not as strict as in the [[Hardware Recommendations|hardware recommendations]] list, but all mentioned hardware should still be somewhat "worthy" for a gaming PC. We really don't need 20 years old Bluetooth sticks, even if they work out of the box. If possible, also add a price and a timestamp in the form YYYY-MM. ==GPUs== {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |AMD |RX 5700XT | | |2022-03 |none |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | |} ==WiFi Sticks== ===2.4Ghz=== ===5Ghz=== ==Bluetooth Sticks== {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Mpow |Bluetooth 5.1 USB-Adapter | | | |none |- |DIGITUS |DN-30210-1 ''up to 10 m range'' ''Bluetooth® 4.0 & 3.0'' ''Full-speed USB 2.0 interface'' |EU |7,05€ |2022-03 |none |- | | | | | | |} ==Bluetooth Headphones== {| class="wikitable" |+Noise Cancelling Over Ear !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Sony |WH-1000XM4 |EU |250€ |2022-03 |none |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} ===Noise Cancelling In-Ear=== ===Over-Ear=== ===In-Ear=== ==Mainboard== ===AMD=== ====AM3==== {| class="wikitable" |+AM4 !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |MSI |B550 MAG Tomahawk |EU |140€ |2022-03 |Fan control not working out of the box. Requires [https://github.com/Fred78290/nct6687d kernel module]. For Arch: Module is available in the [https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/nct6687d-dkms-git AUR]. |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} ===Intel=== ====Sandy Bridge==== ==Printer/Scanner== {| class="wikitable" |+Combined devices !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Samsung |SCX-4200R | | |2022-03 |None |- |Brother |MFC L2712DN | | | |Driver not included in kernel - needs downloading. Available in AUR and from official website in .deb and .rpm. Scanning into computer from device (via menu on the device itself) is supported, but it is recommended to modify scripts in installation folder to your liking. |- | | | | | | |} {| class="wikitable" |+Printer !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} {| class="wikitable" |+Scanner !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} == Mice == {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !What works !Untested !Sensor !Extra Buttons !Tweaking Steps |- |Steel Series |Rival 300 | | | |DPI, static RGB |RGB settings in Linux |flawless |3 |Boot Windows (for example in a VM + pass through the mouse) and set settings there or use rivalcfg<ref name=":0">https://github.com/flozz/rivalcfg</ref> natively on linux |- |Steel Series |Rival 100 | | | |DPI, RGB (openRGB recommended) | |flawless |3 |Config available through rivalcfg<ref name=":0" /> (including setting RGB color and mode) |- | | | | | | | | | | |} == USB audio converter == {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Sharkoon |Gaming DAC Pro S V2 |EU |30€ |2022-03 |None |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} == Microphones == {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Samson |Meteor Mic |EU |45€ |2022-03 |None |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} 6e04bc241c7a58b54853f4ef6b843cc0a0fe0350 0 1 978 891 2022-05-20T09:15:22Z Duzda 13 added itch.io description wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Reshade]] - Tool to change colors in your games. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. 81fad2873e9556d0938b036e573dffa3704cd740 979 978 2022-05-20T09:17:14Z Duzda 13 edited reshade description wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Reshade]] - Tool to add post processing to your games. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. 377512d6692452b0fb58201625f36edb68674eb7 991 979 2022-05-20T23:42:15Z Linuxgamingcentral 15 Added LGC as an external link wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Reshade]] - Tool to add post processing to your games. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. d8e46f62f16c40c51e310c372165b4d62f4d9b65 0 51 980 642 2022-05-20T09:21:15Z Duzda 13 added wowup wikitext text/x-wiki *[https://github.com/Lahvuun/sekirofpsunlock sekirofpsunlock] - Unlock FPS for Sekiro *[https://github.com/WowUp/WowUp WoWUp] - World of Warcraft addon updater 6ef5408c2898c1b9503a9e87ccabbedf51b1ac06 982 980 2022-05-20T09:38:47Z Duzda 13 added Vortex wikitext text/x-wiki *[https://github.com/Lahvuun/sekirofpsunlock sekirofpsunlock] - Unlock FPS for Sekiro *[https://github.com/WowUp/WowUp WoWUp] - World of Warcraft addon updater *[[Vortex]] - Client app for [https://www.nexusmods.com Nexus] 7d841ca121c3e11f3b803ec52b8077f876b4d488 988 982 2022-05-20T11:28:44Z Duzda 13 Added modding Bethesda games wikitext text/x-wiki === Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice === * [https://github.com/Lahvuun/sekirofpsunlock sekirofpsunlock] - Unlock FPS for Sekiro === World of Warcraft === * [https://github.com/WowUp/WowUp WoWUp] - World of Warcraft addon updater === Bethesda Games === ==== The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind ==== * Use [https://openmw.org/downloads OpenMW] and follow this awesome [https://modding-openmw.com wiki]. ==== Skyrim:SE / Fallout 4 ==== Please read through this whole section thoroughly as it's very easy to miss some step! ===== Game specific tweaks ===== * If you're experience sound issues, try to add this line to launch options: WINEDLLOVERRIDES=”xaudio2_7=n,b” PULSE_LATENCY_MSEC=90 %command% * If you're modding Fallout, you also need to enable modding, to do this, go to ".../SteamLibrary/steamapps/compatdata/377160/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/Documents/My Games/Fallout4/" and edit Fallout4.ini and in the [Archive] section add these two lines below. <nowiki>bInvalidateOlderFiles=1</nowiki> <nowiki>sResourceDataDirsFinal=</nowiki> * Whenever you need to edit any config file, make sure to edit the files ".../SteamLibrary/steamapps/compatdata/377160/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/Documents/My Games/Fallout4/", or ".../SteamLibrary/steamapps/compatdata/489830/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/My Documents/My Games/Skyrim Special Edition/" for Skyrim, as these are the only ones that are being used by the game ===== ProtonGE ===== * Download [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom ProtonGE] * Install as described on their [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/wiki wiki] ===== Script Extender ===== [[File:Screenshot 2022-05-20-13-12-12.png|thumb|Example of Skyrim directory after adding SKSE]] * Grab script extender 7z File for [https://skse.silverlock.org Skyrim] or [https://f4se.silverlock.org Fallout]. DOWNLOAD ANNIVERSARY EDITION FOR SKYRIM SPECIAL EDITION EVEN IF YOU DO NOT HAVE ANNIVERSARY EDITION DLC! * Extract the contents of the newly downloaded file * Copy the contents of the script extender to the game folder ".../SteamLibrary/steamapps/common/Skyrim Special Edition/" * Rename SkyrimSELauncher.exe to SkyrimSELauncher.exe.old * Rename skse64_loader.exe to SkyrimSELauncher.exe ===== Adding Mods ===== [[File:Screenshot 2022-05-20-12-41-18.png|thumb|Vortex: Manually adding game]] * Grab [[Vortex]] from [[Lutris]] * Run Vortex and make sure to login with your account * In the games section you should be able to view your already installed games, if not, make sure to manually add them by clicking on the Supported section and manually setting the location, the location should be something like "Z:\...\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\Skyrim Special Edition" * The newly added game should managed, if not make sure to click on Activate in Manage section * Grab your favorite mods from [https://www.nexusmods.com/ Nexusmods], use manual download, as mod manager download doesn't work, I highly recommend creating a new folder for example Skyrim Mods, for your new downloads. * Drag'n'drop your mods into the Vortex' Mods Section [[File:Screenshot 2022-05-20-13-19-192.png|thumb|Mod ready to be installed and enabled]] * Make sure to click on Install and Enable * Vortex should automatically deploy all your mods, once you're done, close Vortex and do not forget the last step! * Now, all that's required is to copy plugin list from Vortex to the game's folder, you can do this by running this script with the correct path to your libraries (I highly recommend you to write a script for this task) cp ".../LutrisLibrary/vortex-mod-manager/drive_c/users/david/Local Settings/Application Data/Skyrim Special Edition/plugins.txt" ".../SteamLibrary/steamapps/compatdata/489830/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/Local Settings/Application Data/Skyrim Special Edition/plugins.txt" or for Fallout: cp ".../LutrisLibrary/vortex-mod-manager/drive_c/users/david/Local Settings/Application Data/Fallout4/plugins.txt" ".../SteamLibrary/steamapps/compatdata/377160/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/Local Settings/Application Data/Fallout4/plugins.txt" 12efc47627f19d6f8d696f2aa4bfc0711bb9f60f 989 988 2022-05-20T11:34:17Z Duzda 13 username change wikitext text/x-wiki === Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice === * [https://github.com/Lahvuun/sekirofpsunlock sekirofpsunlock] - Unlock FPS for Sekiro === World of Warcraft === * [https://github.com/WowUp/WowUp WoWUp] - World of Warcraft addon updater === Bethesda Games === ==== The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind ==== * Use [https://openmw.org/downloads OpenMW] and follow this awesome [https://modding-openmw.com wiki]. ==== Skyrim:SE / Fallout 4 ==== Please read through this whole section thoroughly as it's very easy to miss some step! ===== Game specific tweaks ===== * If you're experience sound issues, try to add this line to launch options: WINEDLLOVERRIDES=”xaudio2_7=n,b” PULSE_LATENCY_MSEC=90 %command% * If you're modding Fallout, you also need to enable modding, to do this, go to ".../SteamLibrary/steamapps/compatdata/377160/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/Documents/My Games/Fallout4/" and edit Fallout4.ini and in the [Archive] section add these two lines below. <nowiki>bInvalidateOlderFiles=1</nowiki> <nowiki>sResourceDataDirsFinal=</nowiki> * Whenever you need to edit any config file, make sure to edit the files ".../SteamLibrary/steamapps/compatdata/377160/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/Documents/My Games/Fallout4/", or ".../SteamLibrary/steamapps/compatdata/489830/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/My Documents/My Games/Skyrim Special Edition/" for Skyrim, as these are the only ones that are being used by the game ===== ProtonGE ===== * Download [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom ProtonGE] * Install as described on their [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/wiki wiki] ===== Script Extender ===== [[File:Screenshot 2022-05-20-13-12-12.png|thumb|Example of Skyrim directory after adding SKSE]] * Grab script extender 7z File for [https://skse.silverlock.org Skyrim] or [https://f4se.silverlock.org Fallout]. DOWNLOAD ANNIVERSARY EDITION FOR SKYRIM SPECIAL EDITION EVEN IF YOU DO NOT HAVE ANNIVERSARY EDITION DLC! * Extract the contents of the newly downloaded file * Copy the contents of the script extender to the game folder ".../SteamLibrary/steamapps/common/Skyrim Special Edition/" * Rename SkyrimSELauncher.exe to SkyrimSELauncher.exe.old * Rename skse64_loader.exe to SkyrimSELauncher.exe ===== Adding Mods ===== [[File:Screenshot 2022-05-20-12-41-18.png|thumb|Vortex: Manually adding game]] * Grab [[Vortex]] from [[Lutris]] * Run Vortex and make sure to login with your account * In the games section you should be able to view your already installed games, if not, make sure to manually add them by clicking on the Supported section and manually setting the location, the location should be something like "Z:\...\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\Skyrim Special Edition" * The newly added game should managed, if not make sure to click on Activate in Manage section * Grab your favorite mods from [https://www.nexusmods.com/ Nexusmods], use manual download, as mod manager download doesn't work, I highly recommend creating a new folder for example Skyrim Mods, for your new downloads. * Drag'n'drop your mods into the Vortex' Mods Section [[File:Screenshot 2022-05-20-13-19-192.png|thumb|Mod ready to be installed and enabled]] * Make sure to click on Install and Enable * Vortex should automatically deploy all your mods, once you're done, close Vortex and do not forget the last step! * Now, all that's required is to copy plugin list from Vortex to the game's folder, you can do this by running this script with the correct path to your libraries (I highly recommend you to write a script for this task) cp ".../LutrisLibrary/vortex-mod-manager/drive_c/users/yourusername/Local Settings/Application Data/Skyrim Special Edition/plugins.txt" ".../SteamLibrary/steamapps/compatdata/489830/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/Local Settings/Application Data/Skyrim Special Edition/plugins.txt" or for Fallout: cp ".../LutrisLibrary/vortex-mod-manager/drive_c/users/yourusername/Local Settings/Application Data/Fallout4/plugins.txt" ".../SteamLibrary/steamapps/compatdata/377160/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/Local Settings/Application Data/Fallout4/plugins.txt" d8da8d484c8745e0a1f47771def176d012b20774 0 12 981 25 2022-05-20T09:28:01Z Duzda 13 OpenMW IS SUPERIOR wikitext text/x-wiki {{Needs work|Problem=This page is heavily outdated}} = Source Ports = This is a list of proprietary (typically commercial) games which have Free Software/open source engines available. There are a number of such games with source code available for their engines, which can be useful for a variety of reasons, including porting to new platforms, bug fixes, new features or improved performance. Many games are only available on Linux thanks to source code releases which have enabled fans to port them when some developers wouldn't do so themselves. '''3D Realms:''' Duke Nukem 3D - ftp://ftp.3drealms.com/source/duke3dsource.zip - Most notable project is eDuke32 (http://www.eduke32.com/). Rise of the Triad - ftp://ftp.3drealms.com/source/rottsource.zip - An updated and cross platform version is available (https://icculus.org/rott/) '''Arkane Studios:''' Arx Fatalis - http://download.zenimax.com/arxfatalis/other/ArxFatalis_1.21_Sources.zip - Arx Libtertatis is a project aimed at bug fixes, new OS and platform support and also modding support, which can be found here: http://arx-libertatis.org/ '''Bit-Blot:''' Aquaria - Source was released as part of the original Humble Indie Bundle. Community has actually been producing updated engine builds for some time (including Linux versions). Original repository here: https://hg.icculus.org/icculus/aquaria/ More info here: http://infiniteammo.ca/blog/aquaria-source-released/ and here: http://blog.wolfire.com/2010/06/Aquaria-goes-open-source Community builds can be found here: http://www.bit-blot.com/forum/index.php?topic=4313.0 Source: https://github.com/fgenesis/Aquaria_clean '''Bungie:''' Marathon series - Aleph One - http://marathon.sourceforge.net/ - Plays all three of the Marathon games. Also has support for mods and stand alone campaigns. '''Cryptic Sea''' Gish - http://www.crypticsea.com/download/gishsource153.zip - Source released as part of the original Humble Indie Bundle. Freegish provides an updated engine as well as a few levels of its own, entirely free content - https://github.com/freegish/freegish '''id Software:''' The Quake series, Doom series (including Doom 3: BFG Edition) and Wolfenstein (up to Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory) series all have source available at ftp://ftp.idsoftware.com/idstuff/source/ &amp; https://github.com/id-Software. There are numerous projects providing new ports, new features and bug fixes for these titles. Most notable are: * Doom series - Chocolate Doom (http://www.chocolate-doom.org/wiki/index.php/Chocolate_Doom), zDoom (http://zdoom.org/News) &amp; Doom Legacy (http://doomlegacy.sourceforge.net/) * Quake series - Darkplaces (https://icculus.org/twilight/darkplaces/), Yamagi Quake2 (http://www.yamagi.org/quake2/) and ioQuake3 (http://ioquake3.org/) * Doom 3 - ioDoom3 (http://github.com/iodoom/iod3), RBDoom3 (https://github.com/RobertBeckebans/RBDOOM-3-BFG) &amp; Dhewm3 (https://github.com/dhewm/dhewm3) * Return to Castle Wolfenstein - iortcw (https://github.com/iortcw/iortcw) and rtcwcoop (http://www.rtcwcoop.com/) for added online co-op * Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory - ET:Legacy (http://www.etlegacy.com/). In particular ET:Legacy could probably do with some help, as well as rtcwcoop. '''Frictional Games:''' Penumbra: Overture - https://github.com/FrictionalGames - Code for the Overture engine, including the source for the early, free Penumbra tech demo. More information on the release can be found here: http://frictionalgames.blogspot.co.uk/2010/05/penumbra-overture-goes-open-source.html '''Frozenbyte:''' * Shadowgrounds + Shadowgrounds: Survivor - http://frozenbyte.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=3597 - Updated source available (https://github.com/vayerx/shadowgrounds), cannot say what improvements or fixes have been applied overall. * Jack Claw - https://github.com/Frozenbyte/Jack-Claw - Abandoned prototype that was released and open sourced as part of the Humble Frozenbyte Bundle. Intended to be a game taken on by the community, but never seemed to gain traction. Could do with a serious revival. '''LucasArts:''' Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy + Jedi Outcast - see OpenJK for a project aimed at more general improvements and fixes - https://github.com/Razish/OpenJK For a quick 'n' dirty Linux port, see https://github.com/xLAva/JediAcademyLinux '''Parallax Studios:''' Descent 1 + 2 - Source released under a non-commercial license. See DXX-Rebirth - http://www.dxx-rebirth.com/ '''Raven Software:''' Hexen &amp; Heretic - http://sourceforge.net/projects/heretic/ - Both can be played by Zdoom (http://www.zdoom.org/) or Chocolate Doom (http://www.chocolate-doom.org/wiki/index.php/Chocolate_Doom) Hexen II + Portals of Praevus + HexenWorld - http://www.fileplanet.com/51987/50000/fileinfo/Hexen-2-Source-Code - Significantly updated and cross platform version available from Hammer of Thyrion/uHexen2 project (http://uhexen2.sourceforge.net/) '''Rebellion''' Aliens vs Predator - Released under a non-commerical license. Updated source available from here: https://icculus.org/avp/ '''Sir-Tech Canada:''' Jagged Alliance 2 - The source code was released by Strategy First-Inc. in 2004 under the Source Code License Agreement (CFI-SCLA). There are 3 notable projects, which are: * JA2-Stracciatella http://tron.homeunix.org/ja2/ - This project has been defunct since 2010. The project is now superseded by... * JA2-Stracciatella Continued - https://bitbucket.org/gennady/ja2-stracciatella - Includes the expected bug fixes since the 2010 version, as well as some new features like high resolution support * JA2 v1.13 - http://ja2v113.pbworks.com/w/page/4218339/FrontPage - Includes many new features as well as vastly improved modding support, allowing the editing of many previously hard coded aspects of the game. For more information on various mods and possibly other engine projects, see The Bear Pits forums (http://www.ja-galaxy-forum.com/board/ubbthreads.php). '''Volition:''' Freespace 2 - https://icculus.org/freespace2/ - FreeSpace 2 source code project has been working on this for years, with many new features and enhancements. The engine is under a non-commercial license however - http://scp.indiegames.us/ Also of note is Diaspora: Shattered Armistice, a Free Culture, community made Battlestar Galactica game using the engine, complete with voice acting. '''Wolfire:''' Lugaru - https://hg.icculus.org/icculus/lugaru/ - Art assets are also under a non-commercial license. More info here: http://blog.wolfire.com/2010/05/Lugaru-goes-open-source Info on some of the first projects that sprung up here: http://blog.wolfire.com/2010/05/Zero-day-open-source-contributions == Engine Projects == These are for games with no official source release - these are games which had to be reverse engineered, source was discovered and unofficially released or otherwise: '''Activision''' Zork: Grand Inquisitor - ZEngine - https://github.com/marisa-chan/Zengine '''Bethesda Game Studios''' Elder Scrollls III: Morrowind - OpenMW - https://openmw.org/en/ - Newer a less buggy engine for TES3:Morrowind, comes with many graphical enhancements and improved performance. '''Bioware''' Baldurs Gate and Planescape series - GemRB - http://www.gemrb.org/ '''Blizzard''' Diablo - Freeablo - https://github.com/wheybags/freeablo - Currently incomplete, still active at time of writing. '''Bullfrog''' Theme Hospital - https://code.google.com/p/corsix-th/ - source: https://github.com/CorsixTH - CorsixTH is not quite feature complete, but the game is largely playable. '''Century Interactive''' Bermuda Syndrome - http://cyxdown.free.fr/bs/ - Re-implementation of the engine behind Bermuda Syndrome. '''Chris Sawyer''' Rollercoaster Tycoon 2 - https://openrct2.org/ - Adds multiplayer co-op amongst many other new features and improvements. '''Core Design''' Tomb Raider series - There are several projects aimed at re-implementing the original Tomb Raider series: * OpenRaider - https://github.com/xythobuz/OpenRaider - Revived after previously being abandoned in 2003. Already has an OpenGL3 renderer and SDL2 support for gamepads. Inactive/Defunt * OpenTomb - https://opentomb.github.io/ - Works with the first 4 Tomb Raider games. Playable but not complete. * OpenLara - https://github.com/XProger/OpenLara - Mostly focused on support for the first Tomb Raider, playable. '''Ensemble Studios''' Age of Empires II - OpenAage - http://openage.sft.mx/ - Primarily aimed at Linux users, Also compatible with HD remake version. '''Interplay Entertainment''' Heart of the Alien - Heart of the Alien Redux - http://hota.sourceforge.net/ - Sequel to Another World Fallout 2 - Falltergeist - https://github.com/falltergeist/falltergeist '''Konami''' Metal Gear Solid: Integral - https://github.com/paulsapps/msgi - Reverse engineering project for the PC port of Metal Gear Solid with cross platform support planned '''Looking Glass Studios''' Thief 1 + 2 - OpenDarkEngine - https://github.com/volca02/openDarkEngine - Previously stalled due to lack of developer time (http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=102289&p=2121201&viewfull=1#post2121201). As of April 2014 the project has been revived by the original developer and is now hosted at Github [http://sourceforge.net/projects/opde/ instead of SourceForge]. '''LucasArts''' Grim Fandango - ResidualVM - http://www.residualvm.org/ - re-implementation of Grim Fandango. including new platform support, bug fixes and even mod support (allows for replacing of of game data like textures and models). It will likely work better than the original version on Windows too (it's infamously prone to crashing). Star Wars Episode I: Racer - OpenSWE1R - https://openswe1r.github.io/ - Part emulation and part re-implementation project. '''Micropose''' X-COM/UFO: Enemy Unknown - OpenXcom - http://openxcom.org/ '''New World Computing''' Heroes of Might and Magic II - Free Heroes2 engine - http://sourceforge.net/projects/fheroes2/ Heroes of Might and Magic III - VCMI Project - http://forum.vcmi.eu/ '''Origin''' Ultima VII + Expansions - http://exult.sourceforge.net Ultima 8 - http://pentagram.sourceforge.net/ - Game can apparently be completed, though there may be issues and missing features. According to the FAQ, they also want to add support for Crusader: No Remorse and Crusader: No Regret. '''Pixel''' Cave Story - NXEngine - http://nxengine.sourceforge.net/ - Refers to itself as a clone/rewrite. Supports ARM processors. '''Raven Software''' Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force - http://thilo.kickchat.com/efport-progress/ - Extended from ioQuake3, sadly multiplayer only '''Rockstar''' GTA III - OpenRW - https://github.com/rwengine/openrw - as of September 2016 a few missions are completable but no melee and no civilian collisions. '''Westwood Studios''' Command &amp; Conquer Series - OpenRA - http://openra.res0l.net/ - A re-implementation of the Red Alert engine - plays original C&amp;C and Red Alert. I'm not sure about expansions. Source: https://github.com/OpenRA/OpenRA Dune II - Dune Legacy - http://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/dunelegacy/ - Re-implements Dune II engine, with some gameplay differences compared to the original. '''Titus Interactive''' Titus the Fox - OpenTitus - https://github.com/stople/OpenTitus '''Xatrix Entertainment''' Redneck Rampage series - erampage - https://github.com/ttyborg/erampage - Extended from eDuke32, requires building from source for Linux version. '''Zombie LLC''' Zork Nemeis - ZEngine - https://github.com/marisa-chan/Zengine '''Various''' ScummVM - http://www.scummvm.org/ - Re-implements a large range of game engines, primarily for &quot;point and click&quot; adventure games, including many LucasArts and Sierra classics. XLEngine - http://xlengine.com/ - Re-implements various engines to support and improve certain older games. The supported list currently includes TES II: Daggerfall, Blood, Star Wars: Dark Forces and Outlaws. Xoreos - http://xoreos.org/ - Re-implementation of the Aurora engine by BioWare. The project currently aims to support: * Neverwinter Nights + Neverwinter Nights 2 * Star Wars: Nights of the Old Republic I + II * Jade Empire * Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood * The Witcher * Dragon Age: Origins + 2 == FAQ == '''What is a game engine?''' The software that drives pretty much everything you can see and do in a game. It's the code that handles input, display, rendering (graphics), AI, sound etc. It is usually created so that several or many games can be made with the same engine. '''What is source code?''' The human readable instructions that define any computer program, typically written in a programming language like C or C++ which are then compiled. If you wanted to make changes to a game engine, in the vast majority of cases it is easier if you have access to the source code. Modding communities, particularly ones that try to update or add new features to an older game, may require significant reverse engineering or hacks that are less likely to be maintainable over a long period of time if no engine source code is available. '''Why is having the source code to a game important?''' There are many reasons, including but not limited to: Community improvement of a game or its engine - from improved visuals to support for more platforms, as well as entirely new features in some cases. Cultural preservation - Can allow games to be updated so that they can continue to be played, or be better preserved, particularly for use in museums and libraries.  Cultural independence - Allows us to not be dependent on the will of commercial entities to continue to be able to play our games, or to improve and remix them without waiting on some timely &quot;HD&quot; edition or similar. Particularly true for niche and/or very old games, and instances when developers or publishers go bust and the copyright and trademarks become difficult or impossible to trace. Such a situation happened to System Shock 2 where for many years new copies of the game simply could not be sold, and was only available second hand or through piracy until it recently became available on GOG and Steam. For every SS2, there are many more games that simply get forgotten or become unplayable. Having source code can benefit developers too. John Carmack has stated that the port of Doom to iPhone likely would not have been possible were it not for the engine being GPL'd (http://www.bethblog.com/2009/11/05/john-carmack-on-doom-classic-development-fan-questions/). Not only has the engine been publicly preserved, the many updated and improved variations of the doom engine meant he had many options to turn to as a basis for the iPhone port, making it commercially viable. '''How do I make use of a source port?''' Most source ports do not provide the game data (models, textures, audio etc.), as most developers do not release that for free. You will typically still need to have your copy of the original game for that data or you will need to buy the game. For where you need to put that data so the source port will see it, check that projects documentation or ask someone. Also, some source ports may not provide Linux binaries, but are still compatible and will compile on Linux. Once again, check that projects documentation or ask someone. '''Where can I get X game?''' Second hand may be preferable as some games are cheaper that way than they are buying &quot;new&quot; from places like GOG or Steam. If you really feel you have to buy first hand, I would recommend GOG over Steam should a game be available on both. GOG gives you DRM free access to downloads of the installers straight from your browser, allowing you to extract the data immediately or install via Wine and copy the data that way. With Steam, it will not let you install games that do not have official support for your OS, meaning you will need to go through the pain of setting up and logging in to Steam via Wine, which may be unreliable or require you to log out of your Linux Steam client. 6dc8e095eb0a5d221823a2be5735f252ef99f415 0 56 983 2022-05-20T10:30:36Z Duzda 13 added Vortex page wikitext text/x-wiki Client app for [https://www.nexusmods.com Nexusmods] == Installation == Installable via [https://lutris.net/games/vortex-mod-manager Lutris], Please make sure to read the notes. 2fb58cf3215fa01774b785f1aacaa5c3ca1fdee0 6 57 984 2022-05-20T10:44:47Z Duzda 13 wikitext text/x-wiki Vortex, preview of how to manually add game 378280746b8b24d2baa033b1ee1e7990285c4c6e 6 58 985 2022-05-20T11:13:01Z Duzda 13 wikitext text/x-wiki Skyrim folder after adding skse 1d21a59d5d6c60ebd099ebdbf09aceb7c9ab5a95 6 59 986 2022-05-20T11:19:50Z Duzda 13 wikitext text/x-wiki Mod ready to be installed and enabled 0060815d63ff837104c8f7028aac9dc35b74f2cc 6 60 987 2022-05-20T11:21:46Z Duzda 13 wikitext text/x-wiki Vortex: mod ready to be installed and enabled 9d53fbefac692a9b405035173949625dd16ac115 0 2 990 948 2022-05-20T16:04:24Z DianaLunaXIV 14 Linked to Bottles' github repo instead of non-existent wiki page wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to met a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, but specifically made to be great for gaming. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- |Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- |Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for penetration testing only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. ===Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further=== Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== * Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> f2c28e19425133183ab518a57967be37bf90b431 996 990 2022-05-22T00:51:00Z 107.141.68.106 0 /* Fix mispelling of meet as met */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, but specifically made to be great for gaming. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- |Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- |Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for penetration testing only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. ===Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further=== Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== * Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> a51c38a9d0f02d5d782c9b958b82e0d760f916ad 998 996 2022-05-25T21:18:09Z Aragorn 3 /* Recommendations */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic then others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, but specifically made to be great for gaming. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- |Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- |Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for penetration testing only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. ===Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further=== Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== * Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> a9e09e9765554163c5ac920f77f18b929cb3c889 0 4 992 269 2022-05-20T23:59:32Z Aragorn 3 /* Firefox */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Introduction == Hardware accelerated video makes it possible for the video card to decode/encode video, thus offloading the CPU and saving power. This article gives detail on enabling hardware video acceleration in browsers used in linux. This article details them for Firefox and Chromium, but similar instructions apply to other browsers based on the above two. == Firefox == Firefox currently supports hardware acceleration on both x11 and Wayland. This is tested on Firefox 96 (nightly). The following settings need to be changed in <code>about:config</code>:<syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> media.ffmpeg.vaapi.enabled true gfx.webrender.all true media.ffvpx.enabled false </syntaxhighlight>In addition, while running X11, Firefox should be launched with variable <code>MOZ_X11_EGL=1</code> . Also, users should ensure that vaapi is available by installing/running <code>vainfo</code> in terminal. In cases where GPU only supports h.264 decode, its beneficial to install [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/h264ify/ h.264ify]. What works: # both 30fps/60fps or higher videos play smoothly at resolutions supported by gpu decoder. # CPU usage is significantly reduced while playing videos The problems: # The colour of videos appears washed out. (0,0,0) is mapped to (16,16,16) and (255,255,255) to (235,235,235). [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1726186 Bug 1726186] (Fixed on Firefox 96+!) # Nvidia users out of luck (for now) == Chromium == Chromium also supports hardware acceleration in x11 and Wayland. This too was tested in chromium-dev 97. To enable it, first set <code>chrome://flags/#ignore-gpu-blocklist</code> to <code>disabled</code>. Then launch chromium with the following flags:<syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> --use-gl=desktop --enable-features=VaapiVideoDecoder </syntaxhighlight>In theory, <code>--use-gl=desktop</code> should not be required in Wayland, but the wiki editor couldn't get it to work without it. Also h.264ify will be required as stated above. What works: # both 30fps/60fps or higher videos play smoothly at resolutions supported by GPU decoder, unless Vulkan backend is enabled through flags. However there is little reason to enable it for now # Videos are played color accurately The problems: # CPU usage reduction is minimal. I could not observe significant improvement in reduction of CPU load or improved battery life ( on different machine) despite confirming that hardware video acceleration was working while playing videos # Nvidia users out of luck again === Google chrome and other flavors === Same should work for google chrome (and other chromium-based browsers like Brave, Vivaldi, edge etc.) There is a config file for google chrome located at ''$HOME/.config/chrome-flags.conf'' (if file does not exist, create it), where you can put flags that chrome should start with by default (because starting browser with parameters sometimes can be hard/pain). {{Warning|Problem='''NEEDS SPECIFYING:''' Does this file work for other chromium based browsers and chromium itself?}} $HOME/.config/chrome-flags.conf: <pre> --enable-features=VaapiVideoDecoder --use-gl=desktop </pre> === Nvidia GPUs === For full GPU acceleration with Nvidia GPUs it's required to set 2 additional flags:<syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> --ignore-gpu-blocklist --enable-zero-copy </syntaxhighlight> === Optimizing performance === For better performance it is recommended to set 2 additional flags:<syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> --enable-gpu-rasterization --canvas-oop-rasterization </syntaxhighlight> == Epiphany/Gnome Web == Based on GTKwebkit, it provides another option for users that may be not as powerful as chrome or Firefox, but still fairly usable for modern web. To enable hardware accelerated video, first install <code>gstreamer-vaapi</code> for AMD/Intel GPUs or <code>gst-plugins-bad</code> and <code>nvidia-utils</code> for Nvidia GPUs. Then [[Terminal|run]]:<syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> gsettings set org.gnome.Epiphany.web:/ hardware-acceleration-policy 'always' </syntaxhighlight>What works: # both 30fps/60fps or higher videos play smoothly at resolutions supported by gpu decoder # Videos are color accurate # Works for Nvidia users # Good reduction in CPU usage The problems: # Lack of extensions # No simple way to limit video codec to h.264, hence older GPUs will lack hardware video acceleration in most videos with codecs other than h.264 == Alternatives == VLC and MPV both support proper hardware accelerated video in Linux. They can be set to launch when a video is played in a browser. This can be done in Firefox with [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/open-in-vlc/ Open in vlc] or [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/ff2mpv/ ff2mpv] extension or other similar extensions. Similarly for chromium, [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/play-with-mpv/hahklcmnfgffdlchjigehabfbiigleji Play with MPV] or [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/open-in-vlc-media-player/ihpiinojhnfhpdmmacgmpoonphhimkaj?hl=en Play with VLC] or similar. What works: # CPU utilization better than Firefox and chrome # Videos are played with accurate colors # Works for NVIDIA users The problems: # Many sites with DRM (such as most paid streaming services) and those using custom video players may not work. == Further Reading == * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Hardware_video_acceleration Arch Wiki - Hardware Accelerated Video] - Resource on setting up hardware video acceleration and installing <code>vainfo</code> * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/List_of_applications/Internet#Web_browsers Arch Wiki - Web Browsers] - List of web browsers available in Linux 9e7d912677a178791dd995f50bd3321ac9dd6906 993 992 2022-05-21T00:00:11Z Aragorn 3 /* Introduction */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Introduction == Hardware accelerated video makes it possible for the video card to decode/encode video, thus offloading the CPU and saving power. This article gives detail on enabling hardware video acceleration in browsers used in Linux. This article details them for Firefox and Chromium, but similar instructions apply to other browsers based on the above two. == Firefox == Firefox currently supports hardware acceleration on both x11 and Wayland. This is tested on Firefox 96 (nightly). The following settings need to be changed in <code>about:config</code>:<syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> media.ffmpeg.vaapi.enabled true gfx.webrender.all true media.ffvpx.enabled false </syntaxhighlight>In addition, while running X11, Firefox should be launched with variable <code>MOZ_X11_EGL=1</code> . Also, users should ensure that vaapi is available by installing/running <code>vainfo</code> in terminal. In cases where GPU only supports h.264 decode, its beneficial to install [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/h264ify/ h.264ify]. What works: # both 30fps/60fps or higher videos play smoothly at resolutions supported by GPU decoder. # CPU usage is significantly reduced while playing videos The problems: # The color of videos appears washed out. (0,0,0) is mapped to (16,16,16) and (255,255,255) to (235,235,235). [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1726186 Bug 1726186] (Fixed on Firefox 96+!) # Nvidia users out of luck (for now) == Chromium == Chromium also supports hardware acceleration in x11 and Wayland. This too was tested in chromium-dev 97. To enable it, first set <code>chrome://flags/#ignore-gpu-blocklist</code> to <code>disabled</code>. Then launch chromium with the following flags:<syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> --use-gl=desktop --enable-features=VaapiVideoDecoder </syntaxhighlight>In theory, <code>--use-gl=desktop</code> should not be required in Wayland, but the wiki editor couldn't get it to work without it. Also h.264ify will be required as stated above. What works: # both 30fps/60fps or higher videos play smoothly at resolutions supported by GPU decoder, unless Vulkan backend is enabled through flags. However there is little reason to enable it for now # Videos are played color accurately The problems: # CPU usage reduction is minimal. I could not observe significant improvement in reduction of CPU load or improved battery life ( on different machine) despite confirming that hardware video acceleration was working while playing videos # Nvidia users out of luck again === Google chrome and other flavors === Same should work for google chrome (and other chromium-based browsers like Brave, Vivaldi, edge etc.) There is a config file for google chrome located at ''$HOME/.config/chrome-flags.conf'' (if file does not exist, create it), where you can put flags that chrome should start with by default (because starting browser with parameters sometimes can be hard/pain). {{Warning|Problem='''NEEDS SPECIFYING:''' Does this file work for other chromium based browsers and chromium itself?}} $HOME/.config/chrome-flags.conf: <pre> --enable-features=VaapiVideoDecoder --use-gl=desktop </pre> === Nvidia GPUs === For full GPU acceleration with Nvidia GPUs it's required to set 2 additional flags:<syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> --ignore-gpu-blocklist --enable-zero-copy </syntaxhighlight> === Optimizing performance === For better performance it is recommended to set 2 additional flags:<syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> --enable-gpu-rasterization --canvas-oop-rasterization </syntaxhighlight> == Epiphany/Gnome Web == Based on GTKwebkit, it provides another option for users that may be not as powerful as chrome or Firefox, but still fairly usable for modern web. To enable hardware accelerated video, first install <code>gstreamer-vaapi</code> for AMD/Intel GPUs or <code>gst-plugins-bad</code> and <code>nvidia-utils</code> for Nvidia GPUs. Then [[Terminal|run]]:<syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> gsettings set org.gnome.Epiphany.web:/ hardware-acceleration-policy 'always' </syntaxhighlight>What works: # both 30fps/60fps or higher videos play smoothly at resolutions supported by gpu decoder # Videos are color accurate # Works for Nvidia users # Good reduction in CPU usage The problems: # Lack of extensions # No simple way to limit video codec to h.264, hence older GPUs will lack hardware video acceleration in most videos with codecs other than h.264 == Alternatives == VLC and MPV both support proper hardware accelerated video in Linux. They can be set to launch when a video is played in a browser. This can be done in Firefox with [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/open-in-vlc/ Open in vlc] or [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/ff2mpv/ ff2mpv] extension or other similar extensions. Similarly for chromium, [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/play-with-mpv/hahklcmnfgffdlchjigehabfbiigleji Play with MPV] or [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/open-in-vlc-media-player/ihpiinojhnfhpdmmacgmpoonphhimkaj?hl=en Play with VLC] or similar. What works: # CPU utilization better than Firefox and chrome # Videos are played with accurate colors # Works for NVIDIA users The problems: # Many sites with DRM (such as most paid streaming services) and those using custom video players may not work. == Further Reading == * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Hardware_video_acceleration Arch Wiki - Hardware Accelerated Video] - Resource on setting up hardware video acceleration and installing <code>vainfo</code> * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/List_of_applications/Internet#Web_browsers Arch Wiki - Web Browsers] - List of web browsers available in Linux 34741cd3ae6c7b961b93901ff10aa3b1f36a2a8d 0 53 995 771 2022-05-21T21:59:46Z Aragorn 3 /* Games */ wikitext text/x-wiki So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exe) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. Wine will create a windows environment, with c drive, task manager and everything else. == Games == For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For Epic games and GOG you can use [[Heroic]] (or Lutris). For other programs, [[Bottles]] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb] for Steam games, and [https://appdb.winehq.org winehq appdb] for compatibility with all other games. While it is possible to use the existing game library on an NTFS drive, it is not recommended due to compatibility issues. It might work, but you could run into weird problems. == Other Software == You can find all kinds of programs in the wine [https://appdb.winehq.org/ AppDB]. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. But usually you will not need it if you don't want to spend money. ==Manually running wine== You typically would not want to do this, this is just for educational purpose. First, let's install Wine.<pre>sudo apt install wine</pre>On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you would open a terminal and type (credit to [[U/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running):<pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> ==DXVK/D9VK/Gallium Nine/VKD3D== What are DXVK/D9VK/VK9/Gallium Nine? I'll let the projects explain themselves: [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D11, D3D10, and now D3D9, implementation for Linux / Wine [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK]: Used to be separate from DXVK, but now they are one project. Kept separate on this page for searching. [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[U/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan. Still in its early stages, but is already capable of running most games. Okay, but what does that mean? Direct3D (the graphical part of the DirectX API) is what most Windows game built after ~2000 use. You don't really need to know any technically details about it other than the fact that it's a Windows' only API. For the longest time, one of the biggest bottle necks for gaming on Linux was translating the Direct3D calls to OpenGL (a cross platform graphical API that works on Linux/most other OSes). All of these projects attempt to translate Direct3D calls to something that Linux understands. As far as I'm aware, the most used one is DXVK. Proton and [[Lutris]] both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. Using these technologies you can get very good performance, sometimes even better than on Windows! Cyberpunk 2077 for example gets 40% more FPS in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_d_5MWPfQ this video]. Note, that this is not true for all games, though. Some games still run with less FPS, in general you can expect about the same performance. Also note, that this is not the default experience, but a heavily [[Improving performance|optimized Linux install]]. Your default experience will be worse. 747a816090eac67c50276f70b41a9c9b2964e1f9 0 41 999 935 2022-05-28T18:28:38Z Aragorn 3 /* DLL overrides */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game mods modify games in some way. A good source for mods is https://www.nexusmods.com. Sometimes they work in the same way as on Windows, but that's not always the case. [[Reshade]] is an example for a modding tool. == Mod Manager == Mod managers that are not native will not set dll overrides. If the installed mod uses dlls, you have to [[Modding#DLL overrides|set the overrides manually]]. === Install mod managers with Wine === You can try installing mod Managers from [[Lutris]], if there is an install script. For example there are scripts (for older versions of) Vortex and NMM. Otherwise, you can try installing them in the same wine prefix. You could do this for example in the following way: * Copy the executable into the wine prefix of your game: <code>~/Games/<your_game>/drive_c/users/<your_name>/Downloads/</code> * In Lutris, click your game, then click on the arrow next to the wine bottle on the bottom of the window. Click <code>Run EXE inside Wine prefix</code> * Locate the exe, and run it. * If it works, you can locate the executable of the installed mod manager, and run it in this way. Otherwise, you can also create a new "game" in the same wine prefix and select the executable there. TODO: describe how. === Install mod managers in a VM === If a mod manager is not working well with wine, you can install Windows in VirtualBox, share your game folder with the VM, and install the mod manager inside the VM. You need to install the guest additions for it to work. The folder will be mounted as network drive Z. This will not work with every mod manager and every mod. For example it will not work with MO2 (however, MO2 is working in Wine<ref>https://github.com/Modorganizer2/modorganizer/issues/372</ref>). If you want to mod a Linux native game, you can try creating a fake .exe in order for the mod manager to detect the game. In more detail: # Install the game on Linux, for example with Lutris, Heroic, or Steam. # Install Windows in a VM # Share the game folder with the Windows VM # Install a mod manager in the Windows VM # Use the mod manager to install a mod # Play the game that is now modded (on Linux, without VM) Optional: Disable internet access for the VM, and enable drag/drop to copy files easily to the VM. This way, Windows can not send telemetry data, or do unnecessary updates that just take space and processing time. You might even use older (and lighter) versions like Windows 7 if the mod manager is compatible. In this case, you will have to manually download mods, though. == Manual Installation == === DLL overrides === More info on [https://wiki.winehq.org/Wine_User%27s_Guide#DLL_Overrides winehq]. The game can either use ''native'' dlls that come with the game, or use ''builtin'' dlls that come with wine. It (sometimes?/usually?) uses only the ''builtin'' dlls. On Windows, the game would do it the other way around, and first use ''all'' dlls in the game directory, and only if the dll is not there, look somewhere else. Now if you put a different dll from a mod inside the game directory, this will not (not always?) work. That's why you have to tell wine, that it should use the dll from the mod. ==== Example ==== For example, if you want to tell wine to use the ''d3dcompiler_47.dll'' that's in your game folder, and only use the builtin dll if it can't find any dll in the game folder, you would do the following: Open Lutris, click your game, on the bottom, click the up-arrow right next to the wine bottle icon, click <code>Wine configuration</code>, click <code>Libraries</code>, and *insert the name of the dll (without the .dll) <code>d3dcompiler_47</code> in the text box under <code>New override for library</code>. *select it in the list, click <code>Edit</code> and select <code>native, then builtin</code> Alternatively, you could also set <code>WINEDLLOVERRIDES="d3dcompiler_47=n,b"</code> as an [[Environment variables|environment variable]]. === Path names === Linux paths are case sensitive, while Windows paths are not. This leads to mod developers using different folder names when referring to the same folder, for example ''folderName'' and ''Foldername''. If your mod doesn't work, this might be the issue, and you can try changing the names so that they are consistent. == Trainer == {{Needs work|Problem=I didn't test any of these, and just copied some links from answers to reddit posts asking about this kind of stuff. Maybe some are redundant or not working well. Please edit this if you have any idea what these tools do}} *[https://github.com/leaty/tuxtrain tuxtrain] * [https://github.com/korcankaraokcu/PINCE PINCE] * [https://github.com/scanmem/scanmem scanmem] * [https://linuxhint.com/use-gameconqueror-cheat-engine-linux/ gameconqueror] * [https://github.com/evg-zhabotinsky/libspeedhack libspeedhack] == Linux native modding tools == There are some game specific Linux native modding tools, you may find a list [[Game specific modding tools|here]]. c9bd446db0ad54ef64593fd9d1054e9c75887feb 0 25 1001 770 2022-05-29T13:33:16Z 176.41.28.139 0 /* 4. See also */ changed number to 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Heroic is an open-source game launcher that primarily supports launching games from the Epic Games Store by leveraging Legendary CLI tool. Heroic aims to be an easy-to-use game launcher with features like a per-game Wine prefix with the ability to easily switch between Wine versions. Heroic Games Launcher is built upon Electron and uses Legendary to interact with Epic Games Services. ==1. Installation== Before installing Heroic it is recommended that you have a working installation of '''Wine''' and '''winetricks''' on your system. All installation methods for Heroic are listed on their [https://github.com/Heroic-Games-Launcher/HeroicGamesLauncher#linux GitHub] You can find a suitable installation file for your distro at their GitHub Releases section [https://github.com/Heroic-Games-Launcher/HeroicGamesLauncher/releases here] === Arch, Manjaro, Garuda, and other Arch based distributions === Install it from the [https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/heroic-games-launcher-bin/ AUR], for example using <code>Pamac</code>: * [https://wiki.manjaro.org/index.php/Arch_User_Repository#Using_GUI_Pamac Enable AUR support] * Search Heroic and install it Alternatively you can use an ''AUR helper'' of your choice, for example <code>paru</code>, or <code>yay</code>: * <code>paru -S heroic-games-launcher-bin</code> * <code>yay -S heroic-games-launcher-bin</code> ===Debian, Ubuntu and Derivatives such as Pop!_OS=== Download the <code>heroic_x.x.x_amd64.deb</code> from the GitHub Releases section. If your OS supports this, you can simply open the downloaded <code>.deb</code> file to begin the installation. Otherwise, you can install it via dpkg by bringing up a [[terminal]] and running the following command sudo dpkg -i ''/path/to/''heroic_x.x.x_amd64.deb <small>Note: <code>amd64</code> here refers to system architecture which this package supports. Make sure that your system is compatible with the program you are trying to install.</small> === Using AppImage === Download the <code>heroic-x.x.x.AppImage</code> from the GitHub Releases section. Make sure you have <code>curl</code> and <code>gawk</code> installed, normally it comes installed in most distros. Make AppImage executable by changing its file properties. [[File:Make Executable.png|none|thumb|Marking file as executable]] '''Or''' You can do the same using terminal chmod +x heroic-x.x.x.AppImage Now you can run the Heroic AppImage == 2. Installing and importing games == Installing games is as easy as going to the '''library''' and selecting a game that you want to play. If you have already downloaded the game and you just want to import it then press on '''Import Game''' otherwise press '''Install''' to start installation in the specified folder. [[File:Heroic install popup.png|none|thumb|Game installation popup]] == 3. See also == [https://github.com/Heroic-Games-Launcher/HeroicGamesLauncher Heroic Games Launcher Github] [https://github.com/derrod/legendary Legendary Github] [https://github.com/CommandMC/EpicLinux/wiki EpicLinux Wiki] <references /> 5156392d244c14f2571b2b5baf566ffc1e43201e 1015 1001 2022-06-08T07:24:31Z 188.48.202.194 0 /* 1. Installation */ I added installation with Flatpak. wikitext text/x-wiki Heroic is an open-source game launcher that primarily supports launching games from the Epic Games Store by leveraging Legendary CLI tool. Heroic aims to be an easy-to-use game launcher with features like a per-game Wine prefix with the ability to easily switch between Wine versions. Heroic Games Launcher is built upon Electron and uses Legendary to interact with Epic Games Services. ==1. Installation== Before installing Heroic it is recommended that you have a working installation of '''Wine''' and '''winetricks''' on your system. All installation methods for Heroic are listed on their [https://github.com/Heroic-Games-Launcher/HeroicGamesLauncher#linux GitHub] You can find a suitable installation file for your distro at their GitHub Releases section [https://github.com/Heroic-Games-Launcher/HeroicGamesLauncher/releases here] === Arch, Manjaro, Garuda, and other Arch based distributions === Install it from the [https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/heroic-games-launcher-bin/ AUR], for example using <code>Pamac</code>: * [https://wiki.manjaro.org/index.php/Arch_User_Repository#Using_GUI_Pamac Enable AUR support] * Search Heroic and install it Alternatively you can use an ''AUR helper'' of your choice, for example <code>paru</code>, or <code>yay</code>: * <code>paru -S heroic-games-launcher-bin</code> * <code>yay -S heroic-games-launcher-bin</code> ===Debian, Ubuntu and Derivatives such as Pop!_OS=== Download the <code>heroic_x.x.x_amd64.deb</code> from the GitHub Releases section. If your OS supports this, you can simply open the downloaded <code>.deb</code> file to begin the installation. Otherwise, you can install it via dpkg by bringing up a [[terminal]] and running the following command sudo dpkg -i ''/path/to/''heroic_x.x.x_amd64.deb <small>Note: <code>amd64</code> here refers to system architecture which this package supports. Make sure that your system is compatible with the program you are trying to install.</small> === Using AppImage === Download the <code>heroic-x.x.x.AppImage</code> from the GitHub Releases section. Make sure you have <code>curl</code> and <code>gawk</code> installed, normally it comes installed in most distros. Make AppImage executable by changing its file properties. [[File:Make Executable.png|none|thumb|Marking file as executable]] '''Or''' You can do the same using terminal chmod +x heroic-x.x.x.AppImage Now you can run the Heroic AppImage. === Using Flatpak === Heroic can be installed via Flatpak with app stores such as Discover and Pop!_Shop. == 2. Installing and importing games == Installing games is as easy as going to the '''library''' and selecting a game that you want to play. If you have already downloaded the game and you just want to import it then press on '''Import Game''' otherwise press '''Install''' to start installation in the specified folder. [[File:Heroic install popup.png|none|thumb|Game installation popup]] == 3. See also == [https://github.com/Heroic-Games-Launcher/HeroicGamesLauncher Heroic Games Launcher Github] [https://github.com/derrod/legendary Legendary Github] [https://github.com/CommandMC/EpicLinux/wiki EpicLinux Wiki] <references /> 1845f8bd8ab33001241a8eaa211357b827b90718 0 45 1002 976 2022-05-30T08:13:55Z Aragorn 3 /* GPUs */ wikitext text/x-wiki Hardware compatibility with Linux is sometimes tricky. You can not buy just anything and expect it to work. Some manufacturers don't support Linux at all, and sometimes the support is not good. This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware categories. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Regarding specific recommendations. Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a timestamp in the form YYYY-MM. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. If you buy wrong, you might end up with completely incompatible hardware. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. The important thing in the sticks is the chip. Manufacturers sometimes have the same model with different chips. Chips that often work, are Qualcomm Atheros, and [https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005511/wireless.html Intel]. === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. == Less problematic Hardware == Your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is much lower. However, you might face some jank, some features might not work, and stuff might not be flawless. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. If you want to read more about it, you might find something in [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/tdmup7/unpopular_opinion_i_feel_like_the_whole_nvidia/ this reddit post]. AMD and Nvidia both work, and you'll ''probably'' be fine with either. However: * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), and Nvidia even released their kernel module, but they are no option for gaming (at least yet). **If you want long support, AMD is the way to go, as support is essentially never dropped. * Nvidia provides proprietary day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, due to not being FOSS. There might be some delayed features, or some bugs. But as said, you're ''probably'' going to be fine. If you're not, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s blame Nvidia]. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], which works in a similar way, but doesn't look as good. * If you buy a very old GPU, make sure that it has Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth, and even those often work. You might face problems if you have a device with two GPUs (should be solvable), or other special components (fingerprint reader, etc - might not be solvable). * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo **Slimbook * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: **Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15ACH6 | EU | around 800-1 000 € (multiple similar models available) | Available without OS | Out of the box full compatibility (WiFi since kernel 5.16, on older manual installation of driver<ref>https://github.com/lwfinger/rtw89</ref> needed) === Bluetooth Headphones === Most (if not all) Bluetooth headphones should be fine. But anyways, here are a couple recommendations: ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03<!-- Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). --> ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03 === Mainboard === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== USB Digital/Audio converter ==== *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with [[Misc#Changing%20Mouse%20settings%20(DPI%252C%20lift%20of%20distance%252C%20etc)|booting Windows once to change the settings]] (and you don't need to change them all the time), buy whatever you want. If you want native support, you can have a look at [https://pwr-solaar.github.io/Solaar/devices solaar] (for logitech) or [https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer openrazer]. * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. If you want native support, you can have a look at [https://pwr-solaar.github.io/Solaar/devices solaar] (for logitech) or [https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer openrazer]. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. * RAM * Fan == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 7f2c57dc1accdf8edf0e53697e5a72780b2d60eb 1003 1002 2022-05-30T08:15:41Z Aragorn 3 /* Less problematic Hardware */ wikitext text/x-wiki Hardware compatibility with Linux is sometimes tricky. You can not buy just anything and expect it to work. Some manufacturers don't support Linux at all, and sometimes the support is not good. This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware categories. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Regarding specific recommendations. Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a timestamp in the form YYYY-MM. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. If you buy wrong, you might end up with completely incompatible hardware. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. The important thing in the sticks is the chip. Manufacturers sometimes have the same model with different chips. Chips that often work, are Qualcomm Atheros, and [https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005511/wireless.html Intel]. === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. == Less problematic Hardware == Your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is much lower. However, you might face some jank, some features might not work, and stuff might not be flawless. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. If you want to read more about it, you might find something in [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/tdmup7/unpopular_opinion_i_feel_like_the_whole_nvidia/ this reddit post]. AMD and Nvidia both work, and you'll ''probably'' be fine with either. However: * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), and Nvidia even released their kernel module, but they are no option for gaming (at least yet). **If you want long support, AMD is the way to go, as support is essentially never dropped. * Nvidia provides proprietary day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, due to not being FOSS. There might be some delayed features, or some bugs. But as said, you're ''probably'' going to be fine. If you're not, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s blame Nvidia]. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] and FSR 2.0, which works in a similar way. * If you buy a very old GPU, make sure that it has Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth, and even those often work. You might face problems if you have a device with two GPUs (should be solvable), or other special components (fingerprint reader, etc - might not be solvable). * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo **Slimbook * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: **Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15ACH6 | EU | around 800-1 000 € (multiple similar models available) | Available without OS | Out of the box full compatibility (WiFi since kernel 5.16, on older manual installation of driver<ref>https://github.com/lwfinger/rtw89</ref> needed) === Bluetooth Headphones === Most (if not all) Bluetooth headphones should be fine. But anyways, here are a couple recommendations: ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03<!-- Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). --> ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03 === Mainboard === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== USB Digital/Audio converter ==== *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with [[Misc#Changing%20Mouse%20settings%20(DPI%252C%20lift%20of%20distance%252C%20etc)|booting Windows once to change the settings]] (and you don't need to change them all the time), buy whatever you want. If you want native support, you can have a look at [https://pwr-solaar.github.io/Solaar/devices solaar] (for logitech) or [https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer openrazer]. * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. If you want native support, you can have a look at [https://pwr-solaar.github.io/Solaar/devices solaar] (for logitech) or [https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer openrazer]. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. * RAM * Fan == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 5493171dae53086a4b176e3908f128272d5c8946 1004 1003 2022-05-30T08:17:19Z Aragorn 3 /* Keyboards */ wikitext text/x-wiki Hardware compatibility with Linux is sometimes tricky. You can not buy just anything and expect it to work. Some manufacturers don't support Linux at all, and sometimes the support is not good. This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware categories. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Regarding specific recommendations. Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a timestamp in the form YYYY-MM. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. If you buy wrong, you might end up with completely incompatible hardware. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. The important thing in the sticks is the chip. Manufacturers sometimes have the same model with different chips. Chips that often work, are Qualcomm Atheros, and [https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005511/wireless.html Intel]. === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. == Less problematic Hardware == Your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is much lower. However, you might face some jank, some features might not work, and stuff might not be flawless. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. If you want to read more about it, you might find something in [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/tdmup7/unpopular_opinion_i_feel_like_the_whole_nvidia/ this reddit post]. AMD and Nvidia both work, and you'll ''probably'' be fine with either. However: * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), and Nvidia even released their kernel module, but they are no option for gaming (at least yet). **If you want long support, AMD is the way to go, as support is essentially never dropped. * Nvidia provides proprietary day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, due to not being FOSS. There might be some delayed features, or some bugs. But as said, you're ''probably'' going to be fine. If you're not, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s blame Nvidia]. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] and FSR 2.0, which works in a similar way. * If you buy a very old GPU, make sure that it has Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth, and even those often work. You might face problems if you have a device with two GPUs (should be solvable), or other special components (fingerprint reader, etc - might not be solvable). * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo **Slimbook * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: **Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15ACH6 | EU | around 800-1 000 € (multiple similar models available) | Available without OS | Out of the box full compatibility (WiFi since kernel 5.16, on older manual installation of driver<ref>https://github.com/lwfinger/rtw89</ref> needed) === Bluetooth Headphones === Most (if not all) Bluetooth headphones should be fine. But anyways, here are a couple recommendations: ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03<!-- Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). --> ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03 === Mainboard === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== USB Digital/Audio converter ==== *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with [[Misc#Changing%20Mouse%20settings%20(DPI%252C%20lift%20of%20distance%252C%20etc)|booting Windows once to change the settings]] (and you don't need to change them all the time), buy whatever you want. If you want native support, you can have a look at [https://pwr-solaar.github.io/Solaar/devices solaar] (for logitech) or [https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer openrazer]. * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. If you want native support, you can have a look at [https://pwr-solaar.github.io/Solaar/devices Solaar] (for logitech) or [https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer OpenRazer]. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. * RAM * Fan == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 177bab0d1793b1e8e97518b946663150ede43008 1005 1004 2022-05-30T08:17:42Z Aragorn 3 /* Mice */ wikitext text/x-wiki Hardware compatibility with Linux is sometimes tricky. You can not buy just anything and expect it to work. Some manufacturers don't support Linux at all, and sometimes the support is not good. This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware categories. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Regarding specific recommendations. Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a timestamp in the form YYYY-MM. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. If you buy wrong, you might end up with completely incompatible hardware. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. The important thing in the sticks is the chip. Manufacturers sometimes have the same model with different chips. Chips that often work, are Qualcomm Atheros, and [https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005511/wireless.html Intel]. === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. == Less problematic Hardware == Your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is much lower. However, you might face some jank, some features might not work, and stuff might not be flawless. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. If you want to read more about it, you might find something in [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/tdmup7/unpopular_opinion_i_feel_like_the_whole_nvidia/ this reddit post]. AMD and Nvidia both work, and you'll ''probably'' be fine with either. However: * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), and Nvidia even released their kernel module, but they are no option for gaming (at least yet). **If you want long support, AMD is the way to go, as support is essentially never dropped. * Nvidia provides proprietary day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, due to not being FOSS. There might be some delayed features, or some bugs. But as said, you're ''probably'' going to be fine. If you're not, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s blame Nvidia]. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] and FSR 2.0, which works in a similar way. * If you buy a very old GPU, make sure that it has Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth, and even those often work. You might face problems if you have a device with two GPUs (should be solvable), or other special components (fingerprint reader, etc - might not be solvable). * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo **Slimbook * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: **Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15ACH6 | EU | around 800-1 000 € (multiple similar models available) | Available without OS | Out of the box full compatibility (WiFi since kernel 5.16, on older manual installation of driver<ref>https://github.com/lwfinger/rtw89</ref> needed) === Bluetooth Headphones === Most (if not all) Bluetooth headphones should be fine. But anyways, here are a couple recommendations: ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03<!-- Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). --> ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03 === Mainboard === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== USB Digital/Audio converter ==== *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with [[Misc#Changing%20Mouse%20settings%20(DPI%252C%20lift%20of%20distance%252C%20etc)|booting Windows once to change the settings]] (and you don't need to change them all the time), buy whatever you want. If you want native support, you can have a look at [https://pwr-solaar.github.io/Solaar/devices Solaar] (for logitech) or [https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer OpenRazer]. * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. If you want native support, you can have a look at [https://pwr-solaar.github.io/Solaar/devices Solaar] (for logitech) or [https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer OpenRazer]. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. * RAM * Fan == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 20bd34d4f11d7281fcd4228610d9fef867996985 1006 1005 2022-05-30T08:18:37Z Aragorn 3 /* Hardware with RGB support */ wikitext text/x-wiki Hardware compatibility with Linux is sometimes tricky. You can not buy just anything and expect it to work. Some manufacturers don't support Linux at all, and sometimes the support is not good. This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware categories. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Regarding specific recommendations. Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a timestamp in the form YYYY-MM. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. If you buy wrong, you might end up with completely incompatible hardware. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. The important thing in the sticks is the chip. Manufacturers sometimes have the same model with different chips. Chips that often work, are Qualcomm Atheros, and [https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005511/wireless.html Intel]. === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. == Less problematic Hardware == Your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is much lower. However, you might face some jank, some features might not work, and stuff might not be flawless. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. If you want to read more about it, you might find something in [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/tdmup7/unpopular_opinion_i_feel_like_the_whole_nvidia/ this reddit post]. AMD and Nvidia both work, and you'll ''probably'' be fine with either. However: * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), and Nvidia even released their kernel module, but they are no option for gaming (at least yet). **If you want long support, AMD is the way to go, as support is essentially never dropped. * Nvidia provides proprietary day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, due to not being FOSS. There might be some delayed features, or some bugs. But as said, you're ''probably'' going to be fine. If you're not, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s blame Nvidia]. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] and FSR 2.0, which works in a similar way. * If you buy a very old GPU, make sure that it has Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth, and even those often work. You might face problems if you have a device with two GPUs (should be solvable), or other special components (fingerprint reader, etc - might not be solvable). * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo **Slimbook * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: **Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15ACH6 | EU | around 800-1 000 € (multiple similar models available) | Available without OS | Out of the box full compatibility (WiFi since kernel 5.16, on older manual installation of driver<ref>https://github.com/lwfinger/rtw89</ref> needed) === Bluetooth Headphones === Most (if not all) Bluetooth headphones should be fine. But anyways, here are a couple recommendations: ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03<!-- Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). --> ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03 === Mainboard === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== USB Digital/Audio converter ==== *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with [[Misc#Changing%20Mouse%20settings%20(DPI%252C%20lift%20of%20distance%252C%20etc)|booting Windows once to change the settings]] (and you don't need to change them all the time), buy whatever you want. If you want native support, you can have a look at [https://pwr-solaar.github.io/Solaar/devices Solaar] (for logitech) or [https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer OpenRazer]. * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. If you want native support, you can have a look at [https://pwr-solaar.github.io/Solaar/devices Solaar] (for logitech) or [https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer OpenRazer]. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. Recommendations: * To be done == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs * * 87bfaf224b4be98b0cfbdb530c31301ce296d592 1007 1006 2022-05-30T08:18:51Z Aragorn 3 /* Generally unproblematic hardware categories */ wikitext text/x-wiki Hardware compatibility with Linux is sometimes tricky. You can not buy just anything and expect it to work. Some manufacturers don't support Linux at all, and sometimes the support is not good. This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware categories. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Regarding specific recommendations. Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a timestamp in the form YYYY-MM. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. If you buy wrong, you might end up with completely incompatible hardware. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. The important thing in the sticks is the chip. Manufacturers sometimes have the same model with different chips. Chips that often work, are Qualcomm Atheros, and [https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005511/wireless.html Intel]. === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. == Less problematic Hardware == Your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is much lower. However, you might face some jank, some features might not work, and stuff might not be flawless. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. If you want to read more about it, you might find something in [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/tdmup7/unpopular_opinion_i_feel_like_the_whole_nvidia/ this reddit post]. AMD and Nvidia both work, and you'll ''probably'' be fine with either. However: * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), and Nvidia even released their kernel module, but they are no option for gaming (at least yet). **If you want long support, AMD is the way to go, as support is essentially never dropped. * Nvidia provides proprietary day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, due to not being FOSS. There might be some delayed features, or some bugs. But as said, you're ''probably'' going to be fine. If you're not, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s blame Nvidia]. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] and FSR 2.0, which works in a similar way. * If you buy a very old GPU, make sure that it has Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth, and even those often work. You might face problems if you have a device with two GPUs (should be solvable), or other special components (fingerprint reader, etc - might not be solvable). * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo **Slimbook * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: **Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15ACH6 | EU | around 800-1 000 € (multiple similar models available) | Available without OS | Out of the box full compatibility (WiFi since kernel 5.16, on older manual installation of driver<ref>https://github.com/lwfinger/rtw89</ref> needed) === Bluetooth Headphones === Most (if not all) Bluetooth headphones should be fine. But anyways, here are a couple recommendations: ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03<!-- Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). --> ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03 === Mainboard === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== USB Digital/Audio converter ==== *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with [[Misc#Changing%20Mouse%20settings%20(DPI%252C%20lift%20of%20distance%252C%20etc)|booting Windows once to change the settings]] (and you don't need to change them all the time), buy whatever you want. If you want native support, you can have a look at [https://pwr-solaar.github.io/Solaar/devices Solaar] (for logitech) or [https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer OpenRazer]. * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. If you want native support, you can have a look at [https://pwr-solaar.github.io/Solaar/devices Solaar] (for logitech) or [https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer OpenRazer]. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. Recommendations: * To be done == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs == References == * * d2f478b80b3e9150cc32c74d019052c2ed24297d 1016 1007 2022-06-16T12:06:27Z Aragorn 3 /* Bluetooth Sticks */ wikitext text/x-wiki Hardware compatibility with Linux is sometimes tricky. You can not buy just anything and expect it to work. Some manufacturers don't support Linux at all, and sometimes the support is not good. This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware categories. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Regarding specific recommendations. Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a timestamp in the form YYYY-MM. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. If you buy wrong, you might end up with completely incompatible hardware. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. The important thing in the sticks is the chip. Manufacturers sometimes have the same model with different chips. Chips that often work, are Qualcomm Atheros, and [https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005511/wireless.html Intel]. === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. Recommendations: To be done. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. Recommendations: To be done. == Less problematic Hardware == Your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is much lower. However, you might face some jank, some features might not work, and stuff might not be flawless. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. If you want to read more about it, you might find something in [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/tdmup7/unpopular_opinion_i_feel_like_the_whole_nvidia/ this reddit post]. AMD and Nvidia both work, and you'll ''probably'' be fine with either. However: * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), and Nvidia even released their kernel module, but they are no option for gaming (at least yet). **If you want long support, AMD is the way to go, as support is essentially never dropped. * Nvidia provides proprietary day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, due to not being FOSS. There might be some delayed features, or some bugs. But as said, you're ''probably'' going to be fine. If you're not, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s blame Nvidia]. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] and FSR 2.0, which works in a similar way. * If you buy a very old GPU, make sure that it has Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth, and even those often work. You might face problems if you have a device with two GPUs (should be solvable), or other special components (fingerprint reader, etc - might not be solvable). * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo **Slimbook * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: **Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15ACH6 | EU | around 800-1 000 € (multiple similar models available) | Available without OS | Out of the box full compatibility (WiFi since kernel 5.16, on older manual installation of driver<ref>https://github.com/lwfinger/rtw89</ref> needed) === Bluetooth Headphones === Most (if not all) Bluetooth headphones should be fine. But anyways, here are a couple recommendations: ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03<!-- Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). --> ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03 === Mainboard === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] ==== USB Digital/Audio converter ==== *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with [[Misc#Changing%20Mouse%20settings%20(DPI%252C%20lift%20of%20distance%252C%20etc)|booting Windows once to change the settings]] (and you don't need to change them all the time), buy whatever you want. If you want native support, you can have a look at [https://pwr-solaar.github.io/Solaar/devices Solaar] (for logitech) or [https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer OpenRazer]. * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. If you want native support, you can have a look at [https://pwr-solaar.github.io/Solaar/devices Solaar] (for logitech) or [https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer OpenRazer]. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. Recommendations: * To be done == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs == References == * * dd3ec66df9ca85e7636cd0d0b999c38228e9d755 0 28 1008 957 2022-05-30T08:32:22Z Aragorn 3 /* Advantages */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get everything working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends on the individual tools the modding community uses. It's often not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you. * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB or RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable (not for serious gaming of course). And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. It won't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster, though. But it has significantly less overhead than Windows, so if that's the problem it will definitely help. For example, it might revive your old Laptop. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects your choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though—you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows to something like MacOS to something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is not even close to everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. Some examples of what Linux can look like: **KDE Plasma: [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/articles/tagline_images/528481101id19192gol.jpg 1][https://news-cdn.softpedia.com/images/news2/kde-plasma-5-15-desktop-environment-officially-released-here-s-what-s-new-524922-8.jpg 2][https://www.lffl.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/garuda-linux-dr460nized-1400x788.png 3][https://ubuntuhandbook.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/preview-arc-dark.jpg 4][https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RQLcqtqS-YA/XHTsrV6x_-I/AAAAAAAAU0Y/eKJma9C7vsITXzcDklMTaOXgUdVqBIvWgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot_20190226_073620.png 5][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 6][https://i.redd.it/lvubg0sxnl641.png 7][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 8][https://i.redd.it/8mz4z5kybs631.png 9][https://i.redd.it/jup9nde0f0l81.png 10][https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FEMS88kEx_8/maxresdefault.jpg 11][https://i.redd.it/f6ywf9pncpy31.png 12][https://i.imgur.com/kYX3ewJ.png 13][https://forum.endeavouros.com/uploads/default/original/2X/6/6e6c1619652607552c45b001ad2dbfb9d01ea21d.jpeg 14][https://i.redd.it/e4w1uvk48fr81.jpg 15][https://i.redd.it/0x4pz8o10xq81.png 16][https://i.redd.it/7a5mwp393jo81.png 17][https://i.redd.it/cv5gc2tne4r81.png 18] [https://i.redd.it/t65bae91v3s81.jpg 19] [https://64.media.tumblr.com/9bda2b57523402c142d4f797c8ad0093/d629d44890280e21-7d/s1280x1920/ad696bc813582410c77f9879cc0334b76ab252ea.jpg 20] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/comments/eor4up/plasma_cyberpunk_desktop/ 21] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=plasma&sort=top and] [https://store.kde.org/browse?cat=104&ord=rating more] **GNOME: [https://forum.garudalinux.org/uploads/default/optimized/2X/e/e6d6150878051d075fb6d8548f5314fcf6c7bf28_2_1035x646.jpeg 1][https://www.cmscritic.com/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cloudinary/pop-os-review-4_hhslpt.png 2][https://i.redd.it/jt3xl3e2qak61.png 3][https://pingvinus.ru/files/news/manjaro-20-1/manjaro-20.1-gnome.jpg 4][http://www.jetestelinux.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/manjaro_gnome_1710_mode_nuit.jpg 5][https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/f8e04f89-e155-4926-972e-76e0955933eb/dak2iyb-e5931cb1-e722-43f8-a1ed-63361f901ab9.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2Y4ZTA0Zjg5LWUxNTUtNDkyNi05NzJlLTc2ZTA5NTU5MzNlYlwvZGFrMml5Yi1lNTkzMWNiMS1lNzIyLTQzZjgtYTFlZC02MzM2MWY5MDFhYjkucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.zwpBVOqCfSFqWRDNz1fnEgVkyyXgrj_3NoJNLa0Zlzw 6][https://i.redd.it/b06ms6vfe0r81.png 7][https://i.redd.it/uvenc4r0dun81.png 8][https://i.redd.it/kw1enzggqmo81.png 9][https://i.redd.it/gdtwdhbk4tr81.png 10][https://i.redd.it/uk9uihckcsd41.png 11] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=gnome&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&sort=top and] [https://www.gnome-look.org/browse?ord=rating more] **Tiling window managers: [https://pic3.zhimg.com/v2-bad01545e1f69cc0a94633ff771b72e3_1200x500.jpg 1][https://preview.redd.it/f2jg3znpr1g31.png?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=9b64dde84ccb1e0ba20e8bba5ee6516123273bd2 2][https://pingvinus.ru/cr_images/userpicture/n/1938-0.png 3][https://i.redd.it/rpojcv4d3nr81.png 4][https://i.redd.it/lkviraiador81.png 5][https://i.redd.it/or7veqoicdq81.png 6][https://i.redd.it/ptbibz0gdk861.png 7] **[https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/ and many more] * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal Windows filesystem. Of course this doesn't apply to all games, so your mileage may vary. * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so (again) your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. Almost all software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == 07c21337efeb11601afb8cc6789faf7db9a16f4d 0 2 1009 998 2022-06-01T19:47:02Z 92.82.203.11 0 /* Windows Compatibility */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, but specifically made to be great for gaming. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- |Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- |Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for penetration testing only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. ===Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further=== Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== * Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> a41af171a3c4ec0bf5d73b28258696486549fcd4 1025 1009 2022-06-25T09:59:10Z Aragorn 3 /* What to do after the installation */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, but specifically made to be great for gaming. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- |Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- |Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo. No one should use this. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for penetration testing only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. ===Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further=== Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== * Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 0e4c57eef8d1c7e879fe80906f0f11cb3cfee9ab 1027 1025 2022-06-25T21:47:06Z Ulmire 18 Added Fedora to the "easy" distributions, and added how the package manager may also be different. wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. **For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, but specifically made to be great for gaming. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- |Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- |Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. Unlike Arch, Gentoo focuses on compiling programs from source rather than using prebuilt binaries(executable code). Although this allows for extra speed, compiling programs is a very slow and intensive process, therefore taking more time. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this(unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical)hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, just start with Pop!_OS.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Ubuntu, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>install</code> is the command to install programs. <code>steam</code> is the steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. ===Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further=== Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== * Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums *Google away When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 1ac99eb2f518af169a7c1e15fb5f48eefc9d7322 1028 1027 2022-06-25T22:01:17Z Ulmire 18 described what you would do to install steam on fedora wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. **For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, but specifically made to be great for gaming. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- |Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- |Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. Unlike Arch, Gentoo focuses on compiling programs from source rather than using prebuilt binaries(executable code). Although this allows for extra speed, compiling programs is a very slow and intensive process, therefore taking more time. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this(unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical)hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. ===Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further=== Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> d052c2df000e3a78eb350adb693e11869e1467cd 0 43 1010 951 2022-06-03T22:57:20Z Aragorn 3 /* Test whether you use X11 */ wikitext text/x-wiki Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. == Watching the temperature == You can use <code>lm_sensors</code>. Before running it for the first time, run <code>sudo sensors-detect</code>. After that, type <code>sensors</code> to see your temperatures. If you want to monitor them for a longer time, type <code>watch sensors</code>. == Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc) == Settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows once, and change stuff there. You can also boot a VM (with KVM) and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings should be kept in Linux. == Audio stuff == === Noise Cancelling === You can use [https://github.com/wwmm/easyeffects EasyEffects] or [https://github.com/lawl/NoiseTorch NoiseTorch]. === Equalizer and more === EasyEffects also has various other audio processing options, like crystalizer, noise gate, equalizer, filter, and much more. NoiseTorch can only cancel noise, but also has the option to tweak how aggressive it cancels noise. === Patching Audio === If you want to have a patchbay to route your audio to various destinations, [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/helvum Helvum] might be what you're looking for. == Make the game look good == === Downsampling === You can use [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope]. For example, use <code>gamescope -w 3840 -h 2160 --</code> as command prefix, to downscale from 4k. If you use it in Lutris, set <code>3840x2160</code> as resolution. You can also use Gamescope if your game doesn't play nicely with your desktop, for example if it doesn't catch your mouse, or if it breaks when loosing focus. === Post Processing === You can use [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) == Bottles == Some people prefer [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] to install games that don't have an install script in [[Lutris]]. ==Using GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long as it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try again to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code><nowiki>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</nowiki></code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. #Follow the instructions in the readme. == Using Checksums == When downloading a file, you might have seen something like <code>sha512: 497907d020870e564b814bb6c4f7eef2f3abdf5d0159ccbd96501a26cef155a8d771a420a16c9348525fa4ce7de3c137ad5ff15a013c84f327edbdea6495d86b easyanticheat_x64.so</code> This is a checksum, or more precise: An <code>sha512</code> checksum for the file <code>easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. This number is for verifying that you have the correct file, and not something that is manipulated or inaccurately transmitted. '''Usage''': Download file, open [[terminal]], and <code>cd Downloads</code>. Then you execute <code>sha512sum easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. The number you see there, should be ''exactly'' the same. Btw: <code>sha512</code> is better than <code>sha256</code>, and ''especially'' better than <code>md5</code>. <code>md5</code> is trash, don't use it. == Game Streaming == You can use [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == RGB == You can use [https://gitlab.com/CalcProgrammer1/OpenRGB OpenRGB]. == Razer control driver == For razer hardware, you can use this driver: https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer == Logitech control software == Solaar is a Linux device manager for Logitech devices. You can do stuff like changing DPI, or button mappings, etc. https://github.com/pwr-Solaar/Solaar == Suspend/resume of applications (games, an others) == You can use [https://github.com/Merrit/nyrna nyrna]. Unortunately it doesn't (yet) "survive" reboots. == Test whether you use X11 or Wayland == Open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. If it says <code>wayland</code>, you use wayland. == Disable swapping for a game == You can do it like [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/u02y88/psa_disable_swap_for_games_and_dont_submit_bogus/ this]. == Simultaneously play two different games on the same device == https://www.reddit.com/r/tuxedocomputers/comments/ucdvj7/finally_did_it_two_different_users_playing/ bbbcac3e1282585b6e072ee9914f047f417f002c 1014 1010 2022-06-03T23:00:39Z Aragorn 3 /* Noise Cancelling */ wikitext text/x-wiki Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. == Watching the temperature == You can use <code>lm_sensors</code>. Before running it for the first time, run <code>sudo sensors-detect</code>. After that, type <code>sensors</code> to see your temperatures. If you want to monitor them for a longer time, type <code>watch sensors</code>. == Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc) == Settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows once, and change stuff there. You can also boot a VM (with KVM) and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings should be kept in Linux. == Audio stuff == === Noise Cancelling === You can use [https://github.com/wwmm/easyeffects EasyEffects] or [https://github.com/noisetorch/NoiseTorch NoiseTorch]. === Equalizer and more === EasyEffects also has various other audio processing options, like crystalizer, noise gate, equalizer, filter, and much more. NoiseTorch can only cancel noise, but also has the option to tweak how aggressive it cancels noise. === Patching Audio === If you want to have a patchbay to route your audio to various destinations, [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/helvum Helvum] might be what you're looking for. == Make the game look good == === Downsampling === You can use [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope]. For example, use <code>gamescope -w 3840 -h 2160 --</code> as command prefix, to downscale from 4k. If you use it in Lutris, set <code>3840x2160</code> as resolution. You can also use Gamescope if your game doesn't play nicely with your desktop, for example if it doesn't catch your mouse, or if it breaks when loosing focus. === Post Processing === You can use [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) == Bottles == Some people prefer [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] to install games that don't have an install script in [[Lutris]]. ==Using GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long as it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try again to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code><nowiki>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</nowiki></code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. #Follow the instructions in the readme. == Using Checksums == When downloading a file, you might have seen something like <code>sha512: 497907d020870e564b814bb6c4f7eef2f3abdf5d0159ccbd96501a26cef155a8d771a420a16c9348525fa4ce7de3c137ad5ff15a013c84f327edbdea6495d86b easyanticheat_x64.so</code> This is a checksum, or more precise: An <code>sha512</code> checksum for the file <code>easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. This number is for verifying that you have the correct file, and not something that is manipulated or inaccurately transmitted. '''Usage''': Download file, open [[terminal]], and <code>cd Downloads</code>. Then you execute <code>sha512sum easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. The number you see there, should be ''exactly'' the same. Btw: <code>sha512</code> is better than <code>sha256</code>, and ''especially'' better than <code>md5</code>. <code>md5</code> is trash, don't use it. == Game Streaming == You can use [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == RGB == You can use [https://gitlab.com/CalcProgrammer1/OpenRGB OpenRGB]. == Razer control driver == For razer hardware, you can use this driver: https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer == Logitech control software == Solaar is a Linux device manager for Logitech devices. You can do stuff like changing DPI, or button mappings, etc. https://github.com/pwr-Solaar/Solaar == Suspend/resume of applications (games, an others) == You can use [https://github.com/Merrit/nyrna nyrna]. Unortunately it doesn't (yet) "survive" reboots. == Test whether you use X11 or Wayland == Open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. If it says <code>wayland</code>, you use wayland. == Disable swapping for a game == You can do it like [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/u02y88/psa_disable_swap_for_games_and_dont_submit_bogus/ this]. == Simultaneously play two different games on the same device == https://www.reddit.com/r/tuxedocomputers/comments/ucdvj7/finally_did_it_two_different_users_playing/ f565397aaa17f182a69848e6ca20ad22b547c8e8 0 5 1011 1000 2022-06-03T22:58:11Z Aragorn 3 /* Major tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%) as on Windows. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland=|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers] **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *Set your GPU to high performance. **The default (automatic) is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. **You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **Alternatively, you can also use gamemode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. ** If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed **Do '''NOT''' download stuff from their website. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *If you have an old GPU, it might not be supported by the current driver. In this case you have to install an old one. You can use their website to determine which version you need. **''TODO: How to actually install them? On Arch you can use the AUR, but I don't know about any other distribution. Maybe actually download it from their website?'' == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a patched DXVK-Version (TODO: Where to get it, how to use it?). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers.}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good choice. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> You should avoid Cinnamon and Pantheon. === Wayland === Differences are much bigger. You will only get good input lag if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> eb5ce8c2c298626ab885f485a6a6be5c2fa2a229 1012 1011 2022-06-03T22:58:31Z Aragorn 3 /* Major tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%) as on Windows. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Index.php?title=Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers] **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *Set your GPU to high performance. **The default (automatic) is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. **You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **Alternatively, you can also use gamemode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. ** If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed **Do '''NOT''' download stuff from their website. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *If you have an old GPU, it might not be supported by the current driver. In this case you have to install an old one. You can use their website to determine which version you need. **''TODO: How to actually install them? On Arch you can use the AUR, but I don't know about any other distribution. Maybe actually download it from their website?'' == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a patched DXVK-Version (TODO: Where to get it, how to use it?). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers.}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good choice. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> You should avoid Cinnamon and Pantheon. === Wayland === Differences are much bigger. You will only get good input lag if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 9dcd19b296efdd49a6da0e270f87bf25ae8b5b76 1013 1012 2022-06-03T22:58:46Z Aragorn 3 /* Major tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%) as on Windows. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers] **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *Set your GPU to high performance. **The default (automatic) is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. **You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **Alternatively, you can also use gamemode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. ** If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed **Do '''NOT''' download stuff from their website. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *If you have an old GPU, it might not be supported by the current driver. In this case you have to install an old one. You can use their website to determine which version you need. **''TODO: How to actually install them? On Arch you can use the AUR, but I don't know about any other distribution. Maybe actually download it from their website?'' == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a patched DXVK-Version (TODO: Where to get it, how to use it?). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers.}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good choice. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> You should avoid Cinnamon and Pantheon. === Wayland === Differences are much bigger. You will only get good input lag if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> dd8c818ef4b91b69dc2984b5245da06d894b24b4 1017 1013 2022-06-20T17:19:17Z Gitez 17 Added instructions to use DXVK outside Steam. wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%) as on Windows. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers] **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *Set your GPU to high performance. **The default (automatic) is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. **You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **Alternatively, you can also use gamemode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. ** If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed **Do '''NOT''' download stuff from their website. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *If you have an old GPU, it might not be supported by the current driver. In this case you have to install an old one. You can use their website to determine which version you need. **''TODO: How to actually install them? On Arch you can use the AUR, but I don't know about any other distribution. Maybe actually download it from their website?'' == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your wine version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE is compatible. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a patched DXVK-Version. Wine-GE includes most of the proton patches (as well as DXVK) while being wine based, and should be used instead of Proton-GE outside Steam. *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers.}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good choice. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> You should avoid Cinnamon and Pantheon. === Wayland === Differences are much bigger. You will only get good input lag if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 58e390f0577d9b613032bed6743612d4a9b9c680 1029 1017 2022-06-28T06:46:54Z Aragorn 3 /* Optional */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%) as on Windows. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers] **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *Set your GPU to high performance. **The default (automatic) is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. **You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **Alternatively, you can also use gamemode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. ** If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed **Do '''NOT''' download stuff from their website. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *If you have an old GPU, it might not be supported by the current driver. In this case you have to install an old one. You can use their website to determine which version you need. **''TODO: How to actually install them? On Arch you can use the AUR, but I don't know about any other distribution. Maybe actually download it from their website?'' == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE comes with a compatible version. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (just type in the name manually). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers.}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good choice. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> You should avoid Cinnamon and Pantheon. === Wayland === Differences are much bigger. You will only get good input lag if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> e3775331f10bf809d33bc2998a7bcf2d812460a3 1046 1029 2022-07-21T07:07:26Z Aragorn 3 /* Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%) as on Windows. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers] **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *Set your GPU to high performance. **The default (automatic) is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. **You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **Alternatively, you can also use gamemode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. ** If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed **Do '''NOT''' download stuff from their website. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *If you have an old GPU, it might not be supported by the current driver. In this case you have to install an old one. You can use their website to determine which version you need. **''TODO: How to actually install them? On Arch you can use the AUR, but I don't know about any other distribution. Maybe actually download it from their website?'' == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE comes with a compatible version. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (just type in the name manually). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers.}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good choice. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> You should avoid Cinnamon and Pantheon. Cinnamon requires you to completely disable composition, Pantheon has no option to disable composition at all. === Wayland === Differences are much bigger. You will only get good input lag if you can enable FreeSync, because otherwise it will force vsync. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> ff4b3c8b404cc4c6e016c5fd6250bb814400ce23 0 32 1018 994 2022-06-22T00:16:40Z Aragorn 3 /* KDE */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use a DE with X11]], then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadow and effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. ==Disabling composition for your games== Disabling composition will dramatically improve performance, input lag, and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: ===Gnome=== This is the default DE on Pop!_OS. You don't have to do anything. Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing Windows does), which is almost as good as disabling compositon. Disabling composition in Gnome is not possible. ===KDE=== There are many options to disable composition: *For Lutris: **To disable it for a single game: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. **To disable it for all games: Click <code>...</code> in the top right corner -> <code>Preferences</code> -> <code>Global options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code> *You can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code> before launching a game. The same combination re-enables it. *You can use [https://store.kde.org/p/1502826/ Autocomposer]. This should make it unnecessary to do anything of the above. *If you want to use a terminal command (for example for automation, launch options for Steam, etc): ** disable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor suspend</code> ** enable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor resume</code> ===Xfce=== *Disable composition with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Xfwm#Configuration</ref> *Enable it again with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> * For Steam: You can automate disabling/enabling with the launch option: <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false; %command%; xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code><ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensiveLinux/comments/6b3cs5/comment/dhjw7z7/?context=3</ref> ===Cinnamon === Unfortunately, you have to disable composition completely. This might lead to visual degradation in desktop mode (no effects, no shadows, no transparency, no window previews, more tearing), but all other options yield bad gaming performance. If you want a DE that looks a bit like Windows, you might want to have a look at KDE Plasma instead. To disable it: <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>General</code> -> <code>Disable compositing</code> === Pantheon === Unfortunately it appears to not support disabling composition.<ref>https://elementaryos.stackexchange.com/questions/4483/how-can-i-disable-composite-and-effects-in-elementary-os</ref> == References and notes == <references /> 742f1f8dd4ce837207106dc417bd4dadd5e1ca21 1047 1018 2022-07-21T07:10:16Z Aragorn 3 /* Disabling composition for your games */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use a DE with X11]], then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadow and effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. ==Disabling composition for your games== Disabling composition will dramatically improve performance, input lag, and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: ===Gnome=== This is the default DE on Pop!_OS. You don't have to do anything. Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing Windows does), which is almost as good as disabling compositon. Disabling composition in Gnome is not possible. ===KDE=== There are many options to disable composition: *For Lutris: **To disable it for a single game: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. **To disable it for all games: Click <code>...</code> in the top right corner -> <code>Preferences</code> -> <code>Global options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code> *You can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code> before launching a game. The same combination re-enables it. *You can use [https://store.kde.org/p/1502826/ Autocomposer]. This should make it unnecessary to do anything of the above. *If you want to use a terminal command (for example for automation, launch options for Steam, etc): ** disable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor suspend</code> ** enable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor resume</code> ===Xfce=== *Disable composition with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Xfwm#Configuration</ref> *Enable it again with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> * You can automate disabling/enabling with the launch option: <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false; %command%; xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code><ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensiveLinux/comments/6b3cs5/comment/dhjw7z7/?context=3</ref> ===Cinnamon === Unfortunately, you have to disable composition completely. This might lead to visual degradation in desktop mode (no effects, no shadows, no transparency, no window previews, more tearing), but all other options yield bad gaming performance. If you want a DE that looks a bit like Windows, you might want to have a look at KDE Plasma instead. To disable it: <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>General</code> -> <code>Disable compositing</code> === Mate === Disable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/MATE#Disabling_compositing</ref> Enable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager true</code> === Pantheon === Unfortunately it appears to not support disabling composition.<ref>https://elementaryos.stackexchange.com/questions/4483/how-can-i-disable-composite-and-effects-in-elementary-os</ref> == References and notes == <references /> 1fad11cd6b46d137ab2b599a74022ceb79b5aac1 1048 1047 2022-07-21T07:16:49Z Aragorn 3 /* KDE */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use a DE with X11]], then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadow and effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. ==Disabling composition for your games== Disabling composition will dramatically improve performance, input lag, and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: ===Gnome=== This is the default DE on Pop!_OS. You don't have to do anything. Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing Windows does), which is almost as good as disabling compositon. Disabling composition in Gnome is not possible. ===KDE=== There are many options to disable composition: * You can use [https://store.kde.org/p/1502826/ Autocomposer]. This should make it unnecessary to do anything of the following. *For Lutris: **To disable it for a single game: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. **To disable it for all games: Click <code>...</code> in the top right corner -> <code>Preferences</code> -> <code>Global options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code> *You can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code> before launching a game. The same combination re-enables it. *If you want to use a terminal command (for example for automation, launch options for Steam, etc): ** disable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor suspend</code> ** enable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor resume</code> ===Xfce=== *Disable composition with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Xfwm#Configuration</ref> *Enable it again with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> * You can automate disabling/enabling with the launch option: <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false; %command%; xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code><ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensiveLinux/comments/6b3cs5/comment/dhjw7z7/?context=3</ref> ===Cinnamon === Unfortunately, you have to disable composition completely. This might lead to visual degradation in desktop mode (no effects, no shadows, no transparency, no window previews, more tearing), but all other options yield bad gaming performance. If you want a DE that looks a bit like Windows, you might want to have a look at KDE Plasma instead. To disable it: <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>General</code> -> <code>Disable compositing</code> === Mate === Disable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/MATE#Disabling_compositing</ref> Enable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager true</code> === Pantheon === Unfortunately it appears to not support disabling composition.<ref>https://elementaryos.stackexchange.com/questions/4483/how-can-i-disable-composite-and-effects-in-elementary-os</ref> == References and notes == <references /> c35f8c5099c1d1e73d33db6d3d30b890308f62bc 1049 1048 2022-07-21T07:19:11Z Aragorn 3 /* Disabling composition for your games */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use a DE with X11]], then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadow and effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. ==Disabling composition for your games== Disabling composition will dramatically improve performance, input lag, and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: ===Gnome=== This is the default DE on Pop!_OS. You don't have to do anything. Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing Windows does), which is almost as good as disabling compositon. Disabling composition in Gnome is not possible. ===KDE=== There are many options to disable composition: * You can use [https://store.kde.org/p/1502826/ Autocomposer]. This should make it unnecessary to do anything of the following. *For Lutris: **To disable it for a single game: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. **To disable it for all games: Click <code>...</code> in the top right corner -> <code>Preferences</code> -> <code>Global options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code> *You can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code> before launching a game. The same combination re-enables it. *If you want to use a terminal command (for example for automation, launch options for Steam, etc): ** disable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor suspend</code> ** enable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor resume</code> ===Xfce=== *Disable composition with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Xfwm#Configuration</ref> *Enable it again with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> * In Steam, you can automate disabling/enabling with the launch option: <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false; %command%; xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code><ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensiveLinux/comments/6b3cs5/comment/dhjw7z7/?context=3</ref> === Mate === Disable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/MATE#Disabling_compositing</ref> Enable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager true</code> ===Cinnamon === Unfortunately, you have to disable composition completely. This might lead to visual degradation in desktop mode (no effects, no shadows, no transparency, no window previews, more tearing), but all other options yield bad gaming performance. If you want a DE that looks a bit like Windows, you might want to have a look at KDE Plasma instead. To disable it: <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>General</code> -> <code>Disable compositing</code> === Pantheon === Unfortunately it appears to not support disabling composition.<ref>https://elementaryos.stackexchange.com/questions/4483/how-can-i-disable-composite-and-effects-in-elementary-os</ref> == References and notes == <references /> 1980fa8f72fbf8f9d0667b849a0b267d83330d1b 1050 1049 2022-07-21T07:19:41Z Aragorn 3 /* Xfce */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use a DE with X11]], then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadow and effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. ==Disabling composition for your games== Disabling composition will dramatically improve performance, input lag, and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: ===Gnome=== This is the default DE on Pop!_OS. You don't have to do anything. Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing Windows does), which is almost as good as disabling compositon. Disabling composition in Gnome is not possible. ===KDE=== There are many options to disable composition: * You can use [https://store.kde.org/p/1502826/ Autocomposer]. This should make it unnecessary to do anything of the following. *For Lutris: **To disable it for a single game: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. **To disable it for all games: Click <code>...</code> in the top right corner -> <code>Preferences</code> -> <code>Global options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code> *You can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code> before launching a game. The same combination re-enables it. *If you want to use a terminal command (for example for automation, launch options for Steam, etc): ** disable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor suspend</code> ** enable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor resume</code> ===Xfce=== *Disable composition with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Xfwm#Configuration</ref> *Enable it again with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> * In Steam, you can automate disabling/enabling with the launch option: <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false; %command%; xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code><ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensiveLinux/comments/6b3cs5/comment/dhjw7z7/?context=3</ref> === Mate === * Disable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/MATE#Disabling_compositing</ref> * Enable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager true</code> ===Cinnamon === Unfortunately, you have to disable composition completely. This might lead to visual degradation in desktop mode (no effects, no shadows, no transparency, no window previews, more tearing), but all other options yield bad gaming performance. If you want a DE that looks a bit like Windows, you might want to have a look at KDE Plasma instead. To disable it: <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>General</code> -> <code>Disable compositing</code> === Pantheon === Unfortunately it appears to not support disabling composition.<ref>https://elementaryos.stackexchange.com/questions/4483/how-can-i-disable-composite-and-effects-in-elementary-os</ref> == References and notes == <references /> 5e1890d9e52ccfb6dfd7e4a05348a1f97e540c7d 0 44 1019 997 2022-06-24T07:54:52Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Steam runs natively on Linux. You can probably just install it from your App store. Usually you want to use ''Steam (Runtime)''. Only use ''Steam (native)'' if you know why you want to use it. If you use the Flatpak version, you will also need to use the Flatpak version of other software that you want to use with it, like MangoHud. == Enable Steam Play for all games == In order to run games that are not explicitly whitelisted by Valve, go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. It's usually a good idea to use [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE]. It has lots of benefits like improved game compatibility, raw mouse input, and much more. Installation instructions are [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom#installation= here]. == ProtonUp-Qt == You can use [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] to make the installation and update process of [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] simple: * 1. Download the [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] AppImage * 2. Mark the AppImage as executable * 3. Double-click the AppImage to run ProtonUp-Qt Alternatively, you can install it from [https://flathub.org/apps/details/net.davidotek.pupgui2 Flathub]. == Launch Options == You may find something like <code>-screen-width 1280 -screen-height 720 -screen-fullscreen 0</code> on protondb. These are ''launch options''. To use them, you right click on the game, and in the <code>general</code> tab, there is a field called <code>launch options</code>. You paste them (for example <code>%command% -screen-height 1920 -screen-width 1080 -screen-fullscreen</code>) in there. <code>%command%</code> is the command to start the game. Some launch options go before this command (commands to execute programs, for example <code>gamemoderun</code> or <code>mangohud</code>), and some go behind it (flags that are passed to the game itself, typically stuff that starts with a <code>-</code>). == Steam Tinker Launch == [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch Steam Tinker Launch] is a swiss army knife tool that allows easy customization of multiple options for Steam games. It includes helpers for custom commands, Vortex, Mod Organizer 2, Proton GE, Proton/DXVK/wine options, winetricks, ReShade + easy selection for shaders, FSR, debugging, side-by-side VR automation, SteamGridDB, SpecialK, Proton KillSwitch, Gamescope, GameMode, and more. You can find a more comprehensive list of features in the [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch/wiki wiki] (dropdownlist on the right). == File Locations == === Flatpak === If you use the Steam Flatpak, your Games are in <code>~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/data/Steam/steamapps/common</code>. Your save games are in <code>~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/<some_number>/pfx/drive_c/<windows_path></code>. c7fc26b8e55026dd41284f5a953ddbb3f8b11766 1020 1019 2022-06-24T07:57:15Z Aragorn 3 /* Flatpak */ wikitext text/x-wiki Steam runs natively on Linux. You can probably just install it from your App store. Usually you want to use ''Steam (Runtime)''. Only use ''Steam (native)'' if you know why you want to use it. If you use the Flatpak version, you will also need to use the Flatpak version of other software that you want to use with it, like MangoHud. == Enable Steam Play for all games == In order to run games that are not explicitly whitelisted by Valve, go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. It's usually a good idea to use [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE]. It has lots of benefits like improved game compatibility, raw mouse input, and much more. Installation instructions are [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom#installation= here]. == ProtonUp-Qt == You can use [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] to make the installation and update process of [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] simple: * 1. Download the [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] AppImage * 2. Mark the AppImage as executable * 3. Double-click the AppImage to run ProtonUp-Qt Alternatively, you can install it from [https://flathub.org/apps/details/net.davidotek.pupgui2 Flathub]. == Launch Options == You may find something like <code>-screen-width 1280 -screen-height 720 -screen-fullscreen 0</code> on protondb. These are ''launch options''. To use them, you right click on the game, and in the <code>general</code> tab, there is a field called <code>launch options</code>. You paste them (for example <code>%command% -screen-height 1920 -screen-width 1080 -screen-fullscreen</code>) in there. <code>%command%</code> is the command to start the game. Some launch options go before this command (commands to execute programs, for example <code>gamemoderun</code> or <code>mangohud</code>), and some go behind it (flags that are passed to the game itself, typically stuff that starts with a <code>-</code>). == Steam Tinker Launch == [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch Steam Tinker Launch] is a swiss army knife tool that allows easy customization of multiple options for Steam games. It includes helpers for custom commands, Vortex, Mod Organizer 2, Proton GE, Proton/DXVK/wine options, winetricks, ReShade + easy selection for shaders, FSR, debugging, side-by-side VR automation, SteamGridDB, SpecialK, Proton KillSwitch, Gamescope, GameMode, and more. You can find a more comprehensive list of features in the [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch/wiki wiki] (dropdownlist on the right). == File Locations == === Flatpak === If you use the Steam Flatpak, your Games are in <code>~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/data/Steam/steamapps/common/<game_name></code>. Your save games are in <code>~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/<some_number>/pfx/drive_c/<windows_path></code>. In order to know which number is correct, you can just use the search functionality of your file manager, or, if you use the [[terminal]], type <code>find . | grep -i "<game_name>"</code>. 08c79c5d53b660b668cfbb71698fad6a32f6b165 1021 1020 2022-06-24T07:57:44Z Aragorn 3 /* Flatpak */ wikitext text/x-wiki Steam runs natively on Linux. You can probably just install it from your App store. Usually you want to use ''Steam (Runtime)''. Only use ''Steam (native)'' if you know why you want to use it. If you use the Flatpak version, you will also need to use the Flatpak version of other software that you want to use with it, like MangoHud. == Enable Steam Play for all games == In order to run games that are not explicitly whitelisted by Valve, go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. It's usually a good idea to use [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE]. It has lots of benefits like improved game compatibility, raw mouse input, and much more. Installation instructions are [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom#installation= here]. == ProtonUp-Qt == You can use [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] to make the installation and update process of [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] simple: * 1. Download the [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] AppImage * 2. Mark the AppImage as executable * 3. Double-click the AppImage to run ProtonUp-Qt Alternatively, you can install it from [https://flathub.org/apps/details/net.davidotek.pupgui2 Flathub]. == Launch Options == You may find something like <code>-screen-width 1280 -screen-height 720 -screen-fullscreen 0</code> on protondb. These are ''launch options''. To use them, you right click on the game, and in the <code>general</code> tab, there is a field called <code>launch options</code>. You paste them (for example <code>%command% -screen-height 1920 -screen-width 1080 -screen-fullscreen</code>) in there. <code>%command%</code> is the command to start the game. Some launch options go before this command (commands to execute programs, for example <code>gamemoderun</code> or <code>mangohud</code>), and some go behind it (flags that are passed to the game itself, typically stuff that starts with a <code>-</code>). == Steam Tinker Launch == [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch Steam Tinker Launch] is a swiss army knife tool that allows easy customization of multiple options for Steam games. It includes helpers for custom commands, Vortex, Mod Organizer 2, Proton GE, Proton/DXVK/wine options, winetricks, ReShade + easy selection for shaders, FSR, debugging, side-by-side VR automation, SteamGridDB, SpecialK, Proton KillSwitch, Gamescope, GameMode, and more. You can find a more comprehensive list of features in the [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch/wiki wiki] (dropdownlist on the right). == File Locations == === Flatpak === If you use the Steam Flatpak, your Games are in <code>~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/data/Steam/steamapps/common/<game_name></code>. Your save games are in <code>~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/<some_number>/pfx/drive_c/<windows_path></code>. In order to know which number is correct, you can just use the search functionality of your file manager to search for the game name, or, if you use the [[terminal]], type <code>find . | grep -i "<game_name>"</code>. 537f1875ab1decf60a3dd0dfaadd25c45aef319a 1022 1021 2022-06-24T08:00:04Z Aragorn 3 /* File Locations */ wikitext text/x-wiki Steam runs natively on Linux. You can probably just install it from your App store. Usually you want to use ''Steam (Runtime)''. Only use ''Steam (native)'' if you know why you want to use it. If you use the Flatpak version, you will also need to use the Flatpak version of other software that you want to use with it, like MangoHud. == Enable Steam Play for all games == In order to run games that are not explicitly whitelisted by Valve, go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. It's usually a good idea to use [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE]. It has lots of benefits like improved game compatibility, raw mouse input, and much more. Installation instructions are [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom#installation= here]. == ProtonUp-Qt == You can use [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] to make the installation and update process of [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] simple: * 1. Download the [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] AppImage * 2. Mark the AppImage as executable * 3. Double-click the AppImage to run ProtonUp-Qt Alternatively, you can install it from [https://flathub.org/apps/details/net.davidotek.pupgui2 Flathub]. == Launch Options == You may find something like <code>-screen-width 1280 -screen-height 720 -screen-fullscreen 0</code> on protondb. These are ''launch options''. To use them, you right click on the game, and in the <code>general</code> tab, there is a field called <code>launch options</code>. You paste them (for example <code>%command% -screen-height 1920 -screen-width 1080 -screen-fullscreen</code>) in there. <code>%command%</code> is the command to start the game. Some launch options go before this command (commands to execute programs, for example <code>gamemoderun</code> or <code>mangohud</code>), and some go behind it (flags that are passed to the game itself, typically stuff that starts with a <code>-</code>). == Steam Tinker Launch == [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch Steam Tinker Launch] is a swiss army knife tool that allows easy customization of multiple options for Steam games. It includes helpers for custom commands, Vortex, Mod Organizer 2, Proton GE, Proton/DXVK/wine options, winetricks, ReShade + easy selection for shaders, FSR, debugging, side-by-side VR automation, SteamGridDB, SpecialK, Proton KillSwitch, Gamescope, GameMode, and more. You can find a more comprehensive list of features in the [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch/wiki wiki] (dropdownlist on the right). == File Locations == === Flatpak === If you use the Steam Flatpak, your Games are in <code>~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/data/Steam/steamapps/common/<game_name></code>. Your save games are in <code>~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/<some_number>/pfx/drive_c/<windows_path></code>. In order to know which number is correct, you can just use the search functionality of your file manager to search for the game name, or type <code>find ~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/ | grep -i "<game_name>"</code> in the [[terminal]]. ec1f8e2483cca318e929198e6806eaf28dd96072 0 33 1023 646 2022-06-24T08:12:23Z Aragorn 3 /* Other stuff you should know */ wikitext text/x-wiki The terminal is the black thing with text you probably have already seen in some hacker movies. It might look scary, but it basically works like a voice assistant with text input. If you see instructions in the form of <code>sudo pacman -Q | grep -i -C 10 "apt"</code>, then this is something you have to put into the terminal. == How to use the terminal == '''Where do I find the terminal?''' You will probably find it somewhere in your menu. It might have a name like Gnome-Terminal, Konsole, Xterm, Terminator, or something else. It will probably have an icon that looks vaguely like a terminal (black background, white text). '''How does the terminal work?''' You write a line of text, you press enter, and you look at what happens. The terminal usually tells you if something goes wrong. Sometimes you need to press additional buttons like <code>y</code> for "yes" or <code>n</code> for "no". '''Should I read the output?''' Yes, it might contain warnings. However: Sometimes the output is very long, for example if you install software. In this case, you don't have to read everything. The important stuff will be at the end. If you have problems and look for help in forums, always include the output from the terminal. '''Should I take warnings seriously?''' YES! [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average "You could harm your computer" bullshit you are used to from Windows.] '''Is the terminal dangerous?''' It might look scary, but it's not dangerous. If you write something wrong, it will just tell you that it's wrong - your computer will not explode. However, things can go wrong, more in the next section. '''How can I learn using it?''' Look here: https://linuxjourney.com/ == Dangers of the terminal == '''So should I just input whatever I find at some random place in the internet?''' NO! You should not copy/paste stuff from untrusted sources (like this wiki - everyone can edit it) if you don't understand what you're doing. The commands might be malicious. For example, if you would type the following, you would delete everything on your computer, and potentially destroy your motherboard: <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> '''<big>DO NOT DO THIS!</big>''' There is no situation where it would be a good thing to input the following command. It will delete your system, it will delete other mounted drives (like Windows, external drives, your game drive, whatever), and it might '''permanently''' '''destroy''' your motherboard. <code>sudo rm -rf / --no-preserve-root</code> Don't do it. Seriously. Not for fun, not because you don't need your system anymore. Just don't. </div> Other commands may uninstall your graphical user interface, or install a remote access for hackers. '''This sounds scary!''' Don't be afraid. Malicious tutorials for Linux are rarer than malware for Windows (I don't even know if this ever happened somewhere), and if someone did write one, it would probably get noticed and removed very fast. If you're fine with installing software on Windows, you should be fine with tutorials for Linux. But still. Be wary. '''Could I harm my computer if I type malicious commands by accident?''' Probably not. It's not easy to input these commands by accident. You might type <code>sudo rm -rf /</code> by accident, but you won't type the <code>--no-preserve-root</code> if you don't actually want to harm your computer. Accidentally typing a command that installs malware is near impossible. '''So as long as I don't type --no-preserve-root, everything is fine?''' No. The terminal is a way to operate your computer. It will do exactly what you tell it to do. If you tell it to remove all your important files, it will do just that. In the same way you might harm your computer with the GUI, you might as well harm it with the terminal. However, you definitely have more options to fuck things up when using the terminal. For example, always be careful, when running <code>sudo</code>. This is the equivalent to "Administrator access", but much more powerful. You should always avoid running a ''root-shell'' (a shell where you have sudo access without typing sudo). You would detect it by the # symbol at the beginning of each line. But note, that you can do all kind of bad stuff in your home directory (the place where all your important files are), without typing <code>sudo</code>. Always think before typing something, and especially think before pressing enter. Also note, that <code>rm</code> actually ''removes'' files, and doesn't just move them to the trash bin. Always be careful when using <code>rm</code>. If you want to have extra safety, you can use <code>trash</code> instead, it will move files to the trash bin. '''What else can go wrong?''' There might be instances where you copy a command from some website, and you also copy the "enter command". This might lead to ''enter'' being automatically pressed at the end of the line, and the command being executed without additional interaction by you. If you want to modify the command before executing it, this would be unintended behavior. To prevent it, you can copy to a text editor first, modify the commands, and then copy to the terminal. == Other stuff you should know == If you have a folder <code>foo</code> and in it a folder <code>bar</code>, you would write this as <code>foo/bar</code>. The topmost folder is <code>/</code>. This means, that every path on your computer looks like this: <code>/path/to/some/file.txt</code> === Common commands === Go to a folder: <code>cd <folder_name></code>. List files: <code>ls</code> Copy: <code>cp <nowiki><source> <target></nowiki></code> Copy a folder: <code>cp -r <nowiki><source> <target></nowiki></code> Move: <code>mv <nowiki><source> <target></nowiki></code> Rename: <code>mv <nowiki><source> <target></nowiki></code> Edit: <code>nano <file_name></code> Do something as <code>root</code> (the equivalent to the windows administrator): <code>sudo <command></code> === Path Abbreviations === <code>~</code> is an abbreviation for <code>/home/<username></code> (where <code><username></code> is your actual username. If your username is ''peter'', this would be <code>/home/peter</code>), so paths to files in your ''home directory'' (the place where all your personal files are, look like this: <code>~/path/to/some/file.txt</code>. <code>.</code> is an abbreviation for the folder you are currently in. For example if you are in <code>~/.var/app/</code>, <code>.</code> would be <code>~/.var/app/</code>. This is especially useful if you want to execute a script that's inside your current folder: <code>./<script_name></code>, or if you need the path you are currently in, but don't want to type it, for example to search a file inside your current folder or a subfolder: <code>find . | grep -i <file_name></code>. <code>..</code> is an abbreviation for the parent of the folder you are currently in. For example if you are in <code>~/.var/app/</code>, <code>..</code> would be <code>~/.var/</code>. This is especially useful change the directory to the parent folder: <code>cd ..</code> ab9a8e478124df3d6fb87c7cccc9d3441754083f 1024 1023 2022-06-24T08:14:25Z Aragorn 3 /* Other stuff you should know */ wikitext text/x-wiki The terminal is the black thing with text you probably have already seen in some hacker movies. It might look scary, but it basically works like a voice assistant with text input. If you see instructions in the form of <code>sudo pacman -Q | grep -i -C 10 "apt"</code>, then this is something you have to put into the terminal. == How to use the terminal == '''Where do I find the terminal?''' You will probably find it somewhere in your menu. It might have a name like Gnome-Terminal, Konsole, Xterm, Terminator, or something else. It will probably have an icon that looks vaguely like a terminal (black background, white text). '''How does the terminal work?''' You write a line of text, you press enter, and you look at what happens. The terminal usually tells you if something goes wrong. Sometimes you need to press additional buttons like <code>y</code> for "yes" or <code>n</code> for "no". '''Should I read the output?''' Yes, it might contain warnings. However: Sometimes the output is very long, for example if you install software. In this case, you don't have to read everything. The important stuff will be at the end. If you have problems and look for help in forums, always include the output from the terminal. '''Should I take warnings seriously?''' YES! [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average "You could harm your computer" bullshit you are used to from Windows.] '''Is the terminal dangerous?''' It might look scary, but it's not dangerous. If you write something wrong, it will just tell you that it's wrong - your computer will not explode. However, things can go wrong, more in the next section. '''How can I learn using it?''' Look here: https://linuxjourney.com/ == Dangers of the terminal == '''So should I just input whatever I find at some random place in the internet?''' NO! You should not copy/paste stuff from untrusted sources (like this wiki - everyone can edit it) if you don't understand what you're doing. The commands might be malicious. For example, if you would type the following, you would delete everything on your computer, and potentially destroy your motherboard: <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> '''<big>DO NOT DO THIS!</big>''' There is no situation where it would be a good thing to input the following command. It will delete your system, it will delete other mounted drives (like Windows, external drives, your game drive, whatever), and it might '''permanently''' '''destroy''' your motherboard. <code>sudo rm -rf / --no-preserve-root</code> Don't do it. Seriously. Not for fun, not because you don't need your system anymore. Just don't. </div> Other commands may uninstall your graphical user interface, or install a remote access for hackers. '''This sounds scary!''' Don't be afraid. Malicious tutorials for Linux are rarer than malware for Windows (I don't even know if this ever happened somewhere), and if someone did write one, it would probably get noticed and removed very fast. If you're fine with installing software on Windows, you should be fine with tutorials for Linux. But still. Be wary. '''Could I harm my computer if I type malicious commands by accident?''' Probably not. It's not easy to input these commands by accident. You might type <code>sudo rm -rf /</code> by accident, but you won't type the <code>--no-preserve-root</code> if you don't actually want to harm your computer. Accidentally typing a command that installs malware is near impossible. '''So as long as I don't type --no-preserve-root, everything is fine?''' No. The terminal is a way to operate your computer. It will do exactly what you tell it to do. If you tell it to remove all your important files, it will do just that. In the same way you might harm your computer with the GUI, you might as well harm it with the terminal. However, you definitely have more options to fuck things up when using the terminal. For example, always be careful, when running <code>sudo</code>. This is the equivalent to "Administrator access", but much more powerful. You should always avoid running a ''root-shell'' (a shell where you have sudo access without typing sudo). You would detect it by the # symbol at the beginning of each line. But note, that you can do all kind of bad stuff in your home directory (the place where all your important files are), without typing <code>sudo</code>. Always think before typing something, and especially think before pressing enter. Also note, that <code>rm</code> actually ''removes'' files, and doesn't just move them to the trash bin. Always be careful when using <code>rm</code>. If you want to have extra safety, you can use <code>trash</code> instead, it will move files to the trash bin. '''What else can go wrong?''' There might be instances where you copy a command from some website, and you also copy the "enter command". This might lead to ''enter'' being automatically pressed at the end of the line, and the command being executed without additional interaction by you. If you want to modify the command before executing it, this would be unintended behavior. To prevent it, you can copy to a text editor first, modify the commands, and then copy to the terminal. == Other stuff you should know == If you have a folder <code>foo</code> and in it a folder <code>bar</code>, you would write this as <code>foo/bar</code>. The topmost folder is <code>/</code>. This means, that every path on your computer looks like this: <code>/path/to/some/file.txt</code> === Common commands === Go to a folder: <code>cd <folder_name></code>. List files: <code>ls</code> Copy: <code>cp <nowiki><source> <target></nowiki></code> Copy a folder: <code>cp -r <nowiki><source> <target></nowiki></code> Move: <code>mv <nowiki><source> <target></nowiki></code> Rename: <code>mv <nowiki><source> <target></nowiki></code> Edit: <code>nano <file_name></code> Delete: <code>rm <file_name></code> (better alternative: <code>trash <file_name></code><s>)</s> Delete folder: <code>rm -r <folder_name></code> (better alternative: <code>trash -r <folder_name></code>) Do something as <code>root</code> (the equivalent to the windows administrator): <code>sudo <command></code> === Path Abbreviations === <code>~</code> is an abbreviation for <code>/home/<username></code> (where <code><username></code> is your actual username. If your username is ''peter'', this would be <code>/home/peter</code>), so paths to files in your ''home directory'' (the place where all your personal files are, look like this: <code>~/path/to/some/file.txt</code>. <code>.</code> is an abbreviation for the folder you are currently in. For example if you are in <code>~/.var/app/</code>, <code>.</code> would be <code>~/.var/app/</code>. This is especially useful if you want to execute a script that's inside your current folder: <code>./<script_name></code>, or if you need the path you are currently in, but don't want to type it, for example to search a file inside your current folder or a subfolder: <code>find . | grep -i <file_name></code>. <code>..</code> is an abbreviation for the parent of the folder you are currently in. For example if you are in <code>~/.var/app/</code>, <code>..</code> would be <code>~/.var/</code>. This is especially useful change the directory to the parent folder: <code>cd ..</code> 8d26fb385682a3e62a1a810dcbed497d881833af 0 34 1026 963 2022-06-25T10:00:03Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki It is recommended to read the [[Getting started with Linux|long version]], but you should be fine if you just do the following:<ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect, ''especially'' if you consider yourself a power user. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. Your knowledge of regedit and powershell is useless, you will not be able to troubleshoot issues the way you're used to, and your favorite software to do something might not be available. Think of it like being dropped back to level 1 in an MMO. It's like that. There will be issues, and you will have no clue what to do. Imagine installing Windows and your performance being bad. You obviously would install the GPU drivers. Now imagine you would use Windows for the first time, and you have to figure out what the fuck is wrong. Be prepared for this. It will happen, and it will happen more than once. The good thing is, that you will learn everything much faster than someone who has no previous knowledge. But keep in mind that you have years of experience with Windows, and absolutely no knowledge of how to use Linux. Don't expect to know how to do everything, and be prepared to put time and effort into learning stuff. You will probably think that Linux is more complicated than Windows, just keep going, and you'll get to the point where you'll think the opposite. But it will take time. <li>Don't immediately remove Windows, try dual booting, or try installing Linux on a laptop first. Give yourself some time to adapt. The beginning will probably not be easy. It's always good to have a fallback if things don't work as expected. You can remove Windows later, if you're sure that you don't need a backup solution. </li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have [[Hardware Recommendations|supported hardware]]. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle, or without bugs. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working on Steam. You can find other games on [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org]. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use Steam for running games that are on Steam. Most games will work ''just like that'', after [[Steam#Enable Steam Play for all games|enabling Steam Play for all games]].</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other games.</li> <li><p>[[Compositor|Disable Composition]]: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it.</p></li> <li><p>If your performance is bad, read [[Improving performance|this article]].</p></li> <li><p>'''Don't go to a website and download stuff to install it'''. This is not how Linux works. Even if this is the ''"official"'' way. For example AMD will offer you to download their drivers from the website. Don't do it, this is bad, and '''it will probably break your system'''!</p></li> <li><p>If you use the terminal, Linux will usually not protect you from shooting yourself in the foot. Instead, it will deliver the bullet in the most efficient way possible. If Linux actually warns you that you might be doing something stupid, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when [[How to get answers|asking for help]].</p></li><li><p>You (almost) never download software or drivers in the browser. Doing this is a really bad idea, and should only be your last resort if everything else fails. Just look up your distribution (Pop!_OS if you follow our recommendation) + the software, and you should find a better solution (for example a ''ppa'').</p></li><li><p>If you don't like the look, it can easily be changed. Just [https://support.system76.com/articles/desktop-environment/ install a different desktop environment]. KDE Plasma would be a popular choice that looks a lot like Windows, is very customizable, and very comfortable to use. </p></li></ul> 7f3796c197f9b59531001178170c05854a4d759a 1043 1026 2022-07-06T21:56:56Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki It is recommended to read the [[Getting started with Linux|long version]], but you should be fine if you just do the following:<ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect, ''especially'' if you consider yourself a power user. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. Your knowledge of regedit and powershell is useless, you will not be able to troubleshoot issues the way you're used to, and your favorite software to do something might not be available. Think of it like being dropped back to level 1 in an MMO. It's like that. There will be issues, and you will have no clue what to do. Imagine installing Windows and your performance being bad. You obviously would install the GPU drivers. Now imagine you would use Windows for the first time, and you have to figure out what the fuck is wrong. Be prepared for this. It will happen, and it will happen more than once. The good thing is, that you will learn everything much faster than someone who has no previous knowledge. But keep in mind that you have years of experience with Windows, and absolutely no knowledge of how to use Linux. Don't expect to know how to do everything, and be prepared to put time and effort into learning stuff. You will probably think that Linux is more complicated than Windows, just keep going, and you'll get to the point where you'll think the opposite. But it will take time. <li>Don't immediately remove Windows, try dual booting, or try installing Linux on a laptop first. Give yourself some time to adapt. The beginning will probably not be easy. It's always good to have a fallback if things don't work as expected. You can remove Windows later, if you're sure that you don't need a backup solution. </li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have [[Hardware Recommendations|supported hardware]]. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle, or without bugs. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working on Steam. You can find other games on [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org]. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one.</li> <li>Use Steam for running games that are on Steam. Most games will work ''just like that'', after [[Steam#Enable Steam Play for all games|enabling Steam Play for all games]].</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other games.</li> <li><p>[[Compositor|Disable Composition]]: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it.</p></li> <li><p>If your performance is bad, read [[Improving performance|this article]].</p></li> <li><p>'''Don't go to a website and download stuff to install it'''. This is not how Linux works. Even if this is the ''"official"'' way. For example AMD will offer you to download their drivers from the website. Don't do it, this is bad, and '''it will probably break your system'''!</p></li> <li><p>If you use the terminal, Linux will usually not protect you from shooting yourself in the foot. Instead, it will deliver the bullet in the most efficient way possible. If Linux actually warns you that you might be doing something stupid, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when [[How to get answers|asking for help]].</p></li><li><p>You (almost) never download software or drivers in the browser. Doing this is a really bad idea, and should only be your last resort if everything else fails. Just look up your distribution (Pop!_OS if you follow our recommendation) + the software, and you should find a better solution (for example a ''ppa'').</p></li><li><p>If you don't like the look, it can easily be changed. Just [https://support.system76.com/articles/desktop-environment/ install a different desktop environment]. KDE Plasma would be a popular choice that looks a lot like Windows, is very customizable, and very comfortable to use. </p></li><li><p>Expect that you're going to reinstall your system a couple times while getting accustomed to it. Linux comes without training wheels, or double bottom. At the same time, it invites experimentation, and if you don't know what you're doing, this can lead to a broken system relatively quickly. So always back up your important data! But fear not, after you learned how your system works, it won't break that much anymore. </p></li></ul> 3230f609b5cc13497e4f67f67e4c2c63ef99627f 0 30 1030 710 2022-07-04T06:11:06Z Aragorn 3 /* Manual[1] */ wikitext text/x-wiki Reshade let's you apply extra shaders. While it's theoretically possible to do this with vkBasalt, it's not yet fully working. You might also want to use some mods that are written for reshade. ==How to install== ===Automatic=== You can use [https://github.com/kevinlekiller/reshade-steam-proton/blob/main/reshade-linux.sh this script]. Note, that executing external scripts is a security risk. You should always read and understand the content of the script before executing it. ===Manual<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/b2hi3g/reshade_working_in_wine_43/</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=dll name for dx12 is missing}} *Get the architecture of your application. If you don't know it, run <code>file /path/to/your/game.exe</code>. The output will either contain '''x86-64''' (64 bit) or '''80386''' (32 bit). *Download: **If your game is 32 bit: https://download-installer.cdn.mozilla.net/pub/firefox/releases/62.0.3/win32/ach/Firefox%20Setup%2062.0.3.exe **If your game is 64 bit: https://download-installer.cdn.mozilla.net/pub/firefox/releases/62.0.3/win64/ach/Firefox%20Setup%2062.0.3.exe *Download the latest version of Reshade: https://reshade.me/ (alternatively download this older version, it should work: https://reshade.me/downloads/ReShade_Setup_4.9.1.exe) *Move both executables to some folder, and extract them with 7zip: **<code>7z e Firefox\ Setup\ 62.0.3.exe</code> **<code>7z e ReShade_Setup_x.y.z.exe</code> (modify x y and z according to the version you downloaded, for example <code>7z e ReShade_Setup_4.9.1.exe</code> for Reshade version 4.9.1) *From the extracted executables, copy following dlls to the folder your game executable is in: **<code>d3dcompiler.dll</code> (coming from Firefox) **<code>ReShade64.dll</code> or <code>ReShade32.dll</code> (coming from Reshade). Choose the one you take on whether your game is 32 or 64 bit. Rename it to ***<code>d3d9.dll</code> if your game uses Directx9 (this is more likely for older games) ***<code>dxgi.dll</code> if your game uses Directx11 (this is more likely for newer games) *Set [[Modding#DLL overrides|dll overrides]] in winecfg, for example with Lutris: **Open Lutris, click your game, on the bottom, click the up-arrow right next to the wine bottle icon, click <code>Wine configuration</code>, click <code>Libraries</code>, insert the name of the dll (without the .dll) in the text box under <code>New override for library</code>: ***<code>d3dcompiler_47</code> ***select it in the list, click <code>Edit</code> and select <code>native, then builtin</code> ***Depending on whether your game uses DX9 or DX11: ****<code>d3d9</code> for DX9 ****<code>dxgi</code> for DX11 ***select it in the list, click <code>Edit</code> and select <code>native (Windows)</code> *Get the shaders and textures: <code>git clone <nowiki>https://github.com/crosire/reshade-shaders.git</nowiki></code> and copy the folders <code>Shaders</code> and <code>Textures</code> into the folder where your game executable is in. * Run your application *Open Reshade (by pressing <code>home</code> or <code>Pos1</code>) *Open settings tab, and add the path <code>./Shaders</code> for shaders and <code>./Textures</code> for textures. == References and notes == <references /> 94fea921d3b974ab85b29a289844e694fd4f190b 1034 1030 2022-07-04T06:30:33Z Aragorn 3 /* Manual[1] */ wikitext text/x-wiki Reshade let's you apply extra shaders. While it's theoretically possible to do this with vkBasalt, it's not yet fully working. You might also want to use some mods that are written for reshade. ==How to install== ===Automatic=== You can use [https://github.com/kevinlekiller/reshade-steam-proton/blob/main/reshade-linux.sh this script]. Note, that executing external scripts is a security risk. You should always read and understand the content of the script before executing it. ===Manual<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/b2hi3g/reshade_working_in_wine_43/</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=dll name for dx12 is missing}} *Get the architecture of your application. If you don't know it, run <code>file /path/to/your/game.exe</code>. The output will either contain '''x86-64''' (64 bit) or '''80386''' (32 bit). *Install d3dcompiler_47 (for example with [[Installing dlls#With winetricks or protontricks|winetricks or protontricks]]). *Download the latest version of Reshade: https://reshade.me/ (alternatively download this older version, it should work: https://reshade.me/downloads/ReShade_Setup_4.9.1.exe) *Move it to some folder, and extract with 7zip: **<code>7z e ReShade_Setup_x.y.z.exe</code> (modify x y and z according to the version you downloaded, for example <code>7z e ReShade_Setup_4.9.1.exe</code> for Reshade version 4.9.1) **Take <code>ReShade64.dll</code> or <code>ReShade32.dll</code> based on whether your game is 32 or 64 bit, and rename it to ***<code>d3d9.dll</code> if your game uses Directx9 (this is more likely for older games) ***<code>dxgi.dll</code> if your game uses Directx11 (this is more likely for newer games) *Set [[Modding#DLL overrides|dll override]] in winecfg, for example with Lutris: **Open Lutris, click your game, on the bottom, click the up-arrow right next to the wine bottle icon, click <code>Wine configuration</code>, click <code>Libraries</code>, insert the name of the dll (without the .dll) in the text box under <code>New override for library</code>: ***Depending on whether your game uses DX9 or DX11: ****<code>d3d9</code> for DX9 ****<code>dxgi</code> for DX11 ***select it in the list, click <code>Edit</code> and select <code>native (Windows)</code> *Get the shaders and textures: <code>git clone <nowiki>https://github.com/crosire/reshade-shaders.git</nowiki></code> and copy the folders <code>Shaders</code> and <code>Textures</code> into the folder where your game executable is in. * Run your application *Open Reshade (by pressing <code>home</code> or <code>Pos1</code>) *Open settings tab, and add the path <code>./Shaders</code> for shaders and <code>./Textures</code> for textures. == References and notes == <references /> b0810cd0a372b02d416ecf063c2cae3a496025a1 0 1 1031 991 2022-07-04T06:21:18Z Aragorn 3 /* Other */ wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Reshade]] - Tool to add post processing to your games. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. 0470918f8b05ea4bf75b75e319dfcfda0c689304 1041 1031 2022-07-04T06:46:07Z Aragorn 3 /* Other */ wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Reshade]] - Tool to add post processing to your games. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. 7847b61c0b04ae82a3252a9a4244eceef1183bc2 1042 1041 2022-07-04T06:47:45Z Aragorn 3 /* Running games */ wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. ==== Tweaking ==== *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Reshade]] - Tool to add post processing to your games. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. 430944ec90c50727ee8b95eccda6d0d78f191327 0 61 1032 2022-07-04T06:28:27Z Aragorn 3 Created page with "== With winetricks or protontricks == Open Winetricks or Protontricks -> select default wineprefix -> install dll -> select the dll you want to install, click ok. == Manual == Download the dll. You can either download it from some website, or you can download an exe that contains it. If you downloaded an exe, extract the dll with 7zip: <code>7z e some_program.exe</code> Copy the dll in the game folder, and set a dll override for it. ===DLL overrides=== More info on [h..." wikitext text/x-wiki == With winetricks or protontricks == Open Winetricks or Protontricks -> select default wineprefix -> install dll -> select the dll you want to install, click ok. == Manual == Download the dll. You can either download it from some website, or you can download an exe that contains it. If you downloaded an exe, extract the dll with 7zip: <code>7z e some_program.exe</code> Copy the dll in the game folder, and set a dll override for it. ===DLL overrides=== More info on [https://wiki.winehq.org/Wine_User%27s_Guide#DLL_Overrides winehq]. The game can either use ''native'' dlls that come with the game, or use ''builtin'' dlls that come with wine. It (sometimes?/usually?) uses only the ''builtin'' dlls. On Windows, the game would do it the other way around, and first use ''all'' dlls in the game directory, and only if the dll is not there, look somewhere else. Now if you put a different dll from a mod inside the game directory, this will not (not always?) work. That's why you have to tell wine, that it should use the dll from the mod. ====Example==== For example, if you want to tell wine to use the ''d3dcompiler_47.dll'' that's in your game folder, and only use the builtin dll if it can't find any dll in the game folder, you would do the following: Open Lutris, click your game, on the bottom, click the up-arrow right next to the wine bottle icon, click <code>Wine configuration</code>, click <code>Libraries</code>, and *insert the name of the dll (without the .dll) <code>d3dcompiler_47</code> in the text box under <code>New override for library</code>. *select it in the list, click <code>Edit</code> and select <code>native, then builtin</code> Alternatively, you could also set <code>WINEDLLOVERRIDES="d3dcompiler_47=n,b"</code> as an [[Environment variables|environment variable]]. e90a958d9c42829a85092cf04993c31c52bc4624 1039 1032 2022-07-04T06:41:55Z Aragorn 3 /* With winetricks or protontricks */ wikitext text/x-wiki == With winetricks or protontricks == Open [[Winetricks|Winetricks or Protontricks]] -> select default wineprefix -> install dll -> select the dll you want to install, click ok. == Manual == Download the dll. You can either download it from some website, or you can download an exe that contains it. If you downloaded an exe, extract the dll with 7zip: <code>7z e some_program.exe</code> Copy the dll in the game folder, and set a dll override for it. ===DLL overrides=== More info on [https://wiki.winehq.org/Wine_User%27s_Guide#DLL_Overrides winehq]. The game can either use ''native'' dlls that come with the game, or use ''builtin'' dlls that come with wine. It (sometimes?/usually?) uses only the ''builtin'' dlls. On Windows, the game would do it the other way around, and first use ''all'' dlls in the game directory, and only if the dll is not there, look somewhere else. Now if you put a different dll from a mod inside the game directory, this will not (not always?) work. That's why you have to tell wine, that it should use the dll from the mod. ====Example==== For example, if you want to tell wine to use the ''d3dcompiler_47.dll'' that's in your game folder, and only use the builtin dll if it can't find any dll in the game folder, you would do the following: Open Lutris, click your game, on the bottom, click the up-arrow right next to the wine bottle icon, click <code>Wine configuration</code>, click <code>Libraries</code>, and *insert the name of the dll (without the .dll) <code>d3dcompiler_47</code> in the text box under <code>New override for library</code>. *select it in the list, click <code>Edit</code> and select <code>native, then builtin</code> Alternatively, you could also set <code>WINEDLLOVERRIDES="d3dcompiler_47=n,b"</code> as an [[Environment variables|environment variable]]. 233b8dacfc8102fff4ba45e33e2f141c80cd05e5 0 41 1033 999 2022-07-04T06:29:47Z Aragorn 3 /* Manual Installation */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game mods modify games in some way. A good source for mods is https://www.nexusmods.com. Sometimes they work in the same way as on Windows, but that's not always the case. [[Reshade]] is an example for a modding tool. == Mod Manager == Mod managers that are not native will not set dll overrides. If the installed mod uses dlls, you have to [[Modding#DLL overrides|set the overrides manually]]. === Install mod managers with Wine === You can try installing mod Managers from [[Lutris]], if there is an install script. For example there are scripts (for older versions of) Vortex and NMM. Otherwise, you can try installing them in the same wine prefix. You could do this for example in the following way: * Copy the executable into the wine prefix of your game: <code>~/Games/<your_game>/drive_c/users/<your_name>/Downloads/</code> * In Lutris, click your game, then click on the arrow next to the wine bottle on the bottom of the window. Click <code>Run EXE inside Wine prefix</code> * Locate the exe, and run it. * If it works, you can locate the executable of the installed mod manager, and run it in this way. Otherwise, you can also create a new "game" in the same wine prefix and select the executable there. TODO: describe how. === Install mod managers in a VM === If a mod manager is not working well with wine, you can install Windows in VirtualBox, share your game folder with the VM, and install the mod manager inside the VM. You need to install the guest additions for it to work. The folder will be mounted as network drive Z. This will not work with every mod manager and every mod. For example it will not work with MO2 (however, MO2 is working in Wine<ref>https://github.com/Modorganizer2/modorganizer/issues/372</ref>). If you want to mod a Linux native game, you can try creating a fake .exe in order for the mod manager to detect the game. In more detail: # Install the game on Linux, for example with Lutris, Heroic, or Steam. # Install Windows in a VM # Share the game folder with the Windows VM # Install a mod manager in the Windows VM # Use the mod manager to install a mod # Play the game that is now modded (on Linux, without VM) Optional: Disable internet access for the VM, and enable drag/drop to copy files easily to the VM. This way, Windows can not send telemetry data, or do unnecessary updates that just take space and processing time. You might even use older (and lighter) versions like Windows 7 if the mod manager is compatible. In this case, you will have to manually download mods, though. == Manual Installation == === Installing dlls === In many cases (for example reshade, specialK) you just need one dll in your game folder. Just download the exe, extract it, and [[Installing dlls#Manual|manually install the dll]]. === Path names === Linux paths are case sensitive, while Windows paths are not. This leads to mod developers using different folder names when referring to the same folder, for example ''folderName'' and ''Foldername''. If your mod doesn't work, this might be the issue, and you can try changing the names so that they are consistent. == Trainer == {{Needs work|Problem=I didn't test any of these, and just copied some links from answers to reddit posts asking about this kind of stuff. Maybe some are redundant or not working well. Please edit this if you have any idea what these tools do}} *[https://github.com/leaty/tuxtrain tuxtrain] * [https://github.com/korcankaraokcu/PINCE PINCE] * [https://github.com/scanmem/scanmem scanmem] * [https://linuxhint.com/use-gameconqueror-cheat-engine-linux/ gameconqueror] * [https://github.com/evg-zhabotinsky/libspeedhack libspeedhack] == Linux native modding tools == There are some game specific Linux native modding tools, you may find a list [[Game specific modding tools|here]]. 211e84e01af22c05cd0ed2dac22c0835c14dfe48 1035 1033 2022-07-04T06:33:02Z Aragorn 3 /* Manual Installation */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game mods modify games in some way. A good source for mods is https://www.nexusmods.com. Sometimes they work in the same way as on Windows, but that's not always the case. [[Reshade]] is an example for a modding tool. == Mod Manager == Mod managers that are not native will not set dll overrides. If the installed mod uses dlls, you have to [[Modding#DLL overrides|set the overrides manually]]. === Install mod managers with Wine === You can try installing mod Managers from [[Lutris]], if there is an install script. For example there are scripts (for older versions of) Vortex and NMM. Otherwise, you can try installing them in the same wine prefix. You could do this for example in the following way: * Copy the executable into the wine prefix of your game: <code>~/Games/<your_game>/drive_c/users/<your_name>/Downloads/</code> * In Lutris, click your game, then click on the arrow next to the wine bottle on the bottom of the window. Click <code>Run EXE inside Wine prefix</code> * Locate the exe, and run it. * If it works, you can locate the executable of the installed mod manager, and run it in this way. Otherwise, you can also create a new "game" in the same wine prefix and select the executable there. TODO: describe how. === Install mod managers in a VM === If a mod manager is not working well with wine, you can install Windows in VirtualBox, share your game folder with the VM, and install the mod manager inside the VM. You need to install the guest additions for it to work. The folder will be mounted as network drive Z. This will not work with every mod manager and every mod. For example it will not work with MO2 (however, MO2 is working in Wine<ref>https://github.com/Modorganizer2/modorganizer/issues/372</ref>). If you want to mod a Linux native game, you can try creating a fake .exe in order for the mod manager to detect the game. In more detail: # Install the game on Linux, for example with Lutris, Heroic, or Steam. # Install Windows in a VM # Share the game folder with the Windows VM # Install a mod manager in the Windows VM # Use the mod manager to install a mod # Play the game that is now modded (on Linux, without VM) Optional: Disable internet access for the VM, and enable drag/drop to copy files easily to the VM. This way, Windows can not send telemetry data, or do unnecessary updates that just take space and processing time. You might even use older (and lighter) versions like Windows 7 if the mod manager is compatible. In this case, you will have to manually download mods, though. == Manual Installation == === Installing dlls === In many cases (for example reshade, specialK) you just need one dll in your game folder. Just download the exe, extract it, and [[Installing dlls#Manual|manually install the dll]]. You might have to rename it, for example to dxgi.dll or something like that. === Path names === Linux paths are case sensitive, while Windows paths are not. This leads to mod developers using different folder names when referring to the same folder, for example ''folderName'' and ''Foldername''. If your mod doesn't work, this might be the issue, and you can try changing the names so that they are consistent. == Trainer == {{Needs work|Problem=I didn't test any of these, and just copied some links from answers to reddit posts asking about this kind of stuff. Maybe some are redundant or not working well. Please edit this if you have any idea what these tools do}} *[https://github.com/leaty/tuxtrain tuxtrain] * [https://github.com/korcankaraokcu/PINCE PINCE] * [https://github.com/scanmem/scanmem scanmem] * [https://linuxhint.com/use-gameconqueror-cheat-engine-linux/ gameconqueror] * [https://github.com/evg-zhabotinsky/libspeedhack libspeedhack] == Linux native modding tools == There are some game specific Linux native modding tools, you may find a list [[Game specific modding tools|here]]. e30a32d3a2df82b3c9b9ad3244ae32b741ca6bbe 1036 1035 2022-07-04T06:35:01Z Aragorn 3 /* Path names */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game mods modify games in some way. A good source for mods is https://www.nexusmods.com. Sometimes they work in the same way as on Windows, but that's not always the case. [[Reshade]] is an example for a modding tool. == Mod Manager == Mod managers that are not native will not set dll overrides. If the installed mod uses dlls, you have to [[Modding#DLL overrides|set the overrides manually]]. === Install mod managers with Wine === You can try installing mod Managers from [[Lutris]], if there is an install script. For example there are scripts (for older versions of) Vortex and NMM. Otherwise, you can try installing them in the same wine prefix. You could do this for example in the following way: * Copy the executable into the wine prefix of your game: <code>~/Games/<your_game>/drive_c/users/<your_name>/Downloads/</code> * In Lutris, click your game, then click on the arrow next to the wine bottle on the bottom of the window. Click <code>Run EXE inside Wine prefix</code> * Locate the exe, and run it. * If it works, you can locate the executable of the installed mod manager, and run it in this way. Otherwise, you can also create a new "game" in the same wine prefix and select the executable there. TODO: describe how. === Install mod managers in a VM === If a mod manager is not working well with wine, you can install Windows in VirtualBox, share your game folder with the VM, and install the mod manager inside the VM. You need to install the guest additions for it to work. The folder will be mounted as network drive Z. This will not work with every mod manager and every mod. For example it will not work with MO2 (however, MO2 is working in Wine<ref>https://github.com/Modorganizer2/modorganizer/issues/372</ref>). If you want to mod a Linux native game, you can try creating a fake .exe in order for the mod manager to detect the game. In more detail: # Install the game on Linux, for example with Lutris, Heroic, or Steam. # Install Windows in a VM # Share the game folder with the Windows VM # Install a mod manager in the Windows VM # Use the mod manager to install a mod # Play the game that is now modded (on Linux, without VM) Optional: Disable internet access for the VM, and enable drag/drop to copy files easily to the VM. This way, Windows can not send telemetry data, or do unnecessary updates that just take space and processing time. You might even use older (and lighter) versions like Windows 7 if the mod manager is compatible. In this case, you will have to manually download mods, though. == Manual Installation == === Installing dlls === In many cases (for example reshade, specialK) you just need one dll in your game folder. Just download the exe, extract it, and [[Installing dlls#Manual|manually install the dll]]. You might have to rename it, for example to dxgi.dll or something like that. === Path names === Linux paths are case sensitive, while Windows paths are not. This leads to mod developers using different folder names when referring to the same folder, for example ''folderName'' and ''Foldername''. If your mod doesn't work, this might be the issue, and you can try changing the names so that they are consistent. If you use ext4, you can also use [https://www.collabora.com/news-and-blog/blog/2020/08/27/using-the-linux-kernel-case-insensitive-feature-in-ext4/ case folding]. == Trainer == {{Needs work|Problem=I didn't test any of these, and just copied some links from answers to reddit posts asking about this kind of stuff. Maybe some are redundant or not working well. Please edit this if you have any idea what these tools do}} *[https://github.com/leaty/tuxtrain tuxtrain] * [https://github.com/korcankaraokcu/PINCE PINCE] * [https://github.com/scanmem/scanmem scanmem] * [https://linuxhint.com/use-gameconqueror-cheat-engine-linux/ gameconqueror] * [https://github.com/evg-zhabotinsky/libspeedhack libspeedhack] == Linux native modding tools == There are some game specific Linux native modding tools, you may find a list [[Game specific modding tools|here]]. 0f4160d496f1f978b08f128889d184dcf60189b6 1037 1036 2022-07-04T06:35:28Z Aragorn 3 /* Path names */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game mods modify games in some way. A good source for mods is https://www.nexusmods.com. Sometimes they work in the same way as on Windows, but that's not always the case. [[Reshade]] is an example for a modding tool. == Mod Manager == Mod managers that are not native will not set dll overrides. If the installed mod uses dlls, you have to [[Modding#DLL overrides|set the overrides manually]]. === Install mod managers with Wine === You can try installing mod Managers from [[Lutris]], if there is an install script. For example there are scripts (for older versions of) Vortex and NMM. Otherwise, you can try installing them in the same wine prefix. You could do this for example in the following way: * Copy the executable into the wine prefix of your game: <code>~/Games/<your_game>/drive_c/users/<your_name>/Downloads/</code> * In Lutris, click your game, then click on the arrow next to the wine bottle on the bottom of the window. Click <code>Run EXE inside Wine prefix</code> * Locate the exe, and run it. * If it works, you can locate the executable of the installed mod manager, and run it in this way. Otherwise, you can also create a new "game" in the same wine prefix and select the executable there. TODO: describe how. === Install mod managers in a VM === If a mod manager is not working well with wine, you can install Windows in VirtualBox, share your game folder with the VM, and install the mod manager inside the VM. You need to install the guest additions for it to work. The folder will be mounted as network drive Z. This will not work with every mod manager and every mod. For example it will not work with MO2 (however, MO2 is working in Wine<ref>https://github.com/Modorganizer2/modorganizer/issues/372</ref>). If you want to mod a Linux native game, you can try creating a fake .exe in order for the mod manager to detect the game. In more detail: # Install the game on Linux, for example with Lutris, Heroic, or Steam. # Install Windows in a VM # Share the game folder with the Windows VM # Install a mod manager in the Windows VM # Use the mod manager to install a mod # Play the game that is now modded (on Linux, without VM) Optional: Disable internet access for the VM, and enable drag/drop to copy files easily to the VM. This way, Windows can not send telemetry data, or do unnecessary updates that just take space and processing time. You might even use older (and lighter) versions like Windows 7 if the mod manager is compatible. In this case, you will have to manually download mods, though. == Manual Installation == === Installing dlls === In many cases (for example reshade, specialK) you just need one dll in your game folder. Just download the exe, extract it, and [[Installing dlls#Manual|manually install the dll]]. You might have to rename it, for example to dxgi.dll or something like that. === Path names === Linux paths are case sensitive, while Windows paths are not. This leads to mod developers using different folder names when referring to the same folder, for example ''folderName'' and ''Foldername''. If your mod doesn't work, this might be the issue, and you can try changing the names so that they are consistent. You can also use ext4 with [https://www.collabora.com/news-and-blog/blog/2020/08/27/using-the-linux-kernel-case-insensitive-feature-in-ext4/ case folding]. == Trainer == {{Needs work|Problem=I didn't test any of these, and just copied some links from answers to reddit posts asking about this kind of stuff. Maybe some are redundant or not working well. Please edit this if you have any idea what these tools do}} *[https://github.com/leaty/tuxtrain tuxtrain] * [https://github.com/korcankaraokcu/PINCE PINCE] * [https://github.com/scanmem/scanmem scanmem] * [https://linuxhint.com/use-gameconqueror-cheat-engine-linux/ gameconqueror] * [https://github.com/evg-zhabotinsky/libspeedhack libspeedhack] == Linux native modding tools == There are some game specific Linux native modding tools, you may find a list [[Game specific modding tools|here]]. 74334038566b8077cc6db03dc1afe91b19380515 1038 1037 2022-07-04T06:40:24Z Aragorn 3 /* Installing dlls */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game mods modify games in some way. A good source for mods is https://www.nexusmods.com. Sometimes they work in the same way as on Windows, but that's not always the case. [[Reshade]] is an example for a modding tool. == Mod Manager == Mod managers that are not native will not set dll overrides. If the installed mod uses dlls, you have to [[Modding#DLL overrides|set the overrides manually]]. === Install mod managers with Wine === You can try installing mod Managers from [[Lutris]], if there is an install script. For example there are scripts (for older versions of) Vortex and NMM. Otherwise, you can try installing them in the same wine prefix. You could do this for example in the following way: * Copy the executable into the wine prefix of your game: <code>~/Games/<your_game>/drive_c/users/<your_name>/Downloads/</code> * In Lutris, click your game, then click on the arrow next to the wine bottle on the bottom of the window. Click <code>Run EXE inside Wine prefix</code> * Locate the exe, and run it. * If it works, you can locate the executable of the installed mod manager, and run it in this way. Otherwise, you can also create a new "game" in the same wine prefix and select the executable there. TODO: describe how. === Install mod managers in a VM === If a mod manager is not working well with wine, you can install Windows in VirtualBox, share your game folder with the VM, and install the mod manager inside the VM. You need to install the guest additions for it to work. The folder will be mounted as network drive Z. This will not work with every mod manager and every mod. For example it will not work with MO2 (however, MO2 is working in Wine<ref>https://github.com/Modorganizer2/modorganizer/issues/372</ref>). If you want to mod a Linux native game, you can try creating a fake .exe in order for the mod manager to detect the game. In more detail: # Install the game on Linux, for example with Lutris, Heroic, or Steam. # Install Windows in a VM # Share the game folder with the Windows VM # Install a mod manager in the Windows VM # Use the mod manager to install a mod # Play the game that is now modded (on Linux, without VM) Optional: Disable internet access for the VM, and enable drag/drop to copy files easily to the VM. This way, Windows can not send telemetry data, or do unnecessary updates that just take space and processing time. You might even use older (and lighter) versions like Windows 7 if the mod manager is compatible. In this case, you will have to manually download mods, though. == Manual Installation == === Installing dlls === In many cases (for example reshade, specialK) you just need one dll in your game folder. Just download the exe, extract it, and [[Installing dlls#Manual|manually install the dll]]. You might have to rename it, for example to * <code>d3d9.dll</code> if your game uses Directx9 (this is more likely for older games) * <code>dxgi.dll</code> if your game uses Directx11 (this is more likely for newer games) or something like that. Also note that you should use a dll that has the architecture of your game, so if the game is 32 bit, you might need to choose another dll than if your game is 64 bit (often indicated by a 32 or a 64 in the dll filename). === Path names === Linux paths are case sensitive, while Windows paths are not. This leads to mod developers using different folder names when referring to the same folder, for example ''folderName'' and ''Foldername''. If your mod doesn't work, this might be the issue, and you can try changing the names so that they are consistent. You can also use ext4 with [https://www.collabora.com/news-and-blog/blog/2020/08/27/using-the-linux-kernel-case-insensitive-feature-in-ext4/ case folding]. == Trainer == {{Needs work|Problem=I didn't test any of these, and just copied some links from answers to reddit posts asking about this kind of stuff. Maybe some are redundant or not working well. Please edit this if you have any idea what these tools do}} *[https://github.com/leaty/tuxtrain tuxtrain] * [https://github.com/korcankaraokcu/PINCE PINCE] * [https://github.com/scanmem/scanmem scanmem] * [https://linuxhint.com/use-gameconqueror-cheat-engine-linux/ gameconqueror] * [https://github.com/evg-zhabotinsky/libspeedhack libspeedhack] == Linux native modding tools == There are some game specific Linux native modding tools, you may find a list [[Game specific modding tools|here]]. e23f5085dd23ce72f1d9766224b7153f6b258da5 0 62 1040 2022-07-04T06:44:49Z Aragorn 3 Created page with "If you use Proton, this program is called "Protontricks", but it's still the same program. Winetricks is a program that lets you do tweaks that would otherwise be much harder to do. == Opening Winetricks == === Lutris === Open Lutris and select your game. On the bottom you can see a wineglass, and on the right side of it an arrow pointing to the top. Click that arrow, and select Winetricks." wikitext text/x-wiki If you use Proton, this program is called "Protontricks", but it's still the same program. Winetricks is a program that lets you do tweaks that would otherwise be much harder to do. == Opening Winetricks == === Lutris === Open Lutris and select your game. On the bottom you can see a wineglass, and on the right side of it an arrow pointing to the top. Click that arrow, and select Winetricks. a71595b4546781f7530dc14c76a31b67db1cfd38 0 15 1044 890 2022-07-16T18:16:57Z Aragorn 3 /* Finding a game on Lutris */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[File:Lutris icon.png|thumb|Lutris icon.]] '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that primarily provides installers for games not available on Steam. It can also act as a single app for your whole game library. You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam. == Installing Lutris == You can typically install Lutris through your distribution's app store (e.g. GNOME Software, Discover, Pop Shop). For example, on Pop!_OS, go to the '''Pop Shop''' and search "Lutris". [[File:Pop Shop - Lutris.png|frameless|581x581px]] Then, click install. See Lutris's [https://lutris.net/downloads download page] for more ways to install it. == Finding a game on Lutris == {{Needs work|Problem=The UI changed. In the new version, it is necessary to click the + button on the top left, then click "Search for install script on the Lutris website".}} The most important feature of Lutris is that you can install games and launchers not found on Steam using '''install scripts'''. If you want to use an install script, select Lutris in '''Sources''' and click "Community Installers". [[File:Communityinstallers.png|frameless|496x496px]] Then, in the top bar, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. [[File:Installscripts.png|frameless|430x430px]] Here, we'll click on the game with the photo, and click "install". There may be multiple install scripts options, so pick what seems most standard. If your first choice doesn't work, you could try the other ones. You don't have to use the Lutris client to find install scripts - you can [https://lutris.net/games look up install scripts] on Lutris's website. === Installation === Typically, when installing a game, Lutris will ask if you want to download certain files. [[File:Lutrisinstalls.png|none|thumb|384x384px|Installing Overwatch on Lutris.]] Review the files to make sure everything looks okay, and then just press '''continue'''. Don't worry about the individual download buttons. === Install games that you own on GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam === Login to these stores by navigating to their tab in '''Sources''', and logging in to them by clicking the '''Connect''' icon. [[File:Lutrislogin.png|frameless]] After logging in, Lutris should display the games you own from that store. You can also enable the Epic Games Store as a source, but using [[Heroic|the Heroic Games launcher]] or just installing the Epic Games Store itself through Lutris are probably easier options. == Configuration Options == You might want to [[Improving performance|improve the performance]] of your games with stuff like: *Esync * Fsync * [[Gamemode]] * [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution]] *[https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/wine-ge-custom/releases Wine-GE], instead of using Lutris's WINE You can also improve visuals with: *[https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] for downscaling *[https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or [[reshade]] == Installing Windows games without an install script == '''This is NOT what you would usually do when installing a game! Only do the following if there is no install script!''' *Click the plus on the top left * Select a name and select Wine as runner. * Select Game options, and select the executable ** Select the new folder as Wine prefix ** Select the prefix architecture (if you're not sure select 64-bit) *** Create a new folder where you want to install your game (for example <code>~/Games/MyNewGame</code>) * Select Runner options ** Select the Wine version (try different ones, including the ones from tkg and GE) * Click Save * Start your game ** Click through the installer * Right click the game in Lutris, click Configure ** Select Game options and modify the executable to be the actual game executable. (This could be <code>~/Games/MyNewGame/drive_c/Program Files(x86)/CoolGame/bin/CoolGame.exe</code>) * Start your game. **It will probably work, but if it's not, see the ''troubleshooting'' section. == Troubleshooting == This [https://piped.kavin.rocks/watch?v=oFB-Ly8RcOw video guide] explains how to install a game with a Lutris install script in more depth. If you encounter an issue installing your game, look up the game's name on the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/ Linux Gaming subreddit] to see if anyone's had the same issue and solved it. You should also check whether the game currently runs on Linux. === General approach: === (if the above does not work) * Close Lutris, open a [[terminal]], type <code>lutris</code> and press enter. Lutris will now open, but you will see more information in the terminal. * Try running the game with different presets like other Wine version, with/without DXVK, with/without Esync, Fsync, Windowed (virtual desktop), etc. * Right click your game, go to Runner options, and set ''Output debugging info'' to ''Enabled''. * Start your game and pay close attention to the output in the terminal ** Try to understand the problem ** For example, you can use Winetricks to install missing dependencies === Winetricks === Winetricks is an easy way to do various stuff with Wine, including but not limited to installing libraries and other dependencies for your games. ==FAQ== ====What are runners?==== ''Runners'' are "methods" to run your programs. '''Linux''' is for native Linux games. '''Steam''' is for Steam games - though, using Steam itself to run those games is easier. '''Wine''' is what you want to use for every other Windows game. Other runners are available, these are mainly emulators for various consoles, or DOS (DosBox) ==See also== [https://lutris.net/ Lutris website] [[Category:Popular apps]] 1d52189ef11a24890cf0143dc43ecce1c741ff3d 1045 1044 2022-07-16T18:17:13Z Aragorn 3 /* Finding a game on Lutris */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[File:Lutris icon.png|thumb|Lutris icon.]] '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that primarily provides installers for games not available on Steam. It can also act as a single app for your whole game library. You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam. == Installing Lutris == You can typically install Lutris through your distribution's app store (e.g. GNOME Software, Discover, Pop Shop). For example, on Pop!_OS, go to the '''Pop Shop''' and search "Lutris". [[File:Pop Shop - Lutris.png|frameless|581x581px]] Then, click install. See Lutris's [https://lutris.net/downloads download page] for more ways to install it. == Finding a game on Lutris == {{Needs work|Problem=The UI changed. In the new version, it is necessary to click the + button on the top left, then click "Search for install script on the Lutris website"}} The most important feature of Lutris is that you can install games and launchers not found on Steam using '''install scripts'''. If you want to use an install script, select Lutris in '''Sources''' and click "Community Installers". [[File:Communityinstallers.png|frameless|496x496px]] Then, in the top bar, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. [[File:Installscripts.png|frameless|430x430px]] Here, we'll click on the game with the photo, and click "install". There may be multiple install scripts options, so pick what seems most standard. If your first choice doesn't work, you could try the other ones. You don't have to use the Lutris client to find install scripts - you can [https://lutris.net/games look up install scripts] on Lutris's website. === Installation === Typically, when installing a game, Lutris will ask if you want to download certain files. [[File:Lutrisinstalls.png|none|thumb|384x384px|Installing Overwatch on Lutris.]] Review the files to make sure everything looks okay, and then just press '''continue'''. Don't worry about the individual download buttons. === Install games that you own on GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam === Login to these stores by navigating to their tab in '''Sources''', and logging in to them by clicking the '''Connect''' icon. [[File:Lutrislogin.png|frameless]] After logging in, Lutris should display the games you own from that store. You can also enable the Epic Games Store as a source, but using [[Heroic|the Heroic Games launcher]] or just installing the Epic Games Store itself through Lutris are probably easier options. == Configuration Options == You might want to [[Improving performance|improve the performance]] of your games with stuff like: *Esync * Fsync * [[Gamemode]] * [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution]] *[https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/wine-ge-custom/releases Wine-GE], instead of using Lutris's WINE You can also improve visuals with: *[https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] for downscaling *[https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or [[reshade]] == Installing Windows games without an install script == '''This is NOT what you would usually do when installing a game! Only do the following if there is no install script!''' *Click the plus on the top left * Select a name and select Wine as runner. * Select Game options, and select the executable ** Select the new folder as Wine prefix ** Select the prefix architecture (if you're not sure select 64-bit) *** Create a new folder where you want to install your game (for example <code>~/Games/MyNewGame</code>) * Select Runner options ** Select the Wine version (try different ones, including the ones from tkg and GE) * Click Save * Start your game ** Click through the installer * Right click the game in Lutris, click Configure ** Select Game options and modify the executable to be the actual game executable. (This could be <code>~/Games/MyNewGame/drive_c/Program Files(x86)/CoolGame/bin/CoolGame.exe</code>) * Start your game. **It will probably work, but if it's not, see the ''troubleshooting'' section. == Troubleshooting == This [https://piped.kavin.rocks/watch?v=oFB-Ly8RcOw video guide] explains how to install a game with a Lutris install script in more depth. If you encounter an issue installing your game, look up the game's name on the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/ Linux Gaming subreddit] to see if anyone's had the same issue and solved it. You should also check whether the game currently runs on Linux. === General approach: === (if the above does not work) * Close Lutris, open a [[terminal]], type <code>lutris</code> and press enter. Lutris will now open, but you will see more information in the terminal. * Try running the game with different presets like other Wine version, with/without DXVK, with/without Esync, Fsync, Windowed (virtual desktop), etc. * Right click your game, go to Runner options, and set ''Output debugging info'' to ''Enabled''. * Start your game and pay close attention to the output in the terminal ** Try to understand the problem ** For example, you can use Winetricks to install missing dependencies === Winetricks === Winetricks is an easy way to do various stuff with Wine, including but not limited to installing libraries and other dependencies for your games. ==FAQ== ====What are runners?==== ''Runners'' are "methods" to run your programs. '''Linux''' is for native Linux games. '''Steam''' is for Steam games - though, using Steam itself to run those games is easier. '''Wine''' is what you want to use for every other Windows game. Other runners are available, these are mainly emulators for various consoles, or DOS (DosBox) ==See also== [https://lutris.net/ Lutris website] [[Category:Popular apps]] f0c4f4bee6f2309ed600ed89b4324a301054bbe5 0 32 1051 1050 2022-07-21T13:14:47Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use a DE with X11]], then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadows, animations, transparency, blur, or other effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. ==Disabling composition for your games== Disabling composition will dramatically improve performance, input lag, and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: ===Gnome=== This is the default DE on Pop!_OS. You don't have to do anything. Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing Windows does), which is almost as good as disabling compositon. Disabling composition in Gnome is not possible. ===KDE=== There are many options to disable composition: * You can use [https://store.kde.org/p/1502826/ Autocomposer]. This should make it unnecessary to do anything of the following. *For Lutris: **To disable it for a single game: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. **To disable it for all games: Click <code>...</code> in the top right corner -> <code>Preferences</code> -> <code>Global options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code> *You can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code> before launching a game. The same combination re-enables it. *If you want to use a terminal command (for example for automation, launch options for Steam, etc): ** disable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor suspend</code> ** enable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor resume</code> ===Xfce=== *Disable composition with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Xfwm#Configuration</ref> *Enable it again with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> * In Steam, you can automate disabling/enabling with the launch option: <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false; %command%; xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code><ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensiveLinux/comments/6b3cs5/comment/dhjw7z7/?context=3</ref> === Mate === * Disable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/MATE#Disabling_compositing</ref> * Enable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager true</code> ===Cinnamon === Unfortunately, you have to disable composition completely. This might lead to visual degradation in desktop mode (no effects, no shadows, no transparency, no window previews, more tearing), but all other options yield bad gaming performance. If you want a DE that looks a bit like Windows, you might want to have a look at KDE Plasma instead. To disable it: <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>General</code> -> <code>Disable compositing</code> === Pantheon === Unfortunately it appears to not support disabling composition.<ref>https://elementaryos.stackexchange.com/questions/4483/how-can-i-disable-composite-and-effects-in-elementary-os</ref> == References and notes == <references /> 7f4891d1be24f5285d7e04604ee116a52cf57548 1059 1051 2022-07-22T18:33:26Z Aragorn 3 /* KDE */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use a DE with X11]], then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadows, animations, transparency, blur, or other effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. ==Disabling composition for your games== Disabling composition will dramatically improve performance, input lag, and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: ===Gnome=== This is the default DE on Pop!_OS. You don't have to do anything. Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing Windows does), which is almost as good as disabling compositon. Disabling composition in Gnome is not possible. ===KDE=== There are many options to disable composition: * You can use [https://store.kde.org/p/1502826/ Autocomposer]. This should make it unnecessary to do anything of the following. *For Lutris: **To disable it for a single game: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. **To disable it for all games: Click <code>...</code> in the top right corner -> <code>Preferences</code> -> <code>Global options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code> *You can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code> before launching a game. The same combination re-enables it. *If you want to use a terminal command (for example for automation, launch options for Steam, [[Gamemode]] etc): ** disable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor suspend</code> ** enable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor resume</code> ===Xfce=== *Disable composition with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Xfwm#Configuration</ref> *Enable it again with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> * In Steam, you can automate disabling/enabling with the launch option: <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false; %command%; xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code><ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensiveLinux/comments/6b3cs5/comment/dhjw7z7/?context=3</ref> === Mate === * Disable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/MATE#Disabling_compositing</ref> * Enable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager true</code> ===Cinnamon === Unfortunately, you have to disable composition completely. This might lead to visual degradation in desktop mode (no effects, no shadows, no transparency, no window previews, more tearing), but all other options yield bad gaming performance. If you want a DE that looks a bit like Windows, you might want to have a look at KDE Plasma instead. To disable it: <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>General</code> -> <code>Disable compositing</code> === Pantheon === Unfortunately it appears to not support disabling composition.<ref>https://elementaryos.stackexchange.com/questions/4483/how-can-i-disable-composite-and-effects-in-elementary-os</ref> == References and notes == <references /> cd65d71a0ec22193f3fe1600239cc5e9608ef4e4 0 43 1052 1014 2022-07-21T23:23:28Z Aragorn 3 /* Downsampling */ wikitext text/x-wiki Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. == Watching the temperature == You can use <code>lm_sensors</code>. Before running it for the first time, run <code>sudo sensors-detect</code>. After that, type <code>sensors</code> to see your temperatures. If you want to monitor them for a longer time, type <code>watch sensors</code>. == Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc) == Settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows once, and change stuff there. You can also boot a VM (with KVM) and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings should be kept in Linux. == Audio stuff == === Noise Cancelling === You can use [https://github.com/wwmm/easyeffects EasyEffects] or [https://github.com/noisetorch/NoiseTorch NoiseTorch]. === Equalizer and more === EasyEffects also has various other audio processing options, like crystalizer, noise gate, equalizer, filter, and much more. NoiseTorch can only cancel noise, but also has the option to tweak how aggressive it cancels noise. === Patching Audio === If you want to have a patchbay to route your audio to various destinations, [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/helvum Helvum] might be what you're looking for. == Make the game look good == === Downsampling === You can use [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope]. For example, use <code>gamescope -w 3840 -h 2160 --</code> as command prefix, to downscale from 4k. If you use it in Lutris, set <code>3840x2160</code> as resolution. You can also use Gamescope if your game doesn't play nicely with your desktop, for example if it doesn't catch your mouse, or if it breaks when loosing focus. Run <code>sudo setcap 'CAP_SYS_NICE=eip' `which gamescope`</code> to get a smooth gaming experience.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/w4u69f/my_gamescope_was_too_nice_and_yours_is_too/</ref> === Post Processing === You can use [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) == Bottles == Some people prefer [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] to install games that don't have an install script in [[Lutris]]. ==Using GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long as it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try again to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code><nowiki>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</nowiki></code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. #Follow the instructions in the readme. == Using Checksums == When downloading a file, you might have seen something like <code>sha512: 497907d020870e564b814bb6c4f7eef2f3abdf5d0159ccbd96501a26cef155a8d771a420a16c9348525fa4ce7de3c137ad5ff15a013c84f327edbdea6495d86b easyanticheat_x64.so</code> This is a checksum, or more precise: An <code>sha512</code> checksum for the file <code>easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. This number is for verifying that you have the correct file, and not something that is manipulated or inaccurately transmitted. '''Usage''': Download file, open [[terminal]], and <code>cd Downloads</code>. Then you execute <code>sha512sum easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. The number you see there, should be ''exactly'' the same. Btw: <code>sha512</code> is better than <code>sha256</code>, and ''especially'' better than <code>md5</code>. <code>md5</code> is trash, don't use it. == Game Streaming == You can use [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == RGB == You can use [https://gitlab.com/CalcProgrammer1/OpenRGB OpenRGB]. == Razer control driver == For razer hardware, you can use this driver: https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer == Logitech control software == Solaar is a Linux device manager for Logitech devices. You can do stuff like changing DPI, or button mappings, etc. https://github.com/pwr-Solaar/Solaar == Suspend/resume of applications (games, an others) == You can use [https://github.com/Merrit/nyrna nyrna]. Unortunately it doesn't (yet) "survive" reboots. == Test whether you use X11 or Wayland == Open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. If it says <code>wayland</code>, you use wayland. == Disable swapping for a game == You can do it like [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/u02y88/psa_disable_swap_for_games_and_dont_submit_bogus/ this]. == Simultaneously play two different games on the same device == https://www.reddit.com/r/tuxedocomputers/comments/ucdvj7/finally_did_it_two_different_users_playing/ 84b75a7d00332b944f750c1ec4735793f78aa73a 1057 1052 2022-07-21T23:32:27Z Aragorn 3 /* Downsampling */ wikitext text/x-wiki Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. == Watching the temperature == You can use <code>lm_sensors</code>. Before running it for the first time, run <code>sudo sensors-detect</code>. After that, type <code>sensors</code> to see your temperatures. If you want to monitor them for a longer time, type <code>watch sensors</code>. == Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc) == Settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows once, and change stuff there. You can also boot a VM (with KVM) and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings should be kept in Linux. == Audio stuff == === Noise Cancelling === You can use [https://github.com/wwmm/easyeffects EasyEffects] or [https://github.com/noisetorch/NoiseTorch NoiseTorch]. === Equalizer and more === EasyEffects also has various other audio processing options, like crystalizer, noise gate, equalizer, filter, and much more. NoiseTorch can only cancel noise, but also has the option to tweak how aggressive it cancels noise. === Patching Audio === If you want to have a patchbay to route your audio to various destinations, [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/helvum Helvum] might be what you're looking for. == Make the game look good == === Downsampling === You can use [[Gamescope]]. === Post Processing === You can use [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) == Bottles == Some people prefer [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] to install games that don't have an install script in [[Lutris]]. ==Using GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long as it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try again to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code><nowiki>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</nowiki></code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. #Follow the instructions in the readme. == Using Checksums == When downloading a file, you might have seen something like <code>sha512: 497907d020870e564b814bb6c4f7eef2f3abdf5d0159ccbd96501a26cef155a8d771a420a16c9348525fa4ce7de3c137ad5ff15a013c84f327edbdea6495d86b easyanticheat_x64.so</code> This is a checksum, or more precise: An <code>sha512</code> checksum for the file <code>easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. This number is for verifying that you have the correct file, and not something that is manipulated or inaccurately transmitted. '''Usage''': Download file, open [[terminal]], and <code>cd Downloads</code>. Then you execute <code>sha512sum easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. The number you see there, should be ''exactly'' the same. Btw: <code>sha512</code> is better than <code>sha256</code>, and ''especially'' better than <code>md5</code>. <code>md5</code> is trash, don't use it. == Game Streaming == You can use [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == RGB == You can use [https://gitlab.com/CalcProgrammer1/OpenRGB OpenRGB]. == Razer control driver == For razer hardware, you can use this driver: https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer == Logitech control software == Solaar is a Linux device manager for Logitech devices. You can do stuff like changing DPI, or button mappings, etc. https://github.com/pwr-Solaar/Solaar == Suspend/resume of applications (games, an others) == You can use [https://github.com/Merrit/nyrna nyrna]. Unortunately it doesn't (yet) "survive" reboots. == Test whether you use X11 or Wayland == Open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. If it says <code>wayland</code>, you use wayland. == Disable swapping for a game == You can do it like [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/u02y88/psa_disable_swap_for_games_and_dont_submit_bogus/ this]. == Simultaneously play two different games on the same device == https://www.reddit.com/r/tuxedocomputers/comments/ucdvj7/finally_did_it_two_different_users_playing/ 5d456c8047e47c2f1614b8dfa3b51a436507bfda 1076 1057 2022-07-29T12:20:57Z Aragorn 3 /* Bottles */ wikitext text/x-wiki Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. == Watching the temperature == You can use <code>lm_sensors</code>. Before running it for the first time, run <code>sudo sensors-detect</code>. After that, type <code>sensors</code> to see your temperatures. If you want to monitor them for a longer time, type <code>watch sensors</code>. == Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc) == Settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows once, and change stuff there. You can also boot a VM (with KVM) and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings should be kept in Linux. == Audio stuff == === Noise Cancelling === You can use [https://github.com/wwmm/easyeffects EasyEffects] or [https://github.com/noisetorch/NoiseTorch NoiseTorch]. === Equalizer and more === EasyEffects also has various other audio processing options, like crystalizer, noise gate, equalizer, filter, and much more. NoiseTorch can only cancel noise, but also has the option to tweak how aggressive it cancels noise. === Patching Audio === If you want to have a patchbay to route your audio to various destinations, [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/helvum Helvum] might be what you're looking for. == Make the game look good == === Downsampling === You can use [[Gamescope]]. === Post Processing === You can use [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) ==Using GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long as it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try again to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code><nowiki>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</nowiki></code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. #Follow the instructions in the readme. == Using Checksums == When downloading a file, you might have seen something like <code>sha512: 497907d020870e564b814bb6c4f7eef2f3abdf5d0159ccbd96501a26cef155a8d771a420a16c9348525fa4ce7de3c137ad5ff15a013c84f327edbdea6495d86b easyanticheat_x64.so</code> This is a checksum, or more precise: An <code>sha512</code> checksum for the file <code>easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. This number is for verifying that you have the correct file, and not something that is manipulated or inaccurately transmitted. '''Usage''': Download file, open [[terminal]], and <code>cd Downloads</code>. Then you execute <code>sha512sum easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. The number you see there, should be ''exactly'' the same. Btw: <code>sha512</code> is better than <code>sha256</code>, and ''especially'' better than <code>md5</code>. <code>md5</code> is trash, don't use it. == Game Streaming == You can use [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == RGB == You can use [https://gitlab.com/CalcProgrammer1/OpenRGB OpenRGB]. == Razer control driver == For razer hardware, you can use this driver: https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer == Logitech control software == Solaar is a Linux device manager for Logitech devices. You can do stuff like changing DPI, or button mappings, etc. https://github.com/pwr-Solaar/Solaar == Suspend/resume of applications (games, an others) == You can use [https://github.com/Merrit/nyrna nyrna]. Unortunately it doesn't (yet) "survive" reboots. == Test whether you use X11 or Wayland == Open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. If it says <code>wayland</code>, you use wayland. == Disable swapping for a game == You can do it like [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/u02y88/psa_disable_swap_for_games_and_dont_submit_bogus/ this]. == Simultaneously play two different games on the same device == https://www.reddit.com/r/tuxedocomputers/comments/ucdvj7/finally_did_it_two_different_users_playing/ 862dffb154e3ff992c28c967132b8473383ae147 1080 1076 2022-07-29T12:28:40Z Aragorn 3 /* Patching Audio */ wikitext text/x-wiki Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. == Watching the temperature == You can use <code>lm_sensors</code>. Before running it for the first time, run <code>sudo sensors-detect</code>. After that, type <code>sensors</code> to see your temperatures. If you want to monitor them for a longer time, type <code>watch sensors</code>. == Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc) == Settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows once, and change stuff there. You can also boot a VM (with KVM) and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings should be kept in Linux. == Audio stuff == === Noise Cancelling === You can use [https://github.com/wwmm/easyeffects EasyEffects] or [https://github.com/noisetorch/NoiseTorch NoiseTorch]. === Equalizer and more === EasyEffects also has various other audio processing options, like crystalizer, noise gate, equalizer, filter, and much more. NoiseTorch can only cancel noise, but also has the option to tweak how aggressive it cancels noise. === Patching Audio === If you want to have a patchbay to route your audio to various destinations, [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/rncbc/qpwgraph qpwgraph] or [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/helvum Helvum] might be what you're looking for. == Make the game look good == === Downsampling === You can use [[Gamescope]]. === Post Processing === You can use [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) ==Using GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long as it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try again to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code><nowiki>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</nowiki></code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. #Follow the instructions in the readme. == Using Checksums == When downloading a file, you might have seen something like <code>sha512: 497907d020870e564b814bb6c4f7eef2f3abdf5d0159ccbd96501a26cef155a8d771a420a16c9348525fa4ce7de3c137ad5ff15a013c84f327edbdea6495d86b easyanticheat_x64.so</code> This is a checksum, or more precise: An <code>sha512</code> checksum for the file <code>easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. This number is for verifying that you have the correct file, and not something that is manipulated or inaccurately transmitted. '''Usage''': Download file, open [[terminal]], and <code>cd Downloads</code>. Then you execute <code>sha512sum easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. The number you see there, should be ''exactly'' the same. Btw: <code>sha512</code> is better than <code>sha256</code>, and ''especially'' better than <code>md5</code>. <code>md5</code> is trash, don't use it. == Game Streaming == You can use [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == RGB == You can use [https://gitlab.com/CalcProgrammer1/OpenRGB OpenRGB]. == Razer control driver == For razer hardware, you can use this driver: https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer == Logitech control software == Solaar is a Linux device manager for Logitech devices. You can do stuff like changing DPI, or button mappings, etc. https://github.com/pwr-Solaar/Solaar == Suspend/resume of applications (games, an others) == You can use [https://github.com/Merrit/nyrna nyrna]. Unortunately it doesn't (yet) "survive" reboots. == Test whether you use X11 or Wayland == Open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. If it says <code>wayland</code>, you use wayland. == Disable swapping for a game == You can do it like [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/u02y88/psa_disable_swap_for_games_and_dont_submit_bogus/ this]. == Simultaneously play two different games on the same device == https://www.reddit.com/r/tuxedocomputers/comments/ucdvj7/finally_did_it_two_different_users_playing/ b022049812049fba83b911214d2cf2c4df343284 0 63 1053 2022-07-21T23:28:33Z Aragorn 3 Created page with "Gamescope creates a virtual desktop for your game. This can be beneficial if your game doesn't play nicely with your desktop, for example if it doesn't catch your mouse, or if it breaks when loosing focus. You can use Gamescope for downsampling. For example, use <code>gamescope -w 3840 -h 2160 --</code> as command prefix, to downscale from 4k. If you use it in Lutris, set <code>3840x2160</code> as resolution. === Setup === Run <code>sudo setcap 'CAP_SYS_NICE=eip' `whic..." wikitext text/x-wiki Gamescope creates a virtual desktop for your game. This can be beneficial if your game doesn't play nicely with your desktop, for example if it doesn't catch your mouse, or if it breaks when loosing focus. You can use Gamescope for downsampling. For example, use <code>gamescope -w 3840 -h 2160 --</code> as command prefix, to downscale from 4k. If you use it in Lutris, set <code>3840x2160</code> as resolution. === Setup === Run <code>sudo setcap 'CAP_SYS_NICE=eip' `which gamescope`</code> to get a smooth gaming experience. 0dfeab40aa6b0b6033abb88bb858e6c29dd98e6a 1054 1053 2022-07-21T23:28:56Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] creates a virtual desktop for your game. This can be beneficial if your game doesn't play nicely with your desktop, for example if it doesn't catch your mouse, or if it breaks when loosing focus. You can use Gamescope for downsampling. For example, use <code>gamescope -w 3840 -h 2160 --</code> as command prefix, to downscale from 4k. If you use it in Lutris, set <code>3840x2160</code> as resolution. === Setup === Run <code>sudo setcap 'CAP_SYS_NICE=eip' `which gamescope`</code> to get a smooth gaming experience. ec45bf388322bea139f9d8d5dc5c8abc231ec520 1055 1054 2022-07-21T23:31:08Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] creates a virtual desktop for your game. This can be beneficial if your game doesn't play nicely with your desktop, for example if it doesn't catch your mouse, or if it breaks when loosing focus. You can use Gamescope for downsampling. For example, use <code>gamescope -w 3840 -h 2160 --</code> as command prefix, to downscale from 4k. If you use it in Lutris, set <code>3840x2160</code> as resolution. === Setup === Run <code>sudo setcap 'CAP_SYS_NICE=eip' `which gamescope`</code> to get a smooth gaming experience.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/w4u69f/my_gamescope_was_too_nice_and_yours_is_too/</ref> 79de217872c6ff1a013c1e49b581a1df0cce2c5e 1056 1055 2022-07-21T23:31:43Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] creates a virtual desktop for your game. This can be beneficial if your game doesn't play nicely with your desktop, for example if it doesn't catch your mouse, or if it breaks when loosing focus. You can use Gamescope for downsampling. For example, use <code>gamescope -w 3840 -h 2160 --</code> as command prefix, to downscale from 4k. If you use it in Lutris, set <code>3840x2160</code> as resolution. === Setup === Run <code>sudo setcap 'CAP_SYS_NICE=eip' `which gamescope`</code> to get a smooth gaming experience.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/w4u69f/my_gamescope_was_too_nice_and_yours_is_too/</ref> == References and notes == 9a2543c7f6abb244cdad4490e2f386432a28f46d 1068 1056 2022-07-26T08:53:33Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] creates a virtual desktop for your game. This can be beneficial if your game doesn't play nicely with your desktop, for example if it doesn't catch your mouse, or if it breaks when loosing focus. You can use Gamescope for downsampling. For example, use <code>gamescope -w 3840 -h 2160 --</code> as command prefix, to downscale from 4k. If you use it in Lutris, set <code>3840x2160</code> as resolution. === Setup === Run <code>sudo setcap 'CAP_SYS_NICE=eip' $(which gamescope)</code> to get a smooth gaming experience.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/w4u69f/my_gamescope_was_too_nice_and_yours_is_too/</ref> == References and notes == c32cff6e0d97f34029861374d3d678c77403c41b 1069 1068 2022-07-26T09:04:05Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] creates a virtual desktop for your game. This can be beneficial if your game doesn't play nicely with your desktop, for example if it doesn't catch your mouse, or if it breaks when loosing focus. You can use Gamescope for downsampling. For example, use <code>gamescope -w 3840 -h 2160 --</code> as command prefix, to downscale from 4k. The same can be achieved in Lutris, by enabling Gamescope, and setting <code>3840x2160</code> as resolution. === Setup === Run <code>sudo setcap 'CAP_SYS_NICE=eip' $(which gamescope)</code> to get a smooth gaming experience.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/w4u69f/my_gamescope_was_too_nice_and_yours_is_too/</ref> == References and notes == 11569c0f5a770442d6f8d919ff01e8538cff4d3a 1089 1069 2022-08-18T13:34:39Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] creates a virtual desktop for your game. This can be beneficial if your game doesn't play nicely with your desktop, for example if it doesn't catch your mouse, or if it breaks when loosing focus. You can use Gamescope for downsampling. For example, use <code>gamescope -f -w 3840 -h 2160 --</code> as command prefix, to downscale from 4k. The same can be achieved in Lutris, by enabling Gamescope, and setting <code>3840x2160</code> as resolution. You can also use Gamescope for upsampling with FSR, by specifying the <code>-U</code> option, for example with <code>gamescope -f -U --</code> as command prefix. === Setup === Run <code>sudo setcap 'CAP_SYS_NICE=eip' $(which gamescope)</code> to get a smooth gaming experience.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/w4u69f/my_gamescope_was_too_nice_and_yours_is_too/</ref> == References and notes == 11e3612a34d7b56c0b897ead3f3330005022fe6c 1090 1089 2022-08-18T13:35:06Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] creates a virtual desktop for your game. This can be beneficial if your game doesn't play nicely with your desktop, for example if it doesn't catch your mouse, or if it breaks when loosing focus. You can use Gamescope for downsampling. For example, use <code>gamescope -f -w 3840 -h 2160 --</code> as command prefix, to downscale from 4k. The same can be achieved in Lutris, by enabling Gamescope, and setting <code>3840x2160</code> as resolution. You can also use Gamescope for upsampling with FSR, by specifying the <code>-U</code> option, for example with <code>gamescope -f -U --</code> as command prefix. Type <code>gamescope --help</code> in the [[terminal]] to see all options. === Setup === Run <code>sudo setcap 'CAP_SYS_NICE=eip' $(which gamescope)</code> to get a smooth gaming experience.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/w4u69f/my_gamescope_was_too_nice_and_yours_is_too/</ref> == References and notes == 5fd98a0d888144478e80abdcae0c6b3ff1fe4c11 1091 1090 2022-08-18T13:38:40Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] creates a virtual desktop for your game. This can be beneficial if your game doesn't play nicely with your desktop, for example if it doesn't catch your mouse, or if it breaks when loosing focus. You can use Gamescope for downsampling. For example, use <code>gamescope -f -w 3840 -h 2160 --</code> as command prefix, to downscale from 4k. The same can be achieved in Lutris, by enabling Gamescope, and setting <code>3840x2160</code> as resolution. You can also use Gamescope for upsampling with [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], by specifying the <code>-U</code> option, for example with <code>gamescope -f -U --</code> as command prefix. Type <code>gamescope --help</code> in the [[terminal]] to see all options. === Setup === Run <code>sudo setcap 'CAP_SYS_NICE=eip' $(which gamescope)</code> to get a smooth gaming experience.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/w4u69f/my_gamescope_was_too_nice_and_yours_is_too/</ref> == References and notes == 6a865f0ee3d1235fd516b27b574de1e9aafd61ec 1094 1091 2022-08-18T13:42:58Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] creates a virtual desktop for your game. This can be beneficial if your game doesn't play nicely with your desktop, for example if it doesn't catch your mouse, or if it breaks when loosing focus. You can use Gamescope for downsampling. For example, use <code>gamescope -f -w 3840 -h 2160 --</code> as command prefix, to downscale from 4k. The same can be achieved in Lutris, by enabling Gamescope, and setting <code>3840x2160</code> as resolution. You can also use Gamescope for upsampling with [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], by specifying the <code>-U</code> option, for example with <code>gamescope -U --fsr-sharpness 4 --</code> as command prefix. 4 is an example value, replace it by something between 0 (max) and 20 (min). This also works for native games. Type <code>gamescope --help</code> in the [[terminal]] to see all options. === Setup === Run <code>sudo setcap 'CAP_SYS_NICE=eip' $(which gamescope)</code> to get a smooth gaming experience.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/w4u69f/my_gamescope_was_too_nice_and_yours_is_too/</ref> == References and notes == c80504735df869c4e635ca10cf681b964eccc305 0 1 1058 1042 2022-07-21T23:34:08Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. ==== Tweaking ==== *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Reshade]] - Tool to add post processing to your games. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. fb4591e771a3ea098e176fb6f0c7fc373526eeca 1078 1058 2022-07-29T12:26:26Z Aragorn 3 /* Running games */ wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. ==== Tweaking ==== *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Reshade]] - Tool to add post processing to your games. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. 2aa3d69c872eb51ae73f2a8dacbad2619e13e631 1095 1078 2022-08-18T13:46:31Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. ==== Tweaking ==== *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Reshade]] - Tool to add post processing to your games. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. e70b01e8dbbb2279e436d3a0edb611e62289c783 0 5 1060 1046 2022-07-24T15:45:54Z 146.200.61.187 0 /* Wayland */ Clarified which Wayland compositors support Freesync. Added additional context to the Wayland input latency section, notably that if you use in game vsync Wayland with in game vsync off should deliver a very similar experience. Added section noting that you should generally turn off in game vsync on Wayland as it will interfere with Freesync or the compositors built in Vsync, potentially causing additional latency. wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%) as on Windows. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers] **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *Set your GPU to high performance. **The default (automatic) is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. **You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **Alternatively, you can also use gamemode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. ** If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed **Do '''NOT''' download stuff from their website. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *If you have an old GPU, it might not be supported by the current driver. In this case you have to install an old one. You can use their website to determine which version you need. **''TODO: How to actually install them? On Arch you can use the AUR, but I don't know about any other distribution. Maybe actually download it from their website?'' == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE comes with a compatible version. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (just type in the name manually). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers.}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good choice. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> You should avoid Cinnamon and Pantheon. Cinnamon requires you to completely disable composition, Pantheon has no option to disable composition at all. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on, regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 00c8da615fa109b43f7f27d1da3181866f38e596 1074 1060 2022-07-28T13:50:00Z Aragorn 3 /* AMD/Nvidia specific */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%) as on Windows. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers] **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *Set your GPU to high performance. **The default (automatic) is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. **You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **Alternatively, you can also use gamemode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. ** If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed **Do '''NOT''' download stuff from their website. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *If you have an old GPU, it might not be supported by the current driver. In this case you have to install an old one. You can use their website to determine which version you need. **''TODO: How to actually install them? On Arch you can use the AUR, but I don't know about any other distribution. Maybe actually download it from their website?'' == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE comes with a compatible version. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (just type in the name manually). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers.}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good choice. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> You should avoid Cinnamon and Pantheon. Cinnamon requires you to completely disable composition, Pantheon has no option to disable composition at all. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on, regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 683b4237420398ff345a5f4d8af22ab7b57ae197 1075 1074 2022-07-28T13:51:52Z Aragorn 3 /* Minor tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%) as on Windows. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers] **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *Set your GPU to high performance. **The default (automatic) is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. **You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **Alternatively, you can also use gamemode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. ** If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed **Do '''NOT''' download stuff from their website. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *If you have an old GPU, it might not be supported by the current driver. In this case you have to install an old one. You can use their website to determine which version you need. **''TODO: How to actually install them? On Arch you can use the AUR, but I don't know about any other distribution. Maybe actually download it from their website?'' == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE comes with a compatible version. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (just type in the name manually). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers.}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good choice. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> You should avoid Cinnamon and Pantheon. Cinnamon requires you to completely disable composition, Pantheon has no option to disable composition at all. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on, regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> bfe574fd211285c3652928cc583b9b91d4bbf917 0 41 1061 1038 2022-07-25T14:22:59Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Game mods modify games in some way. A good source for mods is https://www.nexusmods.com. Sometimes they work in the same way as on Windows, but that's not always the case. [[Reshade]] is an example for a modding tool. == Mod Manager == Mod managers that are not native will not set dll overrides. If the installed mod uses dlls, you have to [[Modding#DLL overrides|set the overrides manually]]. === Install mod managers with Wine === You can try installing mod Managers from [[Lutris]], if there is an install script. For example there are scripts (for older versions of) Vortex and NMM. Otherwise, you can try installing them in the same wine prefix. You could do this for example in the following way: * Copy the executable into the wine prefix of your game: <code>~/Games/<your_game>/drive_c/users/<your_name>/Downloads/</code> *Run it: ** Lutris: Click your game, then click on the arrow next to the wine bottle on the bottom of the window. Click <code>Run EXE inside Wine prefix</code> **Steam: todo **Heroic: todo **Bottles: todo * Locate the exe, and run it. * If it works, you can locate the executable of the installed mod manager, and run it in this way. Otherwise, you can also create a new "game" in the same wine prefix and select the executable there. TODO: describe how. === Install mod managers in a VM === If a mod manager is not working well with wine, you can install Windows in VirtualBox, share your game folder with the VM, and install the mod manager inside the VM. You need to install the guest additions for it to work. The folder will be mounted as network drive Z. This will not work with every mod manager and every mod. For example it will not work with MO2 (however, MO2 is working in Wine<ref>https://github.com/Modorganizer2/modorganizer/issues/372</ref>). If you want to mod a Linux native game, you can try creating a fake .exe in order for the mod manager to detect the game. In more detail: # Install the game on Linux, for example with Lutris, Heroic, or Steam. # Install Windows in a VM # Share the game folder with the Windows VM # Install a mod manager in the Windows VM # Use the mod manager to install a mod # Play the game that is now modded (on Linux, without VM) Optional: Disable internet access for the VM, and enable drag/drop to copy files easily to the VM. This way, Windows can not send telemetry data, or do unnecessary updates that just take space and processing time. You might even use older (and lighter) versions like Windows 7 if the mod manager is compatible. In this case, you will have to manually download mods, though. == Manual Installation == === Installing dlls === In many cases (for example reshade, specialK) you just need one dll in your game folder. Just download the exe, extract it, and [[Installing dlls#Manual|manually install the dll]]. You might have to rename it, for example to * <code>d3d9.dll</code> if your game uses Directx9 (this is more likely for older games) * <code>dxgi.dll</code> if your game uses Directx11 (this is more likely for newer games) or something like that. Also note that you should use a dll that has the architecture of your game, so if the game is 32 bit, you might need to choose another dll than if your game is 64 bit (often indicated by a 32 or a 64 in the dll filename). === Path names === Linux paths are case sensitive, while Windows paths are not. This leads to mod developers using different folder names when referring to the same folder, for example ''folderName'' and ''Foldername''. If your mod doesn't work, this might be the issue, and you can try changing the names so that they are consistent. You can also use ext4 with [https://www.collabora.com/news-and-blog/blog/2020/08/27/using-the-linux-kernel-case-insensitive-feature-in-ext4/ case folding]. == Trainer == {{Needs work|Problem=I didn't test any of these, and just copied some links from answers to reddit posts asking about this kind of stuff. Maybe some are redundant or not working well. Please edit this if you have any idea what these tools do}} *[https://github.com/leaty/tuxtrain tuxtrain] * [https://github.com/korcankaraokcu/PINCE PINCE] * [https://github.com/scanmem/scanmem scanmem] * [https://linuxhint.com/use-gameconqueror-cheat-engine-linux/ gameconqueror] * [https://github.com/evg-zhabotinsky/libspeedhack libspeedhack] == Linux native modding tools == There are some game specific Linux native modding tools, you may find a list [[Game specific modding tools|here]]. ae0f2e72b6ad5afe4d8d71b532def4dcf3b0d927 1062 1061 2022-07-25T14:23:59Z Aragorn 3 /* Mod Manager */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game mods modify games in some way. A good source for mods is https://www.nexusmods.com. Sometimes they work in the same way as on Windows, but that's not always the case. [[Reshade]] is an example for a modding tool. == Mod Manager == Mod managers that are not native will not set dll overrides. If the installed mod uses dlls, you have to [[Modding#DLL overrides|set the overrides manually]]. === Install mod managers with Wine === You can try installing mod Managers from [[Lutris]], if there is an install script. For example there are scripts (for older versions of) Vortex and NMM. Otherwise, you can try installing them in the same wine prefix. You could do this for example in the following way: * Copy the executable into the wine prefix of your game: <code>~/Games/<your_game>/drive_c/users/<your_name>/Downloads/</code> *Run it in the same prefix as your game: ** Lutris: Click your game, then click on the arrow next to the wine bottle on the bottom of the window. Click <code>Run EXE inside Wine prefix</code> **Steam: todo **Heroic: todo **Bottles: todo * Locate the exe, and run it. * If it works, you can locate the executable of the installed mod manager, and run it in this way. Otherwise, you can also create a new "game" in the same wine prefix and select the executable there. TODO: describe how. === Install mod managers in a VM === If a mod manager is not working well with wine, you can install Windows in VirtualBox, share your game folder with the VM, and install the mod manager inside the VM. You need to install the guest additions for it to work. The folder will be mounted as network drive Z. This will not work with every mod manager and every mod. For example it will not work with MO2 (however, MO2 is working in Wine<ref>https://github.com/Modorganizer2/modorganizer/issues/372</ref>). If you want to mod a Linux native game, you can try creating a fake .exe in order for the mod manager to detect the game. In more detail: # Install the game on Linux, for example with Lutris, Heroic, or Steam. # Install Windows in a VM # Share the game folder with the Windows VM # Install a mod manager in the Windows VM # Use the mod manager to install a mod # Play the game that is now modded (on Linux, without VM) Optional: Disable internet access for the VM, and enable drag/drop to copy files easily to the VM. This way, Windows can not send telemetry data, or do unnecessary updates that just take space and processing time. You might even use older (and lighter) versions like Windows 7 if the mod manager is compatible. In this case, you will have to manually download mods, though. == Manual Installation == === Installing dlls === In many cases (for example reshade, specialK) you just need one dll in your game folder. Just download the exe, extract it, and [[Installing dlls#Manual|manually install the dll]]. You might have to rename it, for example to * <code>d3d9.dll</code> if your game uses Directx9 (this is more likely for older games) * <code>dxgi.dll</code> if your game uses Directx11 (this is more likely for newer games) or something like that. Also note that you should use a dll that has the architecture of your game, so if the game is 32 bit, you might need to choose another dll than if your game is 64 bit (often indicated by a 32 or a 64 in the dll filename). === Path names === Linux paths are case sensitive, while Windows paths are not. This leads to mod developers using different folder names when referring to the same folder, for example ''folderName'' and ''Foldername''. If your mod doesn't work, this might be the issue, and you can try changing the names so that they are consistent. You can also use ext4 with [https://www.collabora.com/news-and-blog/blog/2020/08/27/using-the-linux-kernel-case-insensitive-feature-in-ext4/ case folding]. == Trainer == {{Needs work|Problem=I didn't test any of these, and just copied some links from answers to reddit posts asking about this kind of stuff. Maybe some are redundant or not working well. Please edit this if you have any idea what these tools do}} *[https://github.com/leaty/tuxtrain tuxtrain] * [https://github.com/korcankaraokcu/PINCE PINCE] * [https://github.com/scanmem/scanmem scanmem] * [https://linuxhint.com/use-gameconqueror-cheat-engine-linux/ gameconqueror] * [https://github.com/evg-zhabotinsky/libspeedhack libspeedhack] == Linux native modding tools == There are some game specific Linux native modding tools, you may find a list [[Game specific modding tools|here]]. 0029949be04d22954b19c0af489dd210d488c718 1063 1062 2022-07-25T14:24:57Z Aragorn 3 /* Install mod managers with Wine */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game mods modify games in some way. A good source for mods is https://www.nexusmods.com. Sometimes they work in the same way as on Windows, but that's not always the case. [[Reshade]] is an example for a modding tool. == Mod Manager == Mod managers that are not native will not set dll overrides. If the installed mod uses dlls, you have to [[Modding#DLL overrides|set the overrides manually]]. === Install mod managers with Wine === You can try installing mod Managers from [[Lutris]], if there is an install script. For example there are scripts (for older versions of) Vortex and NMM. Otherwise, you can try installing them in the same wine prefix. You could do this for example in the following way: * Copy the executable into the wine prefix of your game: <code>~/Games/<your_game>/drive_c/users/<your_name>/Downloads/</code> *Run it in the same prefix as your game: ** Lutris: Click your game, then click on the arrow next to the wine bottle on the bottom of the window. Click <code>Run EXE inside Wine prefix</code>. Locate the exe, and run it. **Steam: todo **Heroic: todo * If it works, you can locate the executable of the installed mod manager, and run it in this way. Otherwise, you can also create a new "game" in the same wine prefix and select the executable there. TODO: describe how. === Install mod managers in a VM === If a mod manager is not working well with wine, you can install Windows in VirtualBox, share your game folder with the VM, and install the mod manager inside the VM. You need to install the guest additions for it to work. The folder will be mounted as network drive Z. This will not work with every mod manager and every mod. For example it will not work with MO2 (however, MO2 is working in Wine<ref>https://github.com/Modorganizer2/modorganizer/issues/372</ref>). If you want to mod a Linux native game, you can try creating a fake .exe in order for the mod manager to detect the game. In more detail: # Install the game on Linux, for example with Lutris, Heroic, or Steam. # Install Windows in a VM # Share the game folder with the Windows VM # Install a mod manager in the Windows VM # Use the mod manager to install a mod # Play the game that is now modded (on Linux, without VM) Optional: Disable internet access for the VM, and enable drag/drop to copy files easily to the VM. This way, Windows can not send telemetry data, or do unnecessary updates that just take space and processing time. You might even use older (and lighter) versions like Windows 7 if the mod manager is compatible. In this case, you will have to manually download mods, though. == Manual Installation == === Installing dlls === In many cases (for example reshade, specialK) you just need one dll in your game folder. Just download the exe, extract it, and [[Installing dlls#Manual|manually install the dll]]. You might have to rename it, for example to * <code>d3d9.dll</code> if your game uses Directx9 (this is more likely for older games) * <code>dxgi.dll</code> if your game uses Directx11 (this is more likely for newer games) or something like that. Also note that you should use a dll that has the architecture of your game, so if the game is 32 bit, you might need to choose another dll than if your game is 64 bit (often indicated by a 32 or a 64 in the dll filename). === Path names === Linux paths are case sensitive, while Windows paths are not. This leads to mod developers using different folder names when referring to the same folder, for example ''folderName'' and ''Foldername''. If your mod doesn't work, this might be the issue, and you can try changing the names so that they are consistent. You can also use ext4 with [https://www.collabora.com/news-and-blog/blog/2020/08/27/using-the-linux-kernel-case-insensitive-feature-in-ext4/ case folding]. == Trainer == {{Needs work|Problem=I didn't test any of these, and just copied some links from answers to reddit posts asking about this kind of stuff. Maybe some are redundant or not working well. Please edit this if you have any idea what these tools do}} *[https://github.com/leaty/tuxtrain tuxtrain] * [https://github.com/korcankaraokcu/PINCE PINCE] * [https://github.com/scanmem/scanmem scanmem] * [https://linuxhint.com/use-gameconqueror-cheat-engine-linux/ gameconqueror] * [https://github.com/evg-zhabotinsky/libspeedhack libspeedhack] == Linux native modding tools == There are some game specific Linux native modding tools, you may find a list [[Game specific modding tools|here]]. a4d1a6173d11b129b032171240692a8055edb2a8 1064 1063 2022-07-25T14:29:20Z Aragorn 3 /* Mod Manager */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game mods modify games in some way. A good source for mods is https://www.nexusmods.com. Sometimes they work in the same way as on Windows, but that's not always the case. [[Reshade]] is an example for a modding tool. == Mod Manager == Mod managers that are not native will not set dll overrides. If the installed mod uses dlls, you have to [[Installing dlls#DLL overrides|set the overrides manually]]. === Install mod managers with Wine === You can try installing mod Managers from [[Lutris]], if there is an install script. For example there are scripts (for older versions of) Vortex and NMM. Otherwise, you can try installing them in the same wine prefix. You could do this for example in the following way: * Copy the executable into the wine prefix of your game: <code>~/Games/<your_game>/drive_c/users/<your_name>/Downloads/</code> *Run it in the same prefix as your game: ** Lutris: Click your game, then click on the arrow next to the wine bottle on the bottom of the window. Click <code>Run EXE inside Wine prefix</code>. Locate the exe, and run it. **Steam: todo **Heroic: todo * If it works, you can locate the executable of the installed mod manager, and run it in this way. Otherwise, you can also create a new "game" in the same wine prefix and select the executable there. TODO: describe how. === Install mod managers in a VM === If a mod manager is not working well with wine, you can install Windows in VirtualBox, share your game folder with the VM, and install the mod manager inside the VM. You need to install the guest additions for it to work. The folder will be mounted as network drive Z. This will not work with every mod manager and every mod. For example it will not work with MO2 (however, MO2 is working in Wine<ref>https://github.com/Modorganizer2/modorganizer/issues/372</ref>). If you want to mod a Linux native game, you can try creating a fake .exe in order for the mod manager to detect the game. In more detail: # Install the game on Linux, for example with Lutris, Heroic, or Steam. # Install Windows in a VM # Share the game folder with the Windows VM # Install a mod manager in the Windows VM # Use the mod manager to install a mod # Play the game that is now modded (on Linux, without VM) Optional: Disable internet access for the VM, and enable drag/drop to copy files easily to the VM. This way, Windows can not send telemetry data, or do unnecessary updates that just take space and processing time. You might even use older (and lighter) versions like Windows 7 if the mod manager is compatible. In this case, you will have to manually download mods, though. == Manual Installation == === Installing dlls === In many cases (for example reshade, specialK) you just need one dll in your game folder. Just download the exe, extract it, and [[Installing dlls#Manual|manually install the dll]]. You might have to rename it, for example to * <code>d3d9.dll</code> if your game uses Directx9 (this is more likely for older games) * <code>dxgi.dll</code> if your game uses Directx11 (this is more likely for newer games) or something like that. Also note that you should use a dll that has the architecture of your game, so if the game is 32 bit, you might need to choose another dll than if your game is 64 bit (often indicated by a 32 or a 64 in the dll filename). === Path names === Linux paths are case sensitive, while Windows paths are not. This leads to mod developers using different folder names when referring to the same folder, for example ''folderName'' and ''Foldername''. If your mod doesn't work, this might be the issue, and you can try changing the names so that they are consistent. You can also use ext4 with [https://www.collabora.com/news-and-blog/blog/2020/08/27/using-the-linux-kernel-case-insensitive-feature-in-ext4/ case folding]. == Trainer == {{Needs work|Problem=I didn't test any of these, and just copied some links from answers to reddit posts asking about this kind of stuff. Maybe some are redundant or not working well. Please edit this if you have any idea what these tools do}} *[https://github.com/leaty/tuxtrain tuxtrain] * [https://github.com/korcankaraokcu/PINCE PINCE] * [https://github.com/scanmem/scanmem scanmem] * [https://linuxhint.com/use-gameconqueror-cheat-engine-linux/ gameconqueror] * [https://github.com/evg-zhabotinsky/libspeedhack libspeedhack] == Linux native modding tools == There are some game specific Linux native modding tools, you may find a list [[Game specific modding tools|here]]. ad4a7604e18b16e69bc6ca784febb35a6ad4aca1 1073 1064 2022-07-28T08:47:20Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Game mods modify games in some way. A good source for mods is https://www.nexusmods.com. Sometimes they work in the same way as on Windows, but that's not always the case. [[Reshade]] is an example for a modding tool. If you're using Steam, [[Steam#Steam Tinker Launch|Steam Tinker Launch]] may make your life a lot easier. == Mod Manager == Mod managers that are not native will not set dll overrides. If the installed mod uses dlls, you have to [[Installing dlls#DLL overrides|set the overrides manually]]. === Install mod managers with Wine === You can try installing mod Managers from [[Lutris]], if there is an install script. For example there are scripts (for older versions of) Vortex and NMM. Otherwise, you can try installing them in the same wine prefix. You could do this for example in the following way: * Copy the executable into the wine prefix of your game: <code>~/Games/<your_game>/drive_c/users/<your_name>/Downloads/</code> *Run it in the same prefix as your game: ** Lutris: Click your game, then click on the arrow next to the wine bottle on the bottom of the window. Click <code>Run EXE inside Wine prefix</code>. Locate the exe, and run it. **Steam: todo **Heroic: todo * If it works, you can locate the executable of the installed mod manager, and run it in this way. Otherwise, you can also create a new "game" in the same wine prefix and select the executable there. TODO: describe how. === Install mod managers in a VM === If a mod manager is not working well with wine, you can install Windows in VirtualBox, share your game folder with the VM, and install the mod manager inside the VM. You need to install the guest additions for it to work. The folder will be mounted as network drive Z. This will not work with every mod manager and every mod. For example it will not work with MO2 (however, MO2 is working in Wine<ref>https://github.com/Modorganizer2/modorganizer/issues/372</ref>). If you want to mod a Linux native game, you can try creating a fake .exe in order for the mod manager to detect the game. In more detail: # Install the game on Linux, for example with Lutris, Heroic, or Steam. # Install Windows in a VM # Share the game folder with the Windows VM # Install a mod manager in the Windows VM # Use the mod manager to install a mod # Play the game that is now modded (on Linux, without VM) Optional: Disable internet access for the VM, and enable drag/drop to copy files easily to the VM. This way, Windows can not send telemetry data, or do unnecessary updates that just take space and processing time. You might even use older (and lighter) versions like Windows 7 if the mod manager is compatible. In this case, you will have to manually download mods, though. == Manual Installation == === Installing dlls === In many cases (for example reshade, specialK) you just need one dll in your game folder. Just download the exe, extract it, and [[Installing dlls#Manual|manually install the dll]]. You might have to rename it, for example to * <code>d3d9.dll</code> if your game uses Directx9 (this is more likely for older games) * <code>dxgi.dll</code> if your game uses Directx11 (this is more likely for newer games) or something like that. Also note that you should use a dll that has the architecture of your game, so if the game is 32 bit, you might need to choose another dll than if your game is 64 bit (often indicated by a 32 or a 64 in the dll filename). === Path names === Linux paths are case sensitive, while Windows paths are not. This leads to mod developers using different folder names when referring to the same folder, for example ''folderName'' and ''Foldername''. If your mod doesn't work, this might be the issue, and you can try changing the names so that they are consistent. You can also use ext4 with [https://www.collabora.com/news-and-blog/blog/2020/08/27/using-the-linux-kernel-case-insensitive-feature-in-ext4/ case folding]. == Trainer == {{Needs work|Problem=I didn't test any of these, and just copied some links from answers to reddit posts asking about this kind of stuff. Maybe some are redundant or not working well. Please edit this if you have any idea what these tools do}} *[https://github.com/leaty/tuxtrain tuxtrain] * [https://github.com/korcankaraokcu/PINCE PINCE] * [https://github.com/scanmem/scanmem scanmem] * [https://linuxhint.com/use-gameconqueror-cheat-engine-linux/ gameconqueror] * [https://github.com/evg-zhabotinsky/libspeedhack libspeedhack] == Linux native modding tools == There are some game specific Linux native modding tools, you may find a list [[Game specific modding tools|here]]. cbb38fd234c8705a0373c25f40bfc7be8d0dc8fc 1096 1073 2022-08-19T08:05:41Z Aragorn 3 /* Mod Manager */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game mods modify games in some way. A good source for mods is https://www.nexusmods.com. Sometimes they work in the same way as on Windows, but that's not always the case. [[Reshade]] is an example for a modding tool. If you're using Steam, [[Steam#Steam Tinker Launch|Steam Tinker Launch]] may make your life a lot easier. == Mod Manager == Mod managers that are not native will not set dll overrides. If the installed mod uses dlls, you have to [[Installing dlls#DLL overrides|set the overrides manually]]. === Install mod managers with Wine === You can try installing mod managers from [[Lutris]], if there is an install script. For example there are scripts (for older versions of) Vortex and NMM. Otherwise, you can try installing them in the same wine prefix. You could do this for example in the following way: * Copy the executable into the wine prefix of your game: <code>~/Games/<your_game>/drive_c/users/<your_name>/Downloads/</code> *Run it in the same prefix as your game: ** Lutris: Click your game, then click on the arrow next to the wine bottle on the bottom of the window. Click <code>Run EXE inside Wine prefix</code>. Locate the exe, and run it. **Steam: todo **Heroic: todo * If it works, you can locate the executable of the installed mod manager, and run it in this way. Otherwise, you can also create a new "game" in the same wine prefix and select the executable there. TODO: describe how. *You can also install the mod manager in a different prefix, and symlink the game folder into the prefix === Install mod managers in a VM === If a mod manager is not working well with wine, you can install Windows in VirtualBox, share your game folder with the VM, and install the mod manager inside the VM. You need to install the guest additions for it to work. The folder will be mounted as network drive Z. This will not work with every mod manager and every mod. For example it will not work with MO2 (however, MO2 is working in Wine<ref>https://github.com/Modorganizer2/modorganizer/issues/372</ref>). If you want to mod a Linux native game, you can try creating a fake .exe in order for the mod manager to detect the game. In more detail: # Install the game on Linux, for example with Lutris, Heroic, or Steam. # Install Windows in a VM # Share the game folder with the Windows VM # Install a mod manager in the Windows VM # Use the mod manager to install a mod # Play the game that is now modded (on Linux, without VM) Optional: Disable internet access for the VM, and enable drag/drop to copy files easily to the VM. This way, Windows can not send telemetry data, or do unnecessary updates that just take space and processing time. You might even use older (and lighter) versions like Windows 7 if the mod manager is compatible. In this case, you will have to manually download mods, though. == Manual Installation == === Installing dlls === In many cases (for example reshade, specialK) you just need one dll in your game folder. Just download the exe, extract it, and [[Installing dlls#Manual|manually install the dll]]. You might have to rename it, for example to * <code>d3d9.dll</code> if your game uses Directx9 (this is more likely for older games) * <code>dxgi.dll</code> if your game uses Directx11 (this is more likely for newer games) or something like that. Also note that you should use a dll that has the architecture of your game, so if the game is 32 bit, you might need to choose another dll than if your game is 64 bit (often indicated by a 32 or a 64 in the dll filename). === Path names === Linux paths are case sensitive, while Windows paths are not. This leads to mod developers using different folder names when referring to the same folder, for example ''folderName'' and ''Foldername''. If your mod doesn't work, this might be the issue, and you can try changing the names so that they are consistent. You can also use ext4 with [https://www.collabora.com/news-and-blog/blog/2020/08/27/using-the-linux-kernel-case-insensitive-feature-in-ext4/ case folding]. == Trainer == {{Needs work|Problem=I didn't test any of these, and just copied some links from answers to reddit posts asking about this kind of stuff. Maybe some are redundant or not working well. Please edit this if you have any idea what these tools do}} *[https://github.com/leaty/tuxtrain tuxtrain] * [https://github.com/korcankaraokcu/PINCE PINCE] * [https://github.com/scanmem/scanmem scanmem] * [https://linuxhint.com/use-gameconqueror-cheat-engine-linux/ gameconqueror] * [https://github.com/evg-zhabotinsky/libspeedhack libspeedhack] == Linux native modding tools == There are some game specific Linux native modding tools, you may find a list [[Game specific modding tools|here]]. e0702802c52d4f9d477a4a3054c1e796c2dc3275 1097 1096 2022-08-19T08:51:24Z Aragorn 3 /* Installing dlls */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game mods modify games in some way. A good source for mods is https://www.nexusmods.com. Sometimes they work in the same way as on Windows, but that's not always the case. [[Reshade]] is an example for a modding tool. If you're using Steam, [[Steam#Steam Tinker Launch|Steam Tinker Launch]] may make your life a lot easier. == Mod Manager == Mod managers that are not native will not set dll overrides. If the installed mod uses dlls, you have to [[Installing dlls#DLL overrides|set the overrides manually]]. === Install mod managers with Wine === You can try installing mod managers from [[Lutris]], if there is an install script. For example there are scripts (for older versions of) Vortex and NMM. Otherwise, you can try installing them in the same wine prefix. You could do this for example in the following way: * Copy the executable into the wine prefix of your game: <code>~/Games/<your_game>/drive_c/users/<your_name>/Downloads/</code> *Run it in the same prefix as your game: ** Lutris: Click your game, then click on the arrow next to the wine bottle on the bottom of the window. Click <code>Run EXE inside Wine prefix</code>. Locate the exe, and run it. **Steam: todo **Heroic: todo * If it works, you can locate the executable of the installed mod manager, and run it in this way. Otherwise, you can also create a new "game" in the same wine prefix and select the executable there. TODO: describe how. *You can also install the mod manager in a different prefix, and symlink the game folder into the prefix === Install mod managers in a VM === If a mod manager is not working well with wine, you can install Windows in VirtualBox, share your game folder with the VM, and install the mod manager inside the VM. You need to install the guest additions for it to work. The folder will be mounted as network drive Z. This will not work with every mod manager and every mod. For example it will not work with MO2 (however, MO2 is working in Wine<ref>https://github.com/Modorganizer2/modorganizer/issues/372</ref>). If you want to mod a Linux native game, you can try creating a fake .exe in order for the mod manager to detect the game. In more detail: # Install the game on Linux, for example with Lutris, Heroic, or Steam. # Install Windows in a VM # Share the game folder with the Windows VM # Install a mod manager in the Windows VM # Use the mod manager to install a mod # Play the game that is now modded (on Linux, without VM) Optional: Disable internet access for the VM, and enable drag/drop to copy files easily to the VM. This way, Windows can not send telemetry data, or do unnecessary updates that just take space and processing time. You might even use older (and lighter) versions like Windows 7 if the mod manager is compatible. In this case, you will have to manually download mods, though. == Manual Installation == === Installing dlls === In many cases (for example reshade, specialK) you just need a dll in your game folder. Just download the exe, extract it, and [[Installing dlls#Manual|manually install the dll]]. You might have to rename it, for example to * <code>d3d9.dll</code> if your game uses Directx9 (this is more likely for older games) * <code>dxgi.dll</code> if your game uses Directx11 (this is more likely for newer games) or something like that. Also note that you should use a dll that has the architecture of your game, so if the game is 32 bit, you might need to choose another dll than if your game is 64 bit (often indicated by a 32 or a 64 in the dll filename). === Path names === Linux paths are case sensitive, while Windows paths are not. This leads to mod developers using different folder names when referring to the same folder, for example ''folderName'' and ''Foldername''. If your mod doesn't work, this might be the issue, and you can try changing the names so that they are consistent. You can also use ext4 with [https://www.collabora.com/news-and-blog/blog/2020/08/27/using-the-linux-kernel-case-insensitive-feature-in-ext4/ case folding]. == Trainer == {{Needs work|Problem=I didn't test any of these, and just copied some links from answers to reddit posts asking about this kind of stuff. Maybe some are redundant or not working well. Please edit this if you have any idea what these tools do}} *[https://github.com/leaty/tuxtrain tuxtrain] * [https://github.com/korcankaraokcu/PINCE PINCE] * [https://github.com/scanmem/scanmem scanmem] * [https://linuxhint.com/use-gameconqueror-cheat-engine-linux/ gameconqueror] * [https://github.com/evg-zhabotinsky/libspeedhack libspeedhack] == Linux native modding tools == There are some game specific Linux native modding tools, you may find a list [[Game specific modding tools|here]]. 548ffe010c72295feea54249dcef4da5dd6bd23b 1098 1097 2022-08-19T08:53:30Z Aragorn 3 /* Path names */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game mods modify games in some way. A good source for mods is https://www.nexusmods.com. Sometimes they work in the same way as on Windows, but that's not always the case. [[Reshade]] is an example for a modding tool. If you're using Steam, [[Steam#Steam Tinker Launch|Steam Tinker Launch]] may make your life a lot easier. == Mod Manager == Mod managers that are not native will not set dll overrides. If the installed mod uses dlls, you have to [[Installing dlls#DLL overrides|set the overrides manually]]. === Install mod managers with Wine === You can try installing mod managers from [[Lutris]], if there is an install script. For example there are scripts (for older versions of) Vortex and NMM. Otherwise, you can try installing them in the same wine prefix. You could do this for example in the following way: * Copy the executable into the wine prefix of your game: <code>~/Games/<your_game>/drive_c/users/<your_name>/Downloads/</code> *Run it in the same prefix as your game: ** Lutris: Click your game, then click on the arrow next to the wine bottle on the bottom of the window. Click <code>Run EXE inside Wine prefix</code>. Locate the exe, and run it. **Steam: todo **Heroic: todo * If it works, you can locate the executable of the installed mod manager, and run it in this way. Otherwise, you can also create a new "game" in the same wine prefix and select the executable there. TODO: describe how. *You can also install the mod manager in a different prefix, and symlink the game folder into the prefix === Install mod managers in a VM === If a mod manager is not working well with wine, you can install Windows in VirtualBox, share your game folder with the VM, and install the mod manager inside the VM. You need to install the guest additions for it to work. The folder will be mounted as network drive Z. This will not work with every mod manager and every mod. For example it will not work with MO2 (however, MO2 is working in Wine<ref>https://github.com/Modorganizer2/modorganizer/issues/372</ref>). If you want to mod a Linux native game, you can try creating a fake .exe in order for the mod manager to detect the game. In more detail: # Install the game on Linux, for example with Lutris, Heroic, or Steam. # Install Windows in a VM # Share the game folder with the Windows VM # Install a mod manager in the Windows VM # Use the mod manager to install a mod # Play the game that is now modded (on Linux, without VM) Optional: Disable internet access for the VM, and enable drag/drop to copy files easily to the VM. This way, Windows can not send telemetry data, or do unnecessary updates that just take space and processing time. You might even use older (and lighter) versions like Windows 7 if the mod manager is compatible. In this case, you will have to manually download mods, though. == Manual Installation == === Installing dlls === In many cases (for example reshade, specialK) you just need a dll in your game folder. Just download the exe, extract it, and [[Installing dlls#Manual|manually install the dll]]. You might have to rename it, for example to * <code>d3d9.dll</code> if your game uses Directx9 (this is more likely for older games) * <code>dxgi.dll</code> if your game uses Directx11 (this is more likely for newer games) or something like that. Also note that you should use a dll that has the architecture of your game, so if the game is 32 bit, you might need to choose another dll than if your game is 64 bit (often indicated by a 32 or a 64 in the dll filename). === Path names === Linux paths are case sensitive, while Windows paths are not. This leads to mod developers using different folder names when referring to the same folder, for example ''folderName'' and ''Foldername''. If your mod doesn't work, this might be the issue, and you can try changing the names so that they are consistent. You can also use ext4 with [https://www.collabora.com/news-and-blog/blog/2020/08/27/using-the-linux-kernel-case-insensitive-feature-in-ext4/ case folding]. (The SteamDeck uses ext4 with case folding by default.) == Trainer == {{Needs work|Problem=I didn't test any of these, and just copied some links from answers to reddit posts asking about this kind of stuff. Maybe some are redundant or not working well. Please edit this if you have any idea what these tools do}} *[https://github.com/leaty/tuxtrain tuxtrain] * [https://github.com/korcankaraokcu/PINCE PINCE] * [https://github.com/scanmem/scanmem scanmem] * [https://linuxhint.com/use-gameconqueror-cheat-engine-linux/ gameconqueror] * [https://github.com/evg-zhabotinsky/libspeedhack libspeedhack] == Linux native modding tools == There are some game specific Linux native modding tools, you may find a list [[Game specific modding tools|here]]. ae6b923861a178d8d3805044ce334d2ffdfa64c3 0 2 1065 1028 2022-07-25T14:35:13Z Aragorn 3 /* Recommendations */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. **For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, but specifically made to be great for gaming. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | Endeavour is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- |Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- |Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. Unlike Arch, Gentoo focuses on compiling programs from source rather than using prebuilt binaries(executable code). Although this allows for extra speed, compiling programs is a very slow and intensive process, therefore taking more time. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this(unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. ===Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further=== Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 7a642e3b188241662a760342c999274100bb7414 1066 1065 2022-07-25T14:37:47Z Aragorn 3 /* Recommendations */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. **For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, but specifically made to be great for gaming. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- |Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- |Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. Unlike Arch, Gentoo focuses on compiling programs from source rather than using prebuilt binaries (executables). Although this allows for extra performance, compiling programs is a very slow and time intensive process. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. ===Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further=== Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 117cf3c70d2462f41799b2fc3b60132d966187a5 1082 1066 2022-08-03T10:09:09Z Aragorn 3 /* Recommendations */ | Switched Nobara and Fedora wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. **For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, but specifically made to be great for gaming. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- |Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- |Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. Unlike Arch, Gentoo focuses on compiling programs from source rather than using prebuilt binaries (executables). Although this allows for extra performance, compiling programs is a very slow and time intensive process. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. ===Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further=== Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 6bffda99fccd77969c4fade976466c7b90958dba 1083 1082 2022-08-03T10:17:27Z Aragorn 3 /* Recommendations */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. **For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, but specifically made to be great for gaming. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- |Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- |Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. Unlike Arch, Gentoo focuses on compiling programs from source rather than using prebuilt binaries (executables). Although this allows for extra performance, compiling programs is a very slow and time intensive process. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. ===Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further=== Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> e3f20c5ab78ae0cd7590660e1107aaa23cedbf79 1084 1083 2022-08-05T11:20:57Z Aragorn 3 /* Recommendations */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. **For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, but specifically made to be great for gaming. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- |Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- |Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. Unlike Arch, Gentoo focuses on compiling programs from source rather than using prebuilt binaries (executables). Although this allows for extra performance, compiling programs is a very slow and time intensive process. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. ===Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further=== Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 44a2367b9a90422142a6bd8c37687b56026e23aa 1085 1084 2022-08-09T14:59:41Z Aragorn 3 /* Recommendations */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. **For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, but specifically made to be great for gaming. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- |Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- |Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. Unlike Arch, Gentoo focuses on compiling programs from source rather than using prebuilt binaries (executables). Although this allows for extra performance, compiling programs is a very slow and time intensive process. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. ===Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further=== Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> cda9345dbc3cd1da6ef26310325d656c81ce8d48 1086 1085 2022-08-09T15:03:15Z Aragorn 3 /* Recommendations */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started in Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. **For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, but specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- |Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- |Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. Unlike Arch, Gentoo focuses on compiling programs from source rather than using prebuilt binaries (executables). Although this allows for extra performance, compiling programs is a very slow and time intensive process. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. ===Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further=== Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> cb268d0fce1e8f28f2f10af2cbd3441009377371 1088 1086 2022-08-18T04:45:55Z 89.46.62.192 0 /* Getting Started */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. **For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, but specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- | [https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] | Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- |Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- |Arch |It's actually a great distribution, especially for gaming. BUT: It's very complicated, and if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. However, the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch wiki] is a great source of information. If you're able to read and understand it, you might actually be fit to try to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide install] it. Installing Arch is valuable experience that helps you understand how Linux works. |- |Gentoo |Same as Arch, but it's even more complicated. Unlike Arch, Gentoo focuses on compiling programs from source rather than using prebuilt binaries (executables). Although this allows for extra performance, compiling programs is a very slow and time intensive process. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. ===Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further=== Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 8ea6f1098c7b264b71efa7bec4530ae8f54958e9 1100 1088 2022-08-25T04:01:25Z Linuxed 19 /* Recommendations */ Arch isn't really as hard as people say it is. It's just a meme. It's like the other distros, but less pre-configured. You can't put Arch in the Anti-recommendations when you have 3 other distros (that add nothing but a set of apps and an installer) recommended. For example EndeavourOS is really just bare Arch with an installer and an AUR helper. Second, Manjaro is no longer considered reliable. They keep making the same mistakes over and over again. wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. **For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnome. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, but specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is hard, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base desktop and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). However, only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. The installation of Arch is hard also, but if you can read and follow instructions on the installation guide then it shouldn't be a problem. To make it easier, use archinstall. |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Manjaro was a very great OS actually, even recommended by LTT, before it started being unreliable. It was one of the best distros you could find because it had everything pre-configured properly and nicely. However, they have constantly messed up numerous time by, for example, forgetting to renew their SSL certificates and telling their users to change their system date as a temporary fix. Thus, it shouldn't be dependable because they made the same mistakes very recently. There are many sources explaining what's wrong with Manjaro, one of them is [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ this]. |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- |Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- |Gentoo |Gentoo is a good distribution for gaming actually. BUT: It's very complicated, takes a lot of time to install, and requires you to build every package which is time consuming. Plus, if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. ===Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further=== Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 6d228e562b6f2a3f672b5f69b7835f6975c153be 0 45 1067 1016 2022-07-25T14:48:36Z Aragorn 3 /* Less problematic Hardware */ wikitext text/x-wiki Hardware compatibility with Linux is sometimes tricky. You can not buy just anything and expect it to work. Some manufacturers don't support Linux at all, and sometimes the support is not good. This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware categories. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Regarding specific recommendations. Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a timestamp in the form YYYY-MM. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. If you buy wrong, you might end up with completely incompatible hardware. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. The important thing in the sticks is the chip. Manufacturers sometimes have the same model with different chips. Chips that often work, are Qualcomm Atheros, and [https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005511/wireless.html Intel]. === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. Recommendations: To be done. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. Recommendations: To be done. == Less problematic Hardware == Your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is much lower. However, you might face some jank, some features might not work, and stuff might not be flawless. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. If you want to read more about it, you might find something in [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/tdmup7/unpopular_opinion_i_feel_like_the_whole_nvidia/ this reddit post]. AMD and Nvidia both work, and you'll ''probably'' be fine with either. However: * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), and Nvidia even released their kernel module, but they are no option for gaming (at least yet). **If you want long support, AMD is the way to go, as support is essentially never dropped. * Nvidia provides proprietary day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, due to not being FOSS. There might be some delayed features, or some bugs. But as said, you're ''probably'' going to be fine. If you're not, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s blame Nvidia]. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] and FSR 2.0, which works in a similar way. * If you buy a very old GPU, make sure that it has Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth, and even those often work. You might face problems if you have a device with two GPUs (should be solvable), or other special components (fingerprint reader, etc - might not be solvable). * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo **Slimbook * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: **Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15ACH6 | EU | around 800-1 000 € (multiple similar models available) | Available without OS | Out of the box full compatibility (WiFi since kernel 5.16, on older manual installation of driver<ref>https://github.com/lwfinger/rtw89</ref> needed) === Bluetooth Headphones === TODO: Is this category problematic? ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03<!-- Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). --> ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03 === Mainboard === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] === USB Digital/Audio converter === TODO: Is this category problematic? *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === TODO: Is this category problematic? * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03 === Mice === If you just want something that works, and you are ok with [[Misc#Changing%20Mouse%20settings%20(DPI%252C%20lift%20of%20distance%252C%20etc)|booting Windows once to change the settings]] (and you don't need to change them all the time), buy whatever you want. If you want native support, you can have a look at [https://pwr-solaar.github.io/Solaar/devices Solaar] (for logitech) or [https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer OpenRazer]. * === Keyboards === If you just want a standard keyboard, buy whatever you want. Everything will work. Problematic features are just stuff like special makro buttons, or RGB. If you want native support, you can have a look at [https://pwr-solaar.github.io/Solaar/devices Solaar] (for logitech) or [https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer OpenRazer]. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. Recommendations: * To be done == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs == References == * * 414cffb7c276e00e2afbd815aae617a86ed3242f 0 44 1070 1022 2022-07-28T08:13:44Z Aragorn 3 /* Enable Steam Play for all games */ wikitext text/x-wiki Steam runs natively on Linux. You can probably just install it from your App store. Usually you want to use ''Steam (Runtime)''. Only use ''Steam (native)'' if you know why you want to use it. If you use the Flatpak version, you will also need to use the Flatpak version of other software that you want to use with it, like MangoHud. == Enable Steam Play for all games == In order to run games that are not explicitly whitelisted by Valve, go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. It's usually a good idea to use [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] instead of Proton Experimental. It has lots of benefits like improved game compatibility, raw mouse input, additional codecs for cutscenes, and much more. Installation instructions are [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom#installation= here]. If you want the latest features, you have to update it manually, though. == ProtonUp-Qt == You can use [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] to make the installation and update process of [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] simple: * 1. Download the [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] AppImage * 2. Mark the AppImage as executable * 3. Double-click the AppImage to run ProtonUp-Qt Alternatively, you can install it from [https://flathub.org/apps/details/net.davidotek.pupgui2 Flathub]. == Launch Options == You may find something like <code>-screen-width 1280 -screen-height 720 -screen-fullscreen 0</code> on protondb. These are ''launch options''. To use them, you right click on the game, and in the <code>general</code> tab, there is a field called <code>launch options</code>. You paste them (for example <code>%command% -screen-height 1920 -screen-width 1080 -screen-fullscreen</code>) in there. <code>%command%</code> is the command to start the game. Some launch options go before this command (commands to execute programs, for example <code>gamemoderun</code> or <code>mangohud</code>), and some go behind it (flags that are passed to the game itself, typically stuff that starts with a <code>-</code>). == Steam Tinker Launch == [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch Steam Tinker Launch] is a swiss army knife tool that allows easy customization of multiple options for Steam games. It includes helpers for custom commands, Vortex, Mod Organizer 2, Proton GE, Proton/DXVK/wine options, winetricks, ReShade + easy selection for shaders, FSR, debugging, side-by-side VR automation, SteamGridDB, SpecialK, Proton KillSwitch, Gamescope, GameMode, and more. You can find a more comprehensive list of features in the [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch/wiki wiki] (dropdownlist on the right). == File Locations == === Flatpak === If you use the Steam Flatpak, your Games are in <code>~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/data/Steam/steamapps/common/<game_name></code>. Your save games are in <code>~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/<some_number>/pfx/drive_c/<windows_path></code>. In order to know which number is correct, you can just use the search functionality of your file manager to search for the game name, or type <code>find ~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/ | grep -i "<game_name>"</code> in the [[terminal]]. c6e1905c5957e90dfcad3331181fb2b0a0856b7e 1071 1070 2022-07-28T08:28:51Z Aragorn 3 /* File Locations */ wikitext text/x-wiki Steam runs natively on Linux. You can probably just install it from your App store. Usually you want to use ''Steam (Runtime)''. Only use ''Steam (native)'' if you know why you want to use it. If you use the Flatpak version, you will also need to use the Flatpak version of other software that you want to use with it, like MangoHud. == Enable Steam Play for all games == In order to run games that are not explicitly whitelisted by Valve, go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. It's usually a good idea to use [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] instead of Proton Experimental. It has lots of benefits like improved game compatibility, raw mouse input, additional codecs for cutscenes, and much more. Installation instructions are [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom#installation= here]. If you want the latest features, you have to update it manually, though. == ProtonUp-Qt == You can use [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] to make the installation and update process of [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] simple: * 1. Download the [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] AppImage * 2. Mark the AppImage as executable * 3. Double-click the AppImage to run ProtonUp-Qt Alternatively, you can install it from [https://flathub.org/apps/details/net.davidotek.pupgui2 Flathub]. == Launch Options == You may find something like <code>-screen-width 1280 -screen-height 720 -screen-fullscreen 0</code> on protondb. These are ''launch options''. To use them, you right click on the game, and in the <code>general</code> tab, there is a field called <code>launch options</code>. You paste them (for example <code>%command% -screen-height 1920 -screen-width 1080 -screen-fullscreen</code>) in there. <code>%command%</code> is the command to start the game. Some launch options go before this command (commands to execute programs, for example <code>gamemoderun</code> or <code>mangohud</code>), and some go behind it (flags that are passed to the game itself, typically stuff that starts with a <code>-</code>). == Steam Tinker Launch == [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch Steam Tinker Launch] is a swiss army knife tool that allows easy customization of multiple options for Steam games. It includes helpers for custom commands, Vortex, Mod Organizer 2, Proton GE, Proton/DXVK/wine options, winetricks, ReShade + easy selection for shaders, FSR, debugging, side-by-side VR automation, SteamGridDB, SpecialK, Proton KillSwitch, Gamescope, GameMode, and more. You can find a more comprehensive list of features in the [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch/wiki wiki] (dropdownlist on the right). == File Locations == === Steam Folder === If you use the Steam Flatpak, your Steam folder is <code>~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/data/Steam/</code> If you use the "normal" package, your Steam folder is in<code>~/.local/share/Steam/</code> === Games and Save Files === Going from that folder, your Games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/common/<game_name></code>. Your save games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/compatdata/<some_number>/pfx/drive_c/<windows_path></code>. In order to know which number is correct, you can just use the search functionality of your file manager to search for the game name, or type <code>find <steam_folder>/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/ | grep -i "<game_name>"</code> in the [[terminal]]. You have to substitute ''<steam_folder>'' and ''<game_name>'' with the actual thing, of course. 78d35e5d38d2fe996702e3494b49320fedd1cdbd 1072 1071 2022-07-28T08:37:59Z Aragorn 3 /* Games and Save Files */ wikitext text/x-wiki Steam runs natively on Linux. You can probably just install it from your App store. Usually you want to use ''Steam (Runtime)''. Only use ''Steam (native)'' if you know why you want to use it. If you use the Flatpak version, you will also need to use the Flatpak version of other software that you want to use with it, like MangoHud. == Enable Steam Play for all games == In order to run games that are not explicitly whitelisted by Valve, go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. It's usually a good idea to use [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] instead of Proton Experimental. It has lots of benefits like improved game compatibility, raw mouse input, additional codecs for cutscenes, and much more. Installation instructions are [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom#installation= here]. If you want the latest features, you have to update it manually, though. == ProtonUp-Qt == You can use [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] to make the installation and update process of [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] simple: * 1. Download the [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] AppImage * 2. Mark the AppImage as executable * 3. Double-click the AppImage to run ProtonUp-Qt Alternatively, you can install it from [https://flathub.org/apps/details/net.davidotek.pupgui2 Flathub]. == Launch Options == You may find something like <code>-screen-width 1280 -screen-height 720 -screen-fullscreen 0</code> on protondb. These are ''launch options''. To use them, you right click on the game, and in the <code>general</code> tab, there is a field called <code>launch options</code>. You paste them (for example <code>%command% -screen-height 1920 -screen-width 1080 -screen-fullscreen</code>) in there. <code>%command%</code> is the command to start the game. Some launch options go before this command (commands to execute programs, for example <code>gamemoderun</code> or <code>mangohud</code>), and some go behind it (flags that are passed to the game itself, typically stuff that starts with a <code>-</code>). == Steam Tinker Launch == [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch Steam Tinker Launch] is a swiss army knife tool that allows easy customization of multiple options for Steam games. It includes helpers for custom commands, Vortex, Mod Organizer 2, Proton GE, Proton/DXVK/wine options, winetricks, ReShade + easy selection for shaders, FSR, debugging, side-by-side VR automation, SteamGridDB, SpecialK, Proton KillSwitch, Gamescope, GameMode, and more. You can find a more comprehensive list of features in the [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch/wiki wiki] (dropdownlist on the right). == File Locations == === Steam Folder === If you use the Steam Flatpak, your Steam folder is <code>~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/data/Steam/</code> If you use the "normal" package, your Steam folder is in<code>~/.local/share/Steam/</code> === Games and Save Files === Your games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/common/<game_name></code>. Your save games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/compatdata/<some_number>/pfx/drive_c/<windows_path></code>. In order to know which number is correct, you can just use the search functionality of your file manager (probably <code>ctrl</code> + <code>f</code>) to search for the game name, or type <code>find <steam_folder>/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/ | grep -i "<game_name>"</code> in the [[terminal]]. You have to substitute ''<steam_folder>'' and ''<game_name>'' with the actual thing, of course. d6bb46a6f52c2b5edc8d38c663eb9a34cd6dd3d2 1099 1072 2022-08-22T08:18:08Z Aragorn 3 /* Enable Steam Play for all games */ wikitext text/x-wiki Steam runs natively on Linux. You can probably just install it from your App store. Usually you want to use ''Steam (Runtime)''. Only use ''Steam (native)'' if you know why you want to use it. If you use the Flatpak version, you will also need to use the Flatpak version of other software that you want to use with it, like MangoHud. == Enable Steam Play for all games == In order to run games that are not explicitly whitelisted by Valve, go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. It's usually a good idea to use [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] instead of Proton Experimental. It has lots of benefits like improved game compatibility, raw mouse input, additional codecs for cutscenes, and much more. However it can be unstable. So if you have stability issues, try something else. Installation instructions are [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom#installation= here]. If you want the latest features, you have to update it manually, though. == ProtonUp-Qt == You can use [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] to make the installation and update process of [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] simple: * 1. Download the [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] AppImage * 2. Mark the AppImage as executable * 3. Double-click the AppImage to run ProtonUp-Qt Alternatively, you can install it from [https://flathub.org/apps/details/net.davidotek.pupgui2 Flathub]. == Launch Options == You may find something like <code>-screen-width 1280 -screen-height 720 -screen-fullscreen 0</code> on protondb. These are ''launch options''. To use them, you right click on the game, and in the <code>general</code> tab, there is a field called <code>launch options</code>. You paste them (for example <code>%command% -screen-height 1920 -screen-width 1080 -screen-fullscreen</code>) in there. <code>%command%</code> is the command to start the game. Some launch options go before this command (commands to execute programs, for example <code>gamemoderun</code> or <code>mangohud</code>), and some go behind it (flags that are passed to the game itself, typically stuff that starts with a <code>-</code>). == Steam Tinker Launch == [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch Steam Tinker Launch] is a swiss army knife tool that allows easy customization of multiple options for Steam games. It includes helpers for custom commands, Vortex, Mod Organizer 2, Proton GE, Proton/DXVK/wine options, winetricks, ReShade + easy selection for shaders, FSR, debugging, side-by-side VR automation, SteamGridDB, SpecialK, Proton KillSwitch, Gamescope, GameMode, and more. You can find a more comprehensive list of features in the [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch/wiki wiki] (dropdownlist on the right). == File Locations == === Steam Folder === If you use the Steam Flatpak, your Steam folder is <code>~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/data/Steam/</code> If you use the "normal" package, your Steam folder is in<code>~/.local/share/Steam/</code> === Games and Save Files === Your games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/common/<game_name></code>. Your save games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/compatdata/<some_number>/pfx/drive_c/<windows_path></code>. In order to know which number is correct, you can just use the search functionality of your file manager (probably <code>ctrl</code> + <code>f</code>) to search for the game name, or type <code>find <steam_folder>/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/ | grep -i "<game_name>"</code> in the [[terminal]]. You have to substitute ''<steam_folder>'' and ''<game_name>'' with the actual thing, of course. 9b1e6cdf06cca92337c9a9efac5b7cd939371cdb 0 64 1077 2022-07-29T12:25:48Z Aragorn 3 Created page with "[https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] is an easy way to install games that don't have an install script in [[Lutris]]. Some people even prefer it for games that do have a Lutris script. It cames with a nice and clean UI, and has many features like [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] integrated. It can easily be [https://flathub.org/apps/details/com.usebottles.bottles installed as a Flatpak], and comes with the Flatpak sandboxing by default." wikitext text/x-wiki [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] is an easy way to install games that don't have an install script in [[Lutris]]. Some people even prefer it for games that do have a Lutris script. It cames with a nice and clean UI, and has many features like [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] integrated. It can easily be [https://flathub.org/apps/details/com.usebottles.bottles installed as a Flatpak], and comes with the Flatpak sandboxing by default. 91e399e13d3b6a3d217fdbe67213de42fc81bf20 1079 1077 2022-07-29T12:26:43Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] is an easy way to install games and other programs that don't have an install script in [[Lutris]]. Some people even prefer it for games that do have a Lutris script. It cames with a nice and clean UI, and has many features like [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] integrated. It can easily be [https://flathub.org/apps/details/com.usebottles.bottles installed as a Flatpak], and comes with the Flatpak sandboxing by default. 08c44dd4c52d8bb27a85a8fe6b2fc30fcfec1aab 1081 1079 2022-08-02T17:09:10Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] is an easy way to install games and other programs that don't have an install script in [[Lutris]]. Some people even prefer it for games that do have a Lutris script. It comes with a nice and clean UI, and has many features like [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] integrated. It can easily be [https://flathub.org/apps/details/com.usebottles.bottles installed as a Flatpak], and comes with the Flatpak sandboxing by default. d5355eca4965a3aadec456e5bcb5918b8df08842 0 15 1087 1045 2022-08-12T19:00:01Z Aragorn 3 /* Configuration Options */ I think Wine-GE doesn't improve performance. wikitext text/x-wiki [[File:Lutris icon.png|thumb|Lutris icon.]] '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that primarily provides installers for games not available on Steam. It can also act as a single app for your whole game library. You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam. == Installing Lutris == You can typically install Lutris through your distribution's app store (e.g. GNOME Software, Discover, Pop Shop). For example, on Pop!_OS, go to the '''Pop Shop''' and search "Lutris". [[File:Pop Shop - Lutris.png|frameless|581x581px]] Then, click install. See Lutris's [https://lutris.net/downloads download page] for more ways to install it. == Finding a game on Lutris == {{Needs work|Problem=The UI changed. In the new version, it is necessary to click the + button on the top left, then click "Search for install script on the Lutris website"}} The most important feature of Lutris is that you can install games and launchers not found on Steam using '''install scripts'''. If you want to use an install script, select Lutris in '''Sources''' and click "Community Installers". [[File:Communityinstallers.png|frameless|496x496px]] Then, in the top bar, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. [[File:Installscripts.png|frameless|430x430px]] Here, we'll click on the game with the photo, and click "install". There may be multiple install scripts options, so pick what seems most standard. If your first choice doesn't work, you could try the other ones. You don't have to use the Lutris client to find install scripts - you can [https://lutris.net/games look up install scripts] on Lutris's website. === Installation === Typically, when installing a game, Lutris will ask if you want to download certain files. [[File:Lutrisinstalls.png|none|thumb|384x384px|Installing Overwatch on Lutris.]] Review the files to make sure everything looks okay, and then just press '''continue'''. Don't worry about the individual download buttons. === Install games that you own on GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam === Login to these stores by navigating to their tab in '''Sources''', and logging in to them by clicking the '''Connect''' icon. [[File:Lutrislogin.png|frameless]] After logging in, Lutris should display the games you own from that store. You can also enable the Epic Games Store as a source, but using [[Heroic|the Heroic Games launcher]] or just installing the Epic Games Store itself through Lutris are probably easier options. == Configuration Options == You might want to [[Improving performance|improve the performance]] of your games with stuff like: *Esync * Fsync * [[Gamemode]] * [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution]] You can also improve visuals with: *[https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] for downscaling *[https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or [[reshade]] Or you might want to try: * [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/wine-ge-custom/releases Wine-GE], instead of using Lutris's WINE == Installing Windows games without an install script == '''This is NOT what you would usually do when installing a game! Only do the following if there is no install script!''' *Click the plus on the top left * Select a name and select Wine as runner. * Select Game options, and select the executable ** Select the new folder as Wine prefix ** Select the prefix architecture (if you're not sure select 64-bit) *** Create a new folder where you want to install your game (for example <code>~/Games/MyNewGame</code>) * Select Runner options ** Select the Wine version (try different ones, including the ones from tkg and GE) * Click Save * Start your game ** Click through the installer * Right click the game in Lutris, click Configure ** Select Game options and modify the executable to be the actual game executable. (This could be <code>~/Games/MyNewGame/drive_c/Program Files(x86)/CoolGame/bin/CoolGame.exe</code>) * Start your game. **It will probably work, but if it's not, see the ''troubleshooting'' section. == Troubleshooting == This [https://piped.kavin.rocks/watch?v=oFB-Ly8RcOw video guide] explains how to install a game with a Lutris install script in more depth. If you encounter an issue installing your game, look up the game's name on the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/ Linux Gaming subreddit] to see if anyone's had the same issue and solved it. You should also check whether the game currently runs on Linux. === General approach: === (if the above does not work) * Close Lutris, open a [[terminal]], type <code>lutris</code> and press enter. Lutris will now open, but you will see more information in the terminal. * Try running the game with different presets like other Wine version, with/without DXVK, with/without Esync, Fsync, Windowed (virtual desktop), etc. * Right click your game, go to Runner options, and set ''Output debugging info'' to ''Enabled''. * Start your game and pay close attention to the output in the terminal ** Try to understand the problem ** For example, you can use Winetricks to install missing dependencies === Winetricks === Winetricks is an easy way to do various stuff with Wine, including but not limited to installing libraries and other dependencies for your games. ==FAQ== ====What are runners?==== ''Runners'' are "methods" to run your programs. '''Linux''' is for native Linux games. '''Steam''' is for Steam games - though, using Steam itself to run those games is easier. '''Wine''' is what you want to use for every other Windows game. Other runners are available, these are mainly emulators for various consoles, or DOS (DosBox) ==See also== [https://lutris.net/ Lutris website] [[Category:Popular apps]] 604de9d3ef6432e479b71df24795a1555ad5be63 0 3 1092 882 2022-08-18T13:41:08Z Aragorn 3 /* Basic setup */ wikitext text/x-wiki FSR can be used to get better performance in games at the cost of visuals. It is comparable with DLSS, but can be applied to every game. There are several modes from ultra quality to maximum performance. For example, it is possible to double your FPS with very little visual loss. FSR only works if the game is GPU limited (your GPU runs at 100%). Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The performance difference might be even bigger if your VRAM is not big enough. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Setup with Wine == === Basic setup === * Set <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR=1</code> as [[Environment variables|environment variable]] * In game set your setting according to the table on page 10 of [https://github.com/GPUOpen-Effects/FidelityFX-FSR/blob/master/docs/FidelityFX-FSR-Overview-Integration.pdf this] document: For example, if you want to have Ultra Quality, and your output resolution (the resolution of your actualy monitor) is 1920x1080, you set your ingame resolution to 1477x831. Other resolutions also work, but you might get black bars if the aspect ratio is not the native one of your monitor. Setting your ingame resolution to your output resolution disables FSR. * In game ** Enable anti aliasing (TAA, MSAA, FXAA, ...) ** Disable effects that generate noise (like Motion Blur, Blur, Chromatic Aberration, Sharpening, etc.) * As of now you need to use the tkg version of wine, and MIP-Bias is not yet implemented. === More configuration options === You can add more options with [[environment variables]]: * <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR_STRENGTH=4</code> This sharpens the image. 4 is an example value. 0 is maximum sharpness, higher values mean less sharpening. (I think 5 is the maximum. If you know more, please edit this.) The default is 2 but this is probably too much for your game. Just experiment with different values. * <code>WINE_VULKAN_NEGATIVE_MIP_BIAS=45</code> This results in textures with higher resolution. 45 is an example value. AMD recommends: {| class="wikitable" !Quality Setting !MIP Bias |- |Ultra Quality |38 |- |Quality |58 |- |Balanced |79 |- |Performance |100 |} * <code>WINE_VULKAN_BIAS_ALL_SAMPLER=1</code> This applies the MIP Bias to everything. 1 is enabled, 0 is disabled. This can result in weird game behaviour. === Examples === * [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/q3dl6y/witcher_3_fsr_is_working_great/ Witcher 3] == Setup with Gamescope == You can enable FSR in Gamescope with <code>gamescope -U --fsr-sharpness 4 --</code> as command prefix. 4 is an example value, replace it by something between 0 (max) and 20 (min). This also works for native games. e3af3567ba6e0e6bea271c22e5dc17a5c711423a 1093 1092 2022-08-18T13:42:22Z Aragorn 3 /* Setup with Gamescope */ wikitext text/x-wiki FSR can be used to get better performance in games at the cost of visuals. It is comparable with DLSS, but can be applied to every game. There are several modes from ultra quality to maximum performance. For example, it is possible to double your FPS with very little visual loss. FSR only works if the game is GPU limited (your GPU runs at 100%). Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The performance difference might be even bigger if your VRAM is not big enough. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Setup with Wine == === Basic setup === * Set <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR=1</code> as [[Environment variables|environment variable]] * In game set your setting according to the table on page 10 of [https://github.com/GPUOpen-Effects/FidelityFX-FSR/blob/master/docs/FidelityFX-FSR-Overview-Integration.pdf this] document: For example, if you want to have Ultra Quality, and your output resolution (the resolution of your actualy monitor) is 1920x1080, you set your ingame resolution to 1477x831. Other resolutions also work, but you might get black bars if the aspect ratio is not the native one of your monitor. Setting your ingame resolution to your output resolution disables FSR. * In game ** Enable anti aliasing (TAA, MSAA, FXAA, ...) ** Disable effects that generate noise (like Motion Blur, Blur, Chromatic Aberration, Sharpening, etc.) * As of now you need to use the tkg version of wine, and MIP-Bias is not yet implemented. === More configuration options === You can add more options with [[environment variables]]: * <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR_STRENGTH=4</code> This sharpens the image. 4 is an example value. 0 is maximum sharpness, higher values mean less sharpening. (I think 5 is the maximum. If you know more, please edit this.) The default is 2 but this is probably too much for your game. Just experiment with different values. * <code>WINE_VULKAN_NEGATIVE_MIP_BIAS=45</code> This results in textures with higher resolution. 45 is an example value. AMD recommends: {| class="wikitable" !Quality Setting !MIP Bias |- |Ultra Quality |38 |- |Quality |58 |- |Balanced |79 |- |Performance |100 |} * <code>WINE_VULKAN_BIAS_ALL_SAMPLER=1</code> This applies the MIP Bias to everything. 1 is enabled, 0 is disabled. This can result in weird game behaviour. === Examples === * [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/q3dl6y/witcher_3_fsr_is_working_great/ Witcher 3] == Setup with Gamescope == You can enable FSR in [[Gamescope]] with <code>gamescope -U --fsr-sharpness 4 --</code> as command prefix. 4 is an example value, replace it by something between 0 (max) and 20 (min). This also works for native games. d1edf9978f73ffed0326568a33e66bf76efb94db 1 65 1101 2022-08-25T04:04:14Z Linuxed 19 note about depin wikitext text/x-wiki = Depin spyware?= The accusations from 2014 of Depin being a spyware has been debunked. Depin is completely safe, it was just some light telemetry that has been removed since then. Thus, it is now safe to use. 38c60dd3b5429c699b5202963a0e1407cef8c29e 1102 1101 2022-08-25T04:04:38Z Linuxed 19 /* Depin spyware? */ signature wikitext text/x-wiki = Depin spyware?= The accusations from 2014 of Depin being a spyware has been debunked. Depin is completely safe, it was just some light telemetry that has been removed since then. Thus, it is now safe to use. [[User:Linuxed|Linuxed]] ([[User talk:Linuxed|talk]]) 06:04, 25 August 2022 (CEST) 2971d8f93c6432a6ce22df131660f2184133c90c 1120 1102 2022-09-05T12:00:00Z Aragorn 3 /* Depin spyware? */ wikitext text/x-wiki = Depin spyware?= The accusations from 2014 of Depin being a spyware has been debunked. Depin is completely safe, it was just some light telemetry that has been removed since then. Thus, it is now safe to use. [[User:Linuxed|Linuxed]] ([[User talk:Linuxed|talk]]) 06:04, 25 August 2022 (CEST) See this (2021): https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm = Manjaro bad?= - Manjaro is often accused of beeing unreliable. However when asking, I've not found anyone who actually used the system who experienced one of the problems (namely AUR breakage). It seems to be an issue that occurs less often. Considering that other distributions also have issues, I would say that it's not an important problem. - Regarding the certificate: As far as I know, it only affected the website, and is thus not a problem with the system. = Arch to be recommended? = - EndeavourOS doesn't only add an installier, but it also adds a community that is much more friendly. Arch is just not the best choice for new users, if they don't actually want to go through the installation process (without script). - Garuda adds ChaoticAUR, which makes installing linux-tkg easier (which is good for performance), and comes with zen by default (which is the next best choice). So I added a "questionable choices" section for Arch, Debian, Gentoo, etc., to show that they are not actually bad, but you should know why you choose them. 5ee3acd2e1b1dfd4f077fd8df6d405a906510777 1121 1120 2022-09-05T12:01:04Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki = Depin spyware?= The accusations from 2014 of Depin being a spyware has been debunked. Depin is completely safe, it was just some light telemetry that has been removed since then. Thus, it is now safe to use. [[User:Linuxed|Linuxed]] ([[User talk:Linuxed|talk]]) 06:04, 25 August 2022 (CEST) See this (2021): https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm [[User:Aragorn|Aragorn]] ([[User talk:Aragorn|talk]]) 14:00, 05 September 2022 (CEST) = Manjaro bad?= - Manjaro is often accused of beeing unreliable. However when asking, I've not found anyone who actually used the system who experienced one of the problems (namely AUR breakage). It seems to be an issue that occurs less often. Considering that other distributions also have issues, I would say that it's not an important problem. - Regarding the certificate: As far as I know, it only affected the website, and is thus not a problem with the system. [[User:Aragorn|Aragorn]] ([[User talk:Aragorn|talk]]) 14:00, 05 September 2022 (CEST) = Arch to be recommended? = - EndeavourOS doesn't only add an installier, but it also adds a community that is much more friendly. Arch is just not the best choice for new users, if they don't actually want to go through the installation process (without script). - Garuda adds ChaoticAUR, which makes installing linux-tkg easier (which is good for performance), and comes with zen by default (which is the next best choice). So I added a "questionable choices" section for Arch, Debian, Gentoo, etc., to show that they are not actually bad, but you should know why you choose them. [[User:Aragorn|Aragorn]] ([[User talk:Aragorn|talk]]) 14:00, 05 September 2022 (CEST) c7a3f570ebeb65d109d0d362d6e857a0d9584ae4 1122 1121 2022-09-05T12:01:14Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki = Depin spyware?= The accusations from 2014 of Depin being a spyware has been debunked. Depin is completely safe, it was just some light telemetry that has been removed since then. Thus, it is now safe to use. [[User:Linuxed|Linuxed]] ([[User talk:Linuxed|talk]]) 06:04, 25 August 2022 (CEST) See this (2021): https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm [[User:Aragorn|Aragorn]] ([[User talk:Aragorn|talk]]) 14:00, 05 September 2022 (CEST) = Manjaro bad?= - Manjaro is often accused of beeing unreliable. However when asking, I've not found anyone who actually used the system who experienced one of the problems (namely AUR breakage). It seems to be an issue that occurs less often. Considering that other distributions also have issues, I would say that it's not an important problem. - Regarding the certificate: As far as I know, it only affected the website, and is thus not a problem with the system. [[User:Aragorn|Aragorn]] ([[User talk:Aragorn|talk]]) 14:00, 05 September 2022 (CEST) = Arch to be recommended? = - EndeavourOS doesn't only add an installier, but it also adds a community that is much more friendly. Arch is just not the best choice for new users, if they don't actually want to go through the installation process (without script). - Garuda adds ChaoticAUR, which makes installing linux-tkg easier (which is good for performance), and comes with zen by default (which is the next best choice). So I added a "questionable choices" section for Arch, Debian, Gentoo, etc., to show that they are not actually bad, but you should know why you choose them. [[User:Aragorn|Aragorn]] ([[User talk:Aragorn|talk]]) 14:00, 05 September 2022 (CEST) 11d3930057e6acad07b6c9419f976c90a34baed4 1123 1122 2022-09-05T12:02:43Z Aragorn 3 /* Manjaro bad? */ wikitext text/x-wiki = Depin spyware?= The accusations from 2014 of Depin being a spyware has been debunked. Depin is completely safe, it was just some light telemetry that has been removed since then. Thus, it is now safe to use. [[User:Linuxed|Linuxed]] ([[User talk:Linuxed|talk]]) 06:04, 25 August 2022 (CEST) See this (2021): https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm [[User:Aragorn|Aragorn]] ([[User talk:Aragorn|talk]]) 14:00, 05 September 2022 (CEST) = Manjaro bad?= Manjaro is often accused of beeing unreliable. However when asking, I've not found anyone who actually used the system who experienced one of the problems (namely AUR breakage). It seems to be an issue that occurs less often. Considering that other distributions also have issues, I would say that it's not an important problem. Regarding the certificate: As far as I know, it only affected the website, and is thus not a problem with the system. [[User:Aragorn|Aragorn]] ([[User talk:Aragorn|talk]]) 14:00, 05 September 2022 (CEST) = Arch to be recommended? = - EndeavourOS doesn't only add an installier, but it also adds a community that is much more friendly. Arch is just not the best choice for new users, if they don't actually want to go through the installation process (without script). - Garuda adds ChaoticAUR, which makes installing linux-tkg easier (which is good for performance), and comes with zen by default (which is the next best choice). So I added a "questionable choices" section for Arch, Debian, Gentoo, etc., to show that they are not actually bad, but you should know why you choose them. [[User:Aragorn|Aragorn]] ([[User talk:Aragorn|talk]]) 14:00, 05 September 2022 (CEST) 19de0951f56347c4e173e673315d8f7faa1edcb6 1124 1123 2022-09-05T12:02:53Z Aragorn 3 /* Arch to be recommended? */ wikitext text/x-wiki = Depin spyware?= The accusations from 2014 of Depin being a spyware has been debunked. Depin is completely safe, it was just some light telemetry that has been removed since then. Thus, it is now safe to use. [[User:Linuxed|Linuxed]] ([[User talk:Linuxed|talk]]) 06:04, 25 August 2022 (CEST) See this (2021): https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm [[User:Aragorn|Aragorn]] ([[User talk:Aragorn|talk]]) 14:00, 05 September 2022 (CEST) = Manjaro bad?= Manjaro is often accused of beeing unreliable. However when asking, I've not found anyone who actually used the system who experienced one of the problems (namely AUR breakage). It seems to be an issue that occurs less often. Considering that other distributions also have issues, I would say that it's not an important problem. Regarding the certificate: As far as I know, it only affected the website, and is thus not a problem with the system. [[User:Aragorn|Aragorn]] ([[User talk:Aragorn|talk]]) 14:00, 05 September 2022 (CEST) = Arch to be recommended? = EndeavourOS doesn't only add an installier, but it also adds a community that is much more friendly. Arch is just not the best choice for new users, if they don't actually want to go through the installation process (without script). Garuda adds ChaoticAUR, which makes installing linux-tkg easier (which is good for performance), and comes with zen by default (which is the next best choice). So I added a "questionable choices" section for Arch, Debian, Gentoo, etc., to show that they are not actually bad, but you should know why you choose them. [[User:Aragorn|Aragorn]] ([[User talk:Aragorn|talk]]) 14:00, 05 September 2022 (CEST) 3f12571d4475653e3d0bb573edf6f421024ac7f0 1125 1124 2022-09-05T12:03:22Z Aragorn 3 /* Depin spyware? */ wikitext text/x-wiki = Deepin spyware?= The accusations from 2014 of Depin being a spyware has been debunked. Depin is completely safe, it was just some light telemetry that has been removed since then. Thus, it is now safe to use. [[User:Linuxed|Linuxed]] ([[User talk:Linuxed|talk]]) 06:04, 25 August 2022 (CEST) See this (2021): https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm [[User:Aragorn|Aragorn]] ([[User talk:Aragorn|talk]]) 14:00, 05 September 2022 (CEST) = Manjaro bad?= Manjaro is often accused of beeing unreliable. However when asking, I've not found anyone who actually used the system who experienced one of the problems (namely AUR breakage). It seems to be an issue that occurs less often. Considering that other distributions also have issues, I would say that it's not an important problem. Regarding the certificate: As far as I know, it only affected the website, and is thus not a problem with the system. [[User:Aragorn|Aragorn]] ([[User talk:Aragorn|talk]]) 14:00, 05 September 2022 (CEST) = Arch to be recommended? = EndeavourOS doesn't only add an installier, but it also adds a community that is much more friendly. Arch is just not the best choice for new users, if they don't actually want to go through the installation process (without script). Garuda adds ChaoticAUR, which makes installing linux-tkg easier (which is good for performance), and comes with zen by default (which is the next best choice). So I added a "questionable choices" section for Arch, Debian, Gentoo, etc., to show that they are not actually bad, but you should know why you choose them. [[User:Aragorn|Aragorn]] ([[User talk:Aragorn|talk]]) 14:00, 05 September 2022 (CEST) ce204055b3c0ee93ebb4212c9380e79362d2e886 0 2 1103 1100 2022-08-25T04:05:51Z Linuxed 19 /* Avoid Problems */ wayland note wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. **For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE or Gnomem preferably GNOME for Wayland. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, but specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is hard, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base desktop and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). However, only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. The installation of Arch is hard also, but if you can read and follow instructions on the installation guide then it shouldn't be a problem. To make it easier, use archinstall. |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Manjaro was a very great OS actually, even recommended by LTT, before it started being unreliable. It was one of the best distros you could find because it had everything pre-configured properly and nicely. However, they have constantly messed up numerous time by, for example, forgetting to renew their SSL certificates and telling their users to change their system date as a temporary fix. Thus, it shouldn't be dependable because they made the same mistakes very recently. There are many sources explaining what's wrong with Manjaro, one of them is [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ this]. |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- |Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- |Gentoo |Gentoo is a good distribution for gaming actually. BUT: It's very complicated, takes a lot of time to install, and requires you to build every package which is time consuming. Plus, if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. ===Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further=== Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 8cac4629fb54c040002ce8990cd4bb814ea03b60 1104 1103 2022-08-25T18:07:52Z 197.240.100.104 0 /* Avoid Problems */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>bleeding edge</code> distros or <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a bleeding edge distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. **For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome, preferably GNOME for Wayland. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, but specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is hard, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base desktop and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). However, only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. The installation of Arch is hard also, but if you can read and follow instructions on the installation guide then it shouldn't be a problem. To make it easier, use archinstall. |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Manjaro was a very great OS actually, even recommended by LTT, before it started being unreliable. It was one of the best distros you could find because it had everything pre-configured properly and nicely. However, they have constantly messed up numerous time by, for example, forgetting to renew their SSL certificates and telling their users to change their system date as a temporary fix. Thus, it shouldn't be dependable because they made the same mistakes very recently. There are many sources explaining what's wrong with Manjaro, one of them is [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ this]. |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- |Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- |Gentoo |Gentoo is a good distribution for gaming actually. BUT: It's very complicated, takes a lot of time to install, and requires you to build every package which is time consuming. Plus, if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. ===Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further=== Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> d000fcecb1117b440f61bf59495b10b4b7acae91 1110 1104 2022-09-01T10:38:36Z Aragorn 3 /* Distributions, or "versions" of Linux */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. **For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome, preferably GNOME for Wayland. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, but specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is hard, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base desktop and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). However, only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. The installation of Arch is hard also, but if you can read and follow instructions on the installation guide then it shouldn't be a problem. To make it easier, use archinstall. |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Manjaro was a very great OS actually, even recommended by LTT, before it started being unreliable. It was one of the best distros you could find because it had everything pre-configured properly and nicely. However, they have constantly messed up numerous time by, for example, forgetting to renew their SSL certificates and telling their users to change their system date as a temporary fix. Thus, it shouldn't be dependable because they made the same mistakes very recently. There are many sources explaining what's wrong with Manjaro, one of them is [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ this]. |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- |Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- |Gentoo |Gentoo is a good distribution for gaming actually. BUT: It's very complicated, takes a lot of time to install, and requires you to build every package which is time consuming. Plus, if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. ===Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further=== Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 6ea2df50a18517c231af1ece0a1ef02a6df012b4 1116 1110 2022-09-05T11:25:43Z Aragorn 3 /* Recommendations */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. **For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome, preferably GNOME for Wayland. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but it's developer is very reputable. With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is hard, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base desktop and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). However, only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. The installation of Arch is hard also, but if you can read and follow instructions on the installation guide then it shouldn't be a problem. To make it easier, use archinstall. |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Manjaro was a very great OS actually, even recommended by LTT, before it started being unreliable. It was one of the best distros you could find because it had everything pre-configured properly and nicely. However, they have constantly messed up numerous time by, for example, forgetting to renew their SSL certificates and telling their users to change their system date as a temporary fix. Thus, it shouldn't be dependable because they made the same mistakes very recently. There are many sources explaining what's wrong with Manjaro, one of them is [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ this]. |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- |Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- |Gentoo |Gentoo is a good distribution for gaming actually. BUT: It's very complicated, takes a lot of time to install, and requires you to build every package which is time consuming. Plus, if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. ===Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further=== Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 8ed3554246d67899efad1814cf790e7932817deb 1117 1116 2022-09-05T11:26:12Z Aragorn 3 /* Recommendations */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. **For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome, preferably GNOME for Wayland. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but it's developer is very reputable. With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is hard, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base desktop and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). However, only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. The installation of Arch is hard also, but if you can read and follow instructions on the installation guide then it shouldn't be a problem. To make it easier, use archinstall. |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Manjaro was a very great OS actually, even recommended by LTT, before it started being unreliable. It was one of the best distros you could find because it had everything pre-configured properly and nicely. However, they have constantly messed up numerous time by, for example, forgetting to renew their SSL certificates and telling their users to change their system date as a temporary fix. Thus, it shouldn't be dependable because they made the same mistakes very recently. There are many sources explaining what's wrong with Manjaro, one of them is [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ this]. |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- |Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- |Gentoo |Gentoo is a good distribution for gaming actually. BUT: It's very complicated, takes a lot of time to install, and requires you to build every package which is time consuming. Plus, if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. ===Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further=== Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 49dc472a50486618ced5f163e68a5dd76830706a 1118 1117 2022-09-05T11:29:15Z Aragorn 3 /* Recommendations */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. **For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome, preferably GNOME for Wayland. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but it's developer is very reputable. With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is hard, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base desktop and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). However, only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. The installation of Arch is hard also, but if you can read and follow instructions on the installation guide then it shouldn't be a problem. To make it easier, use archinstall. |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, but don't want to go through the installation process, this is a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to be problematic for gaming, to require knowledge, or even to be straight up malicious! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Manjaro was a very great OS actually, even recommended by LTT, before it started being unreliable. It was one of the best distros you could find because it had everything pre-configured properly and nicely. However, they have constantly messed up numerous time by, for example, forgetting to renew their SSL certificates and telling their users to change their system date as a temporary fix. Thus, it shouldn't be dependable because they made the same mistakes very recently. There are many sources explaining what's wrong with Manjaro, one of them is [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ this]. |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- |Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS | It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- |Gentoo |Gentoo is a good distribution for gaming actually. BUT: It's very complicated, takes a lot of time to install, and requires you to build every package which is time consuming. Plus, if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. |- |LFS |Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. ===Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further=== Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> f95db7988f89d68319e2a5e1cfb7d79361ef2519 1119 1118 2022-09-05T11:49:00Z Aragorn 3 /* Recommendations */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. **For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome, preferably GNOME for Wayland. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but it's developer is very reputable. With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable, for example [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here]. |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is hard, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base desktop and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). However, only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. The installation of Arch is hard also, but if you can read and follow instructions on the installation guide then it shouldn't be a problem. To make it easier, use archinstall. |- |Gentoo |Gentoo is a good distribution for gaming actually. BUT: It's very complicated, takes a lot of time to install, and requires you to build every package which is time consuming. Plus, if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to be problematic for gaming, to require knowledge, or even to be straight up malicious! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS |It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- |LFS | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> b59b90e9bc62052bc4e064d7d5e841ddc3266320 1127 1119 2022-09-07T13:50:27Z Aragorn 3 /* Distributions, or "versions" of Linux */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. I recommend reading the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. **For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome, preferably GNOME for Wayland. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but it's developer is very reputable. With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable, for example [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here]. |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is hard, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base desktop and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). However, only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. The installation of Arch is hard also, but if you can read and follow instructions on the installation guide then it shouldn't be a problem. To make it easier, use archinstall. |- |Gentoo |Gentoo is a good distribution for gaming actually. BUT: It's very complicated, takes a lot of time to install, and requires you to build every package which is time consuming. Plus, if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to be problematic for gaming, to require knowledge, or even to be straight up malicious! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS |It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- |LFS | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 8ddcc437774d33d147f94526555295903bc64938 1132 1127 2022-09-07T21:52:34Z Aragorn 3 /* Prelude */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. **For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome, preferably GNOME for Wayland. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but it's developer is very reputable. With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable, for example [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here]. |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is hard, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base desktop and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). However, only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. The installation of Arch is hard also, but if you can read and follow instructions on the installation guide then it shouldn't be a problem. To make it easier, use archinstall. |- |Gentoo |Gentoo is a good distribution for gaming actually. BUT: It's very complicated, takes a lot of time to install, and requires you to build every package which is time consuming. Plus, if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to be problematic for gaming, to require knowledge, or even to be straight up malicious! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |AmogOS |It might have a funny name, and even good ideas. But it's not a mature distribution. |- |LFS | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> e7b86aea4adb74d244a41b30e8aa530eb125f671 1135 1132 2022-09-13T10:29:50Z Aragorn 3 /* Recommendations */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. **For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome, preferably GNOME for Wayland. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but it's developer is very reputable. With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable, for example [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here]. |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is hard, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base desktop and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). However, only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. The installation of Arch is hard also, but if you can read and follow instructions on the installation guide then it shouldn't be a problem. To make it easier, use archinstall. |- |Gentoo |Gentoo is a good distribution for gaming actually. BUT: It's very complicated, takes a lot of time to install, and requires you to build every package which is time consuming. Plus, if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |- |AmogOS |It might have a funny name, but it's not a mature distribution. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |LFS | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> f6ecb7405048e04c10d2f91651ca7ee8dc9e4b29 1136 1135 2022-09-13T10:42:22Z Aragorn 3 /* Avoid Problems */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. **For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome, preferably GNOME for Wayland. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable, for example [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here]. |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is hard, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base desktop and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). However, only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. The installation of Arch is hard also, but if you can read and follow instructions on the installation guide then it shouldn't be a problem. To make it easier, use archinstall. |- |Gentoo |Gentoo is a good distribution for gaming actually. BUT: It's very complicated, takes a lot of time to install, and requires you to build every package which is time consuming. Plus, if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |- |AmogOS |It might have a funny name, but it's not a mature distribution. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |LFS | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 5ca7079282ef00fb23d3f132f7f1a3c01f9be414 1137 1136 2022-09-13T10:47:28Z Aragorn 3 /* Recommendations */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. **For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome, preferably GNOME for Wayland. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable, for example [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here]. |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is hard, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base desktop and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). However, only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. The installation of Arch is hard also, but if you can read and follow instructions on the installation guide then it shouldn't be a problem. To make it easier, use archinstall. |- |Gentoo |Gentoo is a good distribution for gaming actually. BUT: It's very complicated, takes a lot of time to install, and requires you to build every package which is time consuming. Plus, if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |- |AmogOS |It might have a funny name, but it's not a mature distribution. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |LFS | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> b0c25fa151ec463eb4cec3d333176650f85289fd 1138 1137 2022-09-13T10:48:17Z Aragorn 3 /* Recommendations */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. **For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome, preferably GNOME for Wayland. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable, for example [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here]. |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is hard, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base desktop and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). However, only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. The installation of Arch is hard also, but if you can read and follow instructions on the installation guide then it shouldn't be a problem. To make it easier, use archinstall. |- |Gentoo |Gentoo is a good distribution for gaming actually. BUT: It's very complicated, takes a lot of time to install, and requires you to build every package which is time consuming. Plus, if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |- |AmogOS |It might have a funny name, but it's not a mature distribution. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |LFS | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 81284166cf856ef11a6badf6fdf8cfa8786cfc07 1147 1138 2022-09-26T23:08:12Z Aragorn 3 /* Recommendations */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. **For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome, preferably GNOME for Wayland. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable, for example [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here]. |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is hard, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base desktop and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). However, only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. The installation of Arch is hard also, but if you can read and follow instructions on the installation guide then it shouldn't be a problem. To make it easier, use archinstall. |- |Gentoo |Gentoo is a good distribution for gaming actually. BUT: It's very complicated, takes a lot of time to install, and requires you to build every package which is time consuming. Plus, if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |- |AmogOS |It might have a funny name, but it's not a mature distribution. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |LFS | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 2632738fb48a359d73b7602e975145ff865e4a5b 1148 1147 2022-09-26T23:18:11Z Aragorn 3 /* Recommendations */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. **For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome, preferably GNOME for Wayland. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable, for example [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here]. |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is hard, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base desktop and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). However, only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. The installation of Arch is hard also, but if you can read and follow instructions on the installation guide then it shouldn't be a problem. To make it easier, use archinstall. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. Bu if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |Gentoo |Gentoo is a good distribution for gaming actually. BUT: It's very complicated, takes a lot of time to install, and requires you to build every package which is time consuming. Plus, if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |- |AmogOS |It might have a funny name, but it's not a mature distribution. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |LFS | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 06cd5de3db2a7ff8fb9ce1ff2a90ad441fe2652b 1149 1148 2022-09-26T23:18:38Z Aragorn 3 /* Recommendations */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. **For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome, preferably GNOME for Wayland. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable, for example [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here]. |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is hard, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base desktop and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). However, only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. The installation of Arch is hard also, but if you can read and follow instructions on the installation guide then it shouldn't be a problem. To make it easier, use archinstall. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |Gentoo |Gentoo is a good distribution for gaming actually. BUT: It's very complicated, takes a lot of time to install, and requires you to build every package which is time consuming. Plus, if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |- |AmogOS |It might have a funny name, but it's not a mature distribution. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |LFS | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 761baccc6647d1df1492ddd75df953475eb5695e 1151 1149 2022-09-26T23:22:32Z Aragorn 3 /* Recommendations */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. **For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome, preferably GNOME for Wayland. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable, for example [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here]. |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is hard, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base desktop and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). However, only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. The installation of Arch is hard also, but if you can read and follow instructions on the installation guide then it shouldn't be a problem. To make it easier, use archinstall. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |Gentoo |Gentoo is a good distribution for gaming actually. BUT: It's very complicated, takes a lot of time to install, and requires you to build every package which is time consuming. Plus, if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |- |AmogOS |It might have a funny name, but it's not a mature distribution. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |LFS | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> e751aa40f76edf11a29e1e940192e341c9c9682e 0 5 1105 1075 2022-08-27T14:30:06Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%) as on Windows. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers] **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *Set your GPU to high performance. **The default (automatic) is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. **You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **Alternatively, you can also use gamemode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. ** If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed **Do '''NOT''' download stuff from their website. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. ===Nvidia=== {{Needs work|Problem=Not complete, and most is just copied from a reddit post. You may find better information somewhere else, I really don't know as I don't have an Nvidia GPU. If you have experience with Nvidia, and you know how to simplify this guide, please do so, maybe split the tweaks in important/less important or so}} *Use DKMS. DKMS is a prerequisite for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update. <ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support offers a DKMS version. *The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is the best place to start. Enable coolbits as the link explains. Good is, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) to enable full control over the GPU (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). * Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. *Make sure to use a Proton version of 6.3, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 or later for Proton-GE and Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS support. For Steam, you need to put <code>PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%</code> in your launch options (side note: there should only ever be one <code>%command%</code>). *For non-Steam games, use the latest lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. For non-Steam games, you also need a dxvk.conf file with <code>dxgi.nvapiHack = False</code> in it. You can just create one (mine is <code>~/Documents/dxvk.conf</code>) and set <code>DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/dxvk.conf</code> in your <code>/etc/environment</code>. *For Arch-based distributions, use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *If you have an old GPU, it might not be supported by the current driver. In this case you have to install an old one. You can use their website to determine which version you need. **''TODO: How to actually install them? On Arch you can use the AUR, but I don't know about any other distribution. Maybe actually download it from their website?'' == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE comes with a compatible version. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (just type in the name manually). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers.}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good choice. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> You should avoid Cinnamon and Pantheon. Cinnamon requires you to completely disable composition, Pantheon has no option to disable composition at all. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on, regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> cf91d6c2dc2613b7fd51b92192db982940070e53 1126 1105 2022-09-06T21:52:21Z Hikarutilmitt 20 /* Nvidia */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%) as on Windows. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *[https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md Install the correct drivers] **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *Set your GPU to high performance. **The default (automatic) is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. **You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **Alternatively, you can also use gamemode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. ** If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed **Do '''NOT''' download stuff from their website. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE comes with a compatible version. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (just type in the name manually). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers.}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good choice. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> You should avoid Cinnamon and Pantheon. Cinnamon requires you to completely disable composition, Pantheon has no option to disable composition at all. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on, regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 25f3725d76bb974a332f3323e0c6f21b51cb4332 1134 1126 2022-09-09T12:54:25Z Aragorn 3 /* Major tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%) as on Windows. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *Set your GPU to high performance. **The default (automatic) is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. **You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **Alternatively, you can also use gamemode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. ** If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed **Do '''NOT''' download stuff from their website. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE comes with a compatible version. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (just type in the name manually). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers.}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good choice. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> You should avoid Cinnamon and Pantheon. Cinnamon requires you to completely disable composition, Pantheon has no option to disable composition at all. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on, regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 5aba3b02736f366fe1acca87363d6bdd18efc703 1144 1134 2022-09-26T23:00:19Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%) as on Windows. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *Set your GPU to high performance. **The default (automatic) is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. **You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **Alternatively, you can also use gamemode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. ** If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed **Do '''NOT''' download stuff from their website. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE comes with a compatible version. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (just type in the name manually). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers.}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good choice. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> You should avoid Cinnamon and Pantheon. Cinnamon requires you to completely disable composition, Pantheon has no option to disable composition at all. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on, regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 2d039bf2ec7a20548b201984d7bcbf60894e6c73 1145 1144 2022-09-26T23:00:40Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±5%) as on Windows. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *Set your GPU to high performance. **The default (automatic) is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. **You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **Alternatively, you can also use gamemode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. ** If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed **Do '''NOT''' download stuff from their website. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE comes with a compatible version. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (just type in the name manually). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers.}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good choice. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> You should avoid Cinnamon and Pantheon. Cinnamon requires you to completely disable composition, Pantheon has no option to disable composition at all. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on, regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 1f12d1c67462ea2b7f85a732186e0b6ce30e1a63 1146 1145 2022-09-26T23:04:13Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *Set your GPU to high performance. **The default (automatic) is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. **You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **Alternatively, you can also use gamemode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. ** If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed **Do '''NOT''' download stuff from their website. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE comes with a compatible version. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (just type in the name manually). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers.}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good choice. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> You should avoid Cinnamon and Pantheon. Cinnamon requires you to completely disable composition, Pantheon has no option to disable composition at all. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on, regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> fb2d3dbd2911898914b61831b55aaa4c19d0e730 0 45 1106 1067 2022-08-29T20:59:41Z Aragorn 3 /* Mice */ wikitext text/x-wiki Hardware compatibility with Linux is sometimes tricky. You can not buy just anything and expect it to work. Some manufacturers don't support Linux at all, and sometimes the support is not good. This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware categories. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Regarding specific recommendations. Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a timestamp in the form YYYY-MM. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. If you buy wrong, you might end up with completely incompatible hardware. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. The important thing in the sticks is the chip. Manufacturers sometimes have the same model with different chips. Chips that often work, are Qualcomm Atheros, and [https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005511/wireless.html Intel]. === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. Recommendations: To be done. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. Recommendations: To be done. == Less problematic Hardware == Your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is much lower. However, you might face some jank, some features might not work, and stuff might not be flawless. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. If you want to read more about it, you might find something in [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/tdmup7/unpopular_opinion_i_feel_like_the_whole_nvidia/ this reddit post]. AMD and Nvidia both work, and you'll ''probably'' be fine with either. However: * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), and Nvidia even released their kernel module, but they are no option for gaming (at least yet). **If you want long support, AMD is the way to go, as support is essentially never dropped. * Nvidia provides proprietary day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, due to not being FOSS. There might be some delayed features, or some bugs. But as said, you're ''probably'' going to be fine. If you're not, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s blame Nvidia]. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] and FSR 2.0, which works in a similar way. * If you buy a very old GPU, make sure that it has Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth, and even those often work. You might face problems if you have a device with two GPUs (should be solvable), or other special components (fingerprint reader, etc - might not be solvable). * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo **Slimbook * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: **Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15ACH6 | EU | around 800-1 000 € (multiple similar models available) | Available without OS | Out of the box full compatibility (WiFi since kernel 5.16, on older manual installation of driver<ref>https://github.com/lwfinger/rtw89</ref> needed) === Bluetooth Headphones === TODO: Is this category problematic? ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03<!-- Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). --> ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03 === Mainboard === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] === USB Digital/Audio converter === TODO: Is this category problematic? *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === TODO: Is this category problematic? * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03 === Mice/Keyboards === Generally all of them work, as long as you don't expect the specific software to work. This can mean that you can't control RGB, DPI, or makro buttons. Some models have native support: * Logitech: [https://pwr-solaar.github.io/Solaar/devices Solaar] * Razer: [https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer OpenRazer]. * Roccat: [https://github.com/X3n0m0rph59/eruption Eruption] A workaround for unsupported models can be to [[Misc#Changing%20Mouse%20settings%20(DPI%252C%20lift%20of%20distance%252C%20etc)|boot Windows once to change the settings]] (if you don't need to change them all the time). == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. Recommendations: * To be done == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs == References == * * 285a069c0b27e87475255b321c6c1ac96e605313 1107 1106 2022-08-29T21:00:21Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Hardware compatibility with Linux is sometimes tricky. You can not buy just anything and expect it to work. Some manufacturers don't support Linux at all, and sometimes the support is not good. This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware categories. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Regarding specific recommendations. Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a timestamp in the form YYYY-MM. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. If you buy wrong, you might end up with completely incompatible hardware. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. The important thing in the sticks is the chip. Manufacturers sometimes have the same model with different chips. Chips that often work, are Qualcomm Atheros, and [https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005511/wireless.html Intel]. === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. Recommendations: To be done. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. Recommendations: To be done. == Less problematic Hardware == Your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is much lower. However, you might face some jank, some features might not work, and stuff might not be flawless. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. If you want to read more about it, you might find something in [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/tdmup7/unpopular_opinion_i_feel_like_the_whole_nvidia/ this reddit post]. AMD and Nvidia both work, and you'll ''probably'' be fine with either. However: * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), and Nvidia even released their kernel module, but they are no option for gaming (at least yet). **If you want long support, AMD is the way to go, as support is essentially never dropped. * Nvidia provides proprietary day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, due to not being FOSS. There might be some delayed features, or some bugs. But as said, you're ''probably'' going to be fine. If you're not, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s blame Nvidia]. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] and FSR 2.0, which works in a similar way. * If you buy a very old GPU, make sure that it has Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth, and even those often work. You might face problems if you have a device with two GPUs (should be solvable), or other special components (fingerprint reader, etc - might not be solvable). * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo **Slimbook * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: **Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15ACH6 | EU | around 800-1 000 € (multiple similar models available) | Available without OS | Out of the box full compatibility (WiFi since kernel 5.16, on older manual installation of driver<ref>https://github.com/lwfinger/rtw89</ref> needed) === Bluetooth Headphones === TODO: Is this category problematic? ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03<!-- Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). --> ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03 === Mainboard === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] === USB Digital/Audio converter === TODO: Is this category problematic? *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === TODO: Is this category problematic? * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03 === Mice/Keyboards === Generally all of them work, as long as you don't expect the specific software to work. This can mean that you can't control RGB, DPI, or makro buttons. Some models have native support: * Logitech: [https://pwr-solaar.github.io/Solaar/devices Solaar] * Razer: [https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer OpenRazer]. * Roccat: [https://github.com/X3n0m0rph59/eruption Eruption] A workaround for unsupported models can be to [[Misc#Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc)|boot Windows once to change the settings]] (if you don't need to change them all the time). == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. Recommendations: * To be done == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs == References == * * 514b7c05005089123762ce2e43036db2976cf9ec 1108 1107 2022-08-29T21:01:47Z Aragorn 3 /* Mice/Keyboards */ wikitext text/x-wiki Hardware compatibility with Linux is sometimes tricky. You can not buy just anything and expect it to work. Some manufacturers don't support Linux at all, and sometimes the support is not good. This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware categories. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Regarding specific recommendations. Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a timestamp in the form YYYY-MM. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. If you buy wrong, you might end up with completely incompatible hardware. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. The important thing in the sticks is the chip. Manufacturers sometimes have the same model with different chips. Chips that often work, are Qualcomm Atheros, and [https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005511/wireless.html Intel]. === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. Recommendations: To be done. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. Recommendations: To be done. == Less problematic Hardware == Your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is much lower. However, you might face some jank, some features might not work, and stuff might not be flawless. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. If you want to read more about it, you might find something in [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/tdmup7/unpopular_opinion_i_feel_like_the_whole_nvidia/ this reddit post]. AMD and Nvidia both work, and you'll ''probably'' be fine with either. However: * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), and Nvidia even released their kernel module, but they are no option for gaming (at least yet). **If you want long support, AMD is the way to go, as support is essentially never dropped. * Nvidia provides proprietary day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, due to not being FOSS. There might be some delayed features, or some bugs. But as said, you're ''probably'' going to be fine. If you're not, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s blame Nvidia]. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] and FSR 2.0, which works in a similar way. * If you buy a very old GPU, make sure that it has Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth, and even those often work. You might face problems if you have a device with two GPUs (should be solvable), or other special components (fingerprint reader, etc - might not be solvable). * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo **Slimbook * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: **Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15ACH6 | EU | around 800-1 000 € (multiple similar models available) | Available without OS | Out of the box full compatibility (WiFi since kernel 5.16, on older manual installation of driver<ref>https://github.com/lwfinger/rtw89</ref> needed) === Bluetooth Headphones === TODO: Is this category problematic? ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03<!-- Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). --> ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03 === Mainboard === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] === USB Digital/Audio converter === TODO: Is this category problematic? *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === TODO: Is this category problematic? * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03 === Mice/Keyboards === Generally all of them work, as long as you don't expect the specific software to work. This can mean that you can't control RGB, DPI, or makro buttons. Some models have native support: * Logitech: [https://pwr-solaar.github.io/Solaar/devices Solaar] * Razer: [https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer OpenRazer]. * Roccat: [https://github.com/X3n0m0rph59/eruption Eruption] A workaround for unsupported models can be to boot Windows once to change the settings (if you don't need to change them all the time). You can also start a VM, pass through the device, and change settings there. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. Recommendations: * To be done == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs == References == * * 31dcfcd9db1fd75e879c66af79d3c0a924f1ca85 1109 1108 2022-08-29T21:04:03Z Aragorn 3 /* Mice/Keyboards */ wikitext text/x-wiki Hardware compatibility with Linux is sometimes tricky. You can not buy just anything and expect it to work. Some manufacturers don't support Linux at all, and sometimes the support is not good. This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware categories. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Regarding specific recommendations. Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a timestamp in the form YYYY-MM. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. If you buy wrong, you might end up with completely incompatible hardware. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. The important thing in the sticks is the chip. Manufacturers sometimes have the same model with different chips. Chips that often work, are Qualcomm Atheros, and [https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005511/wireless.html Intel]. === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. Recommendations: To be done. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. Recommendations: To be done. == Less problematic Hardware == Your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is much lower. However, you might face some jank, some features might not work, and stuff might not be flawless. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. If you want to read more about it, you might find something in [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/tdmup7/unpopular_opinion_i_feel_like_the_whole_nvidia/ this reddit post]. AMD and Nvidia both work, and you'll ''probably'' be fine with either. However: * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), and Nvidia even released their kernel module, but they are no option for gaming (at least yet). **If you want long support, AMD is the way to go, as support is essentially never dropped. * Nvidia provides proprietary day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, due to not being FOSS. There might be some delayed features, or some bugs. But as said, you're ''probably'' going to be fine. If you're not, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s blame Nvidia]. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] and FSR 2.0, which works in a similar way. * If you buy a very old GPU, make sure that it has Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth, and even those often work. You might face problems if you have a device with two GPUs (should be solvable), or other special components (fingerprint reader, etc - might not be solvable). * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo **Slimbook * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: **Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15ACH6 | EU | around 800-1 000 € (multiple similar models available) | Available without OS | Out of the box full compatibility (WiFi since kernel 5.16, on older manual installation of driver<ref>https://github.com/lwfinger/rtw89</ref> needed) === Bluetooth Headphones === TODO: Is this category problematic? ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03<!-- Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). --> ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03 === Mainboard === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] === USB Digital/Audio converter === TODO: Is this category problematic? *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === TODO: Is this category problematic? * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03 === Mice/Keyboards === Generally all of them work, as long as you don't expect the specific software to work. This can mean that you can't control RGB, DPI, or makro buttons. Some models have native support: * Logitech: [https://pwr-solaar.github.io/Solaar/devices Solaar] * Razer: [https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer OpenRazer]. * Roccat: [https://github.com/X3n0m0rph59/eruption Eruption], [https://sourceforge.net/projects/roccat/files/roccat-tools/ roccat-tools]([https://aur.archlinux.org/pkgbase/roccat-tools aur], [https://launchpad.net/~berfenger/+archive/ubuntu/roccat ppa]) A workaround for unsupported models can be to boot Windows once to change the settings (if you don't need to change them all the time). You can also start a VM, pass through the device, and change settings there. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. Recommendations: * To be done == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs == References == * * 2ca6731177d623334241c7e0cf6f31defcc22b84 1140 1109 2022-09-14T13:53:37Z Aragorn 3 /* Mice/Keyboards */ wikitext text/x-wiki Hardware compatibility with Linux is sometimes tricky. You can not buy just anything and expect it to work. Some manufacturers don't support Linux at all, and sometimes the support is not good. This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware categories. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Regarding specific recommendations. Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a timestamp in the form YYYY-MM. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. If you buy wrong, you might end up with completely incompatible hardware. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. The important thing in the sticks is the chip. Manufacturers sometimes have the same model with different chips. Chips that often work, are Qualcomm Atheros, and [https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005511/wireless.html Intel]. === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. Recommendations: To be done. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. Recommendations: To be done. == Less problematic Hardware == Your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is much lower. However, you might face some jank, some features might not work, and stuff might not be flawless. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. If you want to read more about it, you might find something in [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/tdmup7/unpopular_opinion_i_feel_like_the_whole_nvidia/ this reddit post]. AMD and Nvidia both work, and you'll ''probably'' be fine with either. However: * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), and Nvidia even released their kernel module, but they are no option for gaming (at least yet). **If you want long support, AMD is the way to go, as support is essentially never dropped. * Nvidia provides proprietary day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, due to not being FOSS. There might be some delayed features, or some bugs. But as said, you're ''probably'' going to be fine. If you're not, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s blame Nvidia]. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] and FSR 2.0, which works in a similar way. * If you buy a very old GPU, make sure that it has Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth, and even those often work. You might face problems if you have a device with two GPUs (should be solvable), or other special components (fingerprint reader, etc - might not be solvable). * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo **Slimbook * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: **Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15ACH6 | EU | around 800-1 000 € (multiple similar models available) | Available without OS | Out of the box full compatibility (WiFi since kernel 5.16, on older manual installation of driver<ref>https://github.com/lwfinger/rtw89</ref> needed) === Bluetooth Headphones === TODO: Is this category problematic? ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03<!-- Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). --> ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03 === Mainboard === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. Since Mainboards usually just work, recommended devices should have special features that are working. Please mention all features that you tested. ==== AMD ==== * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] === USB Digital/Audio converter === TODO: Is this category problematic? *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === TODO: Is this category problematic? * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03 === Mice/Keyboards === Generally all of them work, as long as you don't expect the specific configuration software to work. This can mean that you can't control RGB, DPI, or makro buttons. Some models have native support: * Logitech: [https://pwr-solaar.github.io/Solaar/devices Solaar] * Razer: [https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer OpenRazer]. * Roccat: [https://github.com/X3n0m0rph59/eruption Eruption], [https://sourceforge.net/projects/roccat/files/roccat-tools/ roccat-tools]([https://aur.archlinux.org/pkgbase/roccat-tools aur], [https://launchpad.net/~berfenger/+archive/ubuntu/roccat ppa]) A workaround for unsupported models can be to boot Windows once to change the settings (if you don't need to change them all the time). You can also start a VM, pass through the device, and change settings there. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. Recommendations: * To be done == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs == References == * * 939541bb7bdc3720d8973c20115dfdc81c77a2bb 1141 1140 2022-09-14T15:14:18Z 94.105.100.139 0 wikitext text/x-wiki Hardware compatibility with Linux is sometimes tricky. You can not buy just anything and expect it to work. Some manufacturers don't support Linux at all, and sometimes the support is not good. This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware categories. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Regarding specific recommendations. Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a timestamp in the form YYYY-MM. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. If you buy wrong, you might end up with completely incompatible hardware. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. The important thing in the sticks is the chip. Manufacturers sometimes have the same model with different chips. Chips that often work, are Qualcomm Atheros, and [https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005511/wireless.html Intel]. === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. Recommendations: To be done. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. Recommendations: To be done. == Less problematic Hardware == Your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is much lower. However, you might face some jank, some features might not work, and stuff might not be flawless. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. If you want to read more about it, you might find something in [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/tdmup7/unpopular_opinion_i_feel_like_the_whole_nvidia/ this reddit post]. AMD and Nvidia both work, and you'll ''probably'' be fine with either. However: * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), and Nvidia even released their kernel module, but they are no option for gaming (at least yet). **If you want long support, AMD is the way to go, as support is essentially never dropped. * Nvidia provides proprietary day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, due to not being FOSS. There might be some delayed features, or some bugs. But as said, you're ''probably'' going to be fine. If you're not, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s blame Nvidia]. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] and FSR 2.0, which works in a similar way. * If you buy a very old GPU, make sure that it has Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth, and even those often work. You might face problems if you have a device with two GPUs (should be solvable), or other special components (fingerprint reader, etc - might not be solvable). * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo **Slimbook * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: **Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15ACH6 | EU | around 800-1 000 € (multiple similar models available) | Available without OS | Out of the box full compatibility (WiFi since kernel 5.16, on older manual installation of driver<ref>https://github.com/lwfinger/rtw89</ref> needed) === Mainboards === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. ==== AMD ==== * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] === Mice/Keyboards === Generally all of them work, as long as you don't expect the specific configuration software to work. This can mean that you can't control RGB, DPI, or makro buttons. Some models have native support: * Logitech: [https://pwr-solaar.github.io/Solaar/devices Solaar] * Razer: [https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer OpenRazer]. * Roccat: [https://github.com/X3n0m0rph59/eruption Eruption], [https://sourceforge.net/projects/roccat/files/roccat-tools/ roccat-tools]([https://aur.archlinux.org/pkgbase/roccat-tools aur], [https://launchpad.net/~berfenger/+archive/ubuntu/roccat ppa]) A workaround for unsupported models can be to boot Windows once to change the settings (if you don't need to change them all the time). You can also start a VM, pass through the device, and change settings there. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. Recommendations: * To be done == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs == Unknown categories == {{Needs work|Problem=I'm not sure whether these categories are unproblematic or not. Personally I never had issues, and I don't see many people writing about problems in forums}} === Bluetooth Headphones === ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03<!-- Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). --> ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03 === USB Digital/Audio converter === *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03 == References == * * 1174ee8bd289e15df759911f102b315fd41853e6 0 28 1111 1008 2022-09-01T12:34:10Z Aragorn 3 /* General expectations */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get everything working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. You should not be expecting a drop in replacement, and you should not expect a flawless experience. Linux ''can'' be both, but it depends on a lot of factors. Expect that there will be things that don't work as you would think, and that you need to spend time on it. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends on the individual tools the modding community uses. It's often not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you. * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB or RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable (not for serious gaming of course). And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. It won't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster, though. But it has significantly less overhead than Windows, so if that's the problem it will definitely help. For example, it might revive your old Laptop. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects your choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though—you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows to something like MacOS to something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is not even close to everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. Some examples of what Linux can look like: **KDE Plasma: [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/articles/tagline_images/528481101id19192gol.jpg 1][https://news-cdn.softpedia.com/images/news2/kde-plasma-5-15-desktop-environment-officially-released-here-s-what-s-new-524922-8.jpg 2][https://www.lffl.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/garuda-linux-dr460nized-1400x788.png 3][https://ubuntuhandbook.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/preview-arc-dark.jpg 4][https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RQLcqtqS-YA/XHTsrV6x_-I/AAAAAAAAU0Y/eKJma9C7vsITXzcDklMTaOXgUdVqBIvWgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot_20190226_073620.png 5][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 6][https://i.redd.it/lvubg0sxnl641.png 7][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 8][https://i.redd.it/8mz4z5kybs631.png 9][https://i.redd.it/jup9nde0f0l81.png 10][https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FEMS88kEx_8/maxresdefault.jpg 11][https://i.redd.it/f6ywf9pncpy31.png 12][https://i.imgur.com/kYX3ewJ.png 13][https://forum.endeavouros.com/uploads/default/original/2X/6/6e6c1619652607552c45b001ad2dbfb9d01ea21d.jpeg 14][https://i.redd.it/e4w1uvk48fr81.jpg 15][https://i.redd.it/0x4pz8o10xq81.png 16][https://i.redd.it/7a5mwp393jo81.png 17][https://i.redd.it/cv5gc2tne4r81.png 18] [https://i.redd.it/t65bae91v3s81.jpg 19] [https://64.media.tumblr.com/9bda2b57523402c142d4f797c8ad0093/d629d44890280e21-7d/s1280x1920/ad696bc813582410c77f9879cc0334b76ab252ea.jpg 20] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/comments/eor4up/plasma_cyberpunk_desktop/ 21] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=plasma&sort=top and] [https://store.kde.org/browse?cat=104&ord=rating more] **GNOME: [https://forum.garudalinux.org/uploads/default/optimized/2X/e/e6d6150878051d075fb6d8548f5314fcf6c7bf28_2_1035x646.jpeg 1][https://www.cmscritic.com/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cloudinary/pop-os-review-4_hhslpt.png 2][https://i.redd.it/jt3xl3e2qak61.png 3][https://pingvinus.ru/files/news/manjaro-20-1/manjaro-20.1-gnome.jpg 4][http://www.jetestelinux.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/manjaro_gnome_1710_mode_nuit.jpg 5][https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/f8e04f89-e155-4926-972e-76e0955933eb/dak2iyb-e5931cb1-e722-43f8-a1ed-63361f901ab9.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2Y4ZTA0Zjg5LWUxNTUtNDkyNi05NzJlLTc2ZTA5NTU5MzNlYlwvZGFrMml5Yi1lNTkzMWNiMS1lNzIyLTQzZjgtYTFlZC02MzM2MWY5MDFhYjkucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.zwpBVOqCfSFqWRDNz1fnEgVkyyXgrj_3NoJNLa0Zlzw 6][https://i.redd.it/b06ms6vfe0r81.png 7][https://i.redd.it/uvenc4r0dun81.png 8][https://i.redd.it/kw1enzggqmo81.png 9][https://i.redd.it/gdtwdhbk4tr81.png 10][https://i.redd.it/uk9uihckcsd41.png 11] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=gnome&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&sort=top and] [https://www.gnome-look.org/browse?ord=rating more] **Tiling window managers: [https://pic3.zhimg.com/v2-bad01545e1f69cc0a94633ff771b72e3_1200x500.jpg 1][https://preview.redd.it/f2jg3znpr1g31.png?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=9b64dde84ccb1e0ba20e8bba5ee6516123273bd2 2][https://pingvinus.ru/cr_images/userpicture/n/1938-0.png 3][https://i.redd.it/rpojcv4d3nr81.png 4][https://i.redd.it/lkviraiador81.png 5][https://i.redd.it/or7veqoicdq81.png 6][https://i.redd.it/ptbibz0gdk861.png 7] **[https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/ and many more] * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal Windows filesystem. Of course this doesn't apply to all games, so your mileage may vary. * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so (again) your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. Almost all software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == 1c0960527d04daa111cc31b82a6f17806c095b63 1112 1111 2022-09-01T12:35:51Z Aragorn 3 /* Advantages */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get everything working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. You should not be expecting a drop in replacement, and you should not expect a flawless experience. Linux ''can'' be both, but it depends on a lot of factors. Expect that there will be things that don't work as you would think, and that you need to spend time on it. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends on the individual tools the modding community uses. It's often not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you. * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB of RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable (not for serious gaming of course). And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. It won't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster, though. But it has significantly less overhead than Windows, so if that's the problem it will definitely help. For example, it might revive your old Laptop. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects your choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though—you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows to something like MacOS to something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is not even close to everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. Some examples of what Linux can look like: **KDE Plasma: [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/articles/tagline_images/528481101id19192gol.jpg 1][https://news-cdn.softpedia.com/images/news2/kde-plasma-5-15-desktop-environment-officially-released-here-s-what-s-new-524922-8.jpg 2][https://www.lffl.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/garuda-linux-dr460nized-1400x788.png 3][https://ubuntuhandbook.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/preview-arc-dark.jpg 4][https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RQLcqtqS-YA/XHTsrV6x_-I/AAAAAAAAU0Y/eKJma9C7vsITXzcDklMTaOXgUdVqBIvWgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot_20190226_073620.png 5][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 6][https://i.redd.it/lvubg0sxnl641.png 7][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 8][https://i.redd.it/8mz4z5kybs631.png 9][https://i.redd.it/jup9nde0f0l81.png 10][https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FEMS88kEx_8/maxresdefault.jpg 11][https://i.redd.it/f6ywf9pncpy31.png 12][https://i.imgur.com/kYX3ewJ.png 13][https://forum.endeavouros.com/uploads/default/original/2X/6/6e6c1619652607552c45b001ad2dbfb9d01ea21d.jpeg 14][https://i.redd.it/e4w1uvk48fr81.jpg 15][https://i.redd.it/0x4pz8o10xq81.png 16][https://i.redd.it/7a5mwp393jo81.png 17][https://i.redd.it/cv5gc2tne4r81.png 18] [https://i.redd.it/t65bae91v3s81.jpg 19] [https://64.media.tumblr.com/9bda2b57523402c142d4f797c8ad0093/d629d44890280e21-7d/s1280x1920/ad696bc813582410c77f9879cc0334b76ab252ea.jpg 20] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/comments/eor4up/plasma_cyberpunk_desktop/ 21] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=plasma&sort=top and] [https://store.kde.org/browse?cat=104&ord=rating more] **GNOME: [https://forum.garudalinux.org/uploads/default/optimized/2X/e/e6d6150878051d075fb6d8548f5314fcf6c7bf28_2_1035x646.jpeg 1][https://www.cmscritic.com/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cloudinary/pop-os-review-4_hhslpt.png 2][https://i.redd.it/jt3xl3e2qak61.png 3][https://pingvinus.ru/files/news/manjaro-20-1/manjaro-20.1-gnome.jpg 4][http://www.jetestelinux.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/manjaro_gnome_1710_mode_nuit.jpg 5][https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/f8e04f89-e155-4926-972e-76e0955933eb/dak2iyb-e5931cb1-e722-43f8-a1ed-63361f901ab9.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2Y4ZTA0Zjg5LWUxNTUtNDkyNi05NzJlLTc2ZTA5NTU5MzNlYlwvZGFrMml5Yi1lNTkzMWNiMS1lNzIyLTQzZjgtYTFlZC02MzM2MWY5MDFhYjkucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.zwpBVOqCfSFqWRDNz1fnEgVkyyXgrj_3NoJNLa0Zlzw 6][https://i.redd.it/b06ms6vfe0r81.png 7][https://i.redd.it/uvenc4r0dun81.png 8][https://i.redd.it/kw1enzggqmo81.png 9][https://i.redd.it/gdtwdhbk4tr81.png 10][https://i.redd.it/uk9uihckcsd41.png 11] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=gnome&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&sort=top and] [https://www.gnome-look.org/browse?ord=rating more] **Tiling window managers: [https://pic3.zhimg.com/v2-bad01545e1f69cc0a94633ff771b72e3_1200x500.jpg 1][https://preview.redd.it/f2jg3znpr1g31.png?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=9b64dde84ccb1e0ba20e8bba5ee6516123273bd2 2][https://pingvinus.ru/cr_images/userpicture/n/1938-0.png 3][https://i.redd.it/rpojcv4d3nr81.png 4][https://i.redd.it/lkviraiador81.png 5][https://i.redd.it/or7veqoicdq81.png 6][https://i.redd.it/ptbibz0gdk861.png 7] **[https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/ and many more] * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal Windows filesystem. Of course this doesn't apply to all games, so your mileage may vary. * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so (again) your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. Almost all software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == 4a6b363826cb5275dabf11a0b989b360886345ef 1113 1112 2022-09-01T15:51:09Z Aragorn 3 /* General expectations */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get everything working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. You should not be expecting a drop in replacement, Linux is different in a lot of ways. You should also not expect a flawless experience. Linux can be flawless, but it might be necessary to resolve some issues first. Expect that you need to spend some time on this. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends on the individual tools the modding community uses. It's often not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you. * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB of RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable (not for serious gaming of course). And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. It won't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster, though. But it has significantly less overhead than Windows, so if that's the problem it will definitely help. For example, it might revive your old Laptop. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects your choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though—you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows to something like MacOS to something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is not even close to everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. Some examples of what Linux can look like: **KDE Plasma: [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/articles/tagline_images/528481101id19192gol.jpg 1][https://news-cdn.softpedia.com/images/news2/kde-plasma-5-15-desktop-environment-officially-released-here-s-what-s-new-524922-8.jpg 2][https://www.lffl.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/garuda-linux-dr460nized-1400x788.png 3][https://ubuntuhandbook.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/preview-arc-dark.jpg 4][https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RQLcqtqS-YA/XHTsrV6x_-I/AAAAAAAAU0Y/eKJma9C7vsITXzcDklMTaOXgUdVqBIvWgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot_20190226_073620.png 5][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 6][https://i.redd.it/lvubg0sxnl641.png 7][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 8][https://i.redd.it/8mz4z5kybs631.png 9][https://i.redd.it/jup9nde0f0l81.png 10][https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FEMS88kEx_8/maxresdefault.jpg 11][https://i.redd.it/f6ywf9pncpy31.png 12][https://i.imgur.com/kYX3ewJ.png 13][https://forum.endeavouros.com/uploads/default/original/2X/6/6e6c1619652607552c45b001ad2dbfb9d01ea21d.jpeg 14][https://i.redd.it/e4w1uvk48fr81.jpg 15][https://i.redd.it/0x4pz8o10xq81.png 16][https://i.redd.it/7a5mwp393jo81.png 17][https://i.redd.it/cv5gc2tne4r81.png 18] [https://i.redd.it/t65bae91v3s81.jpg 19] [https://64.media.tumblr.com/9bda2b57523402c142d4f797c8ad0093/d629d44890280e21-7d/s1280x1920/ad696bc813582410c77f9879cc0334b76ab252ea.jpg 20] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/comments/eor4up/plasma_cyberpunk_desktop/ 21] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=plasma&sort=top and] [https://store.kde.org/browse?cat=104&ord=rating more] **GNOME: [https://forum.garudalinux.org/uploads/default/optimized/2X/e/e6d6150878051d075fb6d8548f5314fcf6c7bf28_2_1035x646.jpeg 1][https://www.cmscritic.com/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cloudinary/pop-os-review-4_hhslpt.png 2][https://i.redd.it/jt3xl3e2qak61.png 3][https://pingvinus.ru/files/news/manjaro-20-1/manjaro-20.1-gnome.jpg 4][http://www.jetestelinux.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/manjaro_gnome_1710_mode_nuit.jpg 5][https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/f8e04f89-e155-4926-972e-76e0955933eb/dak2iyb-e5931cb1-e722-43f8-a1ed-63361f901ab9.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2Y4ZTA0Zjg5LWUxNTUtNDkyNi05NzJlLTc2ZTA5NTU5MzNlYlwvZGFrMml5Yi1lNTkzMWNiMS1lNzIyLTQzZjgtYTFlZC02MzM2MWY5MDFhYjkucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.zwpBVOqCfSFqWRDNz1fnEgVkyyXgrj_3NoJNLa0Zlzw 6][https://i.redd.it/b06ms6vfe0r81.png 7][https://i.redd.it/uvenc4r0dun81.png 8][https://i.redd.it/kw1enzggqmo81.png 9][https://i.redd.it/gdtwdhbk4tr81.png 10][https://i.redd.it/uk9uihckcsd41.png 11] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=gnome&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&sort=top and] [https://www.gnome-look.org/browse?ord=rating more] **Tiling window managers: [https://pic3.zhimg.com/v2-bad01545e1f69cc0a94633ff771b72e3_1200x500.jpg 1][https://preview.redd.it/f2jg3znpr1g31.png?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=9b64dde84ccb1e0ba20e8bba5ee6516123273bd2 2][https://pingvinus.ru/cr_images/userpicture/n/1938-0.png 3][https://i.redd.it/rpojcv4d3nr81.png 4][https://i.redd.it/lkviraiador81.png 5][https://i.redd.it/or7veqoicdq81.png 6][https://i.redd.it/ptbibz0gdk861.png 7] **[https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/ and many more] * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal Windows filesystem. Of course this doesn't apply to all games, so your mileage may vary. * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so (again) your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. Almost all software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == 2839462dfb7abc93430cf6e4c9269195417dad26 0 34 1114 1043 2022-09-03T17:38:22Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki It is recommended to read the [[Getting started with Linux|long version]], but you should be fine if you just do the following:<ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect, ''especially'' if you consider yourself a power user. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. Your knowledge of regedit and powershell is useless, you will not be able to troubleshoot issues the way you're used to, and your favorite software to do something might not be available. Think of it like being dropped back to level 1 in an MMO. It's like that. There will be issues, and you will have no clue what to do. Imagine installing Windows and your performance being bad. You obviously would install the GPU drivers. Now imagine you would use Windows for the first time, and you have to figure out what the fuck is wrong. Be prepared for this. It will happen, and it will happen more than once. The good thing is, that you will learn everything much faster than someone who has no previous knowledge. But keep in mind that you have years of experience with Windows, and absolutely no knowledge of how to use Linux. Don't expect to know how to do everything, and be prepared to put time and effort into learning stuff. You will probably think that Linux is more complicated than Windows, just keep going, and you'll get to the point where you'll think the opposite. But it will take time. <li>Don't immediately remove Windows, try dual booting, or try installing Linux on a laptop first. Give yourself some time to adapt. The beginning will probably not be easy. It's always good to have a fallback if things don't work as expected. You can remove Windows later, if you're sure that you don't need a backup solution. </li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have [[Hardware Recommendations|supported hardware]]. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle, or without bugs. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working on Steam. You can find other games on [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org]. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one. <li>Depending on your computer, it might be necessary to disable ''"secure boot"''. That might sound scary, but fear not. Your system doesn't get insecure if you disable it. Secure boot is a technique that secures that only systems signed by Microsoft can be booted. Since most Linux distributions are not made by Microsoft, they're also not signed by them. </li></li> <li>Use Steam for running games that are on Steam. Most games will work ''just like that'', after [[Steam#Enable Steam Play for all games|enabling Steam Play for all games]].</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other games.</li> <li><p>[[Compositor|Disable Composition]]: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it.</p></li> <li><p>If your performance is bad, read [[Improving performance|this article]].</p></li> <li><p>'''Don't go to a website and download stuff to install it'''. This is not how Linux works. Even if this is the ''"official"'' way. For example AMD will offer you to download their drivers from the website. Don't do it, this is bad, and '''it will probably break your system'''!</p></li> <li><p>If you use the terminal, Linux will usually not protect you from shooting yourself in the foot. Instead, it will deliver the bullet in the most efficient way possible. If Linux actually warns you that you might be doing something stupid, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when [[How to get answers|asking for help]].</p></li><li><p>You (almost) never download software or drivers in the browser. Doing this is a really bad idea, and should only be your last resort if everything else fails. Just look up your distribution (Pop!_OS if you follow our recommendation) + the software, and you should find a better solution (for example a ''ppa'').</p></li><li><p>If you don't like the look, it can easily be changed. Just [https://support.system76.com/articles/desktop-environment/ install a different desktop environment]. KDE Plasma would be a popular choice that looks a lot like Windows, is very customizable, and very comfortable to use. </p></li><li><p>Expect that you're going to reinstall your system a couple times while getting accustomed to it. Linux comes without training wheels, or double bottom. At the same time, it invites experimentation, and if you don't know what you're doing, this can lead to a broken system relatively quickly. So always back up your important data! But fear not, after you learned how your system works, it won't break that much anymore. </p></li></ul> 3d9a0729f8ffc2d5fefd745c7d32b607668e7140 1115 1114 2022-09-03T17:40:01Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki It is recommended to read the [[Getting started with Linux|long version]], but you should be fine if you just do the following:<ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect, ''especially'' if you consider yourself a power user. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. Your knowledge of regedit and powershell is useless, you will not be able to troubleshoot issues the way you're used to, and your favorite software to do something might not be available. Think of it like being dropped back to level 1 in an MMO. It's like that. There will be issues, and you will have no clue what to do. Imagine installing Windows and your performance being bad. You obviously would install the GPU drivers. Now imagine you would use Windows for the first time, and you have to figure out what the fuck is wrong. Be prepared for this. It will happen, and it will happen more than once. The good thing is, that you will learn everything much faster than someone who has no previous knowledge. But keep in mind that you have years of experience with Windows, and absolutely no knowledge of how to use Linux. Don't expect to know how to do everything, and be prepared to put time and effort into learning stuff. You will probably think that Linux is more complicated than Windows, just keep going, and you'll get to the point where you'll think the opposite. But it will take time. <li>Don't immediately remove Windows, try dual booting, or try installing Linux on a laptop first. Give yourself some time to adapt. The beginning will probably not be easy. It's always good to have a fallback if things don't work as expected. You can remove Windows later, if you're sure that you don't need a backup solution. </li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have [[Hardware Recommendations|supported hardware]]. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle, or without bugs. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working on Steam. You can find other games on [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org]. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use Pop!_OS. It might not be the best for everyone and everything, but it's a popular choice, and you should not face too many weird issues. If you don't know how to install it, watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ua-d9OeUOg this video]. Use Balena Etcher (ignore what he says about rufus), and ignore the part about the alternative for shadowplay (assuming that you don't want that). Note, that Pop!_OS has two versions. One for Nvidia, and one for everything else. Install the version for Nvidia GPUs if you have one. <li>Depending on your computer, it might be necessary to disable ''"secure boot"''. That might sound scary, but fear not. Your system doesn't get insecure if you disable it. Secure boot is a technique that secures that only systems signed by Microsoft can be booted. Since most Linux distributions are not made by Microsoft, they're also not signed by them. </li> <li>Use Steam for running games that are on Steam. Most games will work ''just like that'', after [[Steam#Enable Steam Play for all games|enabling Steam Play for all games]].</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other games.</li> <li><p>[[Compositor|Disable Composition]]: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it.</p></li> <li><p>If your performance is bad, read [[Improving performance|this article]].</p></li> <li><p>'''Don't go to a website and download stuff to install it'''. This is not how Linux works. Even if this is the ''"official"'' way. For example AMD will offer you to download their drivers from the website. Don't do it, this is bad, and '''it will probably break your system'''!</p></li> <li><p>If you use the terminal, Linux will usually not protect you from shooting yourself in the foot. Instead, it will deliver the bullet in the most efficient way possible. If Linux actually warns you that you might be doing something stupid, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when [[How to get answers|asking for help]].</p></li><li><p>You (almost) never download software or drivers in the browser. Doing this is a really bad idea, and should only be your last resort if everything else fails. Just look up your distribution (Pop!_OS if you follow our recommendation) + the software, and you should find a better solution (for example a ''ppa'').</p></li><li><p>If you don't like the look, it can easily be changed. Just [https://support.system76.com/articles/desktop-environment/ install a different desktop environment]. KDE Plasma would be a popular choice that looks a lot like Windows, is very customizable, and very comfortable to use. </p></li><li><p>Expect that you're going to reinstall your system a couple times while getting accustomed to it. Linux comes without training wheels, or double bottom. At the same time, it invites experimentation, and if you don't know what you're doing, this can lead to a broken system relatively quickly. So always back up your important data! But fear not, after you learned how your system works, it won't break that much anymore. </p></li></ul> 3b3928e6af8ac00ca1e0b47c3fdec88f7b9951f2 1139 1115 2022-09-13T10:52:54Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki It is recommended to read the [[Getting started with Linux|long version]], but you should be fine if you just do the following:<ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect, ''especially'' if you consider yourself a power user. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. Your knowledge of regedit and powershell is useless, you will not be able to troubleshoot issues the way you're used to, and your favorite software to do something might not be available. Think of it like being dropped back to level 1 in an MMO. It's like that. There will be issues, and you will have no clue what to do. Imagine installing Windows and your performance being bad. You obviously would install the GPU drivers. Now imagine you would use Windows for the first time, and you have to figure out what the fuck is wrong. Be prepared for this. It will happen, and it will happen more than once. The good thing is, that you will learn everything much faster than someone who has no previous knowledge. But keep in mind that you have years of experience with Windows, and absolutely no knowledge of how to use Linux. Don't expect to know how to do everything, and be prepared to put time and effort into learning stuff. You will probably think that Linux is more complicated than Windows, just keep going, and you'll get to the point where you'll think the opposite. But it will take time. <li>Don't immediately remove Windows, try dual booting, or try installing Linux on a laptop first. Give yourself some time to adapt. The beginning will probably not be easy. It's always good to have a fallback if things don't work as expected. You can remove Windows later, if you're sure that you don't need a backup solution. </li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have [[Hardware Recommendations|supported hardware]]. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle, or without bugs. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working on Steam. You can find other games on [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org]. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use [https://nobaraproject.org/download-nobara/ Nobara]. It will make less problems, and give you better performance than most other distributions. <li>Depending on your computer, it might be necessary to disable ''"secure boot"''. That might sound scary, but fear not. Your system doesn't get insecure if you disable it. Secure boot is a technique that secures that only systems signed by Microsoft can be booted. Since most Linux distributions are not made by Microsoft, they're also not signed by them. </li> <li>Use Steam for running games that are on Steam. Most games will work ''just like that'', after [[Steam#Enable Steam Play for all games|enabling Steam Play for all games]].</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other games.</li> <li><p>[[Compositor|Disable Composition]]: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it.</p></li> <li><p>If your performance is bad, read [[Improving performance|this article]].</p></li> <li><p>'''Don't go to a website and download stuff to install it'''. This is not how Linux works. Even if this is the ''"official"'' way. For example AMD will offer you to download their drivers from the website. Don't do it, this is bad, and '''it will probably break your system'''!</p></li> <li><p>If you use the terminal, Linux will usually not protect you from shooting yourself in the foot. Instead, it will deliver the bullet in the most efficient way possible. If Linux actually warns you that you might be doing something stupid, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when [[How to get answers|asking for help]].</p></li><li><p>You (almost) never download software or drivers in the browser. Doing this is a really bad idea, and should only be your last resort if everything else fails. Just look up your distribution + the software, and you should find a better solution. You shouldn't need to do this on Nobara, everything should already be ready.</p></li><li><p>If you don't like the look, it can easily be changed. Just install a different desktop environment. KDE Plasma would be a popular choice that looks a lot like Windows, is very customizable, and very comfortable to use. </p></li><li><p>Expect that you're going to reinstall your system a couple times while getting accustomed to it. Linux comes without training wheels, or double bottom. At the same time, it invites experimentation, and if you don't know what you're doing, this can lead to a broken system relatively quickly. So always back up your important data! But fear not, after you learned how your system works, it won't break that much anymore. </p></li></ul> 5f1680bf6fdfe1a34f0ad477ea3325167798e5dd 0 15 1128 1087 2022-09-07T14:33:09Z Aragorn 3 /* FAQ */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[File:Lutris icon.png|thumb|Lutris icon.]] '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that primarily provides installers for games not available on Steam. It can also act as a single app for your whole game library. You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam. == Installing Lutris == You can typically install Lutris through your distribution's app store (e.g. GNOME Software, Discover, Pop Shop). For example, on Pop!_OS, go to the '''Pop Shop''' and search "Lutris". [[File:Pop Shop - Lutris.png|frameless|581x581px]] Then, click install. See Lutris's [https://lutris.net/downloads download page] for more ways to install it. == Finding a game on Lutris == {{Needs work|Problem=The UI changed. In the new version, it is necessary to click the + button on the top left, then click "Search for install script on the Lutris website"}} The most important feature of Lutris is that you can install games and launchers not found on Steam using '''install scripts'''. If you want to use an install script, select Lutris in '''Sources''' and click "Community Installers". [[File:Communityinstallers.png|frameless|496x496px]] Then, in the top bar, click "Search games" and put in the name of the game you want to install. [[File:Installscripts.png|frameless|430x430px]] Here, we'll click on the game with the photo, and click "install". There may be multiple install scripts options, so pick what seems most standard. If your first choice doesn't work, you could try the other ones. You don't have to use the Lutris client to find install scripts - you can [https://lutris.net/games look up install scripts] on Lutris's website. === Installation === Typically, when installing a game, Lutris will ask if you want to download certain files. [[File:Lutrisinstalls.png|none|thumb|384x384px|Installing Overwatch on Lutris.]] Review the files to make sure everything looks okay, and then just press '''continue'''. Don't worry about the individual download buttons. === Install games that you own on GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam === Login to these stores by navigating to their tab in '''Sources''', and logging in to them by clicking the '''Connect''' icon. [[File:Lutrislogin.png|frameless]] After logging in, Lutris should display the games you own from that store. You can also enable the Epic Games Store as a source, but using [[Heroic|the Heroic Games launcher]] or just installing the Epic Games Store itself through Lutris are probably easier options. == Configuration Options == You might want to [[Improving performance|improve the performance]] of your games with stuff like: *Esync * Fsync * [[Gamemode]] * [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution]] You can also improve visuals with: *[https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] for downscaling *[https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or [[reshade]] Or you might want to try: * [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/wine-ge-custom/releases Wine-GE], instead of using Lutris's WINE == Installing Windows games without an install script == '''This is NOT what you would usually do when installing a game! Only do the following if there is no install script!''' *Click the plus on the top left * Select a name and select Wine as runner. * Select Game options, and select the executable ** Select the new folder as Wine prefix ** Select the prefix architecture (if you're not sure select 64-bit) *** Create a new folder where you want to install your game (for example <code>~/Games/MyNewGame</code>) * Select Runner options ** Select the Wine version (try different ones, including the ones from tkg and GE) * Click Save * Start your game ** Click through the installer * Right click the game in Lutris, click Configure ** Select Game options and modify the executable to be the actual game executable. (This could be <code>~/Games/MyNewGame/drive_c/Program Files(x86)/CoolGame/bin/CoolGame.exe</code>) * Start your game. **It will probably work, but if it's not, see the ''troubleshooting'' section. == Troubleshooting == This [https://piped.kavin.rocks/watch?v=oFB-Ly8RcOw video guide] explains how to install a game with a Lutris install script in more depth. If you encounter an issue installing your game, look up the game's name on the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/ Linux Gaming subreddit] to see if anyone's had the same issue and solved it. You should also check whether the game currently runs on Linux. === General approach: === (if the above does not work) * Close Lutris, open a [[terminal]], type <code>lutris</code> and press enter. Lutris will now open, but you will see more information in the terminal. * Try running the game with different presets like other Wine version, with/without DXVK, with/without Esync, Fsync, Windowed (virtual desktop), etc. * Right click your game, go to Runner options, and set ''Output debugging info'' to ''Enabled''. * Start your game and pay close attention to the output in the terminal ** Try to understand the problem ** For example, you can use Winetricks to install missing dependencies === Winetricks === Winetricks is an easy way to do various stuff with Wine, including but not limited to installing libraries and other dependencies for your games. ==FAQ== ====What are runners?==== ''Runners'' are "methods" to run your programs. '''Linux''' is for native Linux games. '''Steam''' is for Steam games - though, using Steam itself to run those games is easier. '''Wine''' is what you want to use for every other Windows game. Other runners are available, these are mainly emulators for various consoles, or DOS (DosBox) ==== Where are save games? ==== <code>~/Games/MyGame/drive_c/<the_path_that_it_would_be_on_windows></code> ==See also== [https://lutris.net/ Lutris website] [[Category:Popular apps]] adb33a869289cf8df60a3528051fb51c13f08683 0 66 1129 2022-09-07T21:34:49Z Kevincs 21 Create page. wikitext text/x-wiki Tools which can enhance the visuals of a game. == Tools == *[[Reshade]] - Can be used for most Windows games (OpenGL, D3D8 to D3D12). *[https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] - vkBasalt can be used for Vulkan games or DXVK / VKD3D. *[https://github.com/kevinlekiller/kwin-effect-shaders kwin-effect-shaders] - Can be used on any application (including games), requires KDE Plasma. 66d8c3ed7338f74880cffb855fc7a6f66303b520 1130 1129 2022-09-07T21:35:52Z Kevincs 21 Moved description to proper block. wikitext text/x-wiki == Tools == Tools which can enhance the visuals of a game. *[[Reshade]] - Can be used for most Windows games (OpenGL, D3D8 to D3D12). *[https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] - vkBasalt can be used for Vulkan games or DXVK / VKD3D. *[https://github.com/kevinlekiller/kwin-effect-shaders kwin-effect-shaders] - Can be used on any application (including games), requires KDE Plasma. 746686b100723c11986ce37912b3730ff3f9f9c6 1133 1130 2022-09-07T23:10:04Z Kevincs 21 Mentions Vulkan for ReShade. wikitext text/x-wiki == Tools == Tools which can enhance the visuals of a game. *[[Reshade]] - Can be used for most Windows games (OpenGL, D3D8 to D3D12, Vulkan (Not currently functional in Wine)). *[https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] - vkBasalt can be used for Vulkan games or DXVK / VKD3D translation layers. *[https://github.com/kevinlekiller/kwin-effect-shaders kwin-effect-shaders] - Can be used on any application (including games), requires KDE Plasma. 43bb8af5cfcd268893c58bf915dbd17cefecdc01 0 1 1131 1095 2022-09-07T21:39:47Z Kevincs 21 Adds the "Visual Enhancement" page, which includes ReShade, so remove ReShade. wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. ==== Tweaking ==== *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Visual Enhancement]] - Enhancing the visuals of a game. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. fdd954a9be10a62e6a18a872cb1755a0875e2811 1142 1131 2022-09-25T23:09:37Z FableTLC 10 /* Overview */ wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. === Tweaking === *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. === Monitoring & Stresstesting === *[https://x0rg.github.io/CPU-X/ CPU-X] is a system profiling and monitoring application. *[https://flathub.org/apps/details/com.leinardi.gst GtkStressTesting] is a GTK system utility designed to stress and monitor various hardware components like CPU and RAM. *[https://benchmark.unigine.com/ UNIGINE Benchmarks] can be used to determine the stability of PC hardware under stressful conditions, as well as for overclocking. === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Visual Enhancement]] - Enhancing the visuals of a game. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. 018fb8b34a4ff42ca51e90e3900ec11ff999aca4 1143 1142 2022-09-25T23:33:39Z FableTLC 10 /* Performance */ wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. === Tweaking === *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding / Smart Access Memory / Resizable BAR] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. === Monitoring & Stresstesting === *[https://x0rg.github.io/CPU-X/ CPU-X] is a system profiling and monitoring application. *[https://flathub.org/apps/details/com.leinardi.gst GtkStressTesting] is a GTK system utility designed to stress and monitor various hardware components like CPU and RAM. *[https://benchmark.unigine.com/ UNIGINE Benchmarks] can be used to determine the stability of PC hardware under stressful conditions, as well as for overclocking. === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Visual Enhancement]] - Enhancing the visuals of a game. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. 59f5cceaa62e2886558827d729f644494490562e 0 2 1152 1151 2022-09-26T23:27:29Z Aragorn 3 /* Recommendations */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. **For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome, preferably GNOME for Wayland. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable, for example [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here]. |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is hard, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base desktop and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). However, only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. The installation of Arch is hard also, but if you can read and follow instructions on the installation guide then it shouldn't be a problem. To make it easier, use archinstall. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |Gentoo |Gentoo is a good distribution for gaming actually. BUT: It's very complicated, takes a lot of time to install, and requires you to build every package which is time consuming. Plus, if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |- |AmogOS |It might have a funny name, but it's not a mature distribution. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |LFS | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 0c9a61c825ea68332f483d43ccb605992263f7c4 0 1 1153 1143 2022-09-30T17:53:04Z Aragorn 3 /* Performance */ Move SAM Arch Linux article to Improving Performance wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. === Tweaking === *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. === Monitoring & Stresstesting === *[https://x0rg.github.io/CPU-X/ CPU-X] is a system profiling and monitoring application. *[https://flathub.org/apps/details/com.leinardi.gst GtkStressTesting] is a GTK system utility designed to stress and monitor various hardware components like CPU and RAM. *[https://benchmark.unigine.com/ UNIGINE Benchmarks] can be used to determine the stability of PC hardware under stressful conditions, as well as for overclocking. === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Visual Enhancement]] - Enhancing the visuals of a game. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. 018fb8b34a4ff42ca51e90e3900ec11ff999aca4 1155 1153 2022-09-30T17:56:28Z Aragorn 3 /* Performance */ Move Monitoring & Stresstesting to own article wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. === Tweaking === *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Monitoring & Stresstesting]] - How to test that your tweaked system is still stable === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Visual Enhancement]] - Enhancing the visuals of a game. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. 9151c866c262b5d9ce95511451b8a4a9f76f9041 1178 1155 2022-10-25T17:23:55Z Aragorn 3 /* Tweaking */ wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. === Tweaking === *[[Troubleshooting]] - What to do if your game just won't work. *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies. *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Monitoring & Stresstesting]] - How to test that your tweaked system is still stable === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Visual Enhancement]] - Enhancing the visuals of a game. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. 6e34211698b8836841f036c1c627873a5790914e 0 5 1154 1146 2022-09-30T17:53:30Z Aragorn 3 /* Optional */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *Set your GPU to high performance. **The default (automatic) is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. **You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **Alternatively, you can also use gamemode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. ** If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed **Do '''NOT''' download stuff from their website. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE comes with a compatible version. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (just type in the name manually). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. *[https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding / Smart Access Memory / Resizable BAR] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers.}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good choice. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> You should avoid Cinnamon and Pantheon. Cinnamon requires you to completely disable composition, Pantheon has no option to disable composition at all. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on, regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> d384f0335a1849fd6f925a049d1852bccb87c8ca 1161 1154 2022-10-02T12:40:19Z FableTLC 10 /* Optional */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *Set your GPU to high performance. **The default (automatic) is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. **You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **Alternatively, you can also use gamemode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. ** If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed **Do '''NOT''' download stuff from their website. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE comes with a compatible version. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (just type in the name manually). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. ''<u><big>BIOS tweaks</big></u>'' **[https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. **[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers.}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good choice. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> You should avoid Cinnamon and Pantheon. Cinnamon requires you to completely disable composition, Pantheon has no option to disable composition at all. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on, regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> c69b32124514a72d247a75548f29e7285059fe1c 1162 1161 2022-10-02T12:41:35Z FableTLC 10 /* Optional */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *Set your GPU to high performance. **The default (automatic) is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. **You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **Alternatively, you can also use gamemode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. ** If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed **Do '''NOT''' download stuff from their website. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE comes with a compatible version. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (just type in the name manually). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. *''<u><big>BIOS tweaks</big></u>'' **[https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. **[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers.}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good choice. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> You should avoid Cinnamon and Pantheon. Cinnamon requires you to completely disable composition, Pantheon has no option to disable composition at all. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on, regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 0a77b9f4f4315a23760761d69996189e09e2a4db 1163 1162 2022-10-02T12:48:13Z FableTLC 10 /* Optional */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. *Set your GPU to high performance. **The default (automatic) is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. **You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. **Alternatively, you can also use gamemode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. *There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. ** If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed **Do '''NOT''' download stuff from their website. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE comes with a compatible version. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (just type in the name manually). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers.}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good choice. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> You should avoid Cinnamon and Pantheon. Cinnamon requires you to completely disable composition, Pantheon has no option to disable composition at all. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on, regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 9cd12b29617c4c13e6322c2719895ad9fdcd8ed4 1165 1163 2022-10-09T23:23:24Z Aragorn 3 /* AMD */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. * If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed *Do '''NOT''' download stuff from their website. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE comes with a compatible version. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (just type in the name manually). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers.}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good choice. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> You should avoid Cinnamon and Pantheon. Cinnamon requires you to completely disable composition, Pantheon has no option to disable composition at all. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on, regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> c3b95aa0c7a6b3263eb0ae5a0551dc9ab2a4a684 1166 1165 2022-10-09T23:29:03Z Aragorn 3 /* Using the correct driver */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE comes with a compatible version. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (just type in the name manually). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers.}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good choice. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> You should avoid Cinnamon and Pantheon. Cinnamon requires you to completely disable composition, Pantheon has no option to disable composition at all. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on, regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> aeffc668f6520e599755d062d816cf880c97e90b 1167 1166 2022-10-09T23:31:24Z Aragorn 3 /* Using the correct driver */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. However, they can make quite a difference in performance, depending on the situation. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE comes with a compatible version. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (just type in the name manually). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers.}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good choice. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> You should avoid Cinnamon and Pantheon. Cinnamon requires you to completely disable composition, Pantheon has no option to disable composition at all. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on, regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 4b98844e6ade9831ea3912821413cc5bc5d09484 1168 1167 2022-10-09T23:34:29Z Aragorn 3 /* AMD */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE comes with a compatible version. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (just type in the name manually). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers.}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good choice. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> You should avoid Cinnamon and Pantheon. Cinnamon requires you to completely disable composition, Pantheon has no option to disable composition at all. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on, regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 61068b5f9ea82a4a62db555789f340f38e7cd9eb 1183 1168 2022-10-27T08:47:05Z Aragorn 3 /* X11 */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE comes with a compatible version. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (just type in the name manually). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers.}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good choice. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> You should avoid Cinnamon and Pantheon. Cinnamon requires you to completely disable composition, Pantheon has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid Gnome x11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on, regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 43e4d74d0ca0c7f5639e1407e544db531ab6730b 1184 1183 2022-10-27T09:10:48Z Aragorn 3 /* X11 */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE comes with a compatible version. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (just type in the name manually). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers.}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good choice. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> You should avoid Cinnamon and Pantheon. Cinnamon requires you to completely disable composition, Pantheon has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid Gnome x11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on, regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> fdd2e7d3cc27f757bc2d4983a62d5da60b08c9fe 1185 1184 2022-10-27T09:11:13Z Aragorn 3 /* X11 */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE comes with a compatible version. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (just type in the name manually). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers.}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Generally you should be fine if you can disable [[Compositor|composition]]. This is not possible in Gnome, but Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing, Windows does) instead, which is almost as good. KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good choice. Gnome is also ok.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> You should avoid Cinnamon and Pantheon. Cinnamon requires you to completely disable composition, Pantheon has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid Gnome x11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on, regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 1a2180d014907c03b6723eebe2039b61d48a6581 1190 1185 2022-11-01T09:12:04Z Robotta 26 /* X11 */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE comes with a compatible version. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (just type in the name manually). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers.}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> '''There's no performance difference between desktop environments'''. However, in some cases, disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (Gnome and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) '''There's no performance difference between desktop environments'''. However, in some cases, disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (Gnome and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. Gnome is also valid.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section. Pantheon has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid Gnome x11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on, regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> af3744bba28019276641c3f040c34f8eeb5f94ef 1191 1190 2022-11-01T09:12:43Z Robotta 26 /* X11 */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE comes with a compatible version. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (just type in the name manually). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers.}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> '''There's no performance difference between desktop environments'''. However, in some cases, disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (Gnome and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. Gnome is also valid.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section. Pantheon has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid Gnome x11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on, regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 2fc5b6000b78c40e271bc1f00de5da5b82ab792e 1192 1191 2022-11-01T09:14:12Z Robotta 26 /* X11 */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE comes with a compatible version. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (just type in the name manually). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers.}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> '''There's no performance difference between desktop environments'''. However, in some cases, disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (Gnome and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. Gnome is also valid.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid Gnome x11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on, regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 8a86ad03c9bc5f291d4cc4e349ef74bd618b50df 1194 1192 2022-11-01T22:43:56Z Robotta 26 /* Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE comes with a compatible version. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (just type in the name manually). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers.}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (Gnome and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. Gnome is also valid.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid Gnome x11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on, regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 6e146f30a4884cfecd3a9ddfef5d95f63e425312 1197 1194 2022-11-08T14:13:34Z Aragorn 3 /* Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE comes with a compatible version. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (just type in the name manually). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (Gnome and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. Gnome is also valid.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid Gnome x11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on, regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> a8711a5217bbb9bfc16f5c2a0b2f8593a54bfbd9 1198 1197 2022-11-08T14:16:55Z Aragorn 3 /* X11 */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE comes with a compatible version. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (just type in the name manually). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (Gnome and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. Gnome is also valid.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section ''(Test needed for how good it works!)''. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid Gnome x11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on, regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 33085b5feb80527237938e4b96f8c49cf4c29778 1199 1198 2022-11-08T14:17:22Z Aragorn 3 /* X11 */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE comes with a compatible version. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (just type in the name manually). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (Gnome and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. Gnome is also valid.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section ''(Test needed to know how good it works!)''. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid Gnome x11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on, regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 895c305ef8fe2c8af28995fc7d28bf88db160522 1200 1199 2022-11-08T14:18:50Z Aragorn 3 /* X11 */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE comes with a compatible version. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (just type in the name manually). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (Gnome and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. Disabling composition should lead to slightly less input lag. KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. Gnome is also valid.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section ''(Test needed to know how good it works!)''. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid Gnome x11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on, regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 1d2fbfa0cbe074d6a4cb10422b5f9d9b6ac5c361 1201 1200 2022-11-08T14:19:38Z Aragorn 3 /* X11 */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE comes with a compatible version. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (just type in the name manually). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (Gnome and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. Disabling composition should lead to slightly less input lag.<ref name=":2" /> KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. Gnome is also valid.<ref name=":2">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section ''(Test needed to know how good it works!)''. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid Gnome x11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on, regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 200736e95250e50340c48bd3208297ae12cf243f 0 68 1156 2022-09-30T17:56:40Z Aragorn 3 Created page with "*[https://x0rg.github.io/CPU-X/ CPU-X] is a system profiling and monitoring application. *[https://flathub.org/apps/details/com.leinardi.gst GtkStressTesting] is a GTK system utility designed to stress and monitor various hardware components like CPU and RAM. *[https://benchmark.unigine.com/ UNIGINE Benchmarks] can be used to determine the stability of PC hardware under stressful conditions, as well as for overclocking." wikitext text/x-wiki *[https://x0rg.github.io/CPU-X/ CPU-X] is a system profiling and monitoring application. *[https://flathub.org/apps/details/com.leinardi.gst GtkStressTesting] is a GTK system utility designed to stress and monitor various hardware components like CPU and RAM. *[https://benchmark.unigine.com/ UNIGINE Benchmarks] can be used to determine the stability of PC hardware under stressful conditions, as well as for overclocking. 198f69cf048997e2a82ec401e35ab85aa95d51b0 0 66 1157 1133 2022-09-30T18:02:17Z Aragorn 3 /* Tools */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Tools == Tools which can enhance the visuals of a game. *[[Reshade]] - Can be used for most Windows games (OpenGL, D3D8 to D3D12, Vulkan (Not currently functional in Wine)). *[https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] - vkBasalt can be used for Vulkan games or DXVK / VKD3D translation layers. *[https://github.com/kevinlekiller/kwin-effect-shaders kwin-effect-shaders] - Can be used on any application (including games), requires KDE Plasma. *[[Gamescope]] - for up- or downsampling b573f46a189ee8ced25912734fd0ad92e10bc054 0 3 1158 1093 2022-09-30T21:58:58Z Aragorn 3 /* Setup with Wine */ wikitext text/x-wiki FSR can be used to get better performance in games at the cost of visuals. It is comparable with DLSS, but can be applied to every game. There are several modes from ultra quality to maximum performance. For example, it is possible to double your FPS with very little visual loss. FSR only works if the game is GPU limited (your GPU runs at 100%). Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The performance difference might be even bigger if your VRAM is not big enough. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Setup with Wine == === Basic setup === * Set <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR=1</code> as [[Environment variables|environment variable]] * In game set your setting according to the table on page 10 of [https://github.com/GPUOpen-Effects/FidelityFX-FSR/blob/master/docs/FidelityFX-FSR-Overview-Integration.pdf this] document: For example, if you want to have Ultra Quality, and your output resolution (the resolution of your actualy monitor) is 1920x1080, you set your ingame resolution to 1477x831. Other resolutions also work, but you might get black bars if the aspect ratio is not the native one of your monitor. Setting your ingame resolution to your output resolution disables FSR. * In game ** Enable anti aliasing (TAA, MSAA, FXAA, ...) ** Disable effects that generate noise (like Motion Blur, Blur, Chromatic Aberration, Sharpening, etc.) * You need a patched version of Wine or Proton, for example the TKG, or GE version === More configuration options === You can add more options with [[environment variables]]: * <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR_STRENGTH=4</code> This sharpens the image. 4 is an example value. 0 is maximum sharpness, higher values mean less sharpening. (I think 5 is the maximum. If you know more, please edit this.) The default is 2 but this is probably too much for your game. Just experiment with different values. * <code>WINE_VULKAN_NEGATIVE_MIP_BIAS=45</code> This results in textures with higher resolution. 45 is an example value. AMD recommends: {| class="wikitable" !Quality Setting !MIP Bias |- |Ultra Quality |38 |- |Quality |58 |- |Balanced |79 |- |Performance |100 |} * <code>WINE_VULKAN_BIAS_ALL_SAMPLER=1</code> This applies the MIP Bias to everything. 1 is enabled, 0 is disabled. This can result in weird game behaviour. === Examples === * [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/q3dl6y/witcher_3_fsr_is_working_great/ Witcher 3] == Setup with Gamescope == You can enable FSR in [[Gamescope]] with <code>gamescope -U --fsr-sharpness 4 --</code> as command prefix. 4 is an example value, replace it by something between 0 (max) and 20 (min). This also works for native games. 9a3a244d91671437dd1fab3e5a7cacf59b5f6f7c 1159 1158 2022-09-30T21:59:29Z Aragorn 3 /* Basic setup */ wikitext text/x-wiki FSR can be used to get better performance in games at the cost of visuals. It is comparable with DLSS, but can be applied to every game. There are several modes from ultra quality to maximum performance. For example, it is possible to double your FPS with very little visual loss. FSR only works if the game is GPU limited (your GPU runs at 100%). Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The performance difference might be even bigger if your VRAM is not big enough. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Setup with Wine == === Basic setup === * Set <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR=1</code> as [[Environment variables|environment variable]] * In game set your setting according to the table on page 10 of [https://github.com/GPUOpen-Effects/FidelityFX-FSR/blob/master/docs/FidelityFX-FSR-Overview-Integration.pdf this] document: For example, if you want to have Ultra Quality, and your output resolution (the resolution of your actualy monitor) is 1920x1080, you set your ingame resolution to 1477x831. Other resolutions also work, but you might get black bars if the aspect ratio is not the native one of your monitor. Setting your ingame resolution to your output resolution disables FSR. * In game ** Enable anti aliasing (TAA, MSAA, FXAA, ...) ** Disable effects that generate noise (like Motion Blur, Blur, Chromatic Aberration, Sharpening, etc.) * You need a patched version of Wine or Proton, for example the TKG, or GE version. Default versions in Lutris and Bottles work fine. === More configuration options === You can add more options with [[environment variables]]: * <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR_STRENGTH=4</code> This sharpens the image. 4 is an example value. 0 is maximum sharpness, higher values mean less sharpening. (I think 5 is the maximum. If you know more, please edit this.) The default is 2 but this is probably too much for your game. Just experiment with different values. * <code>WINE_VULKAN_NEGATIVE_MIP_BIAS=45</code> This results in textures with higher resolution. 45 is an example value. AMD recommends: {| class="wikitable" !Quality Setting !MIP Bias |- |Ultra Quality |38 |- |Quality |58 |- |Balanced |79 |- |Performance |100 |} * <code>WINE_VULKAN_BIAS_ALL_SAMPLER=1</code> This applies the MIP Bias to everything. 1 is enabled, 0 is disabled. This can result in weird game behaviour. === Examples === * [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/q3dl6y/witcher_3_fsr_is_working_great/ Witcher 3] == Setup with Gamescope == You can enable FSR in [[Gamescope]] with <code>gamescope -U --fsr-sharpness 4 --</code> as command prefix. 4 is an example value, replace it by something between 0 (max) and 20 (min). This also works for native games. 4e63d4fcf730f5131425bc74f786ad056004e89f 1160 1159 2022-09-30T22:00:46Z Aragorn 3 /* Basic setup */ wikitext text/x-wiki FSR can be used to get better performance in games at the cost of visuals. It is comparable with DLSS, but can be applied to every game. There are several modes from ultra quality to maximum performance. For example, it is possible to double your FPS with very little visual loss. FSR only works if the game is GPU limited (your GPU runs at 100%). Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The performance difference might be even bigger if your VRAM is not big enough. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Setup with Wine == === Basic setup === * Set <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR=1</code> as [[Environment variables|environment variable]], or use the switch in Lutris/Bottles * In game set your setting according to the table on page 10 of [https://github.com/GPUOpen-Effects/FidelityFX-FSR/blob/master/docs/FidelityFX-FSR-Overview-Integration.pdf this] document: For example, if you want to have Ultra Quality, and your output resolution (the resolution of your actualy monitor) is 1920x1080, you set your ingame resolution to 1477x831. Other resolutions also work, but you might get black bars if the aspect ratio is not the native one of your monitor. Setting your ingame resolution to your output resolution disables FSR. * In game ** Enable anti aliasing (TAA, MSAA, FXAA, ...) ** Disable effects that generate noise (like Motion Blur, Blur, Chromatic Aberration, Sharpening, etc.) * You need a patched version of Wine or Proton, for example the TKG, or GE version. Default versions in Lutris and Bottles work fine. === More configuration options === You can add more options with [[environment variables]]: * <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR_STRENGTH=4</code> This sharpens the image. 4 is an example value. 0 is maximum sharpness, higher values mean less sharpening. (I think 5 is the maximum. If you know more, please edit this.) The default is 2 but this is probably too much for your game. Just experiment with different values. * <code>WINE_VULKAN_NEGATIVE_MIP_BIAS=45</code> This results in textures with higher resolution. 45 is an example value. AMD recommends: {| class="wikitable" !Quality Setting !MIP Bias |- |Ultra Quality |38 |- |Quality |58 |- |Balanced |79 |- |Performance |100 |} * <code>WINE_VULKAN_BIAS_ALL_SAMPLER=1</code> This applies the MIP Bias to everything. 1 is enabled, 0 is disabled. This can result in weird game behaviour. === Examples === * [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/q3dl6y/witcher_3_fsr_is_working_great/ Witcher 3] == Setup with Gamescope == You can enable FSR in [[Gamescope]] with <code>gamescope -U --fsr-sharpness 4 --</code> as command prefix. 4 is an example value, replace it by something between 0 (max) and 20 (min). This also works for native games. cb2fa66703b1bd4c07846775f96eb8b1dd937ca0 0 41 1164 1098 2022-10-09T07:10:46Z Aragorn 3 /* Install mod managers with Wine */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game mods modify games in some way. A good source for mods is https://www.nexusmods.com. Sometimes they work in the same way as on Windows, but that's not always the case. [[Reshade]] is an example for a modding tool. If you're using Steam, [[Steam#Steam Tinker Launch|Steam Tinker Launch]] may make your life a lot easier. == Mod Manager == Mod managers that are not native will not set dll overrides. If the installed mod uses dlls, you have to [[Installing dlls#DLL overrides|set the overrides manually]]. === Install mod managers with Wine === You can try installing mod managers from [[Lutris]], if there is an install script. For example there are scripts (for older versions of) Vortex and NMM. Otherwise, you can try installing them in the same wine prefix. You could do this for example in the following way: * Copy the executable into the wine prefix of your game: <code>~/Games/<your_game>/drive_c/users/<your_name>/Downloads/</code> *Run it in the same prefix as your game: ** Lutris: Click your game, then click on the arrow next to the wine bottle on the bottom of the window. Click <code>Run EXE inside Wine prefix</code>. Locate the exe, and run it. **Bottles: todo **Steam: todo **Heroic: todo * If it works, you can locate the executable of the installed mod manager, and run it in this way. Otherwise, you can also create a new "game" in the same wine prefix and select the executable there. TODO: describe how. *You can also install the mod manager in a different prefix, and symlink the game folder into the prefix === Install mod managers in a VM === If a mod manager is not working well with wine, you can install Windows in VirtualBox, share your game folder with the VM, and install the mod manager inside the VM. You need to install the guest additions for it to work. The folder will be mounted as network drive Z. This will not work with every mod manager and every mod. For example it will not work with MO2 (however, MO2 is working in Wine<ref>https://github.com/Modorganizer2/modorganizer/issues/372</ref>). If you want to mod a Linux native game, you can try creating a fake .exe in order for the mod manager to detect the game. In more detail: # Install the game on Linux, for example with Lutris, Heroic, or Steam. # Install Windows in a VM # Share the game folder with the Windows VM # Install a mod manager in the Windows VM # Use the mod manager to install a mod # Play the game that is now modded (on Linux, without VM) Optional: Disable internet access for the VM, and enable drag/drop to copy files easily to the VM. This way, Windows can not send telemetry data, or do unnecessary updates that just take space and processing time. You might even use older (and lighter) versions like Windows 7 if the mod manager is compatible. In this case, you will have to manually download mods, though. == Manual Installation == === Installing dlls === In many cases (for example reshade, specialK) you just need a dll in your game folder. Just download the exe, extract it, and [[Installing dlls#Manual|manually install the dll]]. You might have to rename it, for example to * <code>d3d9.dll</code> if your game uses Directx9 (this is more likely for older games) * <code>dxgi.dll</code> if your game uses Directx11 (this is more likely for newer games) or something like that. Also note that you should use a dll that has the architecture of your game, so if the game is 32 bit, you might need to choose another dll than if your game is 64 bit (often indicated by a 32 or a 64 in the dll filename). === Path names === Linux paths are case sensitive, while Windows paths are not. This leads to mod developers using different folder names when referring to the same folder, for example ''folderName'' and ''Foldername''. If your mod doesn't work, this might be the issue, and you can try changing the names so that they are consistent. You can also use ext4 with [https://www.collabora.com/news-and-blog/blog/2020/08/27/using-the-linux-kernel-case-insensitive-feature-in-ext4/ case folding]. (The SteamDeck uses ext4 with case folding by default.) == Trainer == {{Needs work|Problem=I didn't test any of these, and just copied some links from answers to reddit posts asking about this kind of stuff. Maybe some are redundant or not working well. Please edit this if you have any idea what these tools do}} *[https://github.com/leaty/tuxtrain tuxtrain] * [https://github.com/korcankaraokcu/PINCE PINCE] * [https://github.com/scanmem/scanmem scanmem] * [https://linuxhint.com/use-gameconqueror-cheat-engine-linux/ gameconqueror] * [https://github.com/evg-zhabotinsky/libspeedhack libspeedhack] == Linux native modding tools == There are some game specific Linux native modding tools, you may find a list [[Game specific modding tools|here]]. 2edfa432af0a9c411b632097601799a2d5b9040e 0 32 1169 1059 2022-10-09T23:41:15Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use a DE with X11]], then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadows, animations, transparency, blur, or other effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. When composition is disabled, effects like shadows and animations should vanish or get ugly, for example you might see pitch black shadows, etc. If you don't notice this, composition might still be enabled. ==Disabling composition for your games== Disabling composition will dramatically improve performance, input lag, and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: ===Gnome=== This is the default DE on Pop!_OS. You don't have to do anything. Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing Windows does), which is almost as good as disabling compositon. Disabling composition in Gnome is not possible. ===KDE=== There are many options to disable composition: * You can use [https://store.kde.org/p/1502826/ Autocomposer]. This should make it unnecessary to do anything of the following. *For Lutris: **To disable it for a single game: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. **To disable it for all games: Click <code>...</code> in the top right corner -> <code>Preferences</code> -> <code>Global options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code> *You can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code> before launching a game. The same combination re-enables it. *If you want to use a terminal command (for example for automation, launch options for Steam, [[Gamemode]] etc): ** disable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor suspend</code> ** enable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor resume</code> ===Xfce=== *Disable composition with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Xfwm#Configuration</ref> *Enable it again with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> * In Steam, you can automate disabling/enabling with the launch option: <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false; %command%; xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code><ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensiveLinux/comments/6b3cs5/comment/dhjw7z7/?context=3</ref> === Mate === * Disable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/MATE#Disabling_compositing</ref> * Enable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager true</code> ===Cinnamon === Unfortunately, you have to disable composition completely. This might lead to visual degradation in desktop mode (no effects, no shadows, no transparency, no window previews, more tearing), but all other options yield bad gaming performance. If you want a DE that looks a bit like Windows, you might want to have a look at KDE Plasma instead. To disable it: <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>General</code> -> <code>Disable compositing</code> === Pantheon === Unfortunately it appears to not support disabling composition.<ref>https://elementaryos.stackexchange.com/questions/4483/how-can-i-disable-composite-and-effects-in-elementary-os</ref> == References and notes == <references /> 0289fa46db6ca417db9f2251102fa464e1b75c03 1170 1169 2022-10-09T23:42:53Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use a DE with X11]], then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadows, animations, transparency, blur, or other effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. You can verify that composition is disabled, by looking at your desktop effects. For example, you should not see shadows. They either vanish, or get pitch black. ==Disabling composition for your games== Disabling composition will dramatically improve performance, input lag, and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: ===Gnome=== This is the default DE on Pop!_OS. You don't have to do anything. Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing Windows does), which is almost as good as disabling compositon. Disabling composition in Gnome is not possible. ===KDE=== There are many options to disable composition: * You can use [https://store.kde.org/p/1502826/ Autocomposer]. This should make it unnecessary to do anything of the following. *For Lutris: **To disable it for a single game: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. **To disable it for all games: Click <code>...</code> in the top right corner -> <code>Preferences</code> -> <code>Global options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code> *You can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code> before launching a game. The same combination re-enables it. *If you want to use a terminal command (for example for automation, launch options for Steam, [[Gamemode]] etc): ** disable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor suspend</code> ** enable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor resume</code> ===Xfce=== *Disable composition with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Xfwm#Configuration</ref> *Enable it again with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> * In Steam, you can automate disabling/enabling with the launch option: <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false; %command%; xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code><ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensiveLinux/comments/6b3cs5/comment/dhjw7z7/?context=3</ref> === Mate === * Disable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/MATE#Disabling_compositing</ref> * Enable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager true</code> ===Cinnamon === Unfortunately, you have to disable composition completely. This might lead to visual degradation in desktop mode (no effects, no shadows, no transparency, no window previews, more tearing), but all other options yield bad gaming performance. If you want a DE that looks a bit like Windows, you might want to have a look at KDE Plasma instead. To disable it: <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>General</code> -> <code>Disable compositing</code> === Pantheon === Unfortunately it appears to not support disabling composition.<ref>https://elementaryos.stackexchange.com/questions/4483/how-can-i-disable-composite-and-effects-in-elementary-os</ref> == References and notes == <references /> 808170abe33e6f41368fda0750c9778c59cdfa5e 1171 1170 2022-10-09T23:46:34Z Aragorn 3 /* Gnome */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use a DE with X11]], then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadows, animations, transparency, blur, or other effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. You can verify that composition is disabled, by looking at your desktop effects. For example, you should not see shadows. They either vanish, or get pitch black. ==Disabling composition for your games== Disabling composition will dramatically improve performance, input lag, and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: ===Gnome=== This is the default DE on Pop!_OS and Nobara Official (there are multiple versions, not all use Gnome). You don't have to do anything. Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing Windows does), which is almost as good as disabling compositon. Disabling composition in Gnome is not possible. ===KDE=== There are many options to disable composition: * You can use [https://store.kde.org/p/1502826/ Autocomposer]. This should make it unnecessary to do anything of the following. *For Lutris: **To disable it for a single game: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. **To disable it for all games: Click <code>...</code> in the top right corner -> <code>Preferences</code> -> <code>Global options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code> *You can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code> before launching a game. The same combination re-enables it. *If you want to use a terminal command (for example for automation, launch options for Steam, [[Gamemode]] etc): ** disable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor suspend</code> ** enable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor resume</code> ===Xfce=== *Disable composition with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Xfwm#Configuration</ref> *Enable it again with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> * In Steam, you can automate disabling/enabling with the launch option: <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false; %command%; xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code><ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensiveLinux/comments/6b3cs5/comment/dhjw7z7/?context=3</ref> === Mate === * Disable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/MATE#Disabling_compositing</ref> * Enable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager true</code> ===Cinnamon === Unfortunately, you have to disable composition completely. This might lead to visual degradation in desktop mode (no effects, no shadows, no transparency, no window previews, more tearing), but all other options yield bad gaming performance. If you want a DE that looks a bit like Windows, you might want to have a look at KDE Plasma instead. To disable it: <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>General</code> -> <code>Disable compositing</code> === Pantheon === Unfortunately it appears to not support disabling composition.<ref>https://elementaryos.stackexchange.com/questions/4483/how-can-i-disable-composite-and-effects-in-elementary-os</ref> == References and notes == <references /> 3a305caed0b71635ff3746ab506baede954b3f8d 1172 1171 2022-10-09T23:46:55Z Aragorn 3 /* Disabling composition for your games */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use a DE with X11]], then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadows, animations, transparency, blur, or other effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. You can verify that composition is disabled, by looking at your desktop effects. For example, you should not see shadows. They either vanish, or get pitch black. ==Disabling composition for your games== Disabling composition will dramatically improve performance, input lag, and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: ===Gnome=== This is the default DE on Pop!_OS, Nobara Official, and Nobara Gnome. You don't have to do anything. Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing Windows does), which is almost as good as disabling compositon. Disabling composition in Gnome is not possible. ===KDE=== There are many options to disable composition: * You can use [https://store.kde.org/p/1502826/ Autocomposer]. This should make it unnecessary to do anything of the following. *For Lutris: **To disable it for a single game: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. **To disable it for all games: Click <code>...</code> in the top right corner -> <code>Preferences</code> -> <code>Global options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code> *You can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code> before launching a game. The same combination re-enables it. *If you want to use a terminal command (for example for automation, launch options for Steam, [[Gamemode]] etc): ** disable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor suspend</code> ** enable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor resume</code> ===Xfce=== *Disable composition with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Xfwm#Configuration</ref> *Enable it again with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> * In Steam, you can automate disabling/enabling with the launch option: <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false; %command%; xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code><ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensiveLinux/comments/6b3cs5/comment/dhjw7z7/?context=3</ref> === Mate === * Disable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/MATE#Disabling_compositing</ref> * Enable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager true</code> ===Cinnamon === Unfortunately, you have to disable composition completely. This might lead to visual degradation in desktop mode (no effects, no shadows, no transparency, no window previews, more tearing), but all other options yield bad gaming performance. If you want a DE that looks a bit like Windows, you might want to have a look at KDE Plasma instead. To disable it: <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>General</code> -> <code>Disable compositing</code> === Pantheon === Unfortunately it appears to not support disabling composition.<ref>https://elementaryos.stackexchange.com/questions/4483/how-can-i-disable-composite-and-effects-in-elementary-os</ref> == References and notes == <references /> 58292c09fb62ae60e8b2dc786ddf454a17780eda 1173 1172 2022-10-09T23:47:22Z Aragorn 3 /* KDE */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use a DE with X11]], then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadows, animations, transparency, blur, or other effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. You can verify that composition is disabled, by looking at your desktop effects. For example, you should not see shadows. They either vanish, or get pitch black. ==Disabling composition for your games== Disabling composition will dramatically improve performance, input lag, and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: ===Gnome=== This is the default DE on Pop!_OS, Nobara Official, and Nobara Gnome. You don't have to do anything. Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing Windows does), which is almost as good as disabling compositon. Disabling composition in Gnome is not possible. ===KDE=== This is the default DE on Nobara KDE. There are many options to disable composition: * You can use [https://store.kde.org/p/1502826/ Autocomposer]. This should make it unnecessary to do anything of the following. *For Lutris: **To disable it for a single game: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. **To disable it for all games: Click <code>...</code> in the top right corner -> <code>Preferences</code> -> <code>Global options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code> *You can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code> before launching a game. The same combination re-enables it. *If you want to use a terminal command (for example for automation, launch options for Steam, [[Gamemode]] etc): ** disable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor suspend</code> ** enable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor resume</code> ===Xfce=== *Disable composition with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Xfwm#Configuration</ref> *Enable it again with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> * In Steam, you can automate disabling/enabling with the launch option: <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false; %command%; xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code><ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensiveLinux/comments/6b3cs5/comment/dhjw7z7/?context=3</ref> === Mate === * Disable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/MATE#Disabling_compositing</ref> * Enable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager true</code> ===Cinnamon === Unfortunately, you have to disable composition completely. This might lead to visual degradation in desktop mode (no effects, no shadows, no transparency, no window previews, more tearing), but all other options yield bad gaming performance. If you want a DE that looks a bit like Windows, you might want to have a look at KDE Plasma instead. To disable it: <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>General</code> -> <code>Disable compositing</code> === Pantheon === Unfortunately it appears to not support disabling composition.<ref>https://elementaryos.stackexchange.com/questions/4483/how-can-i-disable-composite-and-effects-in-elementary-os</ref> == References and notes == <references /> 4848cc722701d10b69dd0d3007f2b0aac6c659a5 1174 1173 2022-10-10T09:34:21Z Aragorn 3 /* KDE */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use a DE with X11]], then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadows, animations, transparency, blur, or other effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. You can verify that composition is disabled, by looking at your desktop effects. For example, you should not see shadows. They either vanish, or get pitch black. ==Disabling composition for your games== Disabling composition will dramatically improve performance, input lag, and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: ===Gnome=== This is the default DE on Pop!_OS, Nobara Official, and Nobara Gnome. You don't have to do anything. Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing Windows does), which is almost as good as disabling compositon. Disabling composition in Gnome is not possible. ===KDE=== This is the default DE on Nobara KDE. There are many options to disable composition: * You can use [https://store.kde.org/p/1502826/ Autocomposer]. This should make it unnecessary to do anything of the following. *For Lutris: **To disable it for a single game: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. **To disable it for all games: Click <code>...</code> in the top right corner -> <code>Preferences</code> -> <code>Global options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code> *You can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code> before launching a game. The same combination re-enables it. *If you want to use a terminal command (for example for automation, launch options for Steam, [[Gamemode]] etc): ** disable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor suspend</code> ** enable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor resume</code> *You can also disable it completely in the system settings -> `Enable compositor on startup`. ===Xfce=== *Disable composition with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Xfwm#Configuration</ref> *Enable it again with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> * In Steam, you can automate disabling/enabling with the launch option: <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false; %command%; xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code><ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensiveLinux/comments/6b3cs5/comment/dhjw7z7/?context=3</ref> === Mate === * Disable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/MATE#Disabling_compositing</ref> * Enable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager true</code> ===Cinnamon === Unfortunately, you have to disable composition completely. This might lead to visual degradation in desktop mode (no effects, no shadows, no transparency, no window previews, more tearing), but all other options yield bad gaming performance. If you want a DE that looks a bit like Windows, you might want to have a look at KDE Plasma instead. To disable it: <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>General</code> -> <code>Disable compositing</code> === Pantheon === Unfortunately it appears to not support disabling composition.<ref>https://elementaryos.stackexchange.com/questions/4483/how-can-i-disable-composite-and-effects-in-elementary-os</ref> == References and notes == <references /> 6be97b716fc90d7cb27166c2f8fd522d0e19759f 1175 1174 2022-10-10T09:34:36Z Aragorn 3 /* KDE */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use a DE with X11]], then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadows, animations, transparency, blur, or other effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. You can verify that composition is disabled, by looking at your desktop effects. For example, you should not see shadows. They either vanish, or get pitch black. ==Disabling composition for your games== Disabling composition will dramatically improve performance, input lag, and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: ===Gnome=== This is the default DE on Pop!_OS, Nobara Official, and Nobara Gnome. You don't have to do anything. Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing Windows does), which is almost as good as disabling compositon. Disabling composition in Gnome is not possible. ===KDE=== This is the default DE on Nobara KDE. There are many options to disable composition: * You can use [https://store.kde.org/p/1502826/ Autocomposer]. This should make it unnecessary to do anything of the following. *For Lutris: **To disable it for a single game: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. **To disable it for all games: Click <code>...</code> in the top right corner -> <code>Preferences</code> -> <code>Global options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code> *You can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code> before launching a game. The same combination re-enables it. *If you want to use a terminal command (for example for automation, launch options for Steam, [[Gamemode]] etc): ** disable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor suspend</code> ** enable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor resume</code> *You can also disable it completely in the system settings -> <code>Enable compositor on startup</code>. ===Xfce=== *Disable composition with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Xfwm#Configuration</ref> *Enable it again with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> * In Steam, you can automate disabling/enabling with the launch option: <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false; %command%; xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code><ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensiveLinux/comments/6b3cs5/comment/dhjw7z7/?context=3</ref> === Mate === * Disable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/MATE#Disabling_compositing</ref> * Enable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager true</code> ===Cinnamon === Unfortunately, you have to disable composition completely. This might lead to visual degradation in desktop mode (no effects, no shadows, no transparency, no window previews, more tearing), but all other options yield bad gaming performance. If you want a DE that looks a bit like Windows, you might want to have a look at KDE Plasma instead. To disable it: <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>General</code> -> <code>Disable compositing</code> === Pantheon === Unfortunately it appears to not support disabling composition.<ref>https://elementaryos.stackexchange.com/questions/4483/how-can-i-disable-composite-and-effects-in-elementary-os</ref> == References and notes == <references /> 45bb2cf331f03ef9eef1388200b831b3c0829012 1176 1175 2022-10-10T09:35:49Z Aragorn 3 /* KDE */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use a DE with X11]], then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadows, animations, transparency, blur, or other effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. You can verify that composition is disabled, by looking at your desktop effects. For example, you should not see shadows. They either vanish, or get pitch black. ==Disabling composition for your games== Disabling composition will dramatically improve performance, input lag, and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: ===Gnome=== This is the default DE on Pop!_OS, Nobara Official, and Nobara Gnome. You don't have to do anything. Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing Windows does), which is almost as good as disabling compositon. Disabling composition in Gnome is not possible. ===KDE=== This is the default DE on Nobara KDE. There are many options to disable composition: * You can use [https://store.kde.org/p/1502826/ Autocomposer]. This should make it unnecessary to do anything of the following. *For Lutris: **To disable it for a single game: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. **To disable it for all games: Click <code>...</code> in the top right corner -> <code>Preferences</code> -> <code>Global options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code> *You can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code> before launching a game. The same combination re-enables it. *If you want to use a terminal command (for example for automation, launch options for Steam, [[Gamemode]] etc): ** disable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor suspend</code> ** enable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor resume</code> *You can also disable it completely in the System Settings -> <code>Display and Monitor</code> -> <code>Compositor</code> -> <code>Enable compositor on startup</code>. ===Xfce=== *Disable composition with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Xfwm#Configuration</ref> *Enable it again with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> * In Steam, you can automate disabling/enabling with the launch option: <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false; %command%; xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code><ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensiveLinux/comments/6b3cs5/comment/dhjw7z7/?context=3</ref> === Mate === * Disable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/MATE#Disabling_compositing</ref> * Enable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager true</code> ===Cinnamon === Unfortunately, you have to disable composition completely. This might lead to visual degradation in desktop mode (no effects, no shadows, no transparency, no window previews, more tearing), but all other options yield bad gaming performance. If you want a DE that looks a bit like Windows, you might want to have a look at KDE Plasma instead. To disable it: <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>General</code> -> <code>Disable compositing</code> === Pantheon === Unfortunately it appears to not support disabling composition.<ref>https://elementaryos.stackexchange.com/questions/4483/how-can-i-disable-composite-and-effects-in-elementary-os</ref> == References and notes == <references /> 12db64aef6064cff41a0abf93fc577be2806bb51 1177 1176 2022-10-10T09:35:57Z Aragorn 3 /* KDE */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use a DE with X11]], then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadows, animations, transparency, blur, or other effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. You can verify that composition is disabled, by looking at your desktop effects. For example, you should not see shadows. They either vanish, or get pitch black. ==Disabling composition for your games== Disabling composition will dramatically improve performance, input lag, and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: ===Gnome=== This is the default DE on Pop!_OS, Nobara Official, and Nobara Gnome. You don't have to do anything. Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing Windows does), which is almost as good as disabling compositon. Disabling composition in Gnome is not possible. ===KDE=== This is the default DE on Nobara KDE. There are many options to disable composition: * You can use [https://store.kde.org/p/1502826/ Autocomposer]. This should make it unnecessary to do anything of the following. *For Lutris: **To disable it for a single game: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. **To disable it for all games: Click <code>...</code> in the top right corner -> <code>Preferences</code> -> <code>Global options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code> *You can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code> before launching a game. The same combination re-enables it. *If you want to use a terminal command (for example for automation, launch options for Steam, [[Gamemode]] etc): ** disable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor suspend</code> ** enable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor resume</code> *You can also disable it completely in the <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>Display and Monitor</code> -> <code>Compositor</code> -> <code>Enable compositor on startup</code>. ===Xfce=== *Disable composition with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Xfwm#Configuration</ref> *Enable it again with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> * In Steam, you can automate disabling/enabling with the launch option: <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false; %command%; xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code><ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensiveLinux/comments/6b3cs5/comment/dhjw7z7/?context=3</ref> === Mate === * Disable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/MATE#Disabling_compositing</ref> * Enable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager true</code> ===Cinnamon === Unfortunately, you have to disable composition completely. This might lead to visual degradation in desktop mode (no effects, no shadows, no transparency, no window previews, more tearing), but all other options yield bad gaming performance. If you want a DE that looks a bit like Windows, you might want to have a look at KDE Plasma instead. To disable it: <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>General</code> -> <code>Disable compositing</code> === Pantheon === Unfortunately it appears to not support disabling composition.<ref>https://elementaryos.stackexchange.com/questions/4483/how-can-i-disable-composite-and-effects-in-elementary-os</ref> == References and notes == <references /> 09516ea2963ac27a21f180bce2655cb4856fa632 1193 1177 2022-11-01T22:28:30Z Robotta 26 /* Cinnamon */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use a DE with X11]], then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadows, animations, transparency, blur, or other effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. You can verify that composition is disabled, by looking at your desktop effects. For example, you should not see shadows. They either vanish, or get pitch black. ==Disabling composition for your games== Disabling composition will dramatically improve performance, input lag, and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: ===Gnome=== This is the default DE on Pop!_OS, Nobara Official, and Nobara Gnome. You don't have to do anything. Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing Windows does), which is almost as good as disabling compositon. Disabling composition in Gnome is not possible. ===KDE=== This is the default DE on Nobara KDE. There are many options to disable composition: * You can use [https://store.kde.org/p/1502826/ Autocomposer]. This should make it unnecessary to do anything of the following. *For Lutris: **To disable it for a single game: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. **To disable it for all games: Click <code>...</code> in the top right corner -> <code>Preferences</code> -> <code>Global options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code> *You can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code> before launching a game. The same combination re-enables it. *If you want to use a terminal command (for example for automation, launch options for Steam, [[Gamemode]] etc): ** disable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor suspend</code> ** enable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor resume</code> *You can also disable it completely in the <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>Display and Monitor</code> -> <code>Compositor</code> -> <code>Enable compositor on startup</code>. ===Xfce=== *Disable composition with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Xfwm#Configuration</ref> *Enable it again with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> * In Steam, you can automate disabling/enabling with the launch option: <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false; %command%; xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code><ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensiveLinux/comments/6b3cs5/comment/dhjw7z7/?context=3</ref> === Mate === * Disable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/MATE#Disabling_compositing</ref> * Enable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager true</code> ===Cinnamon === As of Cinnamon 5.4, there's an option to disable composition for fullscreen applications, essentially referring to unredirection. However, it is disabled by default, forcing composition on all apps, making it not ideal. To enable it: <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>General</code> -> <code>Disable compositing on fullscreen applications</code> This might lead to visual degradation in desktop mode (no effects, no shadows, no transparency, no window previews, more tearing), but is still recommended if you want to reduce latency. === Pantheon === Unfortunately it appears to not support the option to disable composition.<ref>https://elementaryos.stackexchange.com/questions/4483/how-can-i-disable-composite-and-effects-in-elementary-os</ref> == References and notes == <references /> 4c3a20b100ef400d933b219aabe0869f9a288c33 0 33 1179 1024 2022-10-25T17:35:52Z Aragorn 3 /* Common commands */ wikitext text/x-wiki The terminal is the black thing with text you probably have already seen in some hacker movies. It might look scary, but it basically works like a voice assistant with text input. If you see instructions in the form of <code>sudo pacman -Q | grep -i -C 10 "apt"</code>, then this is something you have to put into the terminal. == How to use the terminal == '''Where do I find the terminal?''' You will probably find it somewhere in your menu. It might have a name like Gnome-Terminal, Konsole, Xterm, Terminator, or something else. It will probably have an icon that looks vaguely like a terminal (black background, white text). '''How does the terminal work?''' You write a line of text, you press enter, and you look at what happens. The terminal usually tells you if something goes wrong. Sometimes you need to press additional buttons like <code>y</code> for "yes" or <code>n</code> for "no". '''Should I read the output?''' Yes, it might contain warnings. However: Sometimes the output is very long, for example if you install software. In this case, you don't have to read everything. The important stuff will be at the end. If you have problems and look for help in forums, always include the output from the terminal. '''Should I take warnings seriously?''' YES! [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average "You could harm your computer" bullshit you are used to from Windows.] '''Is the terminal dangerous?''' It might look scary, but it's not dangerous. If you write something wrong, it will just tell you that it's wrong - your computer will not explode. However, things can go wrong, more in the next section. '''How can I learn using it?''' Look here: https://linuxjourney.com/ == Dangers of the terminal == '''So should I just input whatever I find at some random place in the internet?''' NO! You should not copy/paste stuff from untrusted sources (like this wiki - everyone can edit it) if you don't understand what you're doing. The commands might be malicious. For example, if you would type the following, you would delete everything on your computer, and potentially destroy your motherboard: <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> '''<big>DO NOT DO THIS!</big>''' There is no situation where it would be a good thing to input the following command. It will delete your system, it will delete other mounted drives (like Windows, external drives, your game drive, whatever), and it might '''permanently''' '''destroy''' your motherboard. <code>sudo rm -rf / --no-preserve-root</code> Don't do it. Seriously. Not for fun, not because you don't need your system anymore. Just don't. </div> Other commands may uninstall your graphical user interface, or install a remote access for hackers. '''This sounds scary!''' Don't be afraid. Malicious tutorials for Linux are rarer than malware for Windows (I don't even know if this ever happened somewhere), and if someone did write one, it would probably get noticed and removed very fast. If you're fine with installing software on Windows, you should be fine with tutorials for Linux. But still. Be wary. '''Could I harm my computer if I type malicious commands by accident?''' Probably not. It's not easy to input these commands by accident. You might type <code>sudo rm -rf /</code> by accident, but you won't type the <code>--no-preserve-root</code> if you don't actually want to harm your computer. Accidentally typing a command that installs malware is near impossible. '''So as long as I don't type --no-preserve-root, everything is fine?''' No. The terminal is a way to operate your computer. It will do exactly what you tell it to do. If you tell it to remove all your important files, it will do just that. In the same way you might harm your computer with the GUI, you might as well harm it with the terminal. However, you definitely have more options to fuck things up when using the terminal. For example, always be careful, when running <code>sudo</code>. This is the equivalent to "Administrator access", but much more powerful. You should always avoid running a ''root-shell'' (a shell where you have sudo access without typing sudo). You would detect it by the # symbol at the beginning of each line. But note, that you can do all kind of bad stuff in your home directory (the place where all your important files are), without typing <code>sudo</code>. Always think before typing something, and especially think before pressing enter. Also note, that <code>rm</code> actually ''removes'' files, and doesn't just move them to the trash bin. Always be careful when using <code>rm</code>. If you want to have extra safety, you can use <code>trash</code> instead, it will move files to the trash bin. '''What else can go wrong?''' There might be instances where you copy a command from some website, and you also copy the "enter command". This might lead to ''enter'' being automatically pressed at the end of the line, and the command being executed without additional interaction by you. If you want to modify the command before executing it, this would be unintended behavior. To prevent it, you can copy to a text editor first, modify the commands, and then copy to the terminal. == Other stuff you should know == If you have a folder <code>foo</code> and in it a folder <code>bar</code>, you would write this as <code>foo/bar</code>. The topmost folder is <code>/</code>. This means, that every path on your computer looks like this: <code>/path/to/some/file.txt</code> === Common commands === Go to a folder: <code>cd <folder_name></code>. List files: <code>ls</code> Copy: <code>cp <nowiki><source> <target></nowiki></code> Copy a folder: <code>cp -r <nowiki><source> <target></nowiki></code> Move: <code>mv <nowiki><source> <target></nowiki></code> Symlink: <code>ln -s <nowiki><source> <target></nowiki></code> Rename: <code>mv <nowiki><source> <target></nowiki></code> Edit: <code>nano <file_name></code> Delete: <code>rm <file_name></code> (better alternative: <code>trash <file_name></code><s>)</s> Delete folder: <code>rm -r <folder_name></code> (better alternative: <code>trash -r <folder_name></code>) Do something as <code>root</code> (the equivalent to the windows administrator): <code>sudo <command></code> === Path Abbreviations === <code>~</code> is an abbreviation for <code>/home/<username></code> (where <code><username></code> is your actual username. If your username is ''peter'', this would be <code>/home/peter</code>), so paths to files in your ''home directory'' (the place where all your personal files are, look like this: <code>~/path/to/some/file.txt</code>. <code>.</code> is an abbreviation for the folder you are currently in. For example if you are in <code>~/.var/app/</code>, <code>.</code> would be <code>~/.var/app/</code>. This is especially useful if you want to execute a script that's inside your current folder: <code>./<script_name></code>, or if you need the path you are currently in, but don't want to type it, for example to search a file inside your current folder or a subfolder: <code>find . | grep -i <file_name></code>. <code>..</code> is an abbreviation for the parent of the folder you are currently in. For example if you are in <code>~/.var/app/</code>, <code>..</code> would be <code>~/.var/</code>. This is especially useful change the directory to the parent folder: <code>cd ..</code> 2170033cbfde4b8f1850c83b852d639358524aef 0 69 1180 2022-10-25T17:41:33Z Aragorn 3 Created page with "Your game doesn't work? Here is a list of things to try: * Try another wine version. Wine-GE often works. Other options are Wine-TKG, and Caffe. (For Steam: another Proton version, for example Proton-GE). Using older versions can also help. * [[How to get answers|Search the internet]] for a solution (for example with SearXNG, duckduckgo, etc.). Also look in this wiki. * Try fiddling with options. If you use [[Lutris]], there might be options that are not optimal. For e..." wikitext text/x-wiki Your game doesn't work? Here is a list of things to try: * Try another wine version. Wine-GE often works. Other options are Wine-TKG, and Caffe. (For Steam: another Proton version, for example Proton-GE). Using older versions can also help. * [[How to get answers|Search the internet]] for a solution (for example with SearXNG, duckduckgo, etc.). Also look in this wiki. * Try fiddling with options. If you use [[Lutris]], there might be options that are not optimal. For example, it could be necessary to disable or enable things like ''virtual desktop'', ''esync'', ''fsync'', or others. * Try [[Bottles]]. * Use a fresh wine prefix. You can copy, move, or symlink the game files to your new prefix if you don't want to download everything again. You can either use your file manager or the [[terminal]]. 4175d697bda8b5f049d12d2a719e4cd1d65a2d27 1181 1180 2022-10-25T17:45:21Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Your game doesn't work? Here is a list of things to try: * Try another wine version. Wine-GE often works. Other options are Wine-TKG, and Caffe. (For Steam: another Proton version, for example Proton-GE). Using older versions can also help. * [[How to get answers|Search the internet]] for a solution (for example with SearXNG, duckduckgo, etc.). Also look in this wiki. * Try fiddling with options. If you use [[Lutris]], there might be options that are not optimal. For example, it could be necessary to disable or enable things like ''virtual desktop'', ''esync'', ''fsync'', or others. * Try [[Bottles]]. * Use a fresh wine prefix. You can copy, move, or symlink the game files to your new prefix if you don't want to download everything again. You can either use your file manager or the [[terminal]]. *Your game might be protected by AntiCheat. You can look for compatibility [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ here]. If this is the case, you can try to use a VM. However, this might not work either, and could even be considered cheating! *Use a VM with GPU-Passthrough (vfio) to play your game. 9a40ac0f8ec9d4969216e1a478195f911fd14be4 1182 1181 2022-10-25T17:46:58Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Your game doesn't work? Here is a list of things to try: * Try another wine version. Wine-GE often works. Other options are Wine-TKG, and Caffe. (For Steam: another Proton version, for example Proton-GE). Using older versions can also help. * [[How to get answers|Search the internet]] for a solution (for example with SearXNG, duckduckgo, etc.). Also look in this wiki. * Try fiddling with options. If you use [[Lutris]], there might be options that are not optimal. For example, it could be necessary to disable or enable things like ''virtual desktop'', ''esync'', ''fsync'', or others. * Try [[Bottles]]. * Use a fresh wine prefix. You can copy, move, or symlink the game files to your new prefix if you don't want to download everything again. You can either use your file manager or the [[terminal]]. *Start your launcher (Lutris, Bottles, Steam, Heroic, ...) or your game from the terminal, and look at the output. It might contain error messages. *Your game might be protected by AntiCheat. You can look for compatibility [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ here]. If this is the case, you can try to use a VM. However, this might not work either, and could even be considered cheating! *Use a VM with GPU-Passthrough (vfio) to play your game. cb52b6329f4ea981cbe1fa190b5768ff1e4a7660 6 70 1186 2022-10-31T07:59:09Z FosRex 25 wikitext text/x-wiki + button on the top left corner of Lutris bededca3050191321fcb0184e1ea37dec1a4114e 6 71 1187 2022-10-31T08:11:10Z FosRex 25 wikitext text/x-wiki Highlights the "Search The Lutris Website For Installers" on Lutris: Add games to Lutris dialog. 937a3dba0c127a80843405afafaac83fb32b7466 6 72 1188 2022-10-31T08:27:00Z FosRex 25 wikitext text/x-wiki Searching for osu! in Lutris 0199c6d675a9d980d1c26de5295eae884456a0c1 0 15 1189 1128 2022-10-31T09:28:04Z 182.93.95.152 0 /* Finding a game on Lutris */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[File:Lutris icon.png|thumb|Lutris icon.]] '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that primarily provides installers for games not available on Steam. It can also act as a single app for your whole game library. You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam. == Installing Lutris == You can typically install Lutris through your distribution's app store (e.g. GNOME Software, Discover, Pop Shop). For example, on Pop!_OS, go to the '''Pop Shop''' and search "Lutris". [[File:Pop Shop - Lutris.png|frameless|581x581px]] Then, click install. See Lutris's [https://lutris.net/downloads download page] for more ways to install it. == Finding a game on Lutris == {{Needs work|Problem=The UI changed. In the new version, it is necessary to click the + button on the top left, then click "Search for install script on the Lutris website"}} The most important feature of Lutris is that you can install games and launchers not found on Steam using '''install scripts'''. If you want to use an install script, click the '''+''' button on the top left, then click "Search for install script on the Lutris website". [[File:Lutris Add Button.png|frameless|448x448px]] [[File:SearchTheLutrisWebsiteForInstallers.png|frameless|450x450px]] Then, search for the game you want to install and select the game from the search results. [[File:SearchingForosuLutris.png|frameless|347x347px]] A new window will appear with option(s) , so pick what seems most standard. If your first choice doesn't work, you could try the other ones. You don't have to use the Lutris client to find install scripts - you can [https://lutris.net/games look up install scripts] on Lutris's website. === Installation === Typically, when installing a game, Lutris will ask if you want to download certain files. [[File:Lutrisinstalls.png|none|thumb|384x384px|Installing Overwatch on Lutris.]] Review the files to make sure everything looks okay, and then just press '''continue'''. Don't worry about the individual download buttons. === Install games that you own on GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam === Login to these stores by navigating to their tab in '''Sources''', and logging in to them by clicking the '''Connect''' icon. [[File:Lutrislogin.png|frameless]] After logging in, Lutris should display the games you own from that store. You can also enable the Epic Games Store as a source, but using [[Heroic|the Heroic Games launcher]] or just installing the Epic Games Store itself through Lutris are probably easier options. == Configuration Options == You might want to [[Improving performance|improve the performance]] of your games with stuff like: *Esync * Fsync * [[Gamemode]] * [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution]] You can also improve visuals with: *[https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] for downscaling *[https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or [[reshade]] Or you might want to try: * [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/wine-ge-custom/releases Wine-GE], instead of using Lutris's WINE == Installing Windows games without an install script == '''This is NOT what you would usually do when installing a game! Only do the following if there is no install script!''' *Click the plus on the top left * Select a name and select Wine as runner. * Select Game options, and select the executable ** Select the new folder as Wine prefix ** Select the prefix architecture (if you're not sure select 64-bit) *** Create a new folder where you want to install your game (for example <code>~/Games/MyNewGame</code>) * Select Runner options ** Select the Wine version (try different ones, including the ones from tkg and GE) * Click Save * Start your game ** Click through the installer * Right click the game in Lutris, click Configure ** Select Game options and modify the executable to be the actual game executable. (This could be <code>~/Games/MyNewGame/drive_c/Program Files(x86)/CoolGame/bin/CoolGame.exe</code>) * Start your game. **It will probably work, but if it's not, see the ''troubleshooting'' section. == Troubleshooting == This [https://piped.kavin.rocks/watch?v=oFB-Ly8RcOw video guide] explains how to install a game with a Lutris install script in more depth. If you encounter an issue installing your game, look up the game's name on the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/ Linux Gaming subreddit] to see if anyone's had the same issue and solved it. You should also check whether the game currently runs on Linux. === General approach: === (if the above does not work) * Close Lutris, open a [[terminal]], type <code>lutris</code> and press enter. Lutris will now open, but you will see more information in the terminal. * Try running the game with different presets like other Wine version, with/without DXVK, with/without Esync, Fsync, Windowed (virtual desktop), etc. * Right click your game, go to Runner options, and set ''Output debugging info'' to ''Enabled''. * Start your game and pay close attention to the output in the terminal ** Try to understand the problem ** For example, you can use Winetricks to install missing dependencies === Winetricks === Winetricks is an easy way to do various stuff with Wine, including but not limited to installing libraries and other dependencies for your games. ==FAQ== ====What are runners?==== ''Runners'' are "methods" to run your programs. '''Linux''' is for native Linux games. '''Steam''' is for Steam games - though, using Steam itself to run those games is easier. '''Wine''' is what you want to use for every other Windows game. Other runners are available, these are mainly emulators for various consoles, or DOS (DosBox) ==== Where are save games? ==== <code>~/Games/MyGame/drive_c/<the_path_that_it_would_be_on_windows></code> ==See also== [https://lutris.net/ Lutris website] [[Category:Popular apps]] c2dd32492442389126b9abec2406b6a34eb7abe0 0 42 1195 425 2022-11-02T15:31:09Z Robotta 26 /* Disable mouse accelleration */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Disable mouse accelleration == * '''KDE Plasma''': System Settings -> Input devices -> Mouse -> Acceleration profile: Flat * '''Gnome''': Download "Tweaks" App -> Open it -> Keyboard & Mouse -> Acceleration profile: Flat *'''Cinnamon''': System Settings -> Mouse and Touchpad -> Acceleration profile: Constant * Otherwise have a look at the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Mouse_acceleration#Disabling_mouse_acceleration Arch wiki] == Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio == Pipewire gives you much lower audio latency. TODO: write how. 0c90470f125e43d45a3c3775fea5bd425a93a026 0 44 1196 1099 2022-11-06T07:59:29Z Aragorn 3 /* Enable Steam Play for all games */ wikitext text/x-wiki Steam runs natively on Linux. You can probably just install it from your App store. Usually you want to use ''Steam (Runtime)''. Only use ''Steam (native)'' if you know why you want to use it. If you use the Flatpak version, you will also need to use the Flatpak version of other software that you want to use with it, like MangoHud. == Enable Steam Play for all games == In order to run games that are not explicitly whitelisted by Valve, go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. It's usually a good idea to use [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] instead of Proton Experimental. It has lots of benefits like improved game compatibility, raw mouse input, additional codecs for cutscenes, and much more. However it can be unstable. So if you have stability issues, try something else, for example an older version. Installation instructions are [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom#installation= here]. If you want the latest features, you have to update it manually, though. == ProtonUp-Qt == You can use [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] to make the installation and update process of [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] simple: * 1. Download the [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] AppImage * 2. Mark the AppImage as executable * 3. Double-click the AppImage to run ProtonUp-Qt Alternatively, you can install it from [https://flathub.org/apps/details/net.davidotek.pupgui2 Flathub]. == Launch Options == You may find something like <code>-screen-width 1280 -screen-height 720 -screen-fullscreen 0</code> on protondb. These are ''launch options''. To use them, you right click on the game, and in the <code>general</code> tab, there is a field called <code>launch options</code>. You paste them (for example <code>%command% -screen-height 1920 -screen-width 1080 -screen-fullscreen</code>) in there. <code>%command%</code> is the command to start the game. Some launch options go before this command (commands to execute programs, for example <code>gamemoderun</code> or <code>mangohud</code>), and some go behind it (flags that are passed to the game itself, typically stuff that starts with a <code>-</code>). == Steam Tinker Launch == [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch Steam Tinker Launch] is a swiss army knife tool that allows easy customization of multiple options for Steam games. It includes helpers for custom commands, Vortex, Mod Organizer 2, Proton GE, Proton/DXVK/wine options, winetricks, ReShade + easy selection for shaders, FSR, debugging, side-by-side VR automation, SteamGridDB, SpecialK, Proton KillSwitch, Gamescope, GameMode, and more. You can find a more comprehensive list of features in the [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch/wiki wiki] (dropdownlist on the right). == File Locations == === Steam Folder === If you use the Steam Flatpak, your Steam folder is <code>~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/data/Steam/</code> If you use the "normal" package, your Steam folder is in<code>~/.local/share/Steam/</code> === Games and Save Files === Your games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/common/<game_name></code>. Your save games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/compatdata/<some_number>/pfx/drive_c/<windows_path></code>. In order to know which number is correct, you can just use the search functionality of your file manager (probably <code>ctrl</code> + <code>f</code>) to search for the game name, or type <code>find <steam_folder>/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/ | grep -i "<game_name>"</code> in the [[terminal]]. You have to substitute ''<steam_folder>'' and ''<game_name>'' with the actual thing, of course. 7c2b45fdd56aa2d484da888550b1d722d17d4ee5 0 15 1202 1189 2022-11-08T18:03:51Z Aragorn 3 /* Finding a game on Lutris */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[File:Lutris icon.png|thumb|Lutris icon.]] '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that primarily provides installers for games not available on Steam. It can also act as a single app for your whole game library. You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam. == Installing Lutris == You can typically install Lutris through your distribution's app store (e.g. GNOME Software, Discover, Pop Shop). For example, on Pop!_OS, go to the '''Pop Shop''' and search "Lutris". [[File:Pop Shop - Lutris.png|frameless|581x581px]] Then, click install. See Lutris's [https://lutris.net/downloads download page] for more ways to install it. == Finding a game on Lutris == The most important feature of Lutris is that you can install games and launchers not found on Steam using '''install scripts'''. If you want to use an install script, click the '''+''' button on the top left, then click "Search for install script on the Lutris website". [[File:Lutris Add Button.png|frameless|448x448px]] [[File:SearchTheLutrisWebsiteForInstallers.png|frameless|450x450px]] Then, search for the game you want to install and select the game from the search results. [[File:SearchingForosuLutris.png|frameless|347x347px]] A new window will appear with option(s) , so pick what seems most standard. If your first choice doesn't work, you could try the other ones. You don't have to use the Lutris client to find install scripts - you can [https://lutris.net/games look up install scripts] on Lutris's website. === Installation === Typically, when installing a game, Lutris will ask if you want to download certain files. [[File:Lutrisinstalls.png|none|thumb|384x384px|Installing Overwatch on Lutris.]] Review the files to make sure everything looks okay, and then just press '''continue'''. Don't worry about the individual download buttons. === Install games that you own on GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam === Login to these stores by navigating to their tab in '''Sources''', and logging in to them by clicking the '''Connect''' icon. [[File:Lutrislogin.png|frameless]] After logging in, Lutris should display the games you own from that store. You can also enable the Epic Games Store as a source, but using [[Heroic|the Heroic Games launcher]] or just installing the Epic Games Store itself through Lutris are probably easier options. == Configuration Options == You might want to [[Improving performance|improve the performance]] of your games with stuff like: *Esync * Fsync * [[Gamemode]] * [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution]] You can also improve visuals with: *[https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] for downscaling *[https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or [[reshade]] Or you might want to try: * [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/wine-ge-custom/releases Wine-GE], instead of using Lutris's WINE == Installing Windows games without an install script == '''This is NOT what you would usually do when installing a game! Only do the following if there is no install script!''' *Click the plus on the top left * Select a name and select Wine as runner. * Select Game options, and select the executable ** Select the new folder as Wine prefix ** Select the prefix architecture (if you're not sure select 64-bit) *** Create a new folder where you want to install your game (for example <code>~/Games/MyNewGame</code>) * Select Runner options ** Select the Wine version (try different ones, including the ones from tkg and GE) * Click Save * Start your game ** Click through the installer * Right click the game in Lutris, click Configure ** Select Game options and modify the executable to be the actual game executable. (This could be <code>~/Games/MyNewGame/drive_c/Program Files(x86)/CoolGame/bin/CoolGame.exe</code>) * Start your game. **It will probably work, but if it's not, see the ''troubleshooting'' section. == Troubleshooting == This [https://piped.kavin.rocks/watch?v=oFB-Ly8RcOw video guide] explains how to install a game with a Lutris install script in more depth. If you encounter an issue installing your game, look up the game's name on the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/ Linux Gaming subreddit] to see if anyone's had the same issue and solved it. You should also check whether the game currently runs on Linux. === General approach: === (if the above does not work) * Close Lutris, open a [[terminal]], type <code>lutris</code> and press enter. Lutris will now open, but you will see more information in the terminal. * Try running the game with different presets like other Wine version, with/without DXVK, with/without Esync, Fsync, Windowed (virtual desktop), etc. * Right click your game, go to Runner options, and set ''Output debugging info'' to ''Enabled''. * Start your game and pay close attention to the output in the terminal ** Try to understand the problem ** For example, you can use Winetricks to install missing dependencies === Winetricks === Winetricks is an easy way to do various stuff with Wine, including but not limited to installing libraries and other dependencies for your games. ==FAQ== ====What are runners?==== ''Runners'' are "methods" to run your programs. '''Linux''' is for native Linux games. '''Steam''' is for Steam games - though, using Steam itself to run those games is easier. '''Wine''' is what you want to use for every other Windows game. Other runners are available, these are mainly emulators for various consoles, or DOS (DosBox) ==== Where are save games? ==== <code>~/Games/MyGame/drive_c/<the_path_that_it_would_be_on_windows></code> ==See also== [https://lutris.net/ Lutris website] [[Category:Popular apps]] 957731cf7a3bfe5f73091d26811f8a375153474b 1203 1202 2022-11-08T18:06:26Z Aragorn 3 /* General approach: */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[File:Lutris icon.png|thumb|Lutris icon.]] '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that primarily provides installers for games not available on Steam. It can also act as a single app for your whole game library. You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam. == Installing Lutris == You can typically install Lutris through your distribution's app store (e.g. GNOME Software, Discover, Pop Shop). For example, on Pop!_OS, go to the '''Pop Shop''' and search "Lutris". [[File:Pop Shop - Lutris.png|frameless|581x581px]] Then, click install. See Lutris's [https://lutris.net/downloads download page] for more ways to install it. == Finding a game on Lutris == The most important feature of Lutris is that you can install games and launchers not found on Steam using '''install scripts'''. If you want to use an install script, click the '''+''' button on the top left, then click "Search for install script on the Lutris website". [[File:Lutris Add Button.png|frameless|448x448px]] [[File:SearchTheLutrisWebsiteForInstallers.png|frameless|450x450px]] Then, search for the game you want to install and select the game from the search results. [[File:SearchingForosuLutris.png|frameless|347x347px]] A new window will appear with option(s) , so pick what seems most standard. If your first choice doesn't work, you could try the other ones. You don't have to use the Lutris client to find install scripts - you can [https://lutris.net/games look up install scripts] on Lutris's website. === Installation === Typically, when installing a game, Lutris will ask if you want to download certain files. [[File:Lutrisinstalls.png|none|thumb|384x384px|Installing Overwatch on Lutris.]] Review the files to make sure everything looks okay, and then just press '''continue'''. Don't worry about the individual download buttons. === Install games that you own on GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam === Login to these stores by navigating to their tab in '''Sources''', and logging in to them by clicking the '''Connect''' icon. [[File:Lutrislogin.png|frameless]] After logging in, Lutris should display the games you own from that store. You can also enable the Epic Games Store as a source, but using [[Heroic|the Heroic Games launcher]] or just installing the Epic Games Store itself through Lutris are probably easier options. == Configuration Options == You might want to [[Improving performance|improve the performance]] of your games with stuff like: *Esync * Fsync * [[Gamemode]] * [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution]] You can also improve visuals with: *[https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] for downscaling *[https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or [[reshade]] Or you might want to try: * [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/wine-ge-custom/releases Wine-GE], instead of using Lutris's WINE == Installing Windows games without an install script == '''This is NOT what you would usually do when installing a game! Only do the following if there is no install script!''' *Click the plus on the top left * Select a name and select Wine as runner. * Select Game options, and select the executable ** Select the new folder as Wine prefix ** Select the prefix architecture (if you're not sure select 64-bit) *** Create a new folder where you want to install your game (for example <code>~/Games/MyNewGame</code>) * Select Runner options ** Select the Wine version (try different ones, including the ones from tkg and GE) * Click Save * Start your game ** Click through the installer * Right click the game in Lutris, click Configure ** Select Game options and modify the executable to be the actual game executable. (This could be <code>~/Games/MyNewGame/drive_c/Program Files(x86)/CoolGame/bin/CoolGame.exe</code>) * Start your game. **It will probably work, but if it's not, see the ''troubleshooting'' section. == Troubleshooting == This [https://piped.kavin.rocks/watch?v=oFB-Ly8RcOw video guide] explains how to install a game with a Lutris install script in more depth. If you encounter an issue installing your game, look up the game's name on the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/ Linux Gaming subreddit] to see if anyone's had the same issue and solved it. You should also check whether the game currently runs on Linux. === General approach: === (if the above does not work) * Close Lutris, open a [[terminal]], type <code>lutris</code> and press enter. Lutris will now open, but you will see more information in the terminal. It might be necessary to force quit Lutris (for example with your system monitor, htop, btop, etc.). * Try running the game with different presets like other Wine version, with/without DXVK, with/without Esync, Fsync, Windowed (virtual desktop), etc. * Right click your game, go to Runner options, and set ''Output debugging info'' to ''Enabled''. * Start your game and pay close attention to the output in the terminal ** Try to understand the problem ** For example, you can use Winetricks to install missing dependencies === Winetricks === Winetricks is an easy way to do various stuff with Wine, including but not limited to installing libraries and other dependencies for your games. ==FAQ== ====What are runners?==== ''Runners'' are "methods" to run your programs. '''Linux''' is for native Linux games. '''Steam''' is for Steam games - though, using Steam itself to run those games is easier. '''Wine''' is what you want to use for every other Windows game. Other runners are available, these are mainly emulators for various consoles, or DOS (DosBox) ==== Where are save games? ==== <code>~/Games/MyGame/drive_c/<the_path_that_it_would_be_on_windows></code> ==See also== [https://lutris.net/ Lutris website] [[Category:Popular apps]] 98d3bf21ba4cc166d420ee00daebc7a3e1ccaf71 0 50 1204 742 2022-11-08T18:09:59Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki You might see some terms you are not familiar with. Here is a collection of some that might help you. {| class="wikitable" |+ !Term !Abbreviation !Explanation |- |Distribution |Distro |The "type" of Linux you are using. Examples: Nobara, Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, Debian, Arch, ... |- |Desktop Environment |DE |How your Linux looks like. Think of the difference between Windows 7, 10, and 11. Unlike on Windows, this can be changed without reinstalling your system. Examples: KDE Plasma, or Gnome. |- |Window Manager |WM |Arranges your windows at the place you want them to be. Examples: kwin, mutter, i3, qtile, awesomewm, or sway. |- |[[Compositor]] | |Makes visual effects, but costs performance. |- |Package manager | |Essential part of your distro, has the purpose of downloading, installing, and removing packages. Examples: apt, or pacman. |- |Package | |Program, part of a program, or library |- |Library | |Collection of stuff that programs use to function. Typically has the ending ''.so''. (on windows this would be ''.dll'') |- |[[Terminal]] | |Black window with text. Essentially a different way to operate your system. |- |Display Manager | |Starts your DE. Examples: sddm, or gdm. |- |Shell | |The "environment" you have in the terminal. Examples: zsh, fish, or bash. |- |Display Server | |Draws stuff on the screen. Can be either x.org, or wayland. |- |Kernel | |The "heart" of your system. If a program wants specific resources (reading/writing a file, or getting processing time for example), it asks the kernel, and the kernel delivers them. Linux is actually just the kernel, but most people refer to the whole system (the distribution) when saying "Linux". Examples: linux, linux-lts, linux-zen, linux-tkg-pds, linux-tkg-bmq, xanmod, ... |- |Wine | |Compatibility layer to run Windows programs on Linux. |} c540fa8022c7f75e65205cba1b1139cb8b83049d 0 5 1205 1201 2022-11-11T00:24:09Z Aragorn 3 /* Optional */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE comes with a compatible version. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (just type in the name manually). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page] and [https://github.com/AdelKS/LinuxGamingGuide this collection of tweaks]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (Gnome and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. Disabling composition should lead to slightly less input lag.<ref name=":2" /> KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. Gnome is also valid.<ref name=":2">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section ''(Test needed to know how good it works!)''. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid Gnome x11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on, regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 643d8f18aeecbf32699458197630ec51eae19341 1212 1205 2022-11-15T18:51:43Z Aragorn 3 /* X11 */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>zen</code>, <code>tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>linux-tkg-pds</code>, or <code>Xanmod</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE comes with a compatible version. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (just type in the name manually). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page] and [https://github.com/AdelKS/LinuxGamingGuide this collection of tweaks]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (Gnome and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. Disabling composition should lead to slightly less input lag.<ref name=":2" /> KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. Gnome is also valid, but adds a small amount of input lag.<ref name=":2">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section ''(Test needed to know how good it works!)''. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid Gnome x11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on, regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 35ffe51bdaff8de35d22d303cf2c2aa999d5f439 1216 1212 2022-11-21T10:13:21Z Aragorn 3 /* Minor tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>[https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg-pds]</code>, or <code>[https://xanmod.org/ Xanmod]</code>; '''kernel above 5.16 is compatible with F-sync out of the box'''), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>[https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg-pds]</code>, <code>[https://xanmod.org/ Xanmod]</code>, or <code>[https://liquorix.net/ Liquorix]</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE comes with a compatible version. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (just type in the name manually). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page] and [https://github.com/AdelKS/LinuxGamingGuide this collection of tweaks]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (Gnome and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. Disabling composition should lead to slightly less input lag.<ref name=":2" /> KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. Gnome is also valid, but adds a small amount of input lag.<ref name=":2">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section ''(Test needed to know how good it works!)''. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid Gnome x11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on, regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> a900248597046cf61ae7b224ec51c54bde208cf6 1217 1216 2022-11-21T10:14:09Z Aragorn 3 /* Minor tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (one of the gaming optimized kernels, or just any kernel above 5.16), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>[https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg-pds]</code>, <code>[https://xanmod.org/ Xanmod]</code>, or <code>[https://liquorix.net/ Liquorix]</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. However, they should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. Don't do it if you don't know what to do if things go wrong. **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE comes with a compatible version. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (just type in the name manually). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page] and [https://github.com/AdelKS/LinuxGamingGuide this collection of tweaks]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (Gnome and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. Disabling composition should lead to slightly less input lag.<ref name=":2" /> KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. Gnome is also valid, but adds a small amount of input lag.<ref name=":2">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section ''(Test needed to know how good it works!)''. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid Gnome x11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on, regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> a2ab5cb02d05d4ae42b606bd22bee88052048584 1218 1217 2022-11-21T10:16:29Z Aragorn 3 /* Minor tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (one of the gaming optimized kernels, or just any kernel above 5.16), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>[https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg-pds]</code>, <code>[https://xanmod.org/ Xanmod]</code>, or <code>[https://liquorix.net/ Liquorix]</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. ***They should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. If you don't, you end up with an insecure system! **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE comes with a compatible version. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (just type in the name manually). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page] and [https://github.com/AdelKS/LinuxGamingGuide this collection of tweaks]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (Gnome and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. Disabling composition should lead to slightly less input lag.<ref name=":2" /> KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. Gnome is also valid, but adds a small amount of input lag.<ref name=":2">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section ''(Test needed to know how good it works!)''. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid Gnome x11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on, regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> ee49e359fde4f77f9bcaace008c48b23d3c55560 1219 1218 2022-11-21T10:17:26Z Aragorn 3 /* Minor tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (one of the gaming optimized kernels, or just any kernel above 5.16), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>[https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg-pds]</code>, <code>[https://xanmod.org/ Xanmod]</code>, or <code>[https://liquorix.net/ Liquorix]</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> and <code>Liquorix</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. ***They should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. If you don't, you end up with an insecure system! **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler) to get more consistent frame times. You can get it from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE comes with a compatible version. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (just type in the name manually). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page] and [https://github.com/AdelKS/LinuxGamingGuide this collection of tweaks]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (Gnome and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. Disabling composition should lead to slightly less input lag.<ref name=":2" /> KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. Gnome is also valid, but adds a small amount of input lag.<ref name=":2">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section ''(Test needed to know how good it works!)''. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid Gnome x11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on, regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 388bc25ec412777e2f3a0f7ecb7d1c9346a5efc3 1220 1219 2022-11-21T10:19:25Z Aragorn 3 /* Minor tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (one of the gaming optimized kernels, or just any kernel above 5.16), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>[https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg-pds]</code>, <code>[https://xanmod.org/ Xanmod]</code>, or <code>[https://liquorix.net/ Liquorix]</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> and <code>Liquorix</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. ***They should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. If you don't, you end up with an insecure system! **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people also recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler). Currently there are no scientific tests, so you have to see yourself what works best for you. You can get both from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE comes with a compatible version. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (just type in the name manually). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page] and [https://github.com/AdelKS/LinuxGamingGuide this collection of tweaks]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (Gnome and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. Disabling composition should lead to slightly less input lag.<ref name=":2" /> KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. Gnome is also valid, but adds a small amount of input lag.<ref name=":2">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section ''(Test needed to know how good it works!)''. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid Gnome x11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on, regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 289128343d6fecba7badf6023c486a822ce1fcb4 1221 1220 2022-11-21T10:22:10Z Aragorn 3 /* Minor tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (one of the gaming optimized kernels, or just any kernel above 5.16), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>[https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg-pds]</code>, <code>[https://xanmod.org/ Xanmod]</code>, or <code>[https://liquorix.net/ Liquorix]</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> and <code>Liquorix</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. ***They should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. If you don't, you end up with an insecure system! **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people also recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler). Currently there are no scientific tests, so you have to see yourself what works best for you. You can get both from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. On an average gaming CPU, this will take something in the magnitude of an hour. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE comes with a compatible version. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (just type in the name manually). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page] and [https://github.com/AdelKS/LinuxGamingGuide this collection of tweaks]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (Gnome and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. Disabling composition should lead to slightly less input lag.<ref name=":2" /> KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. Gnome is also valid, but adds a small amount of input lag.<ref name=":2">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section ''(Test needed to know how good it works!)''. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid Gnome x11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on, regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 11260af396e8201c6d3a9b5538cb1d4e537a91db 1222 1221 2022-11-21T22:40:41Z Aragorn 3 /* Major tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]]. *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. *If you have two GPUs (for example an integrated and a dedicated one), use the one with more performance. ''TODO: How?'' ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (one of the gaming optimized kernels, or just any kernel above 5.16), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>[https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg-pds]</code>, <code>[https://xanmod.org/ Xanmod]</code>, or <code>[https://liquorix.net/ Liquorix]</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> and <code>Liquorix</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. ***They should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. If you don't, you end up with an insecure system! **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people also recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler). Currently there are no scientific tests, so you have to see yourself what works best for you. You can get both from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. On an average gaming CPU, this will take something in the magnitude of an hour. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE comes with a compatible version. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (just type in the name manually). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page] and [https://github.com/AdelKS/LinuxGamingGuide this collection of tweaks]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (Gnome and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. Disabling composition should lead to slightly less input lag.<ref name=":2" /> KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. Gnome is also valid, but adds a small amount of input lag.<ref name=":2">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section ''(Test needed to know how good it works!)''. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid Gnome x11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on, regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 18854c6ee2bb57f37432d2bf930426e6516c1a6a 1224 1222 2022-11-22T09:58:44Z Aragorn 3 /* Major tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]]. **You do have to do this on Nobara KDE! *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. *If you have two GPUs (for example an integrated and a dedicated one), use the one with more performance. ''TODO: How?'' ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (one of the gaming optimized kernels, or just any kernel above 5.16), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>[https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg-pds]</code>, <code>[https://xanmod.org/ Xanmod]</code>, or <code>[https://liquorix.net/ Liquorix]</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> and <code>Liquorix</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. ***They should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. If you don't, you end up with an insecure system! **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people also recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler). Currently there are no scientific tests, so you have to see yourself what works best for you. You can get both from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. On an average gaming CPU, this will take something in the magnitude of an hour. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE comes with a compatible version. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (just type in the name manually). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page] and [https://github.com/AdelKS/LinuxGamingGuide this collection of tweaks]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (Gnome and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. Disabling composition should lead to slightly less input lag.<ref name=":2" /> KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. Gnome is also valid, but adds a small amount of input lag.<ref name=":2">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section ''(Test needed to know how good it works!)''. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid Gnome x11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on, regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> eccc434c53ec6c3587ad9d8b181e6108df0e7c77 1225 1224 2022-11-22T09:59:00Z Aragorn 3 /* Major tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Nobara Official, Nobara Gnome, and Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]]. **You do have to do this on Nobara KDE! *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. *If you have two GPUs (for example an integrated and a dedicated one), use the one with more performance. ''TODO: How?'' ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (one of the gaming optimized kernels, or just any kernel above 5.16), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>[https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg-pds]</code>, <code>[https://xanmod.org/ Xanmod]</code>, or <code>[https://liquorix.net/ Liquorix]</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> and <code>Liquorix</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. ***They should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. If you don't, you end up with an insecure system! **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people also recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler). Currently there are no scientific tests, so you have to see yourself what works best for you. You can get both from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. On an average gaming CPU, this will take something in the magnitude of an hour. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE comes with a compatible version. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (just type in the name manually). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page] and [https://github.com/AdelKS/LinuxGamingGuide this collection of tweaks]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (Gnome and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. Disabling composition should lead to slightly less input lag.<ref name=":2" /> KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. Gnome is also valid, but adds a small amount of input lag.<ref name=":2">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section ''(Test needed to know how good it works!)''. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid Gnome x11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on, regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 02c18e019ba5927b407381af80e99acc62cb0bf1 1226 1225 2022-11-22T10:00:41Z Aragorn 3 /* Major tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Nobara Official, Nobara Gnome, and Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]], it's not necessary on Wayland. **You do have to do this on Nobara KDE! *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. *If you have two GPUs (for example an integrated and a dedicated one), use the one with more performance. ''TODO: How?'' ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (one of the gaming optimized kernels, or just any kernel above 5.16), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>[https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg-pds]</code>, <code>[https://xanmod.org/ Xanmod]</code>, or <code>[https://liquorix.net/ Liquorix]</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> and <code>Liquorix</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. ***They should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. If you don't, you end up with an insecure system! **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people also recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler). Currently there are no scientific tests, so you have to see yourself what works best for you. You can get both from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. On an average gaming CPU, this will take something in the magnitude of an hour. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE comes with a compatible version. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (just type in the name manually). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page] and [https://github.com/AdelKS/LinuxGamingGuide this collection of tweaks]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (Gnome and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. Disabling composition should lead to slightly less input lag.<ref name=":2" /> KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. Gnome is also valid, but adds a small amount of input lag.<ref name=":2">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section ''(Test needed to know how good it works!)''. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid Gnome x11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on, regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 525f31e7e88ccaa392c64da9453d5cdd65e0f9a8 0 30 1206 1034 2022-11-13T18:09:23Z 78.19.230.236 0 Minor grammar fix. wikitext text/x-wiki Reshade lets you apply extra shaders. While it's theoretically possible to do this with vkBasalt, it's not yet fully working. You might also want to use some mods that are written for reshade. ==How to install== ===Automatic=== You can use [https://github.com/kevinlekiller/reshade-steam-proton/blob/main/reshade-linux.sh this script]. Note, that executing external scripts is a security risk. You should always read and understand the content of the script before executing it. ===Manual<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/b2hi3g/reshade_working_in_wine_43/</ref>=== {{Needs work|Problem=dll name for dx12 is missing}} *Get the architecture of your application. If you don't know it, run <code>file /path/to/your/game.exe</code>. The output will either contain '''x86-64''' (64 bit) or '''80386''' (32 bit). *Install d3dcompiler_47 (for example with [[Installing dlls#With winetricks or protontricks|winetricks or protontricks]]). *Download the latest version of Reshade: https://reshade.me/ (alternatively download this older version, it should work: https://reshade.me/downloads/ReShade_Setup_4.9.1.exe) *Move it to some folder, and extract with 7zip: **<code>7z e ReShade_Setup_x.y.z.exe</code> (modify x y and z according to the version you downloaded, for example <code>7z e ReShade_Setup_4.9.1.exe</code> for Reshade version 4.9.1) **Take <code>ReShade64.dll</code> or <code>ReShade32.dll</code> based on whether your game is 32 or 64 bit, and rename it to ***<code>d3d9.dll</code> if your game uses Directx9 (this is more likely for older games) ***<code>dxgi.dll</code> if your game uses Directx11 (this is more likely for newer games) *Set [[Modding#DLL overrides|dll override]] in winecfg, for example with Lutris: **Open Lutris, click your game, on the bottom, click the up-arrow right next to the wine bottle icon, click <code>Wine configuration</code>, click <code>Libraries</code>, insert the name of the dll (without the .dll) in the text box under <code>New override for library</code>: ***Depending on whether your game uses DX9 or DX11: ****<code>d3d9</code> for DX9 ****<code>dxgi</code> for DX11 ***select it in the list, click <code>Edit</code> and select <code>native (Windows)</code> *Get the shaders and textures: <code>git clone <nowiki>https://github.com/crosire/reshade-shaders.git</nowiki></code> and copy the folders <code>Shaders</code> and <code>Textures</code> into the folder where your game executable is in. * Run your application *Open Reshade (by pressing <code>home</code> or <code>Pos1</code>) *Open settings tab, and add the path <code>./Shaders</code> for shaders and <code>./Textures</code> for textures. == References and notes == <references /> bd5e5059770cc1f3044b07ed9d551f0c7c89f6c5 0 28 1207 1113 2022-11-14T18:05:04Z Aragorn 3 /* General expectations */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get everything working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Gaming on Linux is more complicated than gaming on Windows. If you want a computer that just works, then Linux is not the system you want to use. You should not be expecting a drop in replacement, Linux is different in a lot of ways. You should also not expect a flawless experience. Linux can be flawless, but it might be necessary to resolve some issues first. You will have to spend time learning it, and you will have to spend time troubleshooting. However, this experience is very rewarding, and you will end up getting a system that does exactly what you want. Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends on the individual tools the modding community uses. It's often not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you. * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB of RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable (not for serious gaming of course). And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. It won't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster, though. But it has significantly less overhead than Windows, so if that's the problem it will definitely help. For example, it might revive your old Laptop. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects your choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though—you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows to something like MacOS to something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is not even close to everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. Some examples of what Linux can look like: **KDE Plasma: [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/articles/tagline_images/528481101id19192gol.jpg 1][https://news-cdn.softpedia.com/images/news2/kde-plasma-5-15-desktop-environment-officially-released-here-s-what-s-new-524922-8.jpg 2][https://www.lffl.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/garuda-linux-dr460nized-1400x788.png 3][https://ubuntuhandbook.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/preview-arc-dark.jpg 4][https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RQLcqtqS-YA/XHTsrV6x_-I/AAAAAAAAU0Y/eKJma9C7vsITXzcDklMTaOXgUdVqBIvWgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot_20190226_073620.png 5][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 6][https://i.redd.it/lvubg0sxnl641.png 7][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 8][https://i.redd.it/8mz4z5kybs631.png 9][https://i.redd.it/jup9nde0f0l81.png 10][https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FEMS88kEx_8/maxresdefault.jpg 11][https://i.redd.it/f6ywf9pncpy31.png 12][https://i.imgur.com/kYX3ewJ.png 13][https://forum.endeavouros.com/uploads/default/original/2X/6/6e6c1619652607552c45b001ad2dbfb9d01ea21d.jpeg 14][https://i.redd.it/e4w1uvk48fr81.jpg 15][https://i.redd.it/0x4pz8o10xq81.png 16][https://i.redd.it/7a5mwp393jo81.png 17][https://i.redd.it/cv5gc2tne4r81.png 18] [https://i.redd.it/t65bae91v3s81.jpg 19] [https://64.media.tumblr.com/9bda2b57523402c142d4f797c8ad0093/d629d44890280e21-7d/s1280x1920/ad696bc813582410c77f9879cc0334b76ab252ea.jpg 20] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/comments/eor4up/plasma_cyberpunk_desktop/ 21] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=plasma&sort=top and] [https://store.kde.org/browse?cat=104&ord=rating more] **GNOME: [https://forum.garudalinux.org/uploads/default/optimized/2X/e/e6d6150878051d075fb6d8548f5314fcf6c7bf28_2_1035x646.jpeg 1][https://www.cmscritic.com/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cloudinary/pop-os-review-4_hhslpt.png 2][https://i.redd.it/jt3xl3e2qak61.png 3][https://pingvinus.ru/files/news/manjaro-20-1/manjaro-20.1-gnome.jpg 4][http://www.jetestelinux.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/manjaro_gnome_1710_mode_nuit.jpg 5][https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/f8e04f89-e155-4926-972e-76e0955933eb/dak2iyb-e5931cb1-e722-43f8-a1ed-63361f901ab9.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2Y4ZTA0Zjg5LWUxNTUtNDkyNi05NzJlLTc2ZTA5NTU5MzNlYlwvZGFrMml5Yi1lNTkzMWNiMS1lNzIyLTQzZjgtYTFlZC02MzM2MWY5MDFhYjkucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.zwpBVOqCfSFqWRDNz1fnEgVkyyXgrj_3NoJNLa0Zlzw 6][https://i.redd.it/b06ms6vfe0r81.png 7][https://i.redd.it/uvenc4r0dun81.png 8][https://i.redd.it/kw1enzggqmo81.png 9][https://i.redd.it/gdtwdhbk4tr81.png 10][https://i.redd.it/uk9uihckcsd41.png 11] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=gnome&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&sort=top and] [https://www.gnome-look.org/browse?ord=rating more] **Tiling window managers: [https://pic3.zhimg.com/v2-bad01545e1f69cc0a94633ff771b72e3_1200x500.jpg 1][https://preview.redd.it/f2jg3znpr1g31.png?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=9b64dde84ccb1e0ba20e8bba5ee6516123273bd2 2][https://pingvinus.ru/cr_images/userpicture/n/1938-0.png 3][https://i.redd.it/rpojcv4d3nr81.png 4][https://i.redd.it/lkviraiador81.png 5][https://i.redd.it/or7veqoicdq81.png 6][https://i.redd.it/ptbibz0gdk861.png 7] **[https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/ and many more] * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal Windows filesystem. Of course this doesn't apply to all games, so your mileage may vary. * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so (again) your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. Almost all software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == 2b354b10e0e1307191029b735ec962316a24d9f7 1208 1207 2022-11-14T18:16:21Z Aragorn 3 /* General expectations */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get everything working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Gaming on Linux is more complicated than gaming on Windows. If you want a computer that just works, then Linux is not the system you want to use. You should not be expecting a drop in replacement, Linux is different in a lot of ways. You should also not expect a flawless experience. Linux can be flawless, but it might be necessary to resolve some issues first. You will have to spend time learning it, and you will have to spend time troubleshooting. However, this experience is very rewarding, and you will end up getting a system that does exactly what you want. Some games do not work, no matter what you do. The primary reason for this is that some anti cheat software will just kick you. As of 14-11-22 this will happen in about 50% of games with anti cheat. However your chances to run a game that will not kick you is almost 100%. Keep in mind that the experience might not be flawless, you might need to troubleshoot, there might be missing cut scenes, and there might be crashes. Currently, about 80% of the top 1000 games on Steam run without issues <ref>https://www.protondb.com/dashboard</ref>. Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends on the individual tools the modding community uses. It's often not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you. * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB of RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable (not for serious gaming of course). And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. It won't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster, though. But it has significantly less overhead than Windows, so if that's the problem it will definitely help. For example, it might revive your old Laptop. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects your choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though—you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows to something like MacOS to something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is not even close to everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. Some examples of what Linux can look like: **KDE Plasma: [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/articles/tagline_images/528481101id19192gol.jpg 1][https://news-cdn.softpedia.com/images/news2/kde-plasma-5-15-desktop-environment-officially-released-here-s-what-s-new-524922-8.jpg 2][https://www.lffl.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/garuda-linux-dr460nized-1400x788.png 3][https://ubuntuhandbook.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/preview-arc-dark.jpg 4][https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RQLcqtqS-YA/XHTsrV6x_-I/AAAAAAAAU0Y/eKJma9C7vsITXzcDklMTaOXgUdVqBIvWgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot_20190226_073620.png 5][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 6][https://i.redd.it/lvubg0sxnl641.png 7][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 8][https://i.redd.it/8mz4z5kybs631.png 9][https://i.redd.it/jup9nde0f0l81.png 10][https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FEMS88kEx_8/maxresdefault.jpg 11][https://i.redd.it/f6ywf9pncpy31.png 12][https://i.imgur.com/kYX3ewJ.png 13][https://forum.endeavouros.com/uploads/default/original/2X/6/6e6c1619652607552c45b001ad2dbfb9d01ea21d.jpeg 14][https://i.redd.it/e4w1uvk48fr81.jpg 15][https://i.redd.it/0x4pz8o10xq81.png 16][https://i.redd.it/7a5mwp393jo81.png 17][https://i.redd.it/cv5gc2tne4r81.png 18] [https://i.redd.it/t65bae91v3s81.jpg 19] [https://64.media.tumblr.com/9bda2b57523402c142d4f797c8ad0093/d629d44890280e21-7d/s1280x1920/ad696bc813582410c77f9879cc0334b76ab252ea.jpg 20] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/comments/eor4up/plasma_cyberpunk_desktop/ 21] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=plasma&sort=top and] [https://store.kde.org/browse?cat=104&ord=rating more] **GNOME: [https://forum.garudalinux.org/uploads/default/optimized/2X/e/e6d6150878051d075fb6d8548f5314fcf6c7bf28_2_1035x646.jpeg 1][https://www.cmscritic.com/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cloudinary/pop-os-review-4_hhslpt.png 2][https://i.redd.it/jt3xl3e2qak61.png 3][https://pingvinus.ru/files/news/manjaro-20-1/manjaro-20.1-gnome.jpg 4][http://www.jetestelinux.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/manjaro_gnome_1710_mode_nuit.jpg 5][https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/f8e04f89-e155-4926-972e-76e0955933eb/dak2iyb-e5931cb1-e722-43f8-a1ed-63361f901ab9.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2Y4ZTA0Zjg5LWUxNTUtNDkyNi05NzJlLTc2ZTA5NTU5MzNlYlwvZGFrMml5Yi1lNTkzMWNiMS1lNzIyLTQzZjgtYTFlZC02MzM2MWY5MDFhYjkucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.zwpBVOqCfSFqWRDNz1fnEgVkyyXgrj_3NoJNLa0Zlzw 6][https://i.redd.it/b06ms6vfe0r81.png 7][https://i.redd.it/uvenc4r0dun81.png 8][https://i.redd.it/kw1enzggqmo81.png 9][https://i.redd.it/gdtwdhbk4tr81.png 10][https://i.redd.it/uk9uihckcsd41.png 11] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=gnome&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&sort=top and] [https://www.gnome-look.org/browse?ord=rating more] **Tiling window managers: [https://pic3.zhimg.com/v2-bad01545e1f69cc0a94633ff771b72e3_1200x500.jpg 1][https://preview.redd.it/f2jg3znpr1g31.png?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=9b64dde84ccb1e0ba20e8bba5ee6516123273bd2 2][https://pingvinus.ru/cr_images/userpicture/n/1938-0.png 3][https://i.redd.it/rpojcv4d3nr81.png 4][https://i.redd.it/lkviraiador81.png 5][https://i.redd.it/or7veqoicdq81.png 6][https://i.redd.it/ptbibz0gdk861.png 7] **[https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/ and many more] * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal Windows filesystem. Of course this doesn't apply to all games, so your mileage may vary. * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so (again) your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. Almost all software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == == References and Notes == 1f3dbbadd72e2e1c8f95a03d543d3393814e6a47 1209 1208 2022-11-14T18:18:06Z Aragorn 3 /* General expectations */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get everything working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Gaming on Linux is more complicated than gaming on Windows. If you want a computer that just works, then Linux is not the system you want to use. You should not be expecting a drop in replacement, Linux is different in a lot of ways. You should also not expect a flawless experience. Linux can be flawless, but it might be necessary to resolve some issues first. You will have to spend time learning it, and you will have to spend time troubleshooting. However, this experience is very rewarding, and you will end up getting a system that does exactly what you want. Some games do not work, no matter what you do. The primary reason for this is that some anti cheat software will just kick you. As of 14-11-22 this will happen in about 50% of games with anti cheat. However your chances to run a game that will not kick you is almost 100%. Keep in mind that the experience might not be flawless, you might need to troubleshoot, there might be missing cut scenes, and there might be crashes. Currently, about 80% of the top 1000 games on Steam run without issues <ref>https://www.protondb.com/dashboard</ref>. Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better, especially if you have an AMD GPU. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends on the individual tools the modding community uses. It's often not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you. * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB of RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable (not for serious gaming of course). And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. It won't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster, though. But it has significantly less overhead than Windows, so if that's the problem it will definitely help. For example, it might revive your old Laptop. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects your choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though—you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows to something like MacOS to something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is not even close to everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. Some examples of what Linux can look like: **KDE Plasma: [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/articles/tagline_images/528481101id19192gol.jpg 1][https://news-cdn.softpedia.com/images/news2/kde-plasma-5-15-desktop-environment-officially-released-here-s-what-s-new-524922-8.jpg 2][https://www.lffl.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/garuda-linux-dr460nized-1400x788.png 3][https://ubuntuhandbook.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/preview-arc-dark.jpg 4][https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RQLcqtqS-YA/XHTsrV6x_-I/AAAAAAAAU0Y/eKJma9C7vsITXzcDklMTaOXgUdVqBIvWgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot_20190226_073620.png 5][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 6][https://i.redd.it/lvubg0sxnl641.png 7][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 8][https://i.redd.it/8mz4z5kybs631.png 9][https://i.redd.it/jup9nde0f0l81.png 10][https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FEMS88kEx_8/maxresdefault.jpg 11][https://i.redd.it/f6ywf9pncpy31.png 12][https://i.imgur.com/kYX3ewJ.png 13][https://forum.endeavouros.com/uploads/default/original/2X/6/6e6c1619652607552c45b001ad2dbfb9d01ea21d.jpeg 14][https://i.redd.it/e4w1uvk48fr81.jpg 15][https://i.redd.it/0x4pz8o10xq81.png 16][https://i.redd.it/7a5mwp393jo81.png 17][https://i.redd.it/cv5gc2tne4r81.png 18] [https://i.redd.it/t65bae91v3s81.jpg 19] [https://64.media.tumblr.com/9bda2b57523402c142d4f797c8ad0093/d629d44890280e21-7d/s1280x1920/ad696bc813582410c77f9879cc0334b76ab252ea.jpg 20] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/comments/eor4up/plasma_cyberpunk_desktop/ 21] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=plasma&sort=top and] [https://store.kde.org/browse?cat=104&ord=rating more] **GNOME: [https://forum.garudalinux.org/uploads/default/optimized/2X/e/e6d6150878051d075fb6d8548f5314fcf6c7bf28_2_1035x646.jpeg 1][https://www.cmscritic.com/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cloudinary/pop-os-review-4_hhslpt.png 2][https://i.redd.it/jt3xl3e2qak61.png 3][https://pingvinus.ru/files/news/manjaro-20-1/manjaro-20.1-gnome.jpg 4][http://www.jetestelinux.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/manjaro_gnome_1710_mode_nuit.jpg 5][https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/f8e04f89-e155-4926-972e-76e0955933eb/dak2iyb-e5931cb1-e722-43f8-a1ed-63361f901ab9.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2Y4ZTA0Zjg5LWUxNTUtNDkyNi05NzJlLTc2ZTA5NTU5MzNlYlwvZGFrMml5Yi1lNTkzMWNiMS1lNzIyLTQzZjgtYTFlZC02MzM2MWY5MDFhYjkucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.zwpBVOqCfSFqWRDNz1fnEgVkyyXgrj_3NoJNLa0Zlzw 6][https://i.redd.it/b06ms6vfe0r81.png 7][https://i.redd.it/uvenc4r0dun81.png 8][https://i.redd.it/kw1enzggqmo81.png 9][https://i.redd.it/gdtwdhbk4tr81.png 10][https://i.redd.it/uk9uihckcsd41.png 11] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=gnome&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&sort=top and] [https://www.gnome-look.org/browse?ord=rating more] **Tiling window managers: [https://pic3.zhimg.com/v2-bad01545e1f69cc0a94633ff771b72e3_1200x500.jpg 1][https://preview.redd.it/f2jg3znpr1g31.png?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=9b64dde84ccb1e0ba20e8bba5ee6516123273bd2 2][https://pingvinus.ru/cr_images/userpicture/n/1938-0.png 3][https://i.redd.it/rpojcv4d3nr81.png 4][https://i.redd.it/lkviraiador81.png 5][https://i.redd.it/or7veqoicdq81.png 6][https://i.redd.it/ptbibz0gdk861.png 7] **[https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/ and many more] * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal Windows filesystem. Of course this doesn't apply to all games, so your mileage may vary. * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so (again) your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. Almost all software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == == References and Notes == b589503a6ee6877a8c2f8bae20837a12656447bf 1210 1209 2022-11-14T18:20:42Z Aragorn 3 /* Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get everything working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Gaming on Linux is more complicated than gaming on Windows. If you want a computer that just works, then Linux is not the system you want to use. You should not be expecting a drop in replacement, Linux is different in a lot of ways. You should also not expect a flawless experience. Linux can be flawless, but it might be necessary to resolve some issues first. You will have to spend time learning it, and you will have to spend time troubleshooting. However, this experience is very rewarding, and you will end up getting a system that does exactly what you want. Some games do not work, no matter what you do. The primary reason for this is that some anti cheat software will just kick you. As of 14-11-22 this will happen in about 50% of games with anti cheat. However your chances to run a game that will not kick you is almost 100%. Keep in mind that the experience might not be flawless, you might need to troubleshoot, there might be missing cut scenes, and there might be crashes. Currently, about 80% of the top 1000 games on Steam run without issues <ref>https://www.protondb.com/dashboard</ref>. Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better, especially if you have an AMD GPU. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch 2, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. See https://areweanticheatyet.com/ to get detailed information about specific games. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends on the individual tools the modding community uses. It's often not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you. * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB of RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable (not for serious gaming of course). And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. It won't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster, though. But it has significantly less overhead than Windows, so if that's the problem it will definitely help. For example, it might revive your old Laptop. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects your choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though—you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows to something like MacOS to something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is not even close to everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. Some examples of what Linux can look like: **KDE Plasma: [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/articles/tagline_images/528481101id19192gol.jpg 1][https://news-cdn.softpedia.com/images/news2/kde-plasma-5-15-desktop-environment-officially-released-here-s-what-s-new-524922-8.jpg 2][https://www.lffl.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/garuda-linux-dr460nized-1400x788.png 3][https://ubuntuhandbook.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/preview-arc-dark.jpg 4][https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RQLcqtqS-YA/XHTsrV6x_-I/AAAAAAAAU0Y/eKJma9C7vsITXzcDklMTaOXgUdVqBIvWgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot_20190226_073620.png 5][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 6][https://i.redd.it/lvubg0sxnl641.png 7][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 8][https://i.redd.it/8mz4z5kybs631.png 9][https://i.redd.it/jup9nde0f0l81.png 10][https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FEMS88kEx_8/maxresdefault.jpg 11][https://i.redd.it/f6ywf9pncpy31.png 12][https://i.imgur.com/kYX3ewJ.png 13][https://forum.endeavouros.com/uploads/default/original/2X/6/6e6c1619652607552c45b001ad2dbfb9d01ea21d.jpeg 14][https://i.redd.it/e4w1uvk48fr81.jpg 15][https://i.redd.it/0x4pz8o10xq81.png 16][https://i.redd.it/7a5mwp393jo81.png 17][https://i.redd.it/cv5gc2tne4r81.png 18] [https://i.redd.it/t65bae91v3s81.jpg 19] [https://64.media.tumblr.com/9bda2b57523402c142d4f797c8ad0093/d629d44890280e21-7d/s1280x1920/ad696bc813582410c77f9879cc0334b76ab252ea.jpg 20] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/comments/eor4up/plasma_cyberpunk_desktop/ 21] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=plasma&sort=top and] [https://store.kde.org/browse?cat=104&ord=rating more] **GNOME: [https://forum.garudalinux.org/uploads/default/optimized/2X/e/e6d6150878051d075fb6d8548f5314fcf6c7bf28_2_1035x646.jpeg 1][https://www.cmscritic.com/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cloudinary/pop-os-review-4_hhslpt.png 2][https://i.redd.it/jt3xl3e2qak61.png 3][https://pingvinus.ru/files/news/manjaro-20-1/manjaro-20.1-gnome.jpg 4][http://www.jetestelinux.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/manjaro_gnome_1710_mode_nuit.jpg 5][https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/f8e04f89-e155-4926-972e-76e0955933eb/dak2iyb-e5931cb1-e722-43f8-a1ed-63361f901ab9.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2Y4ZTA0Zjg5LWUxNTUtNDkyNi05NzJlLTc2ZTA5NTU5MzNlYlwvZGFrMml5Yi1lNTkzMWNiMS1lNzIyLTQzZjgtYTFlZC02MzM2MWY5MDFhYjkucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.zwpBVOqCfSFqWRDNz1fnEgVkyyXgrj_3NoJNLa0Zlzw 6][https://i.redd.it/b06ms6vfe0r81.png 7][https://i.redd.it/uvenc4r0dun81.png 8][https://i.redd.it/kw1enzggqmo81.png 9][https://i.redd.it/gdtwdhbk4tr81.png 10][https://i.redd.it/uk9uihckcsd41.png 11] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=gnome&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&sort=top and] [https://www.gnome-look.org/browse?ord=rating more] **Tiling window managers: [https://pic3.zhimg.com/v2-bad01545e1f69cc0a94633ff771b72e3_1200x500.jpg 1][https://preview.redd.it/f2jg3znpr1g31.png?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=9b64dde84ccb1e0ba20e8bba5ee6516123273bd2 2][https://pingvinus.ru/cr_images/userpicture/n/1938-0.png 3][https://i.redd.it/rpojcv4d3nr81.png 4][https://i.redd.it/lkviraiador81.png 5][https://i.redd.it/or7veqoicdq81.png 6][https://i.redd.it/ptbibz0gdk861.png 7] **[https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/ and many more] * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal Windows filesystem. Of course this doesn't apply to all games, so your mileage may vary. * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so (again) your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. Almost all software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == == References and Notes == 54d6d7d33ba3f4bb0041abc69cec2000a21d044f 1211 1210 2022-11-14T18:21:36Z Aragorn 3 /* Genres */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get everything working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Gaming on Linux is more complicated than gaming on Windows. If you want a computer that just works, then Linux is not the system you want to use. You should not be expecting a drop in replacement, Linux is different in a lot of ways. You should also not expect a flawless experience. Linux can be flawless, but it might be necessary to resolve some issues first. You will have to spend time learning it, and you will have to spend time troubleshooting. However, this experience is very rewarding, and you will end up getting a system that does exactly what you want. Some games do not work, no matter what you do. The primary reason for this is that some anti cheat software will just kick you. As of 14-11-22 this will happen in about 50% of games with anti cheat. However your chances to run a game that will not kick you is almost 100%. Keep in mind that the experience might not be flawless, you might need to troubleshoot, there might be missing cut scenes, and there might be crashes. Currently, about 80% of the top 1000 games on Steam run without issues <ref>https://www.protondb.com/dashboard</ref>. Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better, especially if you have an AMD GPU. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch 2, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. See https://areweanticheatyet.com/ to get detailed information about specific games. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. See https://areweanticheatyet.com/ to get detailed information about specific games. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends on the individual tools the modding community uses. It's often not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you. * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB of RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable (not for serious gaming of course). And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. It won't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster, though. But it has significantly less overhead than Windows, so if that's the problem it will definitely help. For example, it might revive your old Laptop. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects your choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though—you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows to something like MacOS to something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is not even close to everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. Some examples of what Linux can look like: **KDE Plasma: [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/articles/tagline_images/528481101id19192gol.jpg 1][https://news-cdn.softpedia.com/images/news2/kde-plasma-5-15-desktop-environment-officially-released-here-s-what-s-new-524922-8.jpg 2][https://www.lffl.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/garuda-linux-dr460nized-1400x788.png 3][https://ubuntuhandbook.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/preview-arc-dark.jpg 4][https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RQLcqtqS-YA/XHTsrV6x_-I/AAAAAAAAU0Y/eKJma9C7vsITXzcDklMTaOXgUdVqBIvWgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot_20190226_073620.png 5][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 6][https://i.redd.it/lvubg0sxnl641.png 7][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 8][https://i.redd.it/8mz4z5kybs631.png 9][https://i.redd.it/jup9nde0f0l81.png 10][https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FEMS88kEx_8/maxresdefault.jpg 11][https://i.redd.it/f6ywf9pncpy31.png 12][https://i.imgur.com/kYX3ewJ.png 13][https://forum.endeavouros.com/uploads/default/original/2X/6/6e6c1619652607552c45b001ad2dbfb9d01ea21d.jpeg 14][https://i.redd.it/e4w1uvk48fr81.jpg 15][https://i.redd.it/0x4pz8o10xq81.png 16][https://i.redd.it/7a5mwp393jo81.png 17][https://i.redd.it/cv5gc2tne4r81.png 18] [https://i.redd.it/t65bae91v3s81.jpg 19] [https://64.media.tumblr.com/9bda2b57523402c142d4f797c8ad0093/d629d44890280e21-7d/s1280x1920/ad696bc813582410c77f9879cc0334b76ab252ea.jpg 20] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/comments/eor4up/plasma_cyberpunk_desktop/ 21] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=plasma&sort=top and] [https://store.kde.org/browse?cat=104&ord=rating more] **GNOME: [https://forum.garudalinux.org/uploads/default/optimized/2X/e/e6d6150878051d075fb6d8548f5314fcf6c7bf28_2_1035x646.jpeg 1][https://www.cmscritic.com/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cloudinary/pop-os-review-4_hhslpt.png 2][https://i.redd.it/jt3xl3e2qak61.png 3][https://pingvinus.ru/files/news/manjaro-20-1/manjaro-20.1-gnome.jpg 4][http://www.jetestelinux.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/manjaro_gnome_1710_mode_nuit.jpg 5][https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/f8e04f89-e155-4926-972e-76e0955933eb/dak2iyb-e5931cb1-e722-43f8-a1ed-63361f901ab9.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2Y4ZTA0Zjg5LWUxNTUtNDkyNi05NzJlLTc2ZTA5NTU5MzNlYlwvZGFrMml5Yi1lNTkzMWNiMS1lNzIyLTQzZjgtYTFlZC02MzM2MWY5MDFhYjkucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.zwpBVOqCfSFqWRDNz1fnEgVkyyXgrj_3NoJNLa0Zlzw 6][https://i.redd.it/b06ms6vfe0r81.png 7][https://i.redd.it/uvenc4r0dun81.png 8][https://i.redd.it/kw1enzggqmo81.png 9][https://i.redd.it/gdtwdhbk4tr81.png 10][https://i.redd.it/uk9uihckcsd41.png 11] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=gnome&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&sort=top and] [https://www.gnome-look.org/browse?ord=rating more] **Tiling window managers: [https://pic3.zhimg.com/v2-bad01545e1f69cc0a94633ff771b72e3_1200x500.jpg 1][https://preview.redd.it/f2jg3znpr1g31.png?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=9b64dde84ccb1e0ba20e8bba5ee6516123273bd2 2][https://pingvinus.ru/cr_images/userpicture/n/1938-0.png 3][https://i.redd.it/rpojcv4d3nr81.png 4][https://i.redd.it/lkviraiador81.png 5][https://i.redd.it/or7veqoicdq81.png 6][https://i.redd.it/ptbibz0gdk861.png 7] **[https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/ and many more] * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal Windows filesystem. Of course this doesn't apply to all games, so your mileage may vary. * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so (again) your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. Almost all software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == == References and Notes == fc74fe9c4d938aa54245cec563846a0de841c06f 0 2 1213 1152 2022-11-16T19:45:24Z 103.173.121.89 0 Replaced content with "1zqjmb'"(){}<x>:/1zqjmb;9" wikitext text/x-wiki 1zqjmb'"(){}<x>:/1zqjmb;9 1bb645bebeea5bf05ac5ef30301d00fa5c1c2c94 1214 1213 2022-11-16T20:02:29Z 82.69.48.215 0 Undo revision 1213 by [[Special:Contributions/103.173.121.89|103.173.121.89]] ([[User talk:103.173.121.89|talk]]) wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. **For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome, preferably GNOME for Wayland. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://gamer-os.github.io/ GamerOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable, for example [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here]. |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is hard, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base desktop and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). However, only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. The installation of Arch is hard also, but if you can read and follow instructions on the installation guide then it shouldn't be a problem. To make it easier, use archinstall. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |Gentoo |Gentoo is a good distribution for gaming actually. BUT: It's very complicated, takes a lot of time to install, and requires you to build every package which is time consuming. Plus, if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |- |AmogOS |It might have a funny name, but it's not a mature distribution. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |LFS | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 0c9a61c825ea68332f483d43ccb605992263f7c4 1215 1214 2022-11-17T09:31:01Z Aragorn 3 /* Recommendations */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. **For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome, preferably GNOME for Wayland. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable, for example [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here]. |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is hard, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base desktop and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). However, only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. The installation of Arch is hard also, but if you can read and follow instructions on the installation guide then it shouldn't be a problem. To make it easier, use archinstall. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |Gentoo |Gentoo is a good distribution for gaming actually. BUT: It's very complicated, takes a lot of time to install, and requires you to build every package which is time consuming. Plus, if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |- |AmogOS |It might have a funny name, but it's not a mature distribution. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |LFS | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 46db231e00b15503882e8f24138d8c26e2bb1b6e 1230 1215 2022-11-26T01:32:53Z Aragorn 3 Add DEs wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. **For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from Gnome. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Features !comparable to |- |KDE |Customizable, full featured |Windows 10/11 |- |Gnome |Very clean, but not easy to customize |MacOS |- |Lxde | |Windows 2000 |- |Xfce | |Windows XP |- |Mate | | |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use |Windows 7 |- |Pantheon |Not great for gaming | |} === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome, preferably GNOME for Wayland. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable, for example [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here]. |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is hard, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base desktop and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). However, only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. The installation of Arch is hard also, but if you can read and follow instructions on the installation guide then it shouldn't be a problem. To make it easier, use archinstall. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |Gentoo |Gentoo is a good distribution for gaming actually. BUT: It's very complicated, takes a lot of time to install, and requires you to build every package which is time consuming. Plus, if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |- |AmogOS |It might have a funny name, but it's not a mature distribution. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |LFS | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> c30da5cda4f2e39587a790bf6b6c44dc34d89545 1231 1230 2022-11-26T01:43:18Z Aragorn 3 /* Desktop Environments */ add videos wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. **For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from Gnome. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Features !comparable to !Video |- |KDE |Customizable, full featured |Windows 10/11 |https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 |- |Gnome |Very clean, but not easy to customize |MacOS |https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E |- |Lxde | |Windows 2000 | |- |Xfce | |Windows XP | |- |Mate | | | |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use |Windows 7 | |- |Pantheon |Not great for gaming | | |} === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome, preferably GNOME for Wayland. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable, for example [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here]. |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is hard, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base desktop and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). However, only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. The installation of Arch is hard also, but if you can read and follow instructions on the installation guide then it shouldn't be a problem. To make it easier, use archinstall. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |Gentoo |Gentoo is a good distribution for gaming actually. BUT: It's very complicated, takes a lot of time to install, and requires you to build every package which is time consuming. Plus, if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |- |AmogOS |It might have a funny name, but it's not a mature distribution. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |LFS | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 34f5f51417ec1d2546b65b14177c7b8fcdcb603b 1232 1231 2022-11-26T01:49:21Z Aragorn 3 /* Desktop Environments */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. **For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from Gnome. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Features !comparable to !More Infos |- |KDE |Customizable, full featured |Windows 10/11 |https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ |- |Gnome |Very clean, but not easy to customize |MacOS |https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E https://www.gnome.org/ |- |Lxde | |Windows 2000 | |- |Xfce | |Windows XP | |- |Mate | | | |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use |Windows 7 | |- |Pantheon |Not great for gaming | | |} === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome, preferably GNOME for Wayland. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable, for example [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here]. |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is hard, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base desktop and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). However, only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. The installation of Arch is hard also, but if you can read and follow instructions on the installation guide then it shouldn't be a problem. To make it easier, use archinstall. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |Gentoo |Gentoo is a good distribution for gaming actually. BUT: It's very complicated, takes a lot of time to install, and requires you to build every package which is time consuming. Plus, if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |- |AmogOS |It might have a funny name, but it's not a mature distribution. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |LFS | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 6b89bf41a130350752eaa123aba88f8b341413a6 1240 1232 2022-12-02T11:34:58Z Aragorn 3 /* Desktop Environments */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. **For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from Gnome. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Features !comparable to !approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE |Customizable, full featured |Windows 10/11 |500MB |https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ |- |Gnome |Very clean, but not easy to customize |MacOS |1GB |https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E https://www.gnome.org/ |- |Lxde | |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Xfce | |Windows XP |500MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Pantheon |Not great for gaming | | | |} === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome, preferably GNOME for Wayland. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable, for example [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here]. |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is hard, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base desktop and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). However, only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. The installation of Arch is hard also, but if you can read and follow instructions on the installation guide then it shouldn't be a problem. To make it easier, use archinstall. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |Gentoo |Gentoo is a good distribution for gaming actually. BUT: It's very complicated, takes a lot of time to install, and requires you to build every package which is time consuming. Plus, if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |- |AmogOS |It might have a funny name, but it's not a mature distribution. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |LFS | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 201e831827e6b1eafb73090b99bd77cc805bd430 1241 1240 2022-12-02T11:48:41Z Aragorn 3 /* Desktop Environments */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. **For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from Gnome. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Features !comparable to !approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Customizable, full featured |Windows 10/11 |500MB |https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ |- |Gnome |Very clean, but not easy to customize |MacOS |1GB |https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E https://www.gnome.org/ |- |LXDE | |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Xfce | |Windows XP |500MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Pantheon |Not great for gaming | | | |} === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome, preferably GNOME for Wayland. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable, for example [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here]. |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is hard, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base desktop and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). However, only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. The installation of Arch is hard also, but if you can read and follow instructions on the installation guide then it shouldn't be a problem. To make it easier, use archinstall. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |Gentoo |Gentoo is a good distribution for gaming actually. BUT: It's very complicated, takes a lot of time to install, and requires you to build every package which is time consuming. Plus, if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |- |AmogOS |It might have a funny name, but it's not a mature distribution. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |LFS | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> a857f94cb7c482b464f52563bc2084e829fd18e9 1242 1241 2022-12-02T11:49:11Z Aragorn 3 /* Desktop Environments */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. **For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from Gnome. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Features !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Customizable, full featured |Windows 10/11 |500MB |https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ |- |Gnome |Very clean, but not easy to customize |MacOS |1GB |https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E https://www.gnome.org/ |- |LXDE | |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Xfce | |Windows XP |500MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Pantheon |Not great for gaming | | | |} === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome, preferably GNOME for Wayland. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now that I've explained that, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable, for example [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here]. |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is hard, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base desktop and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). However, only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. The installation of Arch is hard also, but if you can read and follow instructions on the installation guide then it shouldn't be a problem. To make it easier, use archinstall. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |Gentoo |Gentoo is a good distribution for gaming actually. BUT: It's very complicated, takes a lot of time to install, and requires you to build every package which is time consuming. Plus, if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |- |AmogOS |It might have a funny name, but it's not a mature distribution. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |LFS | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> a3f435207e9cb70c25d7a78098eb02efc66840e0 1243 1242 2022-12-02T11:52:25Z Aragorn 3 /* Avoid Problems */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. **For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from Gnome. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Features !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Customizable, full featured |Windows 10/11 |500MB |https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ |- |Gnome |Very clean, but not easy to customize |MacOS |1GB |https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E https://www.gnome.org/ |- |LXDE | |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Xfce | |Windows XP |500MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Pantheon |Not great for gaming | | | |} === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome, preferably GNOME for Wayland. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable, for example [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here]. |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is hard, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base desktop and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). However, only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. The installation of Arch is hard also, but if you can read and follow instructions on the installation guide then it shouldn't be a problem. To make it easier, use archinstall. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |Gentoo |Gentoo is a good distribution for gaming actually. BUT: It's very complicated, takes a lot of time to install, and requires you to build every package which is time consuming. Plus, if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |- |AmogOS |It might have a funny name, but it's not a mature distribution. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |LFS | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 579cfff36e31e470b305932179e60e27ed3b2259 1244 1243 2022-12-02T11:59:17Z Aragorn 3 /* Recommendations */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. **For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from Gnome. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Features !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Customizable, full featured |Windows 10/11 |500MB |https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ |- |Gnome |Very clean, but not easy to customize |MacOS |1GB |https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E https://www.gnome.org/ |- |LXDE | |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Xfce | |Windows XP |500MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Pantheon |Not great for gaming | | | |} === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome, preferably GNOME for Wayland. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable, for example [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here]. |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is hard, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base desktop and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you do a default configuration, it will probably not be better than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. The installation of Arch is hard also, but if you can read and follow instructions on the installation guide then it shouldn't be a problem. To make it easier, use archinstall. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |Gentoo |Gentoo is a good distribution for gaming actually. BUT: It's very complicated, takes a lot of time to install, and requires you to build every package which is time consuming. Plus, if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |- |AmogOS |It might have a funny name, but it's not a mature distribution. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |LFS | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 2e9ed2a881cce7e0019bdf46fe64d18b21f7aa23 1255 1244 2022-12-07T23:57:44Z Aragorn 3 /* Recommendations */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. **For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from Gnome. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Features !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Customizable, full featured |Windows 10/11 |500MB |https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ |- |Gnome |Very clean, but not easy to customize |MacOS |1GB |https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E https://www.gnome.org/ |- |LXDE | |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Xfce | |Windows XP |500MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Pantheon |Not great for gaming | | | |} === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome, preferably GNOME for Wayland. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable, for example [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here]. |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base desktop and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you do a default configuration, it will probably not be better than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. The installation of Arch is hard also, but if you can read and follow instructions on the installation guide then it shouldn't be a problem. To make it easier, use archinstall. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |Gentoo |Gentoo is a good distribution for gaming actually. BUT: It's very complicated, takes a lot of time to install, and requires you to build every package which is time consuming. Plus, if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |- |AmogOS |It might have a funny name, but it's not a mature distribution. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |LFS | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 393e6de05cd3f7fff87c23ad11e40014f943172e 0 3 1223 1160 2022-11-22T01:18:00Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki FSR can be used to get better performance in games at the cost of visuals. It is comparable with DLSS, but can be applied to every game. There are several modes from ultra quality to maximum performance. For example, it is possible to double your FPS with very little visual loss. FSR only works if the game is GPU limited (your GPU runs at 100%). Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The performance difference might be even bigger if your VRAM is not big enough. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Setup with Wine == === Basic setup === * Set <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR=1</code> as [[Environment variables|environment variable]], or use the switch in Lutris/Bottles * In game set your setting according to the table on page 10 of [https://github.com/GPUOpen-Effects/FidelityFX-FSR/blob/master/docs/FidelityFX-FSR-Overview-Integration.pdf this] document: For example, if you want to have Ultra Quality, and your output resolution (the resolution of your actualy monitor) is 1920x1080, you set your ingame resolution to 1477x831. Other resolutions also work, but you might get black bars if the aspect ratio is not the native one of your monitor. Setting your ingame resolution to your output resolution disables FSR. * In game ** Enable anti aliasing (TAA, MSAA, FXAA, ...) ** Disable effects that generate noise (like Motion Blur, Blur, Chromatic Aberration, Sharpening, etc.) * You need a patched version of Wine or Proton, for example the TKG, or GE version. Default versions in Lutris and Bottles work fine. === More configuration options === You can add more options with [[environment variables]]: * <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR_STRENGTH=4</code> This sharpens the image. 4 is an example value. 0 is maximum sharpness, higher values mean less sharpening. (I think 5 is the maximum. If you know more, please edit this.) The default is 2 but this is probably too much for your game. Just experiment with different values. * <code>WINE_VULKAN_NEGATIVE_MIP_BIAS=45</code> This results in textures with higher resolution. 45 is an example value. AMD recommends: {| class="wikitable" !Quality Setting !MIP Bias |- |Ultra Quality |38 |- |Quality |58 |- |Balanced |79 |- |Performance |100 |} * <code>WINE_VULKAN_BIAS_ALL_SAMPLER=1</code> This applies the MIP Bias to everything. 1 is enabled, 0 is disabled. This can result in weird game behaviour. === Examples === * [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/q3dl6y/witcher_3_fsr_is_working_great/ Witcher 3] == Setup with Gamescope == You can enable FSR in [[Gamescope]] with <code>gamescope -U --fsr-sharpness 4 --</code> as command prefix. 4 is an example value, replace it by something between 0 (max) and 20 (min). This also works for native games. == FSR 2 == FSR 2 provides far better graphics quality than FSR 1. However, it is needs support from the game. If the game only supports DLSS, you can often use a mod to translate DLSS to FSR 2. a85dc8f561dd74764be41007075652b807524745 0 33 1227 1179 2022-11-22T10:33:58Z Aragorn 3 /* Dangers of the terminal */ wikitext text/x-wiki The terminal is the black thing with text you probably have already seen in some hacker movies. It might look scary, but it basically works like a voice assistant with text input. If you see instructions in the form of <code>sudo pacman -Q | grep -i -C 10 "apt"</code>, then this is something you have to put into the terminal. == How to use the terminal == '''Where do I find the terminal?''' You will probably find it somewhere in your menu. It might have a name like Gnome-Terminal, Konsole, Xterm, Terminator, or something else. It will probably have an icon that looks vaguely like a terminal (black background, white text). '''How does the terminal work?''' You write a line of text, you press enter, and you look at what happens. The terminal usually tells you if something goes wrong. Sometimes you need to press additional buttons like <code>y</code> for "yes" or <code>n</code> for "no". '''Should I read the output?''' Yes, it might contain warnings. However: Sometimes the output is very long, for example if you install software. In this case, you don't have to read everything. The important stuff will be at the end. If you have problems and look for help in forums, always include the output from the terminal. '''Should I take warnings seriously?''' YES! [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average "You could harm your computer" bullshit you are used to from Windows.] '''Is the terminal dangerous?''' It might look scary, but it's not dangerous. If you write something wrong, it will just tell you that it's wrong - your computer will not explode. However, things can go wrong, more in the next section. '''How can I learn using it?''' Look here: https://linuxjourney.com/ == Dangers of the terminal == '''So should I just input whatever I find at some random place in the internet?''' NO! You should not copy/paste stuff from untrusted sources (like this wiki - everyone can edit it) if you don't understand what you're doing. The commands might be malicious. For example, if you would type the following, you would delete everything on your computer, and potentially destroy your motherboard: <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> '''<big>DO NOT DO THIS!</big>''' There is no situation where it would be a good thing to input the following command. It will delete your system, it will delete other mounted drives (like Windows, external drives, your game drive, whatever), and it might '''permanently''' '''destroy''' your motherboard. <code>sudo rm -rf / --no-preserve-root</code> Don't do it. Seriously. Not for fun, not because you don't need your system anymore. Just don't. </div> Other commands may uninstall your graphical user interface, or install a remote access for hackers. '''This sounds scary!''' Don't be afraid. Malicious tutorials for Linux are rarer than malware for Windows (I don't even know if this ever happened somewhere), and if someone did write one, it would probably get noticed and removed very fast. If you're fine with installing software on Windows, you should be fine with tutorials for Linux. But still. Be wary. '''Could I harm my computer if I type malicious commands by accident?''' Accidentally typing a command that installs malware is near impossible. However you can absolutely delete important files by accident. For example, you could want to do <code>rm -r ~/images/bad_images</code> to remove some bad images. However, if you accidentally hit <code>enter</code> instead of <code>/</code> after typing <code>rm -r ~/images</code> you will remove ''all'' images. Be alert when using dangerous commands, or use less dangerous commands instead! For example, you can use <code>trash</code> instead of <code>rm</code>, it will move into the recycle bin instead of deleting. '''So as long as I don't type --no-preserve-root, everything is fine?''' No. The terminal is a way to operate your computer. It will do exactly what you tell it to do. If you tell it to remove all your important files, it will do just that. In the same way you might harm your computer with the GUI, you might as well harm it with the terminal. However, you definitely have more options to fuck things up when using the terminal. For example, always be careful, when running <code>sudo</code>. This is the equivalent to "Administrator access", but much more powerful. You should always avoid running a ''root-shell'' (a shell where you have sudo access without typing sudo). You would detect it by the # symbol at the beginning of each line. But note, that you can do all kind of bad stuff in your home directory (the place where all your important files are), without typing <code>sudo</code>. Always think before typing something, and especially think before pressing enter. Also note, that <code>rm</code> actually ''removes'' files, and doesn't just move them to the trash bin. Always be careful when using <code>rm</code>. If you want to have extra safety, you can use <code>trash</code> instead, it will move files to the trash bin. '''What else can go wrong?''' There might be instances where you copy a command from some website, and you also copy the "enter command". This might lead to ''enter'' being automatically pressed at the end of the line, and the command being executed without additional interaction by you. If you want to modify the command before executing it, this would be unintended behavior. To prevent it, you can copy to a text editor first, modify the commands, and then copy to the terminal. Malicious websites could even alter what you copy. It's always a good idea to paste in a text editor before you paste into the terminal. == Other stuff you should know == If you have a folder <code>foo</code> and in it a folder <code>bar</code>, you would write this as <code>foo/bar</code>. The topmost folder is <code>/</code>. This means, that every path on your computer looks like this: <code>/path/to/some/file.txt</code> === Common commands === Go to a folder: <code>cd <folder_name></code>. List files: <code>ls</code> Copy: <code>cp <nowiki><source> <target></nowiki></code> Copy a folder: <code>cp -r <nowiki><source> <target></nowiki></code> Move: <code>mv <nowiki><source> <target></nowiki></code> Symlink: <code>ln -s <nowiki><source> <target></nowiki></code> Rename: <code>mv <nowiki><source> <target></nowiki></code> Edit: <code>nano <file_name></code> Delete: <code>rm <file_name></code> (better alternative: <code>trash <file_name></code><s>)</s> Delete folder: <code>rm -r <folder_name></code> (better alternative: <code>trash -r <folder_name></code>) Do something as <code>root</code> (the equivalent to the windows administrator): <code>sudo <command></code> === Path Abbreviations === <code>~</code> is an abbreviation for <code>/home/<username></code> (where <code><username></code> is your actual username. If your username is ''peter'', this would be <code>/home/peter</code>), so paths to files in your ''home directory'' (the place where all your personal files are, look like this: <code>~/path/to/some/file.txt</code>. <code>.</code> is an abbreviation for the folder you are currently in. For example if you are in <code>~/.var/app/</code>, <code>.</code> would be <code>~/.var/app/</code>. This is especially useful if you want to execute a script that's inside your current folder: <code>./<script_name></code>, or if you need the path you are currently in, but don't want to type it, for example to search a file inside your current folder or a subfolder: <code>find . | grep -i <file_name></code>. <code>..</code> is an abbreviation for the parent of the folder you are currently in. For example if you are in <code>~/.var/app/</code>, <code>..</code> would be <code>~/.var/</code>. This is especially useful change the directory to the parent folder: <code>cd ..</code> fdc8f967cc7c7a7c327002f9d1b8cf651164fc59 0 6 1228 12 2022-11-25T11:36:20Z Aragorn 3 /* I want to buy a new GPU, what vendor is the best choice for performance? */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{Needs work|Problem=This page is heavily outdated}} == Distributions == '''What Linux distro is best for gaming?''' Almost any current distribution is fine for gaming. If you're planning on using the official proprietary drivers from Nvidia, Ubuntu and Linux Mint in particular allow for relatively easy installation of these drivers, and are typically officially supported by game developers and online stores. AMD's new 'hybrid' Pro beta driver is currently only officially supported on Ubuntu 16.04 and Red Hat Enterprise. For open source drivers distributions with up to date versions of Mesa are recommended such as the latest version of Ubuntu, or rolling release distributions. == Hardware / Drivers == === I want to buy a new GPU, what vendor is the best choice for performance? === AMD usually performs better than AMD, and also performs better than on Windows. Nvidia performs slightly worse than on Windows on average. === I want to buy a new GPU, what vendor is the best choice for open drivers? === AMD has several officially supported open source OpenGL drivers covering hardware from the last 10+ years that are part of the [https://www.mesa3d.org/ Mesa project]. These drivers provide good framerates in most games, as well as OpenGL 4.5 support and Vulkan support for most applicable hardware. For users whose primary interest is staying up to date with the latest open source technology AMD is the best choice. Some games currently support AMD hardware only through the open source driver, be sure to check a games requirements. === What about AMD's new hybrid driver? === AMD's hybrid AMDGPU Pro driver provides performance on-par with their Windows driver, has OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan support, and uses a open source kernel module with closed source OpenGL and Vulkan libraries. '''Hardware compatibility with this driver is currently limited to:''' * Second-generation GCN: R9 390X, R9 390, R9 290 X, R9 290, R9 360, R7 260 X, R7 260; * Third-generation GCN: Fury X, Fury, R9 Nano, R9 380X, R9 380, R9 285; * Fourth-generation GCN: RX 480, RX 470, RX 460; AMD plans to support all GCN hardware in the future. === Can I use my old AMD card with Pre-GCN hardware for gaming on GNU/Linux? === Older AMD hardware is supported via the open source drivers from the [https://www.mesa3d.org/ Mesa project]. These can provide up to OpenGL 4.4 support on certain GPUs, support modern distributions, and can provide playable framerates in many games. === Can I use Intel graphics for gaming on GNU/Linux? === Intel's open source Mesa driver can provide acceptable performance on recent chips with 4000 series GPUs or better. As of Mesa 13 (Fall 2016) the most recent Intel GPUs will provide OpenGL 4.5 support. === Can I use an Nvidia card for gaming on GNU/Linux with the open source drivers? === The open source Mesa driver can provide playable frame rates in many games if your GPU supports power management. As of Mesa 12 (Fall 2016) Nvidia GPUs supported by Mesa NVC0 will provide OpenGL 4.3 support and preliminary support for OpenGL 4.5. === There's a game I want to play but the brand of card I have or the open source drivers aren't listed. Does that mean I can't play it? === There are a number of reasons why a game won't list support for a particular brand of card or will only declare support on a certain driver other than the game not working. One factor currently facing porting companies is they typically only officially support the long term support versions of Ubuntu which are frequently behind the latest version of Mesa. So even if a game works well on Mesa 13, it may not work well or at all on Mesa 11.2 which is provided out of the box by Ubuntu 16.04 based distibutions. If you're unsure of whether a game will work on the open drivers a search for the name of the game plus the name of the open source drivers is a good first step. === More Driver Information === See the wiki page on [http://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers Graphics drivers] for a more thorough overview of the current driver situation in Linux. === I need help choosing parts for a Linux gaming PC === Check out [https://www.reddit.com/r/buildalinuxpc /r/buildalinuxpc] or [https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc /r/buildapc] and say that you're building a Linux system. == Getting System Information == When asking for support, people need several key pieces of information to help troubleshoot your problems, as mentioned in the sidebar. You probably know things like your system specs and what distro you installed, but there are more details that are usually needed to pinpoint the cause of the issues you might be having. All you have to do is copy the outputs of the following command(s) from the terminal (select the text and copy using <code>Ctrl + Shift + C</code>) into your post formatted as code. You could also use Pastebin to avoid having to indent text manually in Reddit : All in one solution : Run <code>inxi -SPARM -GCDN -v1 -xGCRS</code> to get pretty much everything you need. You might want to maximize the terminal so line breaks aren't inserted in the output when you copy. This should come pre-installed, but if it isn't, on Ubuntu, you can install it by running : <code>sudo apt-get install inxi</code>. In the unlikely situation that this does not work or you are unable to install it, read on for other ways to get the info, otherwise you're done. Distribution and kernel details : * Run <code>lsb_release -a</code> to get the current release of the distro (ex. Ubuntu 16.04.1) * Run <code>uname -a</code> to get the kernel version, architecture etc. (you might want to remove your username from its output if you don't want to disclose it) Graphics hardware and drivers : * In case you don't know what graphics chipset you are running, you can run <code>lspci | grep VGA</code>. Sometimes, this doesn't give the exact model (this is the case with Intel integrated chipsets), so in that case, you can check the output of <code>grep -i chipset /var/log/Xorg.0.log</code> * To get OpenGL driver information, run <code>glxinfo | grep OpenGL</code> . If the program <code>glxinfo</code> is not found, you can install it on Ubuntu by installing the package <code>mesa-utils</code> : <code>sudo apt-get install mesa-utils</code> Other details : Hardinfo is an excellent tool that enables you to see in a GUI pretty much everything to do with your computer, but unfortunately it does not let you copy only the relevant parts, and results in a lot of clutter, so it's not recommended to use it for getting the above details. However, you can use it to check anything you're unsure of, like your hardware and peripheral models, what desktop environment you're running etc. without having to type commands in a terminal. You can install Hardinfo through its package : <code>sudo apt-get install hardinfo</code> == Compatibility Layers == === WINE === Wine (recursive backronym for Wine Is Not an Emulator) is a free and open-source compatibility layer that aims to allow application software and computer games developed for Microsoft Windows to run on Unix-like operating systems.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wine_(software)</ref> If you want to run Windows binaries (.exe, .dll etc.) on Linux without booting up a VM, you'll end up using a version of Wine. === Proton === Proton is [https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/ valve's fork] of wine + extras. === Steam Play === Steam Play is Valve's official proton integration within the steam client. === Lutris === The [https://lutris.net/downloads/ Lutris client] is similar to the steam client from a game library management stand point. It's the program you open that shows you your library of games. Lutris also provides versions of wine designed for use with lutris with [https://github.com/lutris/wine a fork]. To play Windows games, should I use Crossover or Play on Linux? Probably not. If you don't feel like using the command line to manage wine you should probably use lutris or steam. === [http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ Play on Linux] and [https://www.codeweavers.com/ CrossOver] === Both offer GUIs to manage installation of multiple Windows applications into separate "containers" (aka. wine prefixes or bottles as CrossOver calls them) so that they don't interfere with each other. Both pieces of software offer "recipes" which allow users to install various games and other types of applications by following simple, guided steps. Installation of various other components like Visual C++ runtimes, DirectX 9 redistributable packages, fonts, registry modifications, etc. are handled automatically if applications are installed this way. To determine which is best for you and your needs try them out. PlayOnLinux is free (libre) software and can be used free of charge. CrossOver is a subscription product. It has a 14 day trial period during which it will occasionally nag you to buy a sub but otherwise its functionality is not crippled. If something does not work with the trial version, it won't work with the registered one. Codeweavers, the company behind CrossOver is also a major contributor to the Wine project, employing many of the developers. Both PlayOnLinux and CrossOver can be installed at the same time, on the same machine. Even if you installed Wine using the distribution's package manager they won't interfere with each other. PlayOnLinux can use the wine build provided this way but it can also use its own wine builds. The project tends to offer both vanilla wine and wine-staging builds. CrossOver also uses its own build of Wine. === Will I be able to play xxxx game with Wine, Crossover or Play on Linux? === First you will want to check what graphics API the game uses. Currently only windows games with openGL or DX9 and lower will work with Wine. [https://appdb.winehq.org/objectManager.php?sClass=application&sTitle=Browse%20Applications&sOrderBy=appName&bAscending=true WineHQ] keeps track of windows games which can and can't work with Wine. It's a user submitted list with ratings of platinum, gold, silver, and garbage, as well, users can report any significant glitches or problems which may arise. The WineHQ FAQ is located [https://wiki.winehq.org/FAQ here]. There is currently development of DX11 support, but it's in a very early stage, and it will be a while before we will get to play DX10 / DX11 games. == Steam == === How do I know what games in my library are supported on Linux? === If you have steam installed on your PC, navigate to Library. In the search box in top left corner there's a filter. Select "STEAMOS + LINUX". === How do I ensure that my purchase of a game on Steam is treated as a "Linux" purchase, crediting the GNU/Linux platform with market share and the porting company with revenue? === * (1) purchase the game on GNU/Linux and don't play it on another platform for the first seven days (feel free launching it on GNU/Linux) * (2) if you can't purchase the game on GNU/Linux, play it on GNU/Linux and only GNU/Linux for the first seven days (or at least make sure your GNU/Linux gameplay time exceeds your windows one during that first week). Either will credit the game as a GNU/Linux purchase. Purchasing the game on mobile is considered a Windows purchase at the time, yet the sale should be accounted as a GNU/Linux one if you follow (2). === I'm on a new install of Steam and it won't open. What can I do to make it work? === This is most commonly a problem for users on the open source drivers. This is caused by stale libraries included in Valve's Steam Platform. Usually you can correct this by removing the problem files. <code>find ~/.steam/root/ \( -name "libgcc_s.so*" -o -name "libstdc++.so*" -o -name "libxcb.so*" \) -print -delete</code> On some rolling release distributions, you may need to fully disable the Steam runtime. https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/steam#Using_native_runtime == Games == === When will XXXX game be released for Linux? It was supposed to be here already. === Porting a game entails taking a windows game, written for windows, and changing the code in order for it to work in Linux. This takes time. It is also very important to know that sometimes problems can occur when doing this, and fixing those problems isn't always possible. It is also important to note that the people who do the porting, are usually a small group, and the hours it takes to do the work is shared by the small group. Delays porting games to Linux are common. You can also check the [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=calendar GamingOnLinux.com Release Calendar] for dates. === Will XXXX game be released for Linux? === The only way to find out is to write a request to the game developers, telling them you would like their game on Linux. f9d1fb25c2442e52b0e2dedf8a6067d4925642e8 1229 1228 2022-11-26T00:05:17Z Aragorn 3 /* I want to buy a new GPU, what vendor is the best choice for performance? */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{Needs work|Problem=This page is heavily outdated}} == Distributions == '''What Linux distro is best for gaming?''' Almost any current distribution is fine for gaming. If you're planning on using the official proprietary drivers from Nvidia, Ubuntu and Linux Mint in particular allow for relatively easy installation of these drivers, and are typically officially supported by game developers and online stores. AMD's new 'hybrid' Pro beta driver is currently only officially supported on Ubuntu 16.04 and Red Hat Enterprise. For open source drivers distributions with up to date versions of Mesa are recommended such as the latest version of Ubuntu, or rolling release distributions. == Hardware / Drivers == === I want to buy a new GPU, what vendor is the best choice for performance? === AMD usually performs better than Nvidia, and also better than on Windows. === I want to buy a new GPU, what vendor is the best choice for open drivers? === AMD has several officially supported open source OpenGL drivers covering hardware from the last 10+ years that are part of the [https://www.mesa3d.org/ Mesa project]. These drivers provide good framerates in most games, as well as OpenGL 4.5 support and Vulkan support for most applicable hardware. For users whose primary interest is staying up to date with the latest open source technology AMD is the best choice. Some games currently support AMD hardware only through the open source driver, be sure to check a games requirements. === What about AMD's new hybrid driver? === AMD's hybrid AMDGPU Pro driver provides performance on-par with their Windows driver, has OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan support, and uses a open source kernel module with closed source OpenGL and Vulkan libraries. '''Hardware compatibility with this driver is currently limited to:''' * Second-generation GCN: R9 390X, R9 390, R9 290 X, R9 290, R9 360, R7 260 X, R7 260; * Third-generation GCN: Fury X, Fury, R9 Nano, R9 380X, R9 380, R9 285; * Fourth-generation GCN: RX 480, RX 470, RX 460; AMD plans to support all GCN hardware in the future. === Can I use my old AMD card with Pre-GCN hardware for gaming on GNU/Linux? === Older AMD hardware is supported via the open source drivers from the [https://www.mesa3d.org/ Mesa project]. These can provide up to OpenGL 4.4 support on certain GPUs, support modern distributions, and can provide playable framerates in many games. === Can I use Intel graphics for gaming on GNU/Linux? === Intel's open source Mesa driver can provide acceptable performance on recent chips with 4000 series GPUs or better. As of Mesa 13 (Fall 2016) the most recent Intel GPUs will provide OpenGL 4.5 support. === Can I use an Nvidia card for gaming on GNU/Linux with the open source drivers? === The open source Mesa driver can provide playable frame rates in many games if your GPU supports power management. As of Mesa 12 (Fall 2016) Nvidia GPUs supported by Mesa NVC0 will provide OpenGL 4.3 support and preliminary support for OpenGL 4.5. === There's a game I want to play but the brand of card I have or the open source drivers aren't listed. Does that mean I can't play it? === There are a number of reasons why a game won't list support for a particular brand of card or will only declare support on a certain driver other than the game not working. One factor currently facing porting companies is they typically only officially support the long term support versions of Ubuntu which are frequently behind the latest version of Mesa. So even if a game works well on Mesa 13, it may not work well or at all on Mesa 11.2 which is provided out of the box by Ubuntu 16.04 based distibutions. If you're unsure of whether a game will work on the open drivers a search for the name of the game plus the name of the open source drivers is a good first step. === More Driver Information === See the wiki page on [http://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers Graphics drivers] for a more thorough overview of the current driver situation in Linux. === I need help choosing parts for a Linux gaming PC === Check out [https://www.reddit.com/r/buildalinuxpc /r/buildalinuxpc] or [https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc /r/buildapc] and say that you're building a Linux system. == Getting System Information == When asking for support, people need several key pieces of information to help troubleshoot your problems, as mentioned in the sidebar. You probably know things like your system specs and what distro you installed, but there are more details that are usually needed to pinpoint the cause of the issues you might be having. All you have to do is copy the outputs of the following command(s) from the terminal (select the text and copy using <code>Ctrl + Shift + C</code>) into your post formatted as code. You could also use Pastebin to avoid having to indent text manually in Reddit : All in one solution : Run <code>inxi -SPARM -GCDN -v1 -xGCRS</code> to get pretty much everything you need. You might want to maximize the terminal so line breaks aren't inserted in the output when you copy. This should come pre-installed, but if it isn't, on Ubuntu, you can install it by running : <code>sudo apt-get install inxi</code>. In the unlikely situation that this does not work or you are unable to install it, read on for other ways to get the info, otherwise you're done. Distribution and kernel details : * Run <code>lsb_release -a</code> to get the current release of the distro (ex. Ubuntu 16.04.1) * Run <code>uname -a</code> to get the kernel version, architecture etc. (you might want to remove your username from its output if you don't want to disclose it) Graphics hardware and drivers : * In case you don't know what graphics chipset you are running, you can run <code>lspci | grep VGA</code>. Sometimes, this doesn't give the exact model (this is the case with Intel integrated chipsets), so in that case, you can check the output of <code>grep -i chipset /var/log/Xorg.0.log</code> * To get OpenGL driver information, run <code>glxinfo | grep OpenGL</code> . If the program <code>glxinfo</code> is not found, you can install it on Ubuntu by installing the package <code>mesa-utils</code> : <code>sudo apt-get install mesa-utils</code> Other details : Hardinfo is an excellent tool that enables you to see in a GUI pretty much everything to do with your computer, but unfortunately it does not let you copy only the relevant parts, and results in a lot of clutter, so it's not recommended to use it for getting the above details. However, you can use it to check anything you're unsure of, like your hardware and peripheral models, what desktop environment you're running etc. without having to type commands in a terminal. You can install Hardinfo through its package : <code>sudo apt-get install hardinfo</code> == Compatibility Layers == === WINE === Wine (recursive backronym for Wine Is Not an Emulator) is a free and open-source compatibility layer that aims to allow application software and computer games developed for Microsoft Windows to run on Unix-like operating systems.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wine_(software)</ref> If you want to run Windows binaries (.exe, .dll etc.) on Linux without booting up a VM, you'll end up using a version of Wine. === Proton === Proton is [https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/ valve's fork] of wine + extras. === Steam Play === Steam Play is Valve's official proton integration within the steam client. === Lutris === The [https://lutris.net/downloads/ Lutris client] is similar to the steam client from a game library management stand point. It's the program you open that shows you your library of games. Lutris also provides versions of wine designed for use with lutris with [https://github.com/lutris/wine a fork]. To play Windows games, should I use Crossover or Play on Linux? Probably not. If you don't feel like using the command line to manage wine you should probably use lutris or steam. === [http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ Play on Linux] and [https://www.codeweavers.com/ CrossOver] === Both offer GUIs to manage installation of multiple Windows applications into separate "containers" (aka. wine prefixes or bottles as CrossOver calls them) so that they don't interfere with each other. Both pieces of software offer "recipes" which allow users to install various games and other types of applications by following simple, guided steps. Installation of various other components like Visual C++ runtimes, DirectX 9 redistributable packages, fonts, registry modifications, etc. are handled automatically if applications are installed this way. To determine which is best for you and your needs try them out. PlayOnLinux is free (libre) software and can be used free of charge. CrossOver is a subscription product. It has a 14 day trial period during which it will occasionally nag you to buy a sub but otherwise its functionality is not crippled. If something does not work with the trial version, it won't work with the registered one. Codeweavers, the company behind CrossOver is also a major contributor to the Wine project, employing many of the developers. Both PlayOnLinux and CrossOver can be installed at the same time, on the same machine. Even if you installed Wine using the distribution's package manager they won't interfere with each other. PlayOnLinux can use the wine build provided this way but it can also use its own wine builds. The project tends to offer both vanilla wine and wine-staging builds. CrossOver also uses its own build of Wine. === Will I be able to play xxxx game with Wine, Crossover or Play on Linux? === First you will want to check what graphics API the game uses. Currently only windows games with openGL or DX9 and lower will work with Wine. [https://appdb.winehq.org/objectManager.php?sClass=application&sTitle=Browse%20Applications&sOrderBy=appName&bAscending=true WineHQ] keeps track of windows games which can and can't work with Wine. It's a user submitted list with ratings of platinum, gold, silver, and garbage, as well, users can report any significant glitches or problems which may arise. The WineHQ FAQ is located [https://wiki.winehq.org/FAQ here]. There is currently development of DX11 support, but it's in a very early stage, and it will be a while before we will get to play DX10 / DX11 games. == Steam == === How do I know what games in my library are supported on Linux? === If you have steam installed on your PC, navigate to Library. In the search box in top left corner there's a filter. Select "STEAMOS + LINUX". === How do I ensure that my purchase of a game on Steam is treated as a "Linux" purchase, crediting the GNU/Linux platform with market share and the porting company with revenue? === * (1) purchase the game on GNU/Linux and don't play it on another platform for the first seven days (feel free launching it on GNU/Linux) * (2) if you can't purchase the game on GNU/Linux, play it on GNU/Linux and only GNU/Linux for the first seven days (or at least make sure your GNU/Linux gameplay time exceeds your windows one during that first week). Either will credit the game as a GNU/Linux purchase. Purchasing the game on mobile is considered a Windows purchase at the time, yet the sale should be accounted as a GNU/Linux one if you follow (2). === I'm on a new install of Steam and it won't open. What can I do to make it work? === This is most commonly a problem for users on the open source drivers. This is caused by stale libraries included in Valve's Steam Platform. Usually you can correct this by removing the problem files. <code>find ~/.steam/root/ \( -name "libgcc_s.so*" -o -name "libstdc++.so*" -o -name "libxcb.so*" \) -print -delete</code> On some rolling release distributions, you may need to fully disable the Steam runtime. https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/steam#Using_native_runtime == Games == === When will XXXX game be released for Linux? It was supposed to be here already. === Porting a game entails taking a windows game, written for windows, and changing the code in order for it to work in Linux. This takes time. It is also very important to know that sometimes problems can occur when doing this, and fixing those problems isn't always possible. It is also important to note that the people who do the porting, are usually a small group, and the hours it takes to do the work is shared by the small group. Delays porting games to Linux are common. You can also check the [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=calendar GamingOnLinux.com Release Calendar] for dates. === Will XXXX game be released for Linux? === The only way to find out is to write a request to the game developers, telling them you would like their game on Linux. f8c441531bf900d22957e6bf1f5cda02080e0d8d 0 32 1233 1193 2022-12-01T01:26:30Z Aragorn 3 /* Disabling composition for your games */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use a DE with X11]], then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadows, animations, transparency, blur, or other effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. You can verify that composition is disabled, by looking at your desktop effects. For example, you should not see shadows. They either vanish, or get pitch black. ==Disabling composition for your games== Disabling composition will dramatically improve performance, input lag, and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: ===Gnome=== This is the default DE on Pop!_OS, Nobara Official, and Nobara Gnome. You don't have to do anything. Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing Windows does), which is almost as good as disabling compositon. Disabling composition in Gnome is not possible. ===KDE=== This is the default DE on Nobara KDE. There are many options to disable composition: * You can use [https://store.kde.org/p/1502826/ Autocomposer]. This should make it unnecessary to do anything of the following. *For Lutris: **To disable it for a single game: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. **To disable it for all games: Click <code>...</code> in the top right corner -> <code>Preferences</code> -> <code>Global options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code> *You can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code> before launching a game. The same combination re-enables it. *If you want to use a terminal command (for example for automation, launch options for Steam, [[Gamemode]] etc): ** disable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor suspend</code> ** enable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor resume</code> *You can also disable it completely in the <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>Display and Monitor</code> -> <code>Compositor</code> -> <code>Enable compositor on startup</code>. ===Xfce=== *Disable composition with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Xfwm#Configuration</ref> *Enable it again with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> === Mate === * Disable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/MATE#Disabling_compositing</ref> * Enable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager true</code> ===Cinnamon === As of Cinnamon 5.4, there's an option to disable composition for fullscreen applications, essentially referring to unredirection. However, it is disabled by default, forcing composition on all apps, making it not ideal. To enable it: <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>General</code> -> <code>Disable compositing on fullscreen applications</code> This might lead to visual degradation in desktop mode (no effects, no shadows, no transparency, no window previews, more tearing), but is still recommended if you want to reduce latency. === Pantheon === Unfortunately it appears to not support the option to disable composition.<ref>https://elementaryos.stackexchange.com/questions/4483/how-can-i-disable-composite-and-effects-in-elementary-os</ref> == Automation == For DEs that support disabling/enabling the compositor with a terminal command, you can automate it. In the following <code><disable></code> and <code><enable></code> are to be replaced with the respective command to disable or enable the compositor. === Gamemode === The easiest way is to automate it with [[gamemode]]. You can edit <code>gamemode.ini</code> and set <syntaxhighlight lang="ini"> [custom] start=<disable> end=<enable> </syntaxhighlight> === Steam === Set the launch command <code><disable>; %command%; <enable></code>. For example <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false; %command%; xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> to disable composition on Xfce<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensiveLinux/comments/6b3cs5/comment/dhjw7z7/?context=3</ref>. == References and notes == <references /> a130b872afb1abf1d1667bcb2bed272c3d994dec 1234 1233 2022-12-01T01:27:54Z Aragorn 3 /* KDE */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use a DE with X11]], then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadows, animations, transparency, blur, or other effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. You can verify that composition is disabled, by looking at your desktop effects. For example, you should not see shadows. They either vanish, or get pitch black. ==Disabling composition for your games== Disabling composition will dramatically improve performance, input lag, and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: ===Gnome=== This is the default DE on Pop!_OS, Nobara Official, and Nobara Gnome. You don't have to do anything. Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing Windows does), which is almost as good as disabling compositon. Disabling composition in Gnome is not possible. ===KDE=== This is the default DE on Nobara KDE. There are many options to disable composition: * You can use [https://store.kde.org/p/1502826/ Autocomposer]. This should make it unnecessary to do anything of the following. *For Lutris: **To disable it for a single game: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. **To disable it for all games: Click <code>...</code> in the top right corner -> <code>Preferences</code> -> <code>Global options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code> *You can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code> before launching a game. The same combination re-enables it. *If you want to use a terminal command (for example for automation, launch options for Steam, [[Gamemode]] etc): ** disable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor suspend</code> ** enable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor resume</code> *You can also disable it completely with <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>Display and Monitor</code> -> <code>Compositor</code> -> <code>Enable compositor on startup</code>. ===Xfce=== *Disable composition with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Xfwm#Configuration</ref> *Enable it again with <code>$ xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> === Mate === * Disable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/MATE#Disabling_compositing</ref> * Enable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager true</code> ===Cinnamon === As of Cinnamon 5.4, there's an option to disable composition for fullscreen applications, essentially referring to unredirection. However, it is disabled by default, forcing composition on all apps, making it not ideal. To enable it: <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>General</code> -> <code>Disable compositing on fullscreen applications</code> This might lead to visual degradation in desktop mode (no effects, no shadows, no transparency, no window previews, more tearing), but is still recommended if you want to reduce latency. === Pantheon === Unfortunately it appears to not support the option to disable composition.<ref>https://elementaryos.stackexchange.com/questions/4483/how-can-i-disable-composite-and-effects-in-elementary-os</ref> == Automation == For DEs that support disabling/enabling the compositor with a terminal command, you can automate it. In the following <code><disable></code> and <code><enable></code> are to be replaced with the respective command to disable or enable the compositor. === Gamemode === The easiest way is to automate it with [[gamemode]]. You can edit <code>gamemode.ini</code> and set <syntaxhighlight lang="ini"> [custom] start=<disable> end=<enable> </syntaxhighlight> === Steam === Set the launch command <code><disable>; %command%; <enable></code>. For example <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false; %command%; xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> to disable composition on Xfce<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensiveLinux/comments/6b3cs5/comment/dhjw7z7/?context=3</ref>. == References and notes == <references /> daac98244aa0c4018e4aed78234972dbeda4abde 1235 1234 2022-12-01T01:29:30Z Aragorn 3 /* Xfce */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use a DE with X11]], then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadows, animations, transparency, blur, or other effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. You can verify that composition is disabled, by looking at your desktop effects. For example, you should not see shadows. They either vanish, or get pitch black. ==Disabling composition for your games== Disabling composition will dramatically improve performance, input lag, and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: ===Gnome=== This is the default DE on Pop!_OS, Nobara Official, and Nobara Gnome. You don't have to do anything. Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing Windows does), which is almost as good as disabling compositon. Disabling composition in Gnome is not possible. ===KDE=== This is the default DE on Nobara KDE. There are many options to disable composition: * You can use [https://store.kde.org/p/1502826/ Autocomposer]. This should make it unnecessary to do anything of the following. *For Lutris: **To disable it for a single game: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. **To disable it for all games: Click <code>...</code> in the top right corner -> <code>Preferences</code> -> <code>Global options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code> *You can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code> before launching a game. The same combination re-enables it. *If you want to use a terminal command (for example for automation, launch options for Steam, [[Gamemode]] etc): ** disable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor suspend</code> ** enable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor resume</code> *You can also disable it completely with <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>Display and Monitor</code> -> <code>Compositor</code> -> <code>Enable compositor on startup</code>. ===Xfce=== *Disable composition with <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Xfwm#Configuration</ref> *Enable it again with <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> === Mate === * Disable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/MATE#Disabling_compositing</ref> * Enable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager true</code> ===Cinnamon === As of Cinnamon 5.4, there's an option to disable composition for fullscreen applications, essentially referring to unredirection. However, it is disabled by default, forcing composition on all apps, making it not ideal. To enable it: <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>General</code> -> <code>Disable compositing on fullscreen applications</code> This might lead to visual degradation in desktop mode (no effects, no shadows, no transparency, no window previews, more tearing), but is still recommended if you want to reduce latency. === Pantheon === Unfortunately it appears to not support the option to disable composition.<ref>https://elementaryos.stackexchange.com/questions/4483/how-can-i-disable-composite-and-effects-in-elementary-os</ref> == Automation == For DEs that support disabling/enabling the compositor with a terminal command, you can automate it. In the following <code><disable></code> and <code><enable></code> are to be replaced with the respective command to disable or enable the compositor. === Gamemode === The easiest way is to automate it with [[gamemode]]. You can edit <code>gamemode.ini</code> and set <syntaxhighlight lang="ini"> [custom] start=<disable> end=<enable> </syntaxhighlight> === Steam === Set the launch command <code><disable>; %command%; <enable></code>. For example <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false; %command%; xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> to disable composition on Xfce<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensiveLinux/comments/6b3cs5/comment/dhjw7z7/?context=3</ref>. == References and notes == <references /> 304c91a896593f0db985ccff5c3342efcc00e5d2 0 31 1236 211 2022-12-01T01:33:16Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Feral Interactive's '''[https://github.com/FeralInteractive/gamemode Gamemode]''' is one of the best and easiest tools you can use to improve game performance on Linux. It ensures that all of your computer processor's cores are enabled when you launch a game. == Setup == (TO-DO: Gamemode installation) You often have to manually enable gamemode on a per-game basis, so if you're struggling with performance in a game, make sure to check whether gamemode is enabled. == Configuration == Copy <code>gamemode.ini</code> from [https://github.com/FeralInteractive/gamemode/blob/master/example/gamemode.ini here] to one of the directories described [https://github.com/FeralInteractive/gamemode#configuration here]. Change settings as desired, for example to [[Compositor#Gamemode|disable composition]]. == See more == [https://github.com/FeralInteractive/gamemode Gamemode's website] 774bc9caaf750212b6fa5e205d5ee1fe15e2594c 1237 1236 2022-12-01T01:35:41Z Aragorn 3 /* Configuration */ wikitext text/x-wiki Feral Interactive's '''[https://github.com/FeralInteractive/gamemode Gamemode]''' is one of the best and easiest tools you can use to improve game performance on Linux. It ensures that all of your computer processor's cores are enabled when you launch a game. == Setup == (TO-DO: Gamemode installation) You often have to manually enable gamemode on a per-game basis, so if you're struggling with performance in a game, make sure to check whether gamemode is enabled. == Configuration == Copy <code>gamemode.ini</code> from [https://github.com/FeralInteractive/gamemode/blob/master/example/gamemode.ini here] to one of the directories described [https://github.com/FeralInteractive/gamemode#configuration here]. <code>~/.config/gamemode.ini</code> is a good choice. Change settings as desired, for example to [[Compositor#Gamemode|disable composition]]. == See more == [https://github.com/FeralInteractive/gamemode Gamemode's website] 7e9e993b870f6ad4f99e7fabe7f1f525f9c0fd27 1238 1237 2022-12-01T01:37:44Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Feral Interactive's '''[https://github.com/FeralInteractive/gamemode Gamemode]''' is one of the best and easiest tools you can use to improve game performance on Linux. It ensures that all of your computer processor's cores are enabled when you launch a game. == Setup == (TO-DO: Gamemode installation) You often have to manually enable gamemode on a per-game basis, so if you're struggling with performance in a game, make sure to check whether gamemode is enabled. == Configuration == Copy the content of <code>gamemode.ini</code> from [https://github.com/FeralInteractive/gamemode/blob/master/example/gamemode.ini here] to <code>~/.config/gamemode.ini</code>, for example by copy/pasting it. Change settings as desired, for example to [[Compositor#Gamemode|disable composition]]. == See more == [https://github.com/FeralInteractive/gamemode Gamemode's website] bdb3e496b983bc0912bdd3357ac119d247e0bf87 1239 1238 2022-12-01T01:41:29Z Aragorn 3 /* Configuration */ wikitext text/x-wiki Feral Interactive's '''[https://github.com/FeralInteractive/gamemode Gamemode]''' is one of the best and easiest tools you can use to improve game performance on Linux. It ensures that all of your computer processor's cores are enabled when you launch a game. == Setup == (TO-DO: Gamemode installation) You often have to manually enable gamemode on a per-game basis, so if you're struggling with performance in a game, make sure to check whether gamemode is enabled. == Configuration == Copy the content of <code>gamemode.ini</code> from [https://github.com/FeralInteractive/gamemode/blob/master/example/gamemode.ini here] to <code>[[Terminal#Path Abbreviations|~]]/.config/gamemode.ini</code>, for example by copy/pasting it. Change settings as desired, for example to [[Compositor#Gamemode|disable composition]]. == See more == [https://github.com/FeralInteractive/gamemode Gamemode's website] 617aabb34287a3da4cf41ae6a06109e8b3828572 0 46 1245 975 2022-12-03T21:58:47Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki An extensive list of hardware that is known to work. If the device requires tweaking, please mention the tweaking steps. The criteria are not as strict as in the [[Hardware Recommendations|hardware recommendations]] list, but all mentioned hardware should still be somewhat "worthy" for a gaming PC. We really don't need 20 years old Bluetooth sticks, even if they work out of the box. If possible, also add a price and a timestamp in the form YYYY-MM. ==GPUs== {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |AMD |RX 5700XT | | |2022-03 |none |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | |} ==WiFi Sticks== ===2.4Ghz=== ===5Ghz=== ==Bluetooth Sticks== {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Mpow |Bluetooth 5.1 USB-Adapter | | | |none |- |DIGITUS |DN-30210-1 ''up to 10 m range'' ''Bluetooth® 4.0 & 3.0'' ''Full-speed USB 2.0 interface'' |EU |7,05€ |2022-03 |none |- | | | | | | |} ==Bluetooth Headphones== {| class="wikitable" |+Noise Cancelling Over Ear !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Sony |WH-1000XM4 |EU |250€ |2022-03 |none |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} ===Noise Cancelling In-Ear=== ===Over-Ear=== ===In-Ear=== ==Mainboard== ===AMD=== ====AM3==== {| class="wikitable" |+AM4 !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |MSI |B550 MAG Tomahawk |EU |140€ |2022-03 |Fan control not working out of the box. Requires [https://github.com/Fred78290/nct6687d kernel module]. For Arch: Module is available in the [https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/nct6687d-dkms-git AUR]. |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} ===Intel=== ====Sandy Bridge==== ==Printer/Scanner== {| class="wikitable" |+Combined devices !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Samsung |SCX-4200R | | |2022-03 |None |- |Brother |MFC L2712DN | | | |Driver not included in kernel - needs downloading. Available in AUR and from official website in .deb and .rpm. Scanning into computer from device (via menu on the device itself) is supported, but it is recommended to modify scripts in installation folder to your liking. |- | | | | | | |} {| class="wikitable" |+Printer !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} {| class="wikitable" |+Scanner !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} == Mice == {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !What works !Untested !Sensor !Extra Buttons !Tweaking Steps |- |Steel Series |Rival 300 | | | |DPI, static RGB |RGB settings in Linux |flawless |3 |Boot Windows (for example in a VM + pass through the mouse) and set settings there or use rivalcfg<ref name=":0">https://github.com/flozz/rivalcfg</ref> natively on linux |- |Steel Series |Rival 100 | | | |DPI, RGB (openRGB recommended) | |flawless |3 |Config available through rivalcfg<ref name=":0" /> (including setting RGB color and mode) |- | | | | | | | | | | |} == USB audio converter == {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Sharkoon |Gaming DAC Pro S V2 |EU |30€ |2022-03 |None |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} == Microphones == {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Samson |Meteor Mic |EU |45€ |2022-03 |None |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} == Other == Elgato Stream Deck: https://gitlab.gnome.org/World/boatswain 8636f09bc891cca01c0c39f5626cba87b10cd2ef 2 76 1249 2022-12-06T07:54:25Z EfrenCoffill7 29 Created page with "No-code frameworks are software design tools that permit even non-technical users to run software without composing a line of code. They usually come with an intuitive interface, as well as drag-and-drop features, which allow you to envision the implementation process and explain the business logic with ease.<br><br>Here is my website; [http://sezru.com/user/divinghand0/ Get More Info]" wikitext text/x-wiki No-code frameworks are software design tools that permit even non-technical users to run software without composing a line of code. They usually come with an intuitive interface, as well as drag-and-drop features, which allow you to envision the implementation process and explain the business logic with ease.<br><br>Here is my website; [http://sezru.com/user/divinghand0/ Get More Info] d6f322bfde8cef6cfcadfd46d8705b703d8d4ff0 0 45 1254 1141 2022-12-07T14:09:01Z Aragorn 3 /* GPUs */ wikitext text/x-wiki Hardware compatibility with Linux is sometimes tricky. You can not buy just anything and expect it to work. Some manufacturers don't support Linux at all, and sometimes the support is not good. This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware categories. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Regarding specific recommendations. Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a timestamp in the form YYYY-MM. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. If you buy wrong, you might end up with completely incompatible hardware. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. The important thing in the sticks is the chip. Manufacturers sometimes have the same model with different chips. Chips that often work, are Qualcomm Atheros, and [https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005511/wireless.html Intel]. === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. Recommendations: To be done. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. Recommendations: To be done. == Less problematic Hardware == Your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is much lower. However, you might face some jank, some features might not work, and stuff might not be flawless. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. If you want to read more about it, you might find something in [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/tdmup7/unpopular_opinion_i_feel_like_the_whole_nvidia/ this reddit post]. AMD and Nvidia both work, and you'll ''probably'' be fine with either. However: * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), and Nvidia even released their kernel module, but they are no option for gaming (at least yet). **If you want long support, AMD is the way to go, as support is essentially never dropped. * Nvidia provides proprietary day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, due to not being FOSS. There might be some delayed features, or some bugs. But as said, you're ''probably'' going to be fine. If you're not, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s blame Nvidia]. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] and FSR 2, which works in a similar way. There are mods that translate DLSS 2 to FSR 2 for many games. * If you buy a very old GPU, make sure that it has Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth, and even those often work. You might face problems if you have a device with two GPUs (should be solvable), or other special components (fingerprint reader, etc - might not be solvable). * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo **Slimbook * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: **Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15ACH6 | EU | around 800-1 000 € (multiple similar models available) | Available without OS | Out of the box full compatibility (WiFi since kernel 5.16, on older manual installation of driver<ref>https://github.com/lwfinger/rtw89</ref> needed) === Mainboards === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. ==== AMD ==== * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] === Mice/Keyboards === Generally all of them work, as long as you don't expect the specific configuration software to work. This can mean that you can't control RGB, DPI, or makro buttons. Some models have native support: * Logitech: [https://pwr-solaar.github.io/Solaar/devices Solaar] * Razer: [https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer OpenRazer]. * Roccat: [https://github.com/X3n0m0rph59/eruption Eruption], [https://sourceforge.net/projects/roccat/files/roccat-tools/ roccat-tools]([https://aur.archlinux.org/pkgbase/roccat-tools aur], [https://launchpad.net/~berfenger/+archive/ubuntu/roccat ppa]) A workaround for unsupported models can be to boot Windows once to change the settings (if you don't need to change them all the time). You can also start a VM, pass through the device, and change settings there. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. Recommendations: * To be done == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs == Unknown categories == {{Needs work|Problem=I'm not sure whether these categories are unproblematic or not. Personally I never had issues, and I don't see many people writing about problems in forums}} === Bluetooth Headphones === ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03<!-- Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). --> ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03 === USB Digital/Audio converter === *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03 == References == * * 5c1c88db2552d5de901f107b1cf37b61ab5b1f74 2 81 1256 2022-12-08T05:22:33Z DyanDelacruz 36 Created page with "Promotional codes are actually a beneficial tool for businesses to make use of, as they enable customers to save loan, get access to unique packages and also provide the opportunity to make investments. Promotion codes are a vital part of the customer knowledge and also services must understand how they could be made use of to enhance it.<br><br>Take a look at my web page :: [http://www.longisland.com/profile/kadenejordan View Our Editors Post]" wikitext text/x-wiki Promotional codes are actually a beneficial tool for businesses to make use of, as they enable customers to save loan, get access to unique packages and also provide the opportunity to make investments. Promotion codes are a vital part of the customer knowledge and also services must understand how they could be made use of to enhance it.<br><br>Take a look at my web page :: [http://www.longisland.com/profile/kadenejordan View Our Editors Post] 0f34bc037abb7018212b414277c665e07f5d3113 0 1 1258 1178 2022-12-09T07:27:35Z Aragorn 3 /* External Links */ wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. === Tweaking === *[[Troubleshooting]] - What to do if your game just won't work. *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies. *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Monitoring & Stresstesting]] - How to test that your tweaked system is still stable === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Visual Enhancement]] - Enhancing the visuals of a game. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. *[https://github.com/mikeroyal/Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide/blob/main/README.md Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide] - in depth tutorial on how to configure Ubuntu. Also contains a gaming section, that might also be relevant for other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. 43edd72761563cc26bfaf61671bb488f49812647 2 83 1259 2022-12-10T07:17:39Z KendrickPastor7 39 Created page with "A marquee is undoubtedly a irresistible and impressive alternative to conventional place. 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This can be very useful if you break your system to the point where the graphical interface is not working anymore. But it has more benefits. If you know how to use it, it's also the fastest way to do certain things. And it's always the same, no matter which graphical interface (desktop environment) you use. And the best: You can just copy instructions, and paste them. You don't have to follow a ten step tutorial, search buttons, and so on. You copy a couple lines of code, paste them to the terminal (attention here, but more on that later), press enter, and (if everything went well) you are done. Additionally, the terminal can give you very useful information about errors, if you start a program from it. == How to use the terminal == '''Where do I find the terminal?''' You will probably find it somewhere in your menu. It might have a name like Gnome-Terminal, Konsole, Xterm, Terminator, or something else. It will probably have an icon that looks vaguely like a terminal (black background, white text). '''How does the terminal work?''' You write a line of text, you press enter, and you look at what happens. The terminal usually tells you if something goes wrong. Sometimes you need to press additional buttons like <code>y</code> for "yes" or <code>n</code> for "no". '''Should I read the output?''' Yes, it might contain warnings. However: Sometimes the output is very long, for example if you install software. In this case, you don't have to read everything. The important stuff will be at the end. If you have problems and look for help in forums, always include the output from the terminal. '''Should I take warnings seriously?''' YES! [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average "You could harm your computer" bullshit you are used to from Windows.] '''Is the terminal dangerous?''' It might look scary, but it's not dangerous. If you write something wrong, it will just tell you that it's wrong - your computer will not explode. However, things can go wrong, more in the next section. '''How can I learn using it?''' Look here: https://linuxjourney.com/ == Dangers of the terminal == '''So should I just input whatever I find at some random place in the internet?''' NO! You should not copy/paste stuff from untrusted sources (like this wiki - everyone can edit it) if you don't understand what you're doing. The commands might be malicious. For example, if you would type the following, you would delete everything on your computer, and potentially destroy your motherboard: <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> '''<big>DO NOT DO THIS!</big>''' There is no situation where it would be a good thing to input the following command. It will delete your system, it will delete other mounted drives (like Windows, external drives, your game drive, whatever), and it might '''permanently''' '''destroy''' your motherboard. <code>sudo rm -rf / --no-preserve-root</code> Don't do it. Seriously. Not for fun, not because you don't need your system anymore. Just don't. </div> Other commands may uninstall your graphical user interface, or install a remote access for hackers. '''This sounds scary!''' Don't be afraid. Malicious tutorials for Linux are rarer than malware for Windows (I don't even know if this ever happened somewhere), and if someone did write one, it would probably get noticed and removed very fast. If you're fine with installing software on Windows, you should be fine with tutorials for Linux. But still. Be wary. '''So as long as I don't type --no-preserve-root, everything is fine?''' No. The terminal is a way to operate your computer. It will do exactly what you tell it to do. If you tell it to remove all your important files, it will do just that. In the same way you might harm your computer with the GUI, you might as well harm it with the terminal. However, you definitely have more options to fuck things up when using the terminal. For example, always be careful, when running <code>sudo</code>. This is the equivalent to "Administrator access", but much more powerful. You should always avoid running a ''root-shell'' (a shell where you have sudo access without typing sudo). In many shells you would detect it by the # symbol at the beginning of each line. But note, that you can do all kind of bad stuff in your home directory (the place where all your important files are), without typing <code>sudo</code>. Always think before typing something, and especially think before pressing enter. Also note, that <code>rm</code> actually ''removes'' files, and doesn't just move them to the trash bin. Always be careful when using <code>rm</code>. If you want to have extra safety, you can use <code>trash</code> instead, it will move files to the trash bin. '''Could I harm my computer if I type malicious commands by accident?''' Accidentally typing a command that installs malware is near impossible. However you can absolutely delete important files by accident. For example, you could want to do <code>rm -r ~/images/bad_images</code> to remove some bad images. However, if you accidentally hit <code>enter</code> instead of <code>/</code> after typing <code>rm -r ~/images</code> you will remove ''all'' images. Be alert when using dangerous commands, or use less dangerous commands instead! For example, you can use <code>trash</code> instead of <code>rm</code>, it will move into the recycle bin instead of deleting. '''What else can go wrong?''' There might be instances where you copy a command from some website, and you also copy the "enter command". This might lead to ''enter'' being automatically pressed at the end of the line, and the command being executed without additional interaction by you. If you want to modify the command before executing it, this would be unintended behavior. To prevent it, you can copy to a text editor first, modify the commands, and then copy to the terminal. Malicious websites could even alter what you copy. It's always a good idea to paste in a text editor before you paste into the terminal. == Other stuff you should know == If you have a folder <code>foo</code> and in it a folder <code>bar</code>, you would write this as <code>foo/bar</code>. The topmost folder is <code>/</code>. This means, that every path on your computer looks like this: <code>/path/to/some/file.txt</code> === Common commands === Go to a folder: <code>cd <folder_name></code>. 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Examples: kwin, mutter, i3, qtile, awesomewm, or sway. |- |[[Compositor]] | |Makes visual effects, but costs performance. |- |Package manager | |Essential part of your distro, has the purpose of downloading, installing, and removing packages. Examples: apt, or pacman. |- |Package | |Program, part of a program, or library |- |Library | |Collection of stuff that programs use to function. Typically has the ending ''.so''. (on windows this would be ''.dll'') |- |[[Terminal]] | |Black window with text. Essentially a different way to operate your system. |- |Display Manager | |Starts your DE. Examples: sddm, or gdm. |- |Shell | |The "environment" you have in the terminal. Examples: zsh, fish, or bash. |- |Display Server | |Draws stuff on the screen. Can be either x.org, or wayland. |- |Kernel | |The "heart" of your system. If a program wants specific resources (reading/writing a file, or getting processing time for example), it asks the kernel, and the kernel delivers them. Linux is actually just the kernel, but most people refer to the whole system (the distribution) when saying "Linux". Examples: linux, linux-lts, linux-zen, linux-tkg-pds, linux-tkg-bmq, xanmod, ... |- |Wine | |Compatibility layer to run Windows programs on Linux. |- |GNU | |GNU stands for ''GNU is not UNIX''. Yes, it uses ''GNU'' to explain what ''GNU'' means. But what is it? It's an operating system, and it's probably part of your Linux system. That's why some people refer to ''Linux'' as ''GNU/Linux''. They argue, that Linux is just the Kernel, and GNU is what makes it an operating system. However, in actual usage, Linux means the whole OS in most cases. |} 2e7e94dea27643cda2bc19077dbe958796cf78ba 1269 1268 2022-12-15T10:39:01Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki You might see some terms you are not familiar with. Here is a collection of some that might help you. {| class="wikitable" |+ !Term !Abbreviation !Explanation |- |Distribution |Distro |The "type" of Linux you are using. Examples: Nobara, Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, Debian, Arch, ... |- |Desktop Environment |DE |How your Linux looks like. Think of the difference between Windows 7, 10, and 11. Unlike on Windows, this can be changed without reinstalling your system. Examples: KDE Plasma, or Gnome. |- |Window Manager |WM |Arranges your windows at the place you want them to be. Examples: kwin, mutter, i3, qtile, awesomewm, or sway. |- |[[Compositor]] | |Makes visual effects, but costs performance. |- |Package manager | |Essential part of your distro, has the purpose of downloading, installing, and removing packages. Examples: apt, or pacman. |- |Package | |Program, part of a program, or library |- |Library | |Collection of stuff that programs use to function. Typically has the ending ''.so''. (on windows this would be ''.dll'') |- |[[Terminal]] | |Black window with text. Essentially a different way to operate your system. |- |Display Manager | |Starts your DE. Examples: sddm, or gdm. |- |Shell | |The "environment" you have in the terminal. Examples: zsh, fish, or bash. |- |Display Server | |Draws stuff on the screen. Can be either x.org, or wayland. |- |Kernel | |The "heart" of your system. If a program wants specific resources (reading/writing a file, or getting processing time for example), it asks the kernel, and the kernel delivers them. Linux is actually just the kernel, but most people refer to the whole system (the distribution) when saying "Linux". Examples: linux, linux-lts, linux-zen, linux-tkg-pds, linux-tkg-bmq, xanmod, ... |- |Wine | |Compatibility layer to run Windows programs on Linux. |- |GNU | |GNU stands for ''GNU is not UNIX''. Yes, it uses ''GNU'' to explain what ''GNU'' means. And it's probably part of your Linux system. That's why some people refer to ''Linux'' as ''GNU/Linux''. They argue, that Linux is just the Kernel, and GNU is what makes it an operating system. However, in actual usage, Linux means the whole OS in most cases. |} 1ff9199d984d44cb17cd1fa7ab893a7afbc9a231 1270 1269 2022-12-15T10:39:44Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki You might see some terms you are not familiar with. Here is a collection of some that might help you. {| class="wikitable" |+ !Term !Abbreviation !Explanation |- |Distribution |Distro |The "type" of Linux you are using. Examples: Nobara, Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, Debian, Arch, ... |- |Desktop Environment |DE |How your Linux looks like. Think of the difference between Windows 7, 10, and 11. Unlike on Windows, this can be changed without reinstalling your system. Examples: KDE Plasma, or Gnome. |- |Window Manager |WM |Arranges your windows at the place you want them to be. Examples: kwin, mutter, i3, qtile, awesomewm, or sway. |- |[[Compositor]] | |Makes visual effects, but costs performance. |- |Package manager | |Essential part of your distro, has the purpose of downloading, installing, and removing packages. Examples: apt, or pacman. |- |Package | |Program, part of a program, or library |- |Library | |Collection of stuff that programs use to function. Typically has the ending ''.so''. (on windows this would be ''.dll'') |- |[[Terminal]] | |Black window with text. Essentially a different way to operate your system. |- |Display Manager | |Starts your DE. Examples: sddm, or gdm. |- |Shell | |The "environment" you have in the terminal. Examples: zsh, fish, or bash. |- |Display Server | |Draws stuff on the screen. Can be either x.org, or wayland. |- |Kernel | |The "heart" of your system. If a program wants specific resources (reading/writing a file, or getting processing time for example), it asks the kernel, and the kernel delivers them. Linux is actually just the kernel, but most people refer to the whole system (the distribution) when saying "Linux". Examples: linux, linux-lts, linux-zen, linux-tkg-pds, linux-tkg-bmq, xanmod, ... |- |Wine | |Compatibility layer to run Windows programs on Linux. |- |GNU | |GNU stands for ''GNU is not UNIX''. Yes, it uses ''GNU'' to explain what ''GNU'' means. And it's probably part of your Linux system. That's why some people refer to ''Linux'' as ''GNU/Linux''. They argue, that Linux is just the Kernel, and GNU is what makes it an operating system. However, in actual usage, ''Linux'' means the whole OS in most cases. |} 56ab838a7ea2868dc03087bf71809fa5d0058f07 1271 1270 2022-12-15T10:40:25Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki You might see some terms you are not familiar with. Here is a collection of some that might help you. {| class="wikitable" |+ !Term !Abbreviation !Explanation |- |Distribution |Distro |The "type" of Linux you are using. Examples: Nobara, Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, Debian, Arch, ... |- |Desktop Environment |DE |How your Linux looks like. Think of the difference between Windows 7, 10, and 11. Unlike on Windows, this can be changed without reinstalling your system. Examples: KDE Plasma, or Gnome. |- |Window Manager |WM |Arranges your windows at the place you want them to be. Examples: kwin, mutter, i3, qtile, awesomewm, or sway. |- |[[Compositor]] | |Makes visual effects, but costs performance. |- |Package manager | |Essential part of your distro, has the purpose of downloading, installing, and removing packages. Examples: apt, or pacman. |- |Package | |Program, part of a program, or library |- |Library | |Collection of stuff that programs use to function. Typically has the ending ''.so''. (on windows this would be ''.dll'') |- |[[Terminal]] | |Black window with text. Essentially a different way to operate your system. |- |Display Manager | |Starts your DE. Examples: sddm, or gdm. |- |Shell | |The "environment" you have in the terminal. Examples: zsh, fish, or bash. |- |Display Server | |Draws stuff on the screen. Can be either x.org, or wayland. |- |Kernel | |The "heart" of your system. If a program wants specific resources (reading/writing a file, or getting processing time for example), it asks the kernel, and the kernel delivers them. Linux is actually just the kernel, but most people refer to the whole system (the distribution) when saying "Linux". Examples: linux, linux-lts, linux-zen, linux-tkg-pds, linux-tkg-bmq, xanmod, ... |- |Wine | |Compatibility layer to run Windows programs on Linux. |- |GNU | |GNU stands for ''GNU is not UNIX''. Yes, it uses ''GNU'' to explain what ''GNU'' means. And it's probably part of your Linux system. That's why some people refer to ''Linux'' as ''GNU/Linux''. They argue, that Linux is just the Kernel, and GNU is what makes it an operating system. However, most people use ''Linux'' to refer to the whole OS. |} d4037071a88ce06bbe797b425a5ed0ccdd80e900 1272 1271 2022-12-15T10:43:09Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki You might see some terms you are not familiar with. Here is a collection of some that might help you. {| class="wikitable" |+ !Term !Abbreviation !Explanation |- |Linux | |Has two meaning. It's either just the Linux kernel, or it's an operating system that uses the Linux kernel. |- |Distribution |Distro |The "type" of Linux you are using. Examples: Nobara, Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, Debian, Arch, ... |- |Desktop Environment |DE |How your Linux looks like. Think of the difference between Windows 7, 10, and 11. Unlike on Windows, this can be changed without reinstalling your system. Examples: KDE Plasma, or Gnome. |- |Window Manager |WM |Arranges your windows at the place you want them to be. Examples: kwin, mutter, i3, qtile, awesomewm, or sway. |- |[[Compositor]] | |Makes visual effects, but costs performance. |- |Package manager | |Essential part of your distro, has the purpose of downloading, installing, and removing packages. Examples: apt, or pacman. |- |Package | |Program, part of a program, or library |- |Library | |Collection of stuff that programs use to function. Typically has the ending ''.so''. (on windows this would be ''.dll'') |- |[[Terminal]] | |Black window with text. Essentially a different way to operate your system. |- |Display Manager | |Starts your DE. Examples: sddm, or gdm. |- |Shell | |The "environment" you have in the terminal. Examples: zsh, fish, or bash. |- |Display Server | |Draws stuff on the screen. Can be either x.org, or wayland. |- |Kernel | |The "heart" of your system. If a program wants specific resources (reading/writing a file, or getting processing time for example), it asks the kernel, and the kernel delivers them. Linux is actually just the kernel, but most people refer to the whole system (the distribution) when saying "Linux". Examples: linux, linux-lts, linux-zen, linux-tkg-pds, linux-tkg-bmq, xanmod, ... |- |Wine | |Compatibility layer to run Windows programs on Linux. |- |GNU | |GNU stands for ''GNU is not UNIX''. Yes, it uses ''GNU'' to explain what ''GNU'' means. And it's probably part of your Linux system. That's why some people refer to ''Linux'' as ''GNU/Linux''. They argue, that Linux is just the Kernel, and GNU is what makes it an operating system. However, most people use ''Linux'' to refer to the whole OS. |} 55e6d2b89725031838024419225758cb62803ab5 1273 1272 2022-12-15T10:43:35Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki You might see some terms you are not familiar with. Here is a collection of some that might help you. {| class="wikitable" |+ !Term !Abbreviation !Explanation |- |Linux | |Has two meaning. It's either just the Linux kernel, or it's an operating system that uses the Linux kernel. Most of the time when you read ''Linux'', it means the whole system. |- |Distribution |Distro |The "type" of Linux you are using. Examples: Nobara, Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, Debian, Arch, ... |- |Desktop Environment |DE |How your Linux looks like. Think of the difference between Windows 7, 10, and 11. Unlike on Windows, this can be changed without reinstalling your system. Examples: KDE Plasma, or Gnome. |- |Window Manager |WM |Arranges your windows at the place you want them to be. Examples: kwin, mutter, i3, qtile, awesomewm, or sway. |- |[[Compositor]] | |Makes visual effects, but costs performance. |- |Package manager | |Essential part of your distro, has the purpose of downloading, installing, and removing packages. Examples: apt, or pacman. |- |Package | |Program, part of a program, or library |- |Library | |Collection of stuff that programs use to function. Typically has the ending ''.so''. (on windows this would be ''.dll'') |- |[[Terminal]] | |Black window with text. Essentially a different way to operate your system. |- |Display Manager | |Starts your DE. Examples: sddm, or gdm. |- |Shell | |The "environment" you have in the terminal. Examples: zsh, fish, or bash. |- |Display Server | |Draws stuff on the screen. Can be either x.org, or wayland. |- |Kernel | |The "heart" of your system. If a program wants specific resources (reading/writing a file, or getting processing time for example), it asks the kernel, and the kernel delivers them. Linux is actually just the kernel, but most people refer to the whole system (the distribution) when saying "Linux". Examples: linux, linux-lts, linux-zen, linux-tkg-pds, linux-tkg-bmq, xanmod, ... |- |Wine | |Compatibility layer to run Windows programs on Linux. |- |GNU | |GNU stands for ''GNU is not UNIX''. Yes, it uses ''GNU'' to explain what ''GNU'' means. And it's probably part of your Linux system. That's why some people refer to ''Linux'' as ''GNU/Linux''. They argue, that Linux is just the Kernel, and GNU is what makes it an operating system. However, most people use ''Linux'' to refer to the whole OS. |} c6e5f69f5a96453c1a5a5e7fc3e6661b76260162 1274 1273 2022-12-15T10:45:13Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki You might see some terms you are not familiar with. Here is a collection of some that might help you. {| class="wikitable" |+ !Term !Abbreviation !Explanation |- |Linux | |Has two meaning. It's either just the Linux kernel, or it's an operating system that uses the Linux kernel. Most of the time when you read ''Linux'', it means the whole system. |- |Distribution |Distro |The "type" of Linux you are using. Examples: Nobara, Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, Debian, Arch, ... |- |Desktop Environment |DE |How your Linux looks like. Think of the difference between Windows 7, 10, and 11. Unlike on Windows, this can be changed without reinstalling your system. Examples: KDE Plasma, or Gnome. |- |Window Manager |WM |Arranges your windows at the place you want them to be. Examples: kwin, mutter, i3, qtile, awesomewm, or sway. |- |[[Compositor]] | |Makes visual effects, but costs performance. |- |Package manager | |Essential part of your distro, has the purpose of downloading, installing, and removing packages. Examples: apt, or pacman. |- |Package | |Program, part of a program, or library |- |Library | |Collection of stuff that programs use to function. Typically has the ending ''.so''. (on windows this would be ''.dll'') |- |[[Terminal]] | |Black window with text. Essentially a different way to operate your system. |- |Display Manager |DM |Starts your DE. Examples: sddm, or gdm. |- |Shell | |The "environment" you have in the terminal. Examples: zsh, fish, or bash. |- |Display Server | |Draws stuff on the screen. Can be either x.org, or wayland. |- |Kernel | |The "heart" of your system. If a program wants specific resources (reading/writing a file, or getting processing time for example), it asks the kernel, and the kernel delivers them. Linux is actually just the kernel, but most people refer to the whole system (the distribution) when saying "Linux". Examples: linux, linux-lts, linux-zen, linux-tkg-pds, linux-tkg-bmq, xanmod, ... |- |Wine | |Compatibility layer to run Windows programs on Linux. |- |GNU | |GNU stands for ''GNU is not UNIX''. Yes, it uses ''GNU'' to explain what ''GNU'' means. And it's probably part of your Linux system. That's why some people refer to ''Linux'' as ''GNU/Linux''. They argue, that Linux is just the Kernel, and GNU is what makes it an operating system. However, most people use ''Linux'' to refer to the whole OS. |} d41f40580b4cd703fbeba0accdd377c8b6d3e1b2 0 2 1275 1255 2022-12-17T00:11:41Z Aragorn 3 /* Desktop Environments */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. **For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from Gnome. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Features !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Customizable, full featured |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |Gnome |Very clean, but not easy to customize |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |LXDE | |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Xfce | |Windows XP |500MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Pantheon |Not great for gaming | | | |} === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome, preferably GNOME for Wayland. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable, for example [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here]. |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base desktop and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you do a default configuration, it will probably not be better than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. The installation of Arch is hard also, but if you can read and follow instructions on the installation guide then it shouldn't be a problem. To make it easier, use archinstall. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |Gentoo |Gentoo is a good distribution for gaming actually. BUT: It's very complicated, takes a lot of time to install, and requires you to build every package which is time consuming. Plus, if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |- |AmogOS |It might have a funny name, but it's not a mature distribution. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |LFS | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 882e1f2a22f56ada101e9913dbe592add774b42c 1294 1275 2022-12-22T23:59:05Z Aragorn 3 /* Desktop Environments */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. **For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from Gnome. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Features !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Customizable, full featured |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |Gnome |Very clean, but not easy to customize |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |LXDE | |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Xfce | |Windows XP |500MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Pantheon |Not great for gaming | | | |} === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome, preferably GNOME for Wayland. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable, for example [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here]. |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base desktop and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you do a default configuration, it will probably not be better than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. The installation of Arch is hard also, but if you can read and follow instructions on the installation guide then it shouldn't be a problem. To make it easier, use archinstall. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |Gentoo |Gentoo is a good distribution for gaming actually. BUT: It's very complicated, takes a lot of time to install, and requires you to build every package which is time consuming. Plus, if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |- |AmogOS |It might have a funny name, but it's not a mature distribution. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |LFS | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 19f79138a6a5459292530c1b1a306229488b3cf4 1295 1294 2022-12-23T00:20:16Z Aragorn 3 /* Avoid Problems */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. **For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from Gnome. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Features !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Customizable, full featured |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |Gnome |Very clean, but not easy to customize |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |LXDE | |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Xfce | |Windows XP |500MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Pantheon |Not great for gaming | | | |} === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable, for example [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here]. |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base desktop and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you do a default configuration, it will probably not be better than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. The installation of Arch is hard also, but if you can read and follow instructions on the installation guide then it shouldn't be a problem. To make it easier, use archinstall. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |Gentoo |Gentoo is a good distribution for gaming actually. BUT: It's very complicated, takes a lot of time to install, and requires you to build every package which is time consuming. Plus, if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |- |AmogOS |It might have a funny name, but it's not a mature distribution. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |LFS | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 61beac35fe2528b96141f78416b5f348d9da8682 1319 1295 2023-01-05T14:00:52Z Aragorn 3 /* Desktop Environments */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. **For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from Gnome. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Features !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Customizable, full featured |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |Gnome |Very clean, but not easy to customize |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Xfce | |Windows XP |500MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Pantheon |Not great for gaming | | | |} === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable, for example [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here]. |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base desktop and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you do a default configuration, it will probably not be better than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. The installation of Arch is hard also, but if you can read and follow instructions on the installation guide then it shouldn't be a problem. To make it easier, use archinstall. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |Gentoo |Gentoo is a good distribution for gaming actually. BUT: It's very complicated, takes a lot of time to install, and requires you to build every package which is time consuming. Plus, if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |- |AmogOS |It might have a funny name, but it's not a mature distribution. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |LFS | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 9b20e573f32be4aafe2d77b83cc977c3855aa678 1320 1319 2023-01-05T14:20:43Z Aragorn 3 /* Desktop Environments */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. **For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from Gnome. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. The default looks a lot like Windows 10/11, but has a couple nice-to-have features that Windows doesn't have. Additionally, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |Gnome |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might look a little old. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce | |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |Not good for gaming. | | | |} === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable, for example [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here]. |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base desktop and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you do a default configuration, it will probably not be better than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. The installation of Arch is hard also, but if you can read and follow instructions on the installation guide then it shouldn't be a problem. To make it easier, use archinstall. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |Gentoo |Gentoo is a good distribution for gaming actually. BUT: It's very complicated, takes a lot of time to install, and requires you to build every package which is time consuming. Plus, if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |- |AmogOS |It might have a funny name, but it's not a mature distribution. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |LFS | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 245379d3812449200cc10becbf9e539afd540f1f 1321 1320 2023-01-05T14:28:53Z Aragorn 3 /* Desktop Environments */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. **For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from Gnome. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. The default looks a lot like Windows 10/11, but has a couple nice-to-have features that Windows doesn't have. Additionally, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |Gnome |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on Gnome, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |Not good for gaming. | | | |} === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable, for example [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here]. |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base desktop and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you do a default configuration, it will probably not be better than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. The installation of Arch is hard also, but if you can read and follow instructions on the installation guide then it shouldn't be a problem. To make it easier, use archinstall. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |Gentoo |Gentoo is a good distribution for gaming actually. BUT: It's very complicated, takes a lot of time to install, and requires you to build every package which is time consuming. Plus, if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |- |AmogOS |It might have a funny name, but it's not a mature distribution. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |LFS | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> ea08dd2614323b11fbc7f07c3ed4d777d27ad098 1322 1321 2023-01-05T14:31:46Z Aragorn 3 /* Desktop Environments */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. **For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from Gnome. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. The default looks a lot like Windows 10/11, but has a couple nice-to-have features that Windows doesn't have. Additionally, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |Gnome |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing Gnome always comes with the risk that it might break, so you should use it with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on Gnome, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |Not good for gaming. | | | |} === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable, for example [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here]. |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base desktop and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you do a default configuration, it will probably not be better than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. The installation of Arch is hard also, but if you can read and follow instructions on the installation guide then it shouldn't be a problem. To make it easier, use archinstall. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |Gentoo |Gentoo is a good distribution for gaming actually. BUT: It's very complicated, takes a lot of time to install, and requires you to build every package which is time consuming. Plus, if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |- |AmogOS |It might have a funny name, but it's not a mature distribution. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |LFS | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 707d764c871c928bda944a4811e93ed5c87117e7 1323 1322 2023-01-05T14:32:52Z Aragorn 3 /* Desktop Environments */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. **For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from Gnome. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. The default looks a lot like Windows 10/11, but has a couple nice-to-have features that Windows doesn't have. Additionally, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |Gnome |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing Gnome often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on Gnome, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |Not good for gaming. | | | |} === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable, for example [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here]. |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base desktop and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you do a default configuration, it will probably not be better than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. The installation of Arch is hard also, but if you can read and follow instructions on the installation guide then it shouldn't be a problem. To make it easier, use archinstall. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |Gentoo |Gentoo is a good distribution for gaming actually. BUT: It's very complicated, takes a lot of time to install, and requires you to build every package which is time consuming. Plus, if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |- |AmogOS |It might have a funny name, but it's not a mature distribution. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |LFS | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> a7ea9fa1ef5c3c26a7a6ea7972594c4818bf84a8 1324 1323 2023-01-05T17:21:38Z Aragorn 3 /* Distributions, or "versions" of Linux */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **You don't need to worry about this. All of them are fine. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from Gnome. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. The default looks a lot like Windows 10/11, but has a couple nice-to-have features that Windows doesn't have. Additionally, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |Gnome |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing Gnome often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on Gnome, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |Not good for gaming. | | | |} === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable, for example [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here]. |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base desktop and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you do a default configuration, it will probably not be better than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. The installation of Arch is hard also, but if you can read and follow instructions on the installation guide then it shouldn't be a problem. To make it easier, use archinstall. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |Gentoo |Gentoo is a good distribution for gaming actually. BUT: It's very complicated, takes a lot of time to install, and requires you to build every package which is time consuming. Plus, if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |- |AmogOS |It might have a funny name, but it's not a mature distribution. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |LFS | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> db73aab930ba095bfe6b8340d28817fbdb6364f3 0 5 1277 1226 2022-12-18T03:38:38Z 98.221.135.193 0 add note about VK_EXT_graphics_pipeline_library and how you don't need it when using dxvk 2.0 and nvidia 520+ drivers wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Nobara Official, Nobara Gnome, and Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]], it's not necessary on Wayland. **You do have to do this on Nobara KDE! *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. *If you have two GPUs (for example an integrated and a dedicated one), use the one with more performance. ''TODO: How?'' ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (one of the gaming optimized kernels, or just any kernel above 5.16), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>[https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg-pds]</code>, <code>[https://xanmod.org/ Xanmod]</code>, or <code>[https://liquorix.net/ Liquorix]</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> and <code>Liquorix</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. ***They should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. If you don't, you end up with an insecure system! **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people also recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler). Currently there are no scientific tests, so you have to see yourself what works best for you. You can get both from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. On an average gaming CPU, this will take something in the magnitude of an hour. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **Note that the following environment variable is not needed with Nvidia driver 520+ and DXVK 2.0 thanks to VK_EXT_graphics_pipeline_library, Intel ANV and AMD RADV driver support is coming soon. <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE comes with a compatible version. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (just type in the name manually). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page] and [https://github.com/AdelKS/LinuxGamingGuide this collection of tweaks]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (Gnome and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. Disabling composition should lead to slightly less input lag.<ref name=":2" /> KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. Gnome is also valid, but adds a small amount of input lag.<ref name=":2">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section ''(Test needed to know how good it works!)''. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid Gnome x11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on, regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> d933ce60afaa1cd7d4342a4550cb7fffd55cc0d9 1278 1277 2022-12-18T03:44:39Z 98.221.135.193 0 add notes about wayland tearing updates coming soon wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Nobara Official, Nobara Gnome, and Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]], it's not necessary on Wayland. **You do have to do this on Nobara KDE! *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. *If you have two GPUs (for example an integrated and a dedicated one), use the one with more performance. ''TODO: How?'' ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (one of the gaming optimized kernels, or just any kernel above 5.16), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>[https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg-pds]</code>, <code>[https://xanmod.org/ Xanmod]</code>, or <code>[https://liquorix.net/ Liquorix]</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> and <code>Liquorix</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. ***They should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. If you don't, you end up with an insecure system! **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people also recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler). Currently there are no scientific tests, so you have to see yourself what works best for you. You can get both from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. On an average gaming CPU, this will take something in the magnitude of an hour. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **Note that the following environment variable is not needed with Nvidia driver 520+ and DXVK 2.0 thanks to VK_EXT_graphics_pipeline_library, Intel ANV and AMD RADV driver support is coming soon. <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE comes with a compatible version. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (just type in the name manually). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page] and [https://github.com/AdelKS/LinuxGamingGuide this collection of tweaks]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (Gnome and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. Disabling composition should lead to slightly less input lag.<ref name=":2" /> KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. Gnome is also valid, but adds a small amount of input lag.<ref name=":2">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section ''(Test needed to know how good it works!)''. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid Gnome x11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync or enable tearing updates. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. KDE plasma 5.27 or higher will be required for tearing updates on Wayland and your game will also need to be run in fullscreen mode for it to work. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on, regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 40321e1451586b0578b4a250afb7bdc2bda3e244 1279 1278 2022-12-18T03:45:19Z 98.221.135.193 0 make versions more clear wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Nobara Official, Nobara Gnome, and Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]], it's not necessary on Wayland. **You do have to do this on Nobara KDE! *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. *If you have two GPUs (for example an integrated and a dedicated one), use the one with more performance. ''TODO: How?'' ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (one of the gaming optimized kernels, or just any kernel above 5.16), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>[https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg-pds]</code>, <code>[https://xanmod.org/ Xanmod]</code>, or <code>[https://liquorix.net/ Liquorix]</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> and <code>Liquorix</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. ***They should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. If you don't, you end up with an insecure system! **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people also recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler). Currently there are no scientific tests, so you have to see yourself what works best for you. You can get both from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. On an average gaming CPU, this will take something in the magnitude of an hour. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **Note that the following environment variable is not needed with Nvidia driver 520 (or higher) and DXVK 2.0 (or higher) thanks to VK_EXT_graphics_pipeline_library, Intel ANV and AMD RADV driver support is coming soon. <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE comes with a compatible version. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (just type in the name manually). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page] and [https://github.com/AdelKS/LinuxGamingGuide this collection of tweaks]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (Gnome and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. Disabling composition should lead to slightly less input lag.<ref name=":2" /> KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. Gnome is also valid, but adds a small amount of input lag.<ref name=":2">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section ''(Test needed to know how good it works!)''. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid Gnome x11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync or enable tearing updates. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. KDE plasma 5.27 or higher will be required for tearing updates on Wayland and your game will also need to be run in fullscreen mode for it to work. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on, regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 514a4f782afdfe479be5acdfa391f6666b42c2af 1280 1279 2022-12-18T03:46:04Z 98.221.135.193 0 remove driver names (only include manufacturer names) wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Nobara Official, Nobara Gnome, and Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]], it's not necessary on Wayland. **You do have to do this on Nobara KDE! *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. *If you have two GPUs (for example an integrated and a dedicated one), use the one with more performance. ''TODO: How?'' ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (one of the gaming optimized kernels, or just any kernel above 5.16), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>[https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg-pds]</code>, <code>[https://xanmod.org/ Xanmod]</code>, or <code>[https://liquorix.net/ Liquorix]</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> and <code>Liquorix</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. ***They should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. If you don't, you end up with an insecure system! **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people also recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler). Currently there are no scientific tests, so you have to see yourself what works best for you. You can get both from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. On an average gaming CPU, this will take something in the magnitude of an hour. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **Note that the following environment variable is not needed with Nvidia driver 520 (or higher) and DXVK 2.0 (or higher) thanks to VK_EXT_graphics_pipeline_library, Intel and AMD driver support is coming soon. <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE comes with a compatible version. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (just type in the name manually). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page] and [https://github.com/AdelKS/LinuxGamingGuide this collection of tweaks]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (Gnome and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. Disabling composition should lead to slightly less input lag.<ref name=":2" /> KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. Gnome is also valid, but adds a small amount of input lag.<ref name=":2">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section ''(Test needed to know how good it works!)''. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid Gnome x11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync or enable tearing updates. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. KDE plasma 5.27 or higher will be required for tearing updates on Wayland and your game will also need to be run in fullscreen mode for it to work. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on, regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 55bfe92a3e2e778bcdfaeb332a342ddce3a6ea78 1281 1280 2022-12-18T03:47:18Z 98.221.135.193 0 /* Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Nobara Official, Nobara Gnome, and Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]], it's not necessary on Wayland. **You do have to do this on Nobara KDE! *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Use the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. *If you have two GPUs (for example an integrated and a dedicated one), use the one with more performance. ''TODO: How?'' ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (one of the gaming optimized kernels, or just any kernel above 5.16), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>[https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg-pds]</code>, <code>[https://xanmod.org/ Xanmod]</code>, or <code>[https://liquorix.net/ Liquorix]</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> and <code>Liquorix</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. ***They should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. If you don't, you end up with an insecure system! **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people also recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler). Currently there are no scientific tests, so you have to see yourself what works best for you. You can get both from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. On an average gaming CPU, this will take something in the magnitude of an hour. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **Note that the following environment variable is not needed with Nvidia driver 520 (or higher) and DXVK 2.0 (or higher) thanks to VK_EXT_graphics_pipeline_library, Intel and AMD driver support is coming soon. <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE comes with a compatible version. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (just type in the name manually). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page] and [https://github.com/AdelKS/LinuxGamingGuide this collection of tweaks]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (Gnome and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. Disabling composition should lead to slightly less input lag.<ref name=":2" /> KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. Gnome is also valid, but adds a small amount of input lag.<ref name=":2">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section ''(Test needed to know how good it works!)''. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid Gnome x11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync or enable tearing updates. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. KDE plasma 5.27 or higher will be required for tearing updates on Wayland and your game will also need to be run in fullscreen mode for it to work. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on (unless tearing updates are enabled), regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> ae63fddadb44f993e3ed9f59c2d13afd04be8366 1311 1281 2022-12-30T13:59:01Z Aragorn 3 /* Major tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Nobara Official, Nobara Gnome, and Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]], it's not necessary on Wayland. **You do have to do this on Nobara KDE! *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Read the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. *If you have two GPUs (for example an integrated and a dedicated one), use the one with more performance. ''TODO: How?'' ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (one of the gaming optimized kernels, or just any kernel above 5.16), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>[https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg-pds]</code>, <code>[https://xanmod.org/ Xanmod]</code>, or <code>[https://liquorix.net/ Liquorix]</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> and <code>Liquorix</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. ***They should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. If you don't, you end up with an insecure system! **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people also recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler). Currently there are no scientific tests, so you have to see yourself what works best for you. You can get both from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. On an average gaming CPU, this will take something in the magnitude of an hour. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **Note that the following environment variable is not needed with Nvidia driver 520 (or higher) and DXVK 2.0 (or higher) thanks to VK_EXT_graphics_pipeline_library, Intel and AMD driver support is coming soon. <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE comes with a compatible version. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (just type in the name manually). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page] and [https://github.com/AdelKS/LinuxGamingGuide this collection of tweaks]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (Gnome and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. Disabling composition should lead to slightly less input lag.<ref name=":2" /> KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. Gnome is also valid, but adds a small amount of input lag.<ref name=":2">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section ''(Test needed to know how good it works!)''. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid Gnome x11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync or enable tearing updates. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. KDE plasma 5.27 or higher will be required for tearing updates on Wayland and your game will also need to be run in fullscreen mode for it to work. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on (unless tearing updates are enabled), regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. ==References and notes == <references /> 1f7d149ef79baad76a99e0204270d64867de4dc6 1312 1311 2022-12-30T23:20:07Z Aragorn 3 /* Troubleshooting */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Nobara Official, Nobara Gnome, and Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]], it's not necessary on Wayland. **You do have to do this on Nobara KDE! *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Read the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. *If you have two GPUs (for example an integrated and a dedicated one), use the one with more performance. ''TODO: How?'' ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (one of the gaming optimized kernels, or just any kernel above 5.16), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>[https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg-pds]</code>, <code>[https://xanmod.org/ Xanmod]</code>, or <code>[https://liquorix.net/ Liquorix]</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> and <code>Liquorix</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. ***They should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. If you don't, you end up with an insecure system! **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people also recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler). Currently there are no scientific tests, so you have to see yourself what works best for you. You can get both from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. On an average gaming CPU, this will take something in the magnitude of an hour. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **Note that the following environment variable is not needed with Nvidia driver 520 (or higher) and DXVK 2.0 (or higher) thanks to VK_EXT_graphics_pipeline_library, Intel and AMD driver support is coming soon. <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE comes with a compatible version. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (just type in the name manually). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page] and [https://github.com/AdelKS/LinuxGamingGuide this collection of tweaks]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (Gnome and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. Disabling composition should lead to slightly less input lag.<ref name=":2" /> KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. Gnome is also valid, but adds a small amount of input lag.<ref name=":2">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section ''(Test needed to know how good it works!)''. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid Gnome x11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync or enable tearing updates. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. KDE plasma 5.27 or higher will be required for tearing updates on Wayland and your game will also need to be run in fullscreen mode for it to work. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on (unless tearing updates are enabled), regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. *Sometimes a game has both, a Linux native, and a Windows version. They don't always run equally well. If you have problems, it might be worth a shot to try the other one. ==References and notes == <references /> 9d88d1a70ed1f0d777a531162e1430ebf4040d74 2 93 1283 2022-12-18T06:51:34Z DUMVenetta 51 Created page with "Being actually a solitary moms and dad is actually rigorous work and will maintain you held for Online Buying Kids. Anything that you can possibly do that may save a number of hrs, and even an extra expedition to the retail store can be useful. You might not spend exceedingly electricity on the web while you're at residence a result of the cooking food, cleansing, kid browsing,<br><br>my web site ... [https://yoursite.com Going Here]" wikitext text/x-wiki Being actually a solitary moms and dad is actually rigorous work and will maintain you held for Online Buying Kids. Anything that you can possibly do that may save a number of hrs, and even an extra expedition to the retail store can be useful. You might not spend exceedingly electricity on the web while you're at residence a result of the cooking food, cleansing, kid browsing,<br><br>my web site ... [https://yoursite.com Going Here] a1a2108cdc17e13ba3588c977ebeb430e6eacc29 0 34 1284 1139 2022-12-18T19:57:53Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki It is recommended to read the [[Getting started with Linux|long version]], but you should be fine if you just do the following:<ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect, ''especially'' if you consider yourself a power user. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. Your knowledge of regedit and powershell is useless, you will not be able to troubleshoot issues the way you're used to, and your favorite software to do something might not be available. Think of it like being dropped back to level 1 in an MMO. It's like that. There will be issues, and you will have no clue what to do. Imagine installing Windows and your performance being bad. You obviously would install the GPU drivers. Now imagine you would use Windows for the first time, and you have to figure out what the fuck is wrong. Be prepared for this. It will happen, and it will happen more than once. The good thing is, that you will learn everything much faster than someone who has no previous knowledge. But keep in mind that you have years of experience with Windows, and absolutely no knowledge of how to use Linux. Don't expect to know how to do everything, and be prepared to put time and effort into learning stuff. You will probably think that Linux is more complicated than Windows, just keep going, and you'll get to the point where you'll think the opposite. But it will take time. <li>Don't immediately remove Windows, try dual booting, or try installing Linux on a laptop first. Give yourself some time to adapt. The beginning will probably not be easy. It's always good to have a fallback if things don't work as expected. You can remove Windows later, if you're sure that you don't need a backup solution. </li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have [[Hardware Recommendations|supported hardware]]. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle, or without bugs. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working on Steam. You can find other games on [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org]. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use [https://nobaraproject.org/download-nobara/ Nobara]. It will make less problems, and gives you better performance than most other distributions. <li>Use the Official or Gnome version if you want something easy that works. <li>Use the KDE Plasma version if you want customization, a little bit less input lag, and you can live with something a little bit more complicated. <li>Depending on your computer, it might be necessary to disable ''"secure boot"''. That might sound scary, but fear not. Your system doesn't get insecure if you disable it. Secure boot is a technique that secures that only systems signed by Microsoft can be booted. Since most Linux distributions are not made by Microsoft, they're also not signed by them. </li> <li>Use Steam for running games that are on Steam. Most games will work ''just like that'', after [[Steam#Enable Steam Play for all games|enabling Steam Play for all games]].</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other games.</li> <li><p>[[Compositor|Disable Composition]]: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it.</p></li> <li><p>If your performance is bad, read [[Improving performance|this article]].</p></li> <li><p>'''Don't go to a website and download stuff to install it'''. This is not how Linux works. Even if this is the ''"official"'' way. For example AMD will offer you to download their drivers from the website. Don't do it, this is bad, and '''it will probably break your system'''!</p></li> <li><p>If you use the terminal, Linux will usually not protect you from shooting yourself in the foot. Instead, it will deliver the bullet in the most efficient way possible. If Linux actually warns you that you might be doing something stupid, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when [[How to get answers|asking for help]].</p></li><li><p>You (almost) never download software or drivers in the browser. Doing this is a really bad idea, and should only be your last resort if everything else fails. Just look up your distribution + the software, and you should find a better solution. You shouldn't need to do this on Nobara, everything should already be ready.</p></li><li><p>If you don't like the look, it can easily be changed. Just install a different desktop environment. KDE Plasma would be a popular choice that looks a lot like Windows, is very customizable, and very comfortable to use. </p></li><li><p>Expect that you're going to reinstall your system a couple times while getting accustomed to it. Linux comes without training wheels, or double bottom. At the same time, it invites experimentation, and if you don't know what you're doing, this can lead to a broken system relatively quickly. So always back up your important data! But fear not, after you learned how your system works, it won't break that much anymore. </p></li></ul> 7a374b7162872c74c4ab675fd93aa6d9b7596481 1285 1284 2022-12-18T19:57:59Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki It is recommended to read the [[Getting started with Linux|long version]], but you should be fine if you just do the following:<ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect, ''especially'' if you consider yourself a power user. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. Your knowledge of regedit and powershell is useless, you will not be able to troubleshoot issues the way you're used to, and your favorite software to do something might not be available. Think of it like being dropped back to level 1 in an MMO. It's like that. There will be issues, and you will have no clue what to do. Imagine installing Windows and your performance being bad. You obviously would install the GPU drivers. Now imagine you would use Windows for the first time, and you have to figure out what the fuck is wrong. Be prepared for this. It will happen, and it will happen more than once. The good thing is, that you will learn everything much faster than someone who has no previous knowledge. But keep in mind that you have years of experience with Windows, and absolutely no knowledge of how to use Linux. Don't expect to know how to do everything, and be prepared to put time and effort into learning stuff. You will probably think that Linux is more complicated than Windows, just keep going, and you'll get to the point where you'll think the opposite. But it will take time. <li>Don't immediately remove Windows, try dual booting, or try installing Linux on a laptop first. Give yourself some time to adapt. The beginning will probably not be easy. It's always good to have a fallback if things don't work as expected. You can remove Windows later, if you're sure that you don't need a backup solution. </li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have [[Hardware Recommendations|supported hardware]]. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle, or without bugs. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working on Steam. You can find other games on [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org]. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use [https://nobaraproject.org/download-nobara/ Nobara]. It will make less problems, and gives you better performance than most other distributions. <li>Use the Official or Gnome version if you want something easy that works. <li>Use the KDE Plasma version if you want customization, a little bit less input lag, and you can live with something a little bit more complicated. <li>Depending on your computer, it might be necessary to disable ''"secure boot"''. That might sound scary, but fear not. Your system doesn't get insecure if you disable it. Secure boot is a technique that secures that only systems signed by Microsoft can be booted. Since most Linux distributions are not made by Microsoft, they're also not signed by them. </li> <li>Use Steam for running games that are on Steam. Most games will work ''just like that'', after [[Steam#Enable Steam Play for all games|enabling Steam Play for all games]].</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other games.</li> <li><p>[[Compositor|Disable Composition]]: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it.</p></li> <li><p>If your performance is bad, read [[Improving performance|this article]].</p></li> <li><p>'''Don't go to a website and download stuff to install it'''. This is not how Linux works. Even if this is the ''"official"'' way. For example AMD will offer you to download their drivers from the website. Don't do it, this is bad, and '''it will probably break your system'''!</p></li> <li><p>If you use the terminal, Linux will usually not protect you from shooting yourself in the foot. Instead, it will deliver the bullet in the most efficient way possible. If Linux actually warns you that you might be doing something stupid, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when [[How to get answers|asking for help]].</p></li><li><p>You (almost) never download software or drivers in the browser. Doing this is a really bad idea, and should only be your last resort if everything else fails. Just look up your distribution + the software, and you should find a better solution. You shouldn't need to do this on Nobara, everything should already be ready.</p></li><li><p>If you don't like the look, it can easily be changed. Just install a different desktop environment. KDE Plasma would be a popular choice that looks a lot like Windows, is very customizable, and very comfortable to use. </p></li><li><p>Expect that you're going to reinstall your system a couple times while getting accustomed to it. Linux comes without training wheels, or double bottom. At the same time, it invites experimentation, and if you don't know what you're doing, this can lead to a broken system relatively quickly. So always back up your important data! But fear not, after you learned how your system works, it won't break that much anymore. </p></li></ul> 074a4f7a50c2384f5e72b96f0731217636d1b78f 1286 1285 2022-12-18T20:00:11Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki It is recommended to read the [[Getting started with Linux|long version]], but you should be fine if you just do the following:<ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect, ''especially'' if you consider yourself a power user. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. Your knowledge of regedit and powershell is useless, you will not be able to troubleshoot issues the way you're used to, and your favorite software to do something might not be available. Think of it like being dropped back to level 1 in an MMO. It's like that. There will be issues, and you will have no clue what to do. Imagine installing Windows and your performance being bad. You obviously would install the GPU drivers. Now imagine you would use Windows for the first time, and you have to figure out what the fuck is wrong. Be prepared for this. It will happen, and it will happen more than once. The good thing is, that you will learn everything much faster than someone who has no previous knowledge. But keep in mind that you have years of experience with Windows, and absolutely no knowledge of how to use Linux. Don't expect to know how to do everything, and be prepared to put time and effort into learning stuff. You will probably think that Linux is more complicated than Windows, just keep going, and you'll get to the point where you'll think the opposite. But it will take time. <li>Don't immediately remove Windows, try dual booting, or try installing Linux on a laptop first. Give yourself some time to adapt. The beginning will probably not be easy. It's always good to have a fallback if things don't work as expected. You can remove Windows later, if you're sure that you don't need a backup solution. </li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have [[Hardware Recommendations|supported hardware]]. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle, or without bugs. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working on Steam. You can find other games on [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org]. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use [https://nobaraproject.org/download-nobara/ Nobara]. It will make less problems, and gives you better performance than most other distributions. *Use the Official or Gnome version if you want something easy that works. * Use the KDE Plasma version if you want customization, a little bit less input lag, and you can live with something a little bit more complicated. <li>Depending on your computer, it might be necessary to disable ''"secure boot"''. That might sound scary, but fear not. Your system doesn't get insecure if you disable it. Secure boot is a technique that secures that only systems signed by Microsoft can be booted. Since most Linux distributions are not made by Microsoft, they're also not signed by them. </li> <li>Use Steam for running games that are on Steam. Most games will work ''just like that'', after [[Steam#Enable Steam Play for all games|enabling Steam Play for all games]].</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other games. </li> <li><p>[[Compositor|Disable Composition]]: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it.</p></li> <li><p>If your performance is bad, read [[Improving performance|this article]].</p></li> <li><p>'''Don't go to a website and download stuff to install it'''. This is not how Linux works. Even if this is the ''"official"'' way. For example AMD will offer you to download their drivers from the website. Don't do it, this is bad, and '''it will probably break your system'''!</p></li> <li><p>If you use the terminal, Linux will usually not protect you from shooting yourself in the foot. Instead, it will deliver the bullet in the most efficient way possible. If Linux actually warns you that you might be doing something stupid, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when [[How to get answers|asking for help]].</p></li><li><p>You (almost) never download software or drivers in the browser. Doing this is a really bad idea, and should only be your last resort if everything else fails. Just look up your distribution + the software, and you should find a better solution. You shouldn't need to do this on Nobara, everything should already be ready.</p></li><li><p>If you don't like the look, it can easily be changed. Just install a different desktop environment. KDE Plasma would be a popular choice that looks a lot like Windows, is very customizable, and very comfortable to use. </p></li><li><p>Expect that you're going to reinstall your system a couple times while getting accustomed to it. Linux comes without training wheels, or double bottom. At the same time, it invites experimentation, and if you don't know what you're doing, this can lead to a broken system relatively quickly. So always back up your important data! But fear not, after you learned how your system works, it won't break that much anymore. </p></li></ul> 39c043216c00ea756381ebd2435fa6d322cc90ce 2 101 1296 2022-12-24T11:09:26Z DHBMaximo55 63 Created page with "According to management principles, making decisions is about choosing the best choice from all possible options. Managers are often faced with a variety of options to decide on the best course of action to take. They analyze every option before deciding which is the best choice for their business as well as their staff.<br><br>Here is my web-site [http://okprint.kz/user/lotionbobcat9/ Get More Info]" wikitext text/x-wiki According to management principles, making decisions is about choosing the best choice from all possible options. Managers are often faced with a variety of options to decide on the best course of action to take. They analyze every option before deciding which is the best choice for their business as well as their staff.<br><br>Here is my web-site [http://okprint.kz/user/lotionbobcat9/ Get More Info] eb006dea954471bcdc43613b68a102b258a6e8ff 0 32 1298 1235 2022-12-24T11:20:35Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use a DE with X11]], then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadows, animations, transparency, blur, or other effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. You can verify that composition is disabled, by looking at your desktop effects. For example, you should not see shadows. They either vanish, or get pitch black. ==Disabling composition for your games== Disabling composition will dramatically improve performance, input lag, and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: ===Gnome=== This is the default DE on Pop!_OS, Nobara Official, and Nobara Gnome. You don't have to do anything. Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing Windows does), which is almost as good as disabling compositon. Disabling composition in Gnome is not possible. ===KDE=== This is the default DE on Nobara KDE. There are many options to disable composition: * You can use [https://store.kde.org/p/1502826/ Autocomposer]. This should make it unnecessary to do anything of the following. *For Lutris: **To disable it for a single game: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. **To disable it for all games: Click <code>...</code> in the top right corner -> <code>Preferences</code> -> <code>Global options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code> *You can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code> before launching a game. The same combination re-enables it. *If you want to use a terminal command (for example for automation, launch options for Steam, [[Gamemode]] etc): ** disable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor suspend</code> ** enable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor resume</code> *You can also disable it completely with <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>Display and Monitor</code> -> <code>Compositor</code> -> <code>Enable compositor on startup</code>. ===Xfce=== *Disable composition with <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Xfwm#Configuration</ref> *Enable it again with <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> === Mate === * Disable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/MATE#Disabling_compositing</ref> * Enable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager true</code> ===Cinnamon === As of Cinnamon 5.4, there's an option to disable composition for fullscreen applications, essentially referring to unredirection. However, it is disabled by default, forcing composition on all apps, making it not ideal. To enable it: <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>General</code> -> <code>Disable compositing on fullscreen applications</code> This might lead to visual degradation in desktop mode (no effects, no shadows, no transparency, no window previews, more tearing), but is still recommended if you want to reduce latency. Disabling composition completely might lead to better input lag. You can do that by checking: <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>General</code> -> <code>Disable compositing</code> === Pantheon === Unfortunately it appears to not support the option to disable composition.<ref>https://elementaryos.stackexchange.com/questions/4483/how-can-i-disable-composite-and-effects-in-elementary-os</ref> == Automation == For DEs that support disabling/enabling the compositor with a terminal command, you can automate it. In the following <code><disable></code> and <code><enable></code> are to be replaced with the respective command to disable or enable the compositor. === Gamemode === The easiest way is to automate it with [[gamemode]]. You can edit <code>gamemode.ini</code> and set <syntaxhighlight lang="ini"> [custom] start=<disable> end=<enable> </syntaxhighlight> === Steam === Set the launch command <code><disable>; %command%; <enable></code>. For example <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false; %command%; xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> to disable composition on Xfce<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensiveLinux/comments/6b3cs5/comment/dhjw7z7/?context=3</ref>. == References and notes == <references /> 17df1a9e58e8fb0fb2e90e69a3cfd99a85d65f60 1299 1298 2022-12-24T11:21:42Z Aragorn 3 /* Cinnamon */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use a DE with X11]], then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadows, animations, transparency, blur, or other effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. You can verify that composition is disabled, by looking at your desktop effects. For example, you should not see shadows. They either vanish, or get pitch black. ==Disabling composition for your games== Disabling composition will dramatically improve performance, input lag, and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: ===Gnome=== This is the default DE on Pop!_OS, Nobara Official, and Nobara Gnome. You don't have to do anything. Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing Windows does), which is almost as good as disabling compositon. Disabling composition in Gnome is not possible. ===KDE=== This is the default DE on Nobara KDE. There are many options to disable composition: * You can use [https://store.kde.org/p/1502826/ Autocomposer]. This should make it unnecessary to do anything of the following. *For Lutris: **To disable it for a single game: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. **To disable it for all games: Click <code>...</code> in the top right corner -> <code>Preferences</code> -> <code>Global options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code> *You can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code> before launching a game. The same combination re-enables it. *If you want to use a terminal command (for example for automation, launch options for Steam, [[Gamemode]] etc): ** disable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor suspend</code> ** enable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor resume</code> *You can also disable it completely with <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>Display and Monitor</code> -> <code>Compositor</code> -> <code>Enable compositor on startup</code>. ===Xfce=== *Disable composition with <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Xfwm#Configuration</ref> *Enable it again with <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> === Mate === * Disable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/MATE#Disabling_compositing</ref> * Enable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager true</code> ===Cinnamon === * As of Cinnamon 5.4, there's an option to disable composition for fullscreen applications, essentially referring to unredirection. However, it is disabled by default, forcing composition on all apps, making it not ideal. To enable it: <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>General</code> -> <code>Disable compositing on fullscreen applications</code> * Disabling composition completely might lead to better input lag. You can do that by checking: <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>General</code> -> <code>Disable compositing</code>. However, this might lead to visual degradation in desktop mode (no effects, no shadows, no transparency, no window previews, more tearing), but is still recommended if you want to reduce latency. === Pantheon === Unfortunately it appears to not support the option to disable composition.<ref>https://elementaryos.stackexchange.com/questions/4483/how-can-i-disable-composite-and-effects-in-elementary-os</ref> == Automation == For DEs that support disabling/enabling the compositor with a terminal command, you can automate it. In the following <code><disable></code> and <code><enable></code> are to be replaced with the respective command to disable or enable the compositor. === Gamemode === The easiest way is to automate it with [[gamemode]]. You can edit <code>gamemode.ini</code> and set <syntaxhighlight lang="ini"> [custom] start=<disable> end=<enable> </syntaxhighlight> === Steam === Set the launch command <code><disable>; %command%; <enable></code>. For example <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false; %command%; xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> to disable composition on Xfce<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensiveLinux/comments/6b3cs5/comment/dhjw7z7/?context=3</ref>. == References and notes == <references /> c9ffbda03102c69697b58f8476365ac7fab9a8e6 1300 1299 2022-12-24T11:26:42Z Aragorn 3 /* Cinnamon */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use a DE with X11]], then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadows, animations, transparency, blur, or other effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. You can verify that composition is disabled, by looking at your desktop effects. For example, you should not see shadows. They either vanish, or get pitch black. ==Disabling composition for your games== Disabling composition will dramatically improve performance, input lag, and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: ===Gnome=== This is the default DE on Pop!_OS, Nobara Official, and Nobara Gnome. You don't have to do anything. Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing Windows does), which is almost as good as disabling compositon. Disabling composition in Gnome is not possible. ===KDE=== This is the default DE on Nobara KDE. There are many options to disable composition: * You can use [https://store.kde.org/p/1502826/ Autocomposer]. This should make it unnecessary to do anything of the following. *For Lutris: **To disable it for a single game: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. **To disable it for all games: Click <code>...</code> in the top right corner -> <code>Preferences</code> -> <code>Global options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code> *You can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code> before launching a game. The same combination re-enables it. *If you want to use a terminal command (for example for automation, launch options for Steam, [[Gamemode]] etc): ** disable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor suspend</code> ** enable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor resume</code> *You can also disable it completely with <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>Display and Monitor</code> -> <code>Compositor</code> -> <code>Enable compositor on startup</code>. ===Xfce=== *Disable composition with <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Xfwm#Configuration</ref> *Enable it again with <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> === Mate === * Disable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/MATE#Disabling_compositing</ref> * Enable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager true</code> ===Cinnamon === {{Needs work|problem=There are (old) reports that Cinnamon does not always disable composition for full screen windows. Is this still the case, or is this resolved?}} * As of Cinnamon 5.4, there's an option to disable composition for fullscreen applications, essentially referring to unredirection. However, it is disabled by default, forcing composition on all apps, making it not ideal. To enable it: <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>General</code> -> <code>Disable compositing on fullscreen applications</code> *Disabling composition completely might lead to better input lag. You can do that by checking: <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>General</code> -> <code>Disable compositing</code>. However, this might lead to visual degradation in desktop mode (no effects, no shadows, no transparency, no window previews, more tearing), but is still recommended if you want to reduce latency. ===Pantheon=== Unfortunately it appears to not support the option to disable composition.<ref>https://elementaryos.stackexchange.com/questions/4483/how-can-i-disable-composite-and-effects-in-elementary-os</ref> ==Automation== For DEs that support disabling/enabling the compositor with a terminal command, you can automate it. In the following <code><disable></code> and <code><enable></code> are to be replaced with the respective command to disable or enable the compositor. ===Gamemode=== The easiest way is to automate it with [[gamemode]]. You can edit <code>gamemode.ini</code> and set <syntaxhighlight lang="ini"> [custom] start=<disable> end=<enable> </syntaxhighlight> ===Steam=== Set the launch command <code><disable>; %command%; <enable></code>. For example <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false; %command%; xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> to disable composition on Xfce<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensiveLinux/comments/6b3cs5/comment/dhjw7z7/?context=3</ref>. ==References and notes== <references /> 6bbec2069233599f10a95b8e5681a56e406dbc0d 1301 1300 2022-12-24T11:27:21Z Aragorn 3 /* Cinnamon */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use a DE with X11]], then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadows, animations, transparency, blur, or other effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. You can verify that composition is disabled, by looking at your desktop effects. For example, you should not see shadows. They either vanish, or get pitch black. ==Disabling composition for your games== Disabling composition will dramatically improve performance, input lag, and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: ===Gnome=== This is the default DE on Pop!_OS, Nobara Official, and Nobara Gnome. You don't have to do anything. Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing Windows does), which is almost as good as disabling compositon. Disabling composition in Gnome is not possible. ===KDE=== This is the default DE on Nobara KDE. There are many options to disable composition: * You can use [https://store.kde.org/p/1502826/ Autocomposer]. This should make it unnecessary to do anything of the following. *For Lutris: **To disable it for a single game: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. **To disable it for all games: Click <code>...</code> in the top right corner -> <code>Preferences</code> -> <code>Global options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code> *You can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code> before launching a game. The same combination re-enables it. *If you want to use a terminal command (for example for automation, launch options for Steam, [[Gamemode]] etc): ** disable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor suspend</code> ** enable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor resume</code> *You can also disable it completely with <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>Display and Monitor</code> -> <code>Compositor</code> -> <code>Enable compositor on startup</code>. ===Xfce=== *Disable composition with <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Xfwm#Configuration</ref> *Enable it again with <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> === Mate === * Disable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/MATE#Disabling_compositing</ref> * Enable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager true</code> ===Cinnamon === {{Needs work|Problem=There are (old) reports that Cinnamon does not always disable composition for full screen windows. Is this still the case, or is this resolved?}} * As of Cinnamon 5.4, there's an option to disable composition for fullscreen applications, essentially referring to unredirection. However, it is disabled by default, forcing composition on all apps, making it not ideal. To enable it: <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>General</code> -> <code>Disable compositing on fullscreen applications</code> *Disabling composition completely might lead to better input lag. You can do that by checking: <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>General</code> -> <code>Disable compositing</code>. However, this might lead to visual degradation in desktop mode (no effects, no shadows, no transparency, no window previews, more tearing), but is still recommended if you want to reduce latency. ===Pantheon=== Unfortunately it appears to not support the option to disable composition.<ref>https://elementaryos.stackexchange.com/questions/4483/how-can-i-disable-composite-and-effects-in-elementary-os</ref> ==Automation== For DEs that support disabling/enabling the compositor with a terminal command, you can automate it. In the following <code><disable></code> and <code><enable></code> are to be replaced with the respective command to disable or enable the compositor. ===Gamemode=== The easiest way is to automate it with [[gamemode]]. You can edit <code>gamemode.ini</code> and set <syntaxhighlight lang="ini"> [custom] start=<disable> end=<enable> </syntaxhighlight> ===Steam=== Set the launch command <code><disable>; %command%; <enable></code>. For example <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false; %command%; xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> to disable composition on Xfce<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensiveLinux/comments/6b3cs5/comment/dhjw7z7/?context=3</ref>. ==References and notes== <references /> 914034b4d9befa9a3bdaa46ee994a632f8f60c8d 1302 1301 2022-12-24T11:28:05Z Aragorn 3 /* Cinnamon */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use a DE with X11]], then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadows, animations, transparency, blur, or other effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. You can verify that composition is disabled, by looking at your desktop effects. For example, you should not see shadows. They either vanish, or get pitch black. ==Disabling composition for your games== Disabling composition will dramatically improve performance, input lag, and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: ===Gnome=== This is the default DE on Pop!_OS, Nobara Official, and Nobara Gnome. You don't have to do anything. Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing Windows does), which is almost as good as disabling compositon. Disabling composition in Gnome is not possible. ===KDE=== This is the default DE on Nobara KDE. There are many options to disable composition: * You can use [https://store.kde.org/p/1502826/ Autocomposer]. This should make it unnecessary to do anything of the following. *For Lutris: **To disable it for a single game: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. **To disable it for all games: Click <code>...</code> in the top right corner -> <code>Preferences</code> -> <code>Global options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code> *You can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code> before launching a game. The same combination re-enables it. *If you want to use a terminal command (for example for automation, launch options for Steam, [[Gamemode]] etc): ** disable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor suspend</code> ** enable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor resume</code> *You can also disable it completely with <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>Display and Monitor</code> -> <code>Compositor</code> -> <code>Enable compositor on startup</code>. ===Xfce=== *Disable composition with <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Xfwm#Configuration</ref> *Enable it again with <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> === Mate === * Disable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/MATE#Disabling_compositing</ref> * Enable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager true</code> ===Cinnamon === {{Needs work|Problem=There are (old) reports that Cinnamon does not always automatically disable composition for full screen windows. Is this still the case, or is this resolved?}} * As of Cinnamon 5.4, there's an option to disable composition for fullscreen applications, essentially referring to unredirection. However, it is disabled by default, forcing composition on all apps, making it not ideal. To enable it: <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>General</code> -> <code>Disable compositing on fullscreen applications</code> *Disabling composition completely might lead to better input lag. You can do that by checking: <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>General</code> -> <code>Disable compositing</code>. However, this might lead to visual degradation in desktop mode (no effects, no shadows, no transparency, no window previews, more tearing), but is still recommended if you want to reduce latency. ===Pantheon=== Unfortunately it appears to not support the option to disable composition.<ref>https://elementaryos.stackexchange.com/questions/4483/how-can-i-disable-composite-and-effects-in-elementary-os</ref> ==Automation== For DEs that support disabling/enabling the compositor with a terminal command, you can automate it. In the following <code><disable></code> and <code><enable></code> are to be replaced with the respective command to disable or enable the compositor. ===Gamemode=== The easiest way is to automate it with [[gamemode]]. You can edit <code>gamemode.ini</code> and set <syntaxhighlight lang="ini"> [custom] start=<disable> end=<enable> </syntaxhighlight> ===Steam=== Set the launch command <code><disable>; %command%; <enable></code>. For example <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false; %command%; xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> to disable composition on Xfce<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensiveLinux/comments/6b3cs5/comment/dhjw7z7/?context=3</ref>. ==References and notes== <references /> e95e28e83827f0f708799d98d8f4bca3f32a2da2 2 103 1303 2022-12-25T08:05:41Z DelbertArndt4 64 Created page with "Making options and decisions belongs of lifestyle. Simply put, the method lifestyle manifests with its own twists and turns, begins and quits needs our team to make choices as well as selections every action of the technique. Thus, I [https://sprzedambron.pl/author/armmuseum5/ Find Out More] it rather complicated and amazing that by the time youngsters have maturated, several have actually not mastered the craft of decision-making." wikitext text/x-wiki Making options and decisions belongs of lifestyle. 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There are actually pair of types of deductions: optional reductions, like medical insurance as well as 401( k) rebates, as well as compulsory rebates (those required by regulation), like federal earnings taxes and also FICA taxes.<br><br>my homepage ... [https://www.eustoncollege.co.uk/members/divingbongo7/activity/1637192/ Learn More] 34c861ae6b43359a00552b4067ee8ca88eec7b9c 0 1 1308 1258 2022-12-27T20:59:15Z Slouchy 1 Maintenance note wikitext text/x-wiki <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> '''Maintenance is scheduled for the following days (2022-12-27 to 2022-12-31).''' During this maintenance, we will be migrating from own server to cloud solution. That means there can be some issues or unavailability of the page. This is caused by raising prices of electricity, that forced us to search for other solutions that are financially less demanding (costs of our current solution ''doubled'' from beginning of this year). </div> This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. === Tweaking === *[[Troubleshooting]] - What to do if your game just won't work. *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies. *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Monitoring & Stresstesting]] - How to test that your tweaked system is still stable === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Visual Enhancement]] - Enhancing the visuals of a game. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. *[https://github.com/mikeroyal/Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide/blob/main/README.md Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide] - in depth tutorial on how to configure Ubuntu. Also contains a gaming section, that might also be relevant for other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. 7c4d7310680308fd0dc9513b18cc2ff5fd1852bd 1326 1308 2023-01-07T10:23:06Z Slouchy 1 wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. === Tweaking === *[[Troubleshooting]] - What to do if your game just won't work. *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies. *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Monitoring & Stresstesting]] - How to test that your tweaked system is still stable === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Visual Enhancement]] - Enhancing the visuals of a game. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. *[https://github.com/mikeroyal/Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide/blob/main/README.md Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide] - in depth tutorial on how to configure Ubuntu. Also contains a gaming section, that might also be relevant for other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. 43edd72761563cc26bfaf61671bb488f49812647 4 13 1309 28 2022-12-28T02:10:17Z Slouchy 1 wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki was created to contain all the scattered Linux gaming information across the web. The goal is to make one-stop place to get all the information, tweaks, troubleshooting ideas from one place that will contain them in a classic Wiki format or at least link you to the right direction to other wikis or pages on the web. Wiki was created by Aleš Nezbeda (slouchy/slouchybutton), if you have any ideas or requests you can contact me here [https://www.reddit.com/u/slouchybutton /u/slouchybutton] or directly with company E-mail [http://mailto:ales.nezbeda@kwindu.eu ales.nezbeda@kwindu.eu]. The website is hosted on my company server provided by Linode, located in Frankfurt, Germany, EU. Initial fork was made from Linux gaming subreddit's wiki https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/index Thank you, the great community of Linux gamers. ec5601190d9170852f1b9292b38b424e2f3c590b 1310 1309 2022-12-28T02:11:08Z Slouchy 1 wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki was created to contain all the scattered Linux gaming information across the web. The goal is to make one-stop place to get all the information, tweaks, troubleshooting ideas from one place that will contain them in a classic Wiki format or at least link you to the right direction to other wikis or pages on the web. Wiki was created by Aleš Nezbeda (slouchy/slouchybutton), if you have any ideas or requests you can contact me here [https://www.reddit.com/u/slouchybutton /u/slouchybutton] or directly with company E-mail [http://mailto:ales.nezbeda@kwindu.eu ales.nezbeda@kwindu.eu]. The website is hosted on my company virtual server from Linode, located in Frankfurt, Germany, EU. Initial fork was made from Linux gaming subreddit's wiki https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/index Thank you, the great community of Linux gamers. 15c5807e6b6b1344d0401629a76cf65302711a2e 2 109 1314 2022-12-31T11:23:06Z AudryPlante8 71 Created page with "Cryptocurrencies remain in the news a great deal in today times. 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Using older versions can also help. * [[How to get answers|Search the internet]] for a solution (for example with SearXNG, duckduckgo, etc.). Also look in this wiki. * Try fiddling with options. If you use [[Lutris]], there might be options that are not optimal. For example, it could be necessary to disable or enable things like ''virtual desktop'', ''esync'', ''fsync'', or others. * Try [[Bottles]]. * Use a fresh wine prefix. You can copy, move, or symlink the game files to your new prefix if you don't want to download everything again. You can either use your file manager or the [[terminal]]. *If the game is launched from a launcher (like BattleNet, Origin, EOS, etc.) and that launcher doesn't work well, it might be possible to run the game .exe directly. Just change the executable that is launched, and see if that works. *Start your launcher (Lutris, Bottles, Steam, Heroic, ...) or your game from the terminal, and look at the output. It might contain error messages. *Your game might be protected by AntiCheat. You can look for compatibility [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ here]. If this is the case, you can try to use a VM. However, this might not work either, and could even be considered cheating! *Use a VM with GPU-Passthrough (vfio) to play your game. 8c5fd835f63a2b733d6af99b544c10bdf59288be 0 55 1327 955 2023-01-08T00:22:39Z 205.185.99.106 0 /* Pantheon */ wikitext text/x-wiki The desktop environment is the interface of your system. Think of the differences between Windows 7, Vista, 8, 10, 11. That's the ''Desktop Environment'' (''DE''). The good thing on Linux is, that you have large choice about what to use. And you can even install multiple DEs at the same time and switch between them! All choices are much lighter than Windows. There are differences, but everything will use less than 1GB of RAM, and the CPU usage is so low that it will not matter on a gaming PC. The most popular options are Gnome and KDE. If you want a good experience, it's probably a good idea to stick to one of these two. == GNOME == The default on Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Fedora, and many other distributions. Polished and easy to use, but customization is a bit stiff. A solid choice, though not built for extensive customization. GNOME supports display unredirection, so you don't even have to mess with [[Compositor|composition]]. Is fully-featured in X11 mode, but Wayland lacks VRR (Freesync/G-SYNC) support, so if you're used to using those features on Windows, you may want to use the X11 session or choose another option. == KDE == Looks much like Windows by default, and has many nice quality of life features, effects, themes, etc. Easy to customize, but susceptible to breakage as a result. Supports disabling composition. Though already lighter than Windows out of the box, KDE can be slimmed down dramatically by disabling effects. == Xfce == Lightweight and customizable, but not as feature rich and user friendly as KDE. Supports disabling composition, but is inconsistent with doing so automatically. == LXDE == Very lightweight, especially low on RAM, but discontinued. == LXQt == Being the successor to LXDE, LXQt is also extremely lightweight. == Cinnamon == The default DE on Linux Mint. Cinnamon attempts to be very simple and traditional, looking much like Windows. People often seem to report problems and development is rather slow and conservative. Disabling composition might be problematic. == Pantheon == Good looking DE. Does '''not''' support disabling composition! 2cff87e67311ffac5fa9c61cc24b6b683c920b38 0 69 1328 1325 2023-01-09T00:08:00Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Your game doesn't work? Here is a list of things to try: * Try another wine version. Wine-GE often works. Other options are Wine-TKG, and Caffe. (For Steam: another Proton version, for example Proton-GE). Using older versions can also help. * [[How to get answers|Search the internet]] for a solution (for example with SearXNG, duckduckgo, etc.). Also look in this wiki. * Try fiddling with options. If you use [[Lutris]], there might be options that are not optimal. For example, it could be necessary to disable or enable things like ''virtual desktop'', ''esync'', ''fsync'', or others. * Try [[Bottles]]. * Use a fresh wine prefix. You can copy, move, or symlink the game files to your new prefix if you don't want to download everything again. You can either use your file manager or the [[terminal]]. *If the game is launched from a launcher (like BattleNet, Origin, EOS, etc.) and that launcher doesn't work well, it might be possible to run the game .exe directly. Just change the executable that is launched, and see if that works. *Start your launcher (Lutris, Bottles, Steam, Heroic, ...) or your game from the terminal, and look at the output. It might contain error messages. *Your game might be protected by AntiCheat. You can look for compatibility [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ here]. If this is the case, you can try to use a VM. However, this might not work either, and could even be considered cheating! *Use a VM with GPU-Passthrough (vfio) to play your game. *If a window is blank, or writing looks weird, install corefonts with winetricks. *Try installing dotnet or visual C++ with winetricks. Try different versions. Older games might need older versions. 42a1d547215c550cb19111500efafc39debf717b 1329 1328 2023-01-09T00:08:18Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Your game doesn't work? Here is a list of things to try: * Try another wine version. Wine-GE often works. Other options are Wine-TKG, and Caffe. (For Steam: another Proton version, for example Proton-GE). Using older versions can also help. * [[How to get answers|Search the internet]] for a solution (for example with SearXNG, duckduckgo, etc.). Also look in this wiki. * Try fiddling with options. If you use [[Lutris]], there might be options that are not optimal. For example, it could be necessary to disable or enable things like ''virtual desktop'', ''esync'', ''fsync'', or others. * Try [[Bottles]]. * Use a fresh wine prefix. You can copy, move, or symlink the game files to your new prefix if you don't want to download everything again. You can either use your file manager or the [[terminal]]. *If the game is launched from a launcher (like BattleNet, Origin, EOS, etc.) and that launcher doesn't work well, it might be possible to run the game .exe directly. Just change the executable that is launched, and see if that works. *Start your launcher (Lutris, Bottles, Steam, Heroic, ...) or your game from the terminal, and look at the output. It might contain error messages. *Your game might be protected by AntiCheat. You can look for compatibility [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ here]. If this is the case, you can try to use a VM. However, this might not work either, and could even be considered cheating! *Use a VM with GPU-Passthrough (vfio) to play your game. *If a window is blank, or writing looks weird, try installing corefonts with winetricks. *Try installing dotnet or visual C++ with winetricks. Try different versions. Older games might need older versions. bbe1cb669a45d104feed3e607b16ed31580565ed 1330 1329 2023-01-09T00:08:34Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Your game doesn't work? Here is a list of things to try: * Try another wine version. Wine-GE often works. Other options are Wine-TKG, and Caffe. (For Steam: another Proton version, for example Proton-GE). Using older versions can also help. * [[How to get answers|Search the internet]] for a solution (for example with SearXNG, duckduckgo, etc.). Also look in this wiki. * Try fiddling with options. If you use [[Lutris]], there might be options that are not optimal. For example, it could be necessary to disable or enable things like ''virtual desktop'', ''esync'', ''fsync'', or others. * Try [[Bottles]]. * Use a fresh wine prefix. You can copy, move, or symlink the game files to your new prefix if you don't want to download everything again. You can either use your file manager or the [[terminal]]. *If the game is launched from a launcher (like BattleNet, Origin, EOS, etc.) and that launcher doesn't work well, it might be possible to run the game .exe directly. Just change the executable that is launched, and see if that works. *Start your launcher (Lutris, Bottles, Steam, Heroic, ...) or your game from the terminal, and look at the output. It might contain error messages. *Your game might be protected by AntiCheat. You can look for compatibility [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ here]. If this is the case, you can try to use a VM. However, this might not work either, and could even be considered cheating! *Use a VM with GPU-Passthrough (vfio) to play your game. *If a window is blank, or writing looks weird, try installing corefonts with [[winetricks]]. *Try installing dotnet or visual C++ with [[winetricks]]. Try different versions. Older games might need older versions. 1b3a6bb922b186ab8219816f7854fe7d0647bddd 0 44 1331 1196 2023-01-09T09:18:37Z Aragorn 3 /* Enable Steam Play for all games */ wikitext text/x-wiki Steam runs natively on Linux. You can probably just install it from your App store. Usually you want to use ''Steam (Runtime)''. Only use ''Steam (native)'' if you know why you want to use it. If you use the Flatpak version, you will also need to use the Flatpak version of other software that you want to use with it, like MangoHud. == Enable Steam Play for all games == In order to run games that have no Linux version, and that are not explicitly whitelisted by Valve, go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. It's usually a good idea to use [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] instead of Proton Experimental. It has lots of benefits like improved game compatibility, raw mouse input, additional codecs for cutscenes, and much more. However it can be unstable. So if you have stability issues, try something else, for example an older version. Installation instructions are [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom#installation= here]. If you want the latest features, you have to update it manually, though. == ProtonUp-Qt == You can use [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] to make the installation and update process of [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] simple: * 1. Download the [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] AppImage * 2. Mark the AppImage as executable * 3. Double-click the AppImage to run ProtonUp-Qt Alternatively, you can install it from [https://flathub.org/apps/details/net.davidotek.pupgui2 Flathub]. == Launch Options == You may find something like <code>-screen-width 1280 -screen-height 720 -screen-fullscreen 0</code> on protondb. These are ''launch options''. To use them, you right click on the game, and in the <code>general</code> tab, there is a field called <code>launch options</code>. You paste them (for example <code>%command% -screen-height 1920 -screen-width 1080 -screen-fullscreen</code>) in there. <code>%command%</code> is the command to start the game. Some launch options go before this command (commands to execute programs, for example <code>gamemoderun</code> or <code>mangohud</code>), and some go behind it (flags that are passed to the game itself, typically stuff that starts with a <code>-</code>). == Steam Tinker Launch == [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch Steam Tinker Launch] is a swiss army knife tool that allows easy customization of multiple options for Steam games. It includes helpers for custom commands, Vortex, Mod Organizer 2, Proton GE, Proton/DXVK/wine options, winetricks, ReShade + easy selection for shaders, FSR, debugging, side-by-side VR automation, SteamGridDB, SpecialK, Proton KillSwitch, Gamescope, GameMode, and more. You can find a more comprehensive list of features in the [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch/wiki wiki] (dropdownlist on the right). == File Locations == === Steam Folder === If you use the Steam Flatpak, your Steam folder is <code>~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/data/Steam/</code> If you use the "normal" package, your Steam folder is in<code>~/.local/share/Steam/</code> === Games and Save Files === Your games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/common/<game_name></code>. Your save games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/compatdata/<some_number>/pfx/drive_c/<windows_path></code>. In order to know which number is correct, you can just use the search functionality of your file manager (probably <code>ctrl</code> + <code>f</code>) to search for the game name, or type <code>find <steam_folder>/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/ | grep -i "<game_name>"</code> in the [[terminal]]. You have to substitute ''<steam_folder>'' and ''<game_name>'' with the actual thing, of course. 4866cafa440585f8607b6485a0170662f088face 0 34 1333 1286 2023-01-10T11:07:00Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki It is recommended to read the [[Getting started with Linux|long version]], but you should be fine if you just do the following:<ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect, ''especially'' if you consider yourself a power user. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. Your knowledge of regedit and powershell is useless, you will not be able to troubleshoot issues the way you're used to, and your favorite software to do something might not be available. Think of it like being dropped back to level 1 in an MMO. It's like that. There will be issues, and you will have no clue what to do. Imagine installing Windows and your performance being bad. You obviously would install the GPU drivers. Now imagine you would use Windows for the first time, and you have to figure out what the fuck is wrong. Be prepared for this. It will happen, and it will happen more than once. The good thing is, that you will learn everything much faster than someone who has no previous knowledge. But keep in mind that you have years of experience with Windows, and absolutely no knowledge of how to use Linux. Don't expect to know how to do everything, and be prepared to put time and effort into learning stuff. You will probably think that Linux is more complicated than Windows, just keep going, and you'll get to the point where you'll think the opposite. But it will take time. <li>Don't immediately remove Windows, try dual booting, or try installing Linux on a laptop first. Give yourself some time to adapt. The beginning will probably not be easy. It's always good to have a fallback if things don't work as expected. You can remove Windows later, if you're sure that you don't need a backup solution. </li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have [[Hardware Recommendations|supported hardware]]. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle, or without bugs. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working on Steam. You can find other games on [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org]. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use [https://nobaraproject.org/download-nobara/ Nobara]. It will make less problems, and gives you better performance than most other distributions. *Use the Official or Gnome version if you want something easy that works. * Use the KDE Plasma version if you want customization, a little bit less input lag, and you can live with something a little bit more complicated. <li>Depending on your computer, it might be necessary to disable ''"secure boot"''. That might sound scary, but fear not. Your system doesn't get insecure if you disable it. Secure boot is a technique that secures that only systems signed by Microsoft can be booted. Since most Linux distributions are not made by Microsoft, they're also not signed by them. </li> <li>Use Steam for running games that are on Steam. Most games will work ''just like that'', after [[Steam#Enable Steam Play for all games|enabling Steam Play for all games]].</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other games. </li> <li><p>[[Compositor|Disable Composition]]: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it.</p></li> <li><p>If your performance is bad, read [[Improving performance|this article]].</p></li> <li><p>'''Don't go to a website and download stuff to install it'''. This is not how Linux works. Even if this is the ''"official"'' way. For example AMD will offer you to download their drivers from the website. Don't do it, this is bad, and '''it will probably break your system'''!</p></li> <li><p>If you use the terminal, Linux will usually not protect you from shooting yourself in the foot. Instead, it will deliver the bullet in the most efficient way possible. If Linux actually warns you that you might be doing something stupid, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when [[How to get answers|asking for help]].</p></li><li><p>You (almost) never download software or drivers in the browser. Doing this is a really bad idea, and should only be your last resort if everything else fails. Just look up your distribution + the software, and you should find a better solution. You shouldn't need to do this on Nobara, everything should already be ready.</p></li><li><p>If you don't like the look, it can easily be changed. Just install a different desktop environment. KDE Plasma would be a popular choice that looks a lot like Windows, is very customizable, and very comfortable to use. </p></li><li><p>Expect that you're going to reinstall your system a couple times while getting accustomed to it. Linux comes without training wheels, or double bottom. At the same time, it invites experimentation, and if you don't know what you're doing, this can lead to a broken system relatively quickly. So always back up your important data! But fear not, after you learned how your system works, it won't break that much anymore, and it will become easy to fix. Theoretically, you could use the same system for decades without problems. </p></li></ul> 2c04e2707dacec6353d15ed65bc07b7b71fb90ad 1356 1333 2023-01-14T10:14:04Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki It is recommended to read the [[Getting started with Linux|long version]], but you should be fine if you just do the following:<ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect, ''especially'' if you consider yourself a power user. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. Your knowledge of regedit and powershell is useless, you will not be able to troubleshoot issues the way you're used to, and your favorite software to do something might not be available. Think of it like being dropped back to level 1 in an MMO. It's like that. There will be issues, and you will have no clue what to do. Imagine installing Windows and your performance being bad. You obviously would install the GPU drivers. Now imagine you would use Windows for the first time, and you have to figure out what the fuck is wrong. Be prepared for this. It will happen, and it will happen more than once. The good thing is, that you will learn everything much faster than someone who has no previous knowledge. But keep in mind that you have years of experience with Windows, and absolutely no knowledge of how to use Linux. Don't expect to know how to do everything, and be prepared to put time and effort into learning stuff. You will probably think that Linux is more complicated than Windows, just keep going, and you'll get to the point where you'll think the opposite. But it will take time. <li>Don't immediately remove Windows, try dual booting, or try installing Linux on a laptop first. Give yourself some time to adapt. The beginning will probably not be easy. It's always good to have a fallback if things don't work as expected. You can remove Windows later, if you're sure that you don't need a backup solution. </li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have [[Hardware Recommendations|supported hardware]]. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle, or without bugs. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working on Steam. You can find other games on [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org]. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use [https://nobaraproject.org/download-nobara/ Nobara]. It will make less problems, and gives you better performance than most other distributions. *Use the Official or Gnome version if you are confused with lots of options, and you want something easy that just works. * Use the KDE Plasma version if you want many options, customization, a little bit less input lag, and you can live with that it's a little bit more complicated. <li>Depending on your computer, it might be necessary to disable ''"secure boot"''. That might sound scary, but fear not. Your system doesn't get insecure if you disable it. Secure boot is a technique that secures that only systems signed by Microsoft can be booted. Since most Linux distributions are not made by Microsoft, they're also not signed by them. </li> <li>Use Steam for running games that are on Steam. Most games will work ''just like that'', after [[Steam#Enable Steam Play for all games|enabling Steam Play for all games]].</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other games. </li> <li><p>[[Compositor|Disable Composition]]: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it.</p></li> <li><p>If your performance is bad, read [[Improving performance|this article]].</p></li> <li><p>'''Don't go to a website and download stuff to install it'''. This is not how Linux works. Even if this is the ''"official"'' way. For example AMD will offer you to download their drivers from the website. Don't do it, this is bad, and '''it will probably break your system'''!</p></li> <li><p>If you use the terminal, Linux will usually not protect you from shooting yourself in the foot. Instead, it will deliver the bullet in the most efficient way possible. If Linux actually warns you that you might be doing something stupid, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when [[How to get answers|asking for help]].</p></li><li><p>You (almost) never download software or drivers in the browser. Doing this is a really bad idea, and should only be your last resort if everything else fails. Just look up your distribution + the software, and you should find a better solution. You shouldn't need to do this on Nobara, everything should already be ready.</p></li><li><p>If you don't like the look, it can easily be changed. Just install a different desktop environment. KDE Plasma would be a popular choice that looks a lot like Windows, is very customizable, and very comfortable to use. </p></li><li><p>Expect that you're going to reinstall your system a couple times while getting accustomed to it. Linux comes without training wheels, or double bottom. At the same time, it invites experimentation, and if you don't know what you're doing, this can lead to a broken system relatively quickly. So always back up your important data! But fear not, after you learned how your system works, it won't break that much anymore, and it will become easy to fix. Theoretically, you could use the same system for decades without problems. </p></li></ul> e33dccab55de8791f471244d1c13db19ec2a53ed 0 25 1334 1015 2023-01-10T14:25:55Z Aragorn 3 /* Using AppImage */ wikitext text/x-wiki Heroic is an open-source game launcher that primarily supports launching games from the Epic Games Store by leveraging Legendary CLI tool. Heroic aims to be an easy-to-use game launcher with features like a per-game Wine prefix with the ability to easily switch between Wine versions. Heroic Games Launcher is built upon Electron and uses Legendary to interact with Epic Games Services. ==1. Installation== Before installing Heroic it is recommended that you have a working installation of '''Wine''' and '''winetricks''' on your system. All installation methods for Heroic are listed on their [https://github.com/Heroic-Games-Launcher/HeroicGamesLauncher#linux GitHub] You can find a suitable installation file for your distro at their GitHub Releases section [https://github.com/Heroic-Games-Launcher/HeroicGamesLauncher/releases here] === Arch, Manjaro, Garuda, and other Arch based distributions === Install it from the [https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/heroic-games-launcher-bin/ AUR], for example using <code>Pamac</code>: * [https://wiki.manjaro.org/index.php/Arch_User_Repository#Using_GUI_Pamac Enable AUR support] * Search Heroic and install it Alternatively you can use an ''AUR helper'' of your choice, for example <code>paru</code>, or <code>yay</code>: * <code>paru -S heroic-games-launcher-bin</code> * <code>yay -S heroic-games-launcher-bin</code> ===Debian, Ubuntu and Derivatives such as Pop!_OS=== Download the <code>heroic_x.x.x_amd64.deb</code> from the GitHub Releases section. If your OS supports this, you can simply open the downloaded <code>.deb</code> file to begin the installation. Otherwise, you can install it via dpkg by bringing up a [[terminal]] and running the following command sudo dpkg -i ''/path/to/''heroic_x.x.x_amd64.deb <small>Note: <code>amd64</code> here refers to system architecture which this package supports. Make sure that your system is compatible with the program you are trying to install.</small> === Using AppImage === Download the <code>heroic-x.x.x.AppImage</code> from the GitHub Releases section. Make sure you have <code>curl</code> and <code>gawk</code> installed, normally it comes installed in most distros. Make AppImage executable by changing its file properties. [[File:Make Executable.png|none|thumb|Marking file as executable]] '''Or''' You can do the same using terminal chmod u+x heroic-x.x.x.AppImage Now you can run the Heroic AppImage. === Using Flatpak === Heroic can be installed via Flatpak with app stores such as Discover and Pop!_Shop. == 2. Installing and importing games == Installing games is as easy as going to the '''library''' and selecting a game that you want to play. If you have already downloaded the game and you just want to import it then press on '''Import Game''' otherwise press '''Install''' to start installation in the specified folder. [[File:Heroic install popup.png|none|thumb|Game installation popup]] == 3. See also == [https://github.com/Heroic-Games-Launcher/HeroicGamesLauncher Heroic Games Launcher Github] [https://github.com/derrod/legendary Legendary Github] [https://github.com/CommandMC/EpicLinux/wiki EpicLinux Wiki] <references /> 02bd550a6af5dcb4ae6066bf2d439b288ec6506b 0 15 1335 1203 2023-01-10T14:28:00Z Aragorn 3 /* General approach: */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[File:Lutris icon.png|thumb|Lutris icon.]] '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that primarily provides installers for games not available on Steam. It can also act as a single app for your whole game library. You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam. == Installing Lutris == You can typically install Lutris through your distribution's app store (e.g. GNOME Software, Discover, Pop Shop). For example, on Pop!_OS, go to the '''Pop Shop''' and search "Lutris". [[File:Pop Shop - Lutris.png|frameless|581x581px]] Then, click install. See Lutris's [https://lutris.net/downloads download page] for more ways to install it. == Finding a game on Lutris == The most important feature of Lutris is that you can install games and launchers not found on Steam using '''install scripts'''. If you want to use an install script, click the '''+''' button on the top left, then click "Search for install script on the Lutris website". [[File:Lutris Add Button.png|frameless|448x448px]] [[File:SearchTheLutrisWebsiteForInstallers.png|frameless|450x450px]] Then, search for the game you want to install and select the game from the search results. [[File:SearchingForosuLutris.png|frameless|347x347px]] A new window will appear with option(s) , so pick what seems most standard. If your first choice doesn't work, you could try the other ones. You don't have to use the Lutris client to find install scripts - you can [https://lutris.net/games look up install scripts] on Lutris's website. === Installation === Typically, when installing a game, Lutris will ask if you want to download certain files. [[File:Lutrisinstalls.png|none|thumb|384x384px|Installing Overwatch on Lutris.]] Review the files to make sure everything looks okay, and then just press '''continue'''. Don't worry about the individual download buttons. === Install games that you own on GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam === Login to these stores by navigating to their tab in '''Sources''', and logging in to them by clicking the '''Connect''' icon. [[File:Lutrislogin.png|frameless]] After logging in, Lutris should display the games you own from that store. You can also enable the Epic Games Store as a source, but using [[Heroic|the Heroic Games launcher]] or just installing the Epic Games Store itself through Lutris are probably easier options. == Configuration Options == You might want to [[Improving performance|improve the performance]] of your games with stuff like: *Esync * Fsync * [[Gamemode]] * [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution]] You can also improve visuals with: *[https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] for downscaling *[https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or [[reshade]] Or you might want to try: * [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/wine-ge-custom/releases Wine-GE], instead of using Lutris's WINE == Installing Windows games without an install script == '''This is NOT what you would usually do when installing a game! Only do the following if there is no install script!''' *Click the plus on the top left * Select a name and select Wine as runner. * Select Game options, and select the executable ** Select the new folder as Wine prefix ** Select the prefix architecture (if you're not sure select 64-bit) *** Create a new folder where you want to install your game (for example <code>~/Games/MyNewGame</code>) * Select Runner options ** Select the Wine version (try different ones, including the ones from tkg and GE) * Click Save * Start your game ** Click through the installer * Right click the game in Lutris, click Configure ** Select Game options and modify the executable to be the actual game executable. (This could be <code>~/Games/MyNewGame/drive_c/Program Files(x86)/CoolGame/bin/CoolGame.exe</code>) * Start your game. **It will probably work, but if it's not, see the ''troubleshooting'' section. == Troubleshooting == This [https://piped.kavin.rocks/watch?v=oFB-Ly8RcOw video guide] explains how to install a game with a Lutris install script in more depth. If you encounter an issue installing your game, look up the game's name on the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/ Linux Gaming subreddit] to see if anyone's had the same issue and solved it. You should also check whether the game currently runs on Linux. === General approach: === (if the above does not work) Main article: [[Troubleshooting]] * Close Lutris, open a [[terminal]], type <code>lutris</code> and press enter. Lutris will now open, but you will see more information in the terminal. It might be necessary to force quit Lutris (for example with your system monitor, htop, btop, etc.). * Try running the game with different presets like other Wine version, with/without DXVK, with/without Esync, Fsync, Windowed (virtual desktop), etc. * Right click your game, go to Runner options, and set ''Output debugging info'' to ''Enabled''. * Start your game and pay close attention to the output in the terminal ** Try to understand the problem ** For example, you can use Winetricks to install missing dependencies === Winetricks === Winetricks is an easy way to do various stuff with Wine, including but not limited to installing libraries and other dependencies for your games. ==FAQ== ====What are runners?==== ''Runners'' are "methods" to run your programs. '''Linux''' is for native Linux games. '''Steam''' is for Steam games - though, using Steam itself to run those games is easier. '''Wine''' is what you want to use for every other Windows game. Other runners are available, these are mainly emulators for various consoles, or DOS (DosBox) ==== Where are save games? ==== <code>~/Games/MyGame/drive_c/<the_path_that_it_would_be_on_windows></code> ==See also== [https://lutris.net/ Lutris website] [[Category:Popular apps]] 68ad5751049141864e9fb9ef113786cb6d44f852 1336 1335 2023-01-10T14:28:18Z Aragorn 3 /* Winetricks */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[File:Lutris icon.png|thumb|Lutris icon.]] '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that primarily provides installers for games not available on Steam. It can also act as a single app for your whole game library. You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam. == Installing Lutris == You can typically install Lutris through your distribution's app store (e.g. GNOME Software, Discover, Pop Shop). For example, on Pop!_OS, go to the '''Pop Shop''' and search "Lutris". [[File:Pop Shop - Lutris.png|frameless|581x581px]] Then, click install. See Lutris's [https://lutris.net/downloads download page] for more ways to install it. == Finding a game on Lutris == The most important feature of Lutris is that you can install games and launchers not found on Steam using '''install scripts'''. If you want to use an install script, click the '''+''' button on the top left, then click "Search for install script on the Lutris website". [[File:Lutris Add Button.png|frameless|448x448px]] [[File:SearchTheLutrisWebsiteForInstallers.png|frameless|450x450px]] Then, search for the game you want to install and select the game from the search results. [[File:SearchingForosuLutris.png|frameless|347x347px]] A new window will appear with option(s) , so pick what seems most standard. If your first choice doesn't work, you could try the other ones. You don't have to use the Lutris client to find install scripts - you can [https://lutris.net/games look up install scripts] on Lutris's website. === Installation === Typically, when installing a game, Lutris will ask if you want to download certain files. [[File:Lutrisinstalls.png|none|thumb|384x384px|Installing Overwatch on Lutris.]] Review the files to make sure everything looks okay, and then just press '''continue'''. Don't worry about the individual download buttons. === Install games that you own on GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam === Login to these stores by navigating to their tab in '''Sources''', and logging in to them by clicking the '''Connect''' icon. [[File:Lutrislogin.png|frameless]] After logging in, Lutris should display the games you own from that store. You can also enable the Epic Games Store as a source, but using [[Heroic|the Heroic Games launcher]] or just installing the Epic Games Store itself through Lutris are probably easier options. == Configuration Options == You might want to [[Improving performance|improve the performance]] of your games with stuff like: *Esync * Fsync * [[Gamemode]] * [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution]] You can also improve visuals with: *[https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] for downscaling *[https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or [[reshade]] Or you might want to try: * [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/wine-ge-custom/releases Wine-GE], instead of using Lutris's WINE == Installing Windows games without an install script == '''This is NOT what you would usually do when installing a game! Only do the following if there is no install script!''' *Click the plus on the top left * Select a name and select Wine as runner. * Select Game options, and select the executable ** Select the new folder as Wine prefix ** Select the prefix architecture (if you're not sure select 64-bit) *** Create a new folder where you want to install your game (for example <code>~/Games/MyNewGame</code>) * Select Runner options ** Select the Wine version (try different ones, including the ones from tkg and GE) * Click Save * Start your game ** Click through the installer * Right click the game in Lutris, click Configure ** Select Game options and modify the executable to be the actual game executable. (This could be <code>~/Games/MyNewGame/drive_c/Program Files(x86)/CoolGame/bin/CoolGame.exe</code>) * Start your game. **It will probably work, but if it's not, see the ''troubleshooting'' section. == Troubleshooting == This [https://piped.kavin.rocks/watch?v=oFB-Ly8RcOw video guide] explains how to install a game with a Lutris install script in more depth. If you encounter an issue installing your game, look up the game's name on the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/ Linux Gaming subreddit] to see if anyone's had the same issue and solved it. You should also check whether the game currently runs on Linux. === General approach: === (if the above does not work) Main article: [[Troubleshooting]] * Close Lutris, open a [[terminal]], type <code>lutris</code> and press enter. Lutris will now open, but you will see more information in the terminal. It might be necessary to force quit Lutris (for example with your system monitor, htop, btop, etc.). * Try running the game with different presets like other Wine version, with/without DXVK, with/without Esync, Fsync, Windowed (virtual desktop), etc. * Right click your game, go to Runner options, and set ''Output debugging info'' to ''Enabled''. * Start your game and pay close attention to the output in the terminal ** Try to understand the problem ** For example, you can use Winetricks to install missing dependencies === Winetricks === [[Winetricks]] is an easy way to do various stuff with Wine, including but not limited to installing libraries and other dependencies for your games. ==FAQ== ====What are runners?==== ''Runners'' are "methods" to run your programs. '''Linux''' is for native Linux games. '''Steam''' is for Steam games - though, using Steam itself to run those games is easier. '''Wine''' is what you want to use for every other Windows game. Other runners are available, these are mainly emulators for various consoles, or DOS (DosBox) ==== Where are save games? ==== <code>~/Games/MyGame/drive_c/<the_path_that_it_would_be_on_windows></code> ==See also== [https://lutris.net/ Lutris website] [[Category:Popular apps]] 66f966d4502acc1c8174047dbd36bbf579cca39a 2 115 1337 2023-01-11T08:38:29Z LinneaMcGuinness 82 Created page with "In the oil and also gas industry, calculating the amount of liquid needed for boring is essential. Comprehending these calculations can aid you avoid problems and finish your born upon opportunity. A couple of straightforward mathematical solutions will allow you to do key estimations during exploration.<br><br>My web-site; [http://www.mappery.com/user.php?name=kyleeeholt Get More Info]" wikitext text/x-wiki In the oil and also gas industry, calculating the amount of liquid needed for boring is essential. Comprehending these calculations can aid you avoid problems and finish your born upon opportunity. A couple of straightforward mathematical solutions will allow you to do key estimations during exploration.<br><br>My web-site; [http://www.mappery.com/user.php?name=kyleeeholt Get More Info] 84eff9ee8e54f7d42e24e5f303989efbd710e2d5 0 28 1339 1211 2023-01-11T08:46:04Z Aragorn 3 /* General expectations */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get everything working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Gaming on Linux is more complicated than gaming on Windows. If you want a computer that just works, then Linux is not the system you want to use. You should not be expecting a drop in replacement, Linux is different in a lot of ways. You should also not expect a flawless experience. Linux can be flawless, but it might be necessary to resolve some issues first. You will have to spend time learning it, and you will have to spend time troubleshooting. However, this experience is very rewarding, and you will end up getting a system that does exactly what you want. Expect that nothing works as you expect, and that you will have to research every little thing that you want to do. Linux is not Windows, and it doesn't want to be. And that's a good thing. But this also means that your knowledge about Windows doesn't help you. And it means that you will do things wrong. These things that you do wrong, may even break your system, and you will have to reinstall it. This will probably happen multiple times, until you adapted to Linux. Some games do not work, no matter what you do. The primary reason for this is that some anti cheat software will just kick you. As of 14-11-22 this will happen in about 50% of games with anti cheat. However, if the game doesn't kick you, your chances to run it are almost 100%. Keep in mind that the experience might not be flawless, you might need to troubleshoot, there might be missing cut scenes, and there might be crashes. Currently, about 80% of the top 1000 games on Steam run without issues <ref>https://www.protondb.com/dashboard</ref>. Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better, especially if you have an AMD GPU. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch 2, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. See https://areweanticheatyet.com/ to get detailed information about specific games. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. See https://areweanticheatyet.com/ to get detailed information about specific games. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends on the individual tools the modding community uses. It's often not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you. * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB of RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable (not for serious gaming of course). And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. It won't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster, though. But it has significantly less overhead than Windows, so if that's the problem it will definitely help. For example, it might revive your old Laptop. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects your choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though—you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows to something like MacOS to something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is not even close to everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. Some examples of what Linux can look like: **KDE Plasma: [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/articles/tagline_images/528481101id19192gol.jpg 1][https://news-cdn.softpedia.com/images/news2/kde-plasma-5-15-desktop-environment-officially-released-here-s-what-s-new-524922-8.jpg 2][https://www.lffl.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/garuda-linux-dr460nized-1400x788.png 3][https://ubuntuhandbook.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/preview-arc-dark.jpg 4][https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RQLcqtqS-YA/XHTsrV6x_-I/AAAAAAAAU0Y/eKJma9C7vsITXzcDklMTaOXgUdVqBIvWgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot_20190226_073620.png 5][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 6][https://i.redd.it/lvubg0sxnl641.png 7][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 8][https://i.redd.it/8mz4z5kybs631.png 9][https://i.redd.it/jup9nde0f0l81.png 10][https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FEMS88kEx_8/maxresdefault.jpg 11][https://i.redd.it/f6ywf9pncpy31.png 12][https://i.imgur.com/kYX3ewJ.png 13][https://forum.endeavouros.com/uploads/default/original/2X/6/6e6c1619652607552c45b001ad2dbfb9d01ea21d.jpeg 14][https://i.redd.it/e4w1uvk48fr81.jpg 15][https://i.redd.it/0x4pz8o10xq81.png 16][https://i.redd.it/7a5mwp393jo81.png 17][https://i.redd.it/cv5gc2tne4r81.png 18] [https://i.redd.it/t65bae91v3s81.jpg 19] [https://64.media.tumblr.com/9bda2b57523402c142d4f797c8ad0093/d629d44890280e21-7d/s1280x1920/ad696bc813582410c77f9879cc0334b76ab252ea.jpg 20] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/comments/eor4up/plasma_cyberpunk_desktop/ 21] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=plasma&sort=top and] [https://store.kde.org/browse?cat=104&ord=rating more] **GNOME: [https://forum.garudalinux.org/uploads/default/optimized/2X/e/e6d6150878051d075fb6d8548f5314fcf6c7bf28_2_1035x646.jpeg 1][https://www.cmscritic.com/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cloudinary/pop-os-review-4_hhslpt.png 2][https://i.redd.it/jt3xl3e2qak61.png 3][https://pingvinus.ru/files/news/manjaro-20-1/manjaro-20.1-gnome.jpg 4][http://www.jetestelinux.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/manjaro_gnome_1710_mode_nuit.jpg 5][https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/f8e04f89-e155-4926-972e-76e0955933eb/dak2iyb-e5931cb1-e722-43f8-a1ed-63361f901ab9.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2Y4ZTA0Zjg5LWUxNTUtNDkyNi05NzJlLTc2ZTA5NTU5MzNlYlwvZGFrMml5Yi1lNTkzMWNiMS1lNzIyLTQzZjgtYTFlZC02MzM2MWY5MDFhYjkucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.zwpBVOqCfSFqWRDNz1fnEgVkyyXgrj_3NoJNLa0Zlzw 6][https://i.redd.it/b06ms6vfe0r81.png 7][https://i.redd.it/uvenc4r0dun81.png 8][https://i.redd.it/kw1enzggqmo81.png 9][https://i.redd.it/gdtwdhbk4tr81.png 10][https://i.redd.it/uk9uihckcsd41.png 11] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=gnome&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&sort=top and] [https://www.gnome-look.org/browse?ord=rating more] **Tiling window managers: [https://pic3.zhimg.com/v2-bad01545e1f69cc0a94633ff771b72e3_1200x500.jpg 1][https://preview.redd.it/f2jg3znpr1g31.png?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=9b64dde84ccb1e0ba20e8bba5ee6516123273bd2 2][https://pingvinus.ru/cr_images/userpicture/n/1938-0.png 3][https://i.redd.it/rpojcv4d3nr81.png 4][https://i.redd.it/lkviraiador81.png 5][https://i.redd.it/or7veqoicdq81.png 6][https://i.redd.it/ptbibz0gdk861.png 7] **[https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/ and many more] * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal Windows filesystem. Of course this doesn't apply to all games, so your mileage may vary. * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so (again) your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. Almost all software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == == References and Notes == 3b9f778cb9a3e2525156e7048ae9910e6aa4e42f 1340 1339 2023-01-11T09:04:13Z Aragorn 3 /* General expectations */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get everything working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Gaming on Linux is more complicated than gaming on Windows. If you want a computer that just works, then Linux is not the system you want to use. You should not be expecting a drop in replacement, Linux is different in a lot of ways. You should also not expect a flawless experience. Linux can be flawless, but it might be necessary to resolve some issues first. You will have to spend time learning it, and you will have to spend time troubleshooting. However, this experience is very rewarding, and you will end up getting a system that does exactly what you want. Expect that nothing works as you expect, and that you will have to research every little thing that you want to do. Linux is not Windows, and it doesn't want to be. And that's a good thing. But this also means that your knowledge about Windows doesn't help you. And it means that you will do things wrong. These things that you do wrong, may even break your system, and you will have to reinstall it. This will probably happen multiple times, until you adapted to Linux. Some games do not work, no matter what you do. The primary reason for this is that some anti cheat software will just kick you. As of 14-11-22 this will happen in about 50% of games with anti cheat. However, if the game doesn't kick you, your chances to run it are almost 100%. Keep in mind that the experience might not be flawless, you might need to troubleshoot, there might be missing cut scenes, and there might be crashes. Currently, about 80% of the top 1000 games on Steam run without issues <ref>https://www.protondb.com/dashboard</ref>. Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better, especially if you have an AMD GPU. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. {| class="wikitable" |+ !Why you shouldn't switch to Linux: !Why you should switch to Linux: |- |You can tweak Windows to get better privacy. |Privacy. It doesn't spy on you. By design, and not just by some obscure setting that Windows might change at any point int time. |- |Customizing your Linux system might break it. |Customizability. You can make your system look and behave exactly like you want. |- |Learning how to use Linux consumes much time. |You learn valuable things that can make using your computer much easier. It might even give you a job. Your get a very reliable system, and you will be able to fix almost any problem. ''"That's not possible"'' is something you don't say. Everything is possible. You just need to find a way how to do it. |- |You get worse performance in some games. |You get better performance in some games. Some people say, you can even get less input lag. This can give you a competitive advantage. |- |Some hardware doesn't work, and you need to buy new stuff. |Old hardware stays usable. You can still use your 20 years old laptop. No need to throw it away. |- |You also don't get malware on Windows if you harden it, and you don't download/click random stuff. |Security. Getting malware on Linux is something that practically doesn't happen. |- |A lot of games just don't work on Linux. No matter what you do. On Windows, you can just click ''"install"'', and they work. |A lot of games don't work on Windows, either. Especially old titles. These games often work on Linux without issues whatsoever. |- |Installing games on Linux is often hard, and time consuming. In many cases you need to search the internet for a solution on how to run them, try different settings, and so on. This can take many hours. Especially if you like to play many different games. |Many games can be installed without problems. You install it, and it just works. If something doesn't work, chances are that someone else figured out how to run it. In many cases it's something from a very short list of things that you need to try. Usually, problems can be fixed within a couple minutes. |- |You need technical knowledge to use Linux. |You get technical knowledge by using Linux. |} == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch 2, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. See https://areweanticheatyet.com/ to get detailed information about specific games. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. See https://areweanticheatyet.com/ to get detailed information about specific games. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends on the individual tools the modding community uses. It's often not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you. * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB of RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable (not for serious gaming of course). And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. It won't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster, though. But it has significantly less overhead than Windows, so if that's the problem it will definitely help. For example, it might revive your old Laptop. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects your choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though—you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows to something like MacOS to something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is not even close to everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. Some examples of what Linux can look like: **KDE Plasma: [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/articles/tagline_images/528481101id19192gol.jpg 1][https://news-cdn.softpedia.com/images/news2/kde-plasma-5-15-desktop-environment-officially-released-here-s-what-s-new-524922-8.jpg 2][https://www.lffl.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/garuda-linux-dr460nized-1400x788.png 3][https://ubuntuhandbook.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/preview-arc-dark.jpg 4][https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RQLcqtqS-YA/XHTsrV6x_-I/AAAAAAAAU0Y/eKJma9C7vsITXzcDklMTaOXgUdVqBIvWgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot_20190226_073620.png 5][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 6][https://i.redd.it/lvubg0sxnl641.png 7][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 8][https://i.redd.it/8mz4z5kybs631.png 9][https://i.redd.it/jup9nde0f0l81.png 10][https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FEMS88kEx_8/maxresdefault.jpg 11][https://i.redd.it/f6ywf9pncpy31.png 12][https://i.imgur.com/kYX3ewJ.png 13][https://forum.endeavouros.com/uploads/default/original/2X/6/6e6c1619652607552c45b001ad2dbfb9d01ea21d.jpeg 14][https://i.redd.it/e4w1uvk48fr81.jpg 15][https://i.redd.it/0x4pz8o10xq81.png 16][https://i.redd.it/7a5mwp393jo81.png 17][https://i.redd.it/cv5gc2tne4r81.png 18] [https://i.redd.it/t65bae91v3s81.jpg 19] [https://64.media.tumblr.com/9bda2b57523402c142d4f797c8ad0093/d629d44890280e21-7d/s1280x1920/ad696bc813582410c77f9879cc0334b76ab252ea.jpg 20] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/comments/eor4up/plasma_cyberpunk_desktop/ 21] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=plasma&sort=top and] [https://store.kde.org/browse?cat=104&ord=rating more] **GNOME: [https://forum.garudalinux.org/uploads/default/optimized/2X/e/e6d6150878051d075fb6d8548f5314fcf6c7bf28_2_1035x646.jpeg 1][https://www.cmscritic.com/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cloudinary/pop-os-review-4_hhslpt.png 2][https://i.redd.it/jt3xl3e2qak61.png 3][https://pingvinus.ru/files/news/manjaro-20-1/manjaro-20.1-gnome.jpg 4][http://www.jetestelinux.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/manjaro_gnome_1710_mode_nuit.jpg 5][https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/f8e04f89-e155-4926-972e-76e0955933eb/dak2iyb-e5931cb1-e722-43f8-a1ed-63361f901ab9.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2Y4ZTA0Zjg5LWUxNTUtNDkyNi05NzJlLTc2ZTA5NTU5MzNlYlwvZGFrMml5Yi1lNTkzMWNiMS1lNzIyLTQzZjgtYTFlZC02MzM2MWY5MDFhYjkucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.zwpBVOqCfSFqWRDNz1fnEgVkyyXgrj_3NoJNLa0Zlzw 6][https://i.redd.it/b06ms6vfe0r81.png 7][https://i.redd.it/uvenc4r0dun81.png 8][https://i.redd.it/kw1enzggqmo81.png 9][https://i.redd.it/gdtwdhbk4tr81.png 10][https://i.redd.it/uk9uihckcsd41.png 11] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=gnome&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&sort=top and] [https://www.gnome-look.org/browse?ord=rating more] **Tiling window managers: [https://pic3.zhimg.com/v2-bad01545e1f69cc0a94633ff771b72e3_1200x500.jpg 1][https://preview.redd.it/f2jg3znpr1g31.png?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=9b64dde84ccb1e0ba20e8bba5ee6516123273bd2 2][https://pingvinus.ru/cr_images/userpicture/n/1938-0.png 3][https://i.redd.it/rpojcv4d3nr81.png 4][https://i.redd.it/lkviraiador81.png 5][https://i.redd.it/or7veqoicdq81.png 6][https://i.redd.it/ptbibz0gdk861.png 7] **[https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/ and many more] * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal Windows filesystem. Of course this doesn't apply to all games, so your mileage may vary. * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so (again) your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. Almost all software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == == References and Notes == f4d60ae7f8fa1279239a84372b47abc46bd1a057 1341 1340 2023-01-11T09:06:42Z Aragorn 3 /* General expectations */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get everything working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Gaming on Linux is more complicated than gaming on Windows. If you want a computer that just works, then Linux is not the system you want to use. You should not be expecting a drop in replacement, Linux is different in a lot of ways. You should also not expect a flawless experience. Linux can be flawless, but it might be necessary to resolve some issues first. You will have to spend time learning it, and you will have to spend time troubleshooting. However, this experience is very rewarding, and you will end up getting a system that does exactly what you want. Expect that nothing works as you expect, and that you will have to research every little thing that you want to do. Linux is not Windows, and it doesn't want to be. And that's a good thing. But this also means that your knowledge about Windows doesn't help you. And it means that you will do things wrong. These things that you do wrong, may even break your system, and you will have to reinstall it. This will probably happen multiple times, until you adapted to Linux. Some games do not work, no matter what you do. The primary reason for this is that some anti cheat software will just kick you. As of 14-11-22 this will happen in about 50% of games with anti cheat. However, if the game doesn't kick you, your chances to run it are almost 100%. Keep in mind that the experience might not be flawless, you might need to troubleshoot, there might be missing cut scenes, and there might be crashes. Currently, about 80% of the top 1000 games on Steam run without issues <ref>https://www.protondb.com/dashboard</ref>. Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better, especially if you have an AMD GPU. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. {| class="wikitable" |+ !Why you shouldn't switch to Linux: !Why you should switch to Linux: |- |You can tweak Windows to get better privacy. And there are even Linux distributions that spy on you. |Most Linux distributions don't spy on you. By design, and not just by some obscure setting that Windows might change at any point int time. If you are worried about the couple distributions that do, look at the [[Getting started with Linux#Recommendations|recommendations]]. |- |Customizing your Linux system might break it. |Customizability. You can make your system look and behave exactly like you want. |- |Learning how to use Linux consumes much time. |You learn valuable things that can make using your computer much easier. It might even give you a job. Your get a very reliable system, and you will be able to fix almost any problem. ''"That's not possible"'' is something you don't say. Everything is possible. You just need to find a way how to do it. |- |You get worse performance in some games. |You get better performance in some games. Some people say, you can even get less input lag. This can give you a competitive advantage. |- |Some hardware doesn't work, and you need to buy new stuff. |Old hardware stays usable. You can still use your 20 years old laptop. No need to throw it away. |- |You also don't get malware on Windows if you harden it, and you don't download/click random stuff. |Security. Getting malware on Linux is something that practically doesn't happen. |- |A lot of games just don't work on Linux. No matter what you do. On Windows, you can just click ''"install"'', and they work. |A lot of games don't work on Windows, either. Especially old titles. These games often work on Linux without issues whatsoever. |- |Installing games on Linux is often hard, and time consuming. In many cases you need to search the internet for a solution on how to run them, try different settings, and so on. This can take many hours. Especially if you like to play many different games. |Many games can be installed without problems. You install it, and it just works. If something doesn't work, chances are that someone else figured out how to run it. In many cases it's something from a very short list of things that you need to try. Usually, problems can be fixed within a couple minutes. |- |You need technical knowledge to use Linux. |You get technical knowledge by using Linux. |} == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch 2, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. See https://areweanticheatyet.com/ to get detailed information about specific games. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. See https://areweanticheatyet.com/ to get detailed information about specific games. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends on the individual tools the modding community uses. It's often not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you. * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB of RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable (not for serious gaming of course). And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. It won't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster, though. But it has significantly less overhead than Windows, so if that's the problem it will definitely help. For example, it might revive your old Laptop. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects your choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though—you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows to something like MacOS to something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is not even close to everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. Some examples of what Linux can look like: **KDE Plasma: [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/articles/tagline_images/528481101id19192gol.jpg 1][https://news-cdn.softpedia.com/images/news2/kde-plasma-5-15-desktop-environment-officially-released-here-s-what-s-new-524922-8.jpg 2][https://www.lffl.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/garuda-linux-dr460nized-1400x788.png 3][https://ubuntuhandbook.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/preview-arc-dark.jpg 4][https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RQLcqtqS-YA/XHTsrV6x_-I/AAAAAAAAU0Y/eKJma9C7vsITXzcDklMTaOXgUdVqBIvWgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot_20190226_073620.png 5][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 6][https://i.redd.it/lvubg0sxnl641.png 7][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 8][https://i.redd.it/8mz4z5kybs631.png 9][https://i.redd.it/jup9nde0f0l81.png 10][https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FEMS88kEx_8/maxresdefault.jpg 11][https://i.redd.it/f6ywf9pncpy31.png 12][https://i.imgur.com/kYX3ewJ.png 13][https://forum.endeavouros.com/uploads/default/original/2X/6/6e6c1619652607552c45b001ad2dbfb9d01ea21d.jpeg 14][https://i.redd.it/e4w1uvk48fr81.jpg 15][https://i.redd.it/0x4pz8o10xq81.png 16][https://i.redd.it/7a5mwp393jo81.png 17][https://i.redd.it/cv5gc2tne4r81.png 18] [https://i.redd.it/t65bae91v3s81.jpg 19] [https://64.media.tumblr.com/9bda2b57523402c142d4f797c8ad0093/d629d44890280e21-7d/s1280x1920/ad696bc813582410c77f9879cc0334b76ab252ea.jpg 20] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/comments/eor4up/plasma_cyberpunk_desktop/ 21] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=plasma&sort=top and] [https://store.kde.org/browse?cat=104&ord=rating more] **GNOME: [https://forum.garudalinux.org/uploads/default/optimized/2X/e/e6d6150878051d075fb6d8548f5314fcf6c7bf28_2_1035x646.jpeg 1][https://www.cmscritic.com/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cloudinary/pop-os-review-4_hhslpt.png 2][https://i.redd.it/jt3xl3e2qak61.png 3][https://pingvinus.ru/files/news/manjaro-20-1/manjaro-20.1-gnome.jpg 4][http://www.jetestelinux.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/manjaro_gnome_1710_mode_nuit.jpg 5][https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/f8e04f89-e155-4926-972e-76e0955933eb/dak2iyb-e5931cb1-e722-43f8-a1ed-63361f901ab9.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2Y4ZTA0Zjg5LWUxNTUtNDkyNi05NzJlLTc2ZTA5NTU5MzNlYlwvZGFrMml5Yi1lNTkzMWNiMS1lNzIyLTQzZjgtYTFlZC02MzM2MWY5MDFhYjkucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.zwpBVOqCfSFqWRDNz1fnEgVkyyXgrj_3NoJNLa0Zlzw 6][https://i.redd.it/b06ms6vfe0r81.png 7][https://i.redd.it/uvenc4r0dun81.png 8][https://i.redd.it/kw1enzggqmo81.png 9][https://i.redd.it/gdtwdhbk4tr81.png 10][https://i.redd.it/uk9uihckcsd41.png 11] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=gnome&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&sort=top and] [https://www.gnome-look.org/browse?ord=rating more] **Tiling window managers: [https://pic3.zhimg.com/v2-bad01545e1f69cc0a94633ff771b72e3_1200x500.jpg 1][https://preview.redd.it/f2jg3znpr1g31.png?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=9b64dde84ccb1e0ba20e8bba5ee6516123273bd2 2][https://pingvinus.ru/cr_images/userpicture/n/1938-0.png 3][https://i.redd.it/rpojcv4d3nr81.png 4][https://i.redd.it/lkviraiador81.png 5][https://i.redd.it/or7veqoicdq81.png 6][https://i.redd.it/ptbibz0gdk861.png 7] **[https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/ and many more] * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal Windows filesystem. Of course this doesn't apply to all games, so your mileage may vary. * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so (again) your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. Almost all software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == == References and Notes == ed02a2003d5d6562357551e03bc2875c871cbfba 1342 1341 2023-01-11T09:07:53Z Aragorn 3 /* General expectations */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get everything working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Gaming on Linux is more complicated than gaming on Windows. If you want a computer that just works, then Linux is not the system you want to use. You should not be expecting a drop in replacement, Linux is different in a lot of ways. You should also not expect a flawless experience. Linux can be flawless, but it might be necessary to resolve some issues first. You will have to spend time learning it, and you will have to spend time troubleshooting. However, this experience is very rewarding, and you will end up getting a system that does exactly what you want. Expect that nothing works as you expect, and that you will have to research every little thing that you want to do. Linux is not Windows, and it doesn't want to be. And that's a good thing. But this also means that your knowledge about Windows doesn't help you. And it means that you will do things wrong. These things that you do wrong, may even break your system, and you will have to reinstall it. This will probably happen multiple times, until you adapted to Linux. Some games do not work, no matter what you do. The primary reason for this is that some anti cheat software will just kick you. As of 14-11-22 this will happen in about 50% of games with anti cheat. However, if the game doesn't kick you, your chances to run it are almost 100%. Keep in mind that the experience might not be flawless, you might need to troubleshoot, there might be missing cut scenes, and there might be crashes. Currently, about 80% of the top 1000 games on Steam run without issues <ref>https://www.protondb.com/dashboard</ref>. Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better, especially if you have an AMD GPU. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. {| class="wikitable" |+ !Why you shouldn't switch to Linux: !Why you should switch to Linux: |- |You can tweak Windows to get better privacy. And there are even Linux distributions that spy on you. |Most Linux distributions don't spy on you. By design, and not just by some obscure setting that Windows might change at any point int time. To avoid those distributions, either stay with the [[Getting started (short version)|quick start guide,]] or look at the [[Getting started with Linux#Recommendations|recommendations]]. |- |Customizing your Linux system might break it. |Customizability. You can make your system look and behave exactly like you want. |- |Learning how to use Linux consumes much time. |You learn valuable things that can make using your computer much easier. It might even give you a job. Your get a very reliable system, and you will be able to fix almost any problem. ''"That's not possible"'' is something you don't say. Everything is possible. You just need to find a way how to do it. |- |You get worse performance in some games. |You get better performance in some games. Some people say, you can even get less input lag. This can give you a competitive advantage. |- |Some hardware doesn't work, and you need to buy new stuff. |Old hardware stays usable. You can still use your 20 years old laptop. No need to throw it away. |- |You also don't get malware on Windows if you harden it, and you don't download/click random stuff. |Security. Getting malware on Linux is something that practically doesn't happen. |- |A lot of games just don't work on Linux. No matter what you do. On Windows, you can just click ''"install"'', and they work. |A lot of games don't work on Windows, either. Especially old titles. These games often work on Linux without issues whatsoever. |- |Installing games on Linux is often hard, and time consuming. In many cases you need to search the internet for a solution on how to run them, try different settings, and so on. This can take many hours. Especially if you like to play many different games. |Many games can be installed without problems. You install it, and it just works. If something doesn't work, chances are that someone else figured out how to run it. In many cases it's something from a very short list of things that you need to try. Usually, problems can be fixed within a couple minutes. |- |You need technical knowledge to use Linux. |You get technical knowledge by using Linux. |} == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch 2, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. See https://areweanticheatyet.com/ to get detailed information about specific games. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. See https://areweanticheatyet.com/ to get detailed information about specific games. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends on the individual tools the modding community uses. It's often not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you. * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB of RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable (not for serious gaming of course). And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. It won't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster, though. But it has significantly less overhead than Windows, so if that's the problem it will definitely help. For example, it might revive your old Laptop. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects your choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though—you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows to something like MacOS to something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is not even close to everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. Some examples of what Linux can look like: **KDE Plasma: [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/articles/tagline_images/528481101id19192gol.jpg 1][https://news-cdn.softpedia.com/images/news2/kde-plasma-5-15-desktop-environment-officially-released-here-s-what-s-new-524922-8.jpg 2][https://www.lffl.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/garuda-linux-dr460nized-1400x788.png 3][https://ubuntuhandbook.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/preview-arc-dark.jpg 4][https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RQLcqtqS-YA/XHTsrV6x_-I/AAAAAAAAU0Y/eKJma9C7vsITXzcDklMTaOXgUdVqBIvWgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot_20190226_073620.png 5][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 6][https://i.redd.it/lvubg0sxnl641.png 7][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 8][https://i.redd.it/8mz4z5kybs631.png 9][https://i.redd.it/jup9nde0f0l81.png 10][https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FEMS88kEx_8/maxresdefault.jpg 11][https://i.redd.it/f6ywf9pncpy31.png 12][https://i.imgur.com/kYX3ewJ.png 13][https://forum.endeavouros.com/uploads/default/original/2X/6/6e6c1619652607552c45b001ad2dbfb9d01ea21d.jpeg 14][https://i.redd.it/e4w1uvk48fr81.jpg 15][https://i.redd.it/0x4pz8o10xq81.png 16][https://i.redd.it/7a5mwp393jo81.png 17][https://i.redd.it/cv5gc2tne4r81.png 18] [https://i.redd.it/t65bae91v3s81.jpg 19] [https://64.media.tumblr.com/9bda2b57523402c142d4f797c8ad0093/d629d44890280e21-7d/s1280x1920/ad696bc813582410c77f9879cc0334b76ab252ea.jpg 20] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/comments/eor4up/plasma_cyberpunk_desktop/ 21] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=plasma&sort=top and] [https://store.kde.org/browse?cat=104&ord=rating more] **GNOME: [https://forum.garudalinux.org/uploads/default/optimized/2X/e/e6d6150878051d075fb6d8548f5314fcf6c7bf28_2_1035x646.jpeg 1][https://www.cmscritic.com/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cloudinary/pop-os-review-4_hhslpt.png 2][https://i.redd.it/jt3xl3e2qak61.png 3][https://pingvinus.ru/files/news/manjaro-20-1/manjaro-20.1-gnome.jpg 4][http://www.jetestelinux.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/manjaro_gnome_1710_mode_nuit.jpg 5][https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/f8e04f89-e155-4926-972e-76e0955933eb/dak2iyb-e5931cb1-e722-43f8-a1ed-63361f901ab9.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2Y4ZTA0Zjg5LWUxNTUtNDkyNi05NzJlLTc2ZTA5NTU5MzNlYlwvZGFrMml5Yi1lNTkzMWNiMS1lNzIyLTQzZjgtYTFlZC02MzM2MWY5MDFhYjkucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.zwpBVOqCfSFqWRDNz1fnEgVkyyXgrj_3NoJNLa0Zlzw 6][https://i.redd.it/b06ms6vfe0r81.png 7][https://i.redd.it/uvenc4r0dun81.png 8][https://i.redd.it/kw1enzggqmo81.png 9][https://i.redd.it/gdtwdhbk4tr81.png 10][https://i.redd.it/uk9uihckcsd41.png 11] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=gnome&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&sort=top and] [https://www.gnome-look.org/browse?ord=rating more] **Tiling window managers: [https://pic3.zhimg.com/v2-bad01545e1f69cc0a94633ff771b72e3_1200x500.jpg 1][https://preview.redd.it/f2jg3znpr1g31.png?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=9b64dde84ccb1e0ba20e8bba5ee6516123273bd2 2][https://pingvinus.ru/cr_images/userpicture/n/1938-0.png 3][https://i.redd.it/rpojcv4d3nr81.png 4][https://i.redd.it/lkviraiador81.png 5][https://i.redd.it/or7veqoicdq81.png 6][https://i.redd.it/ptbibz0gdk861.png 7] **[https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/ and many more] * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal Windows filesystem. Of course this doesn't apply to all games, so your mileage may vary. * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so (again) your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. Almost all software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == == References and Notes == ce6da8b754b0703d61a31a5c0b92b1d5dd972d2b 1343 1342 2023-01-11T09:08:20Z Aragorn 3 /* General expectations */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get everything working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Gaming on Linux is more complicated than gaming on Windows. If you want a computer that just works, then Linux is not the system you want to use. You should not be expecting a drop in replacement, Linux is different in a lot of ways. You should also not expect a flawless experience. Linux can be flawless, but it might be necessary to resolve some issues first. You will have to spend time learning it, and you will have to spend time troubleshooting. However, this experience is very rewarding, and you will end up getting a system that does exactly what you want. Expect that nothing works as you expect, and that you will have to research every little thing that you want to do. Linux is not Windows, and it doesn't want to be. And that's a good thing. But this also means that your knowledge about Windows doesn't help you. And it means that you will do things wrong. These things that you do wrong, may even break your system, and you will have to reinstall it. This will probably happen multiple times, until you adapted to Linux. Some games do not work, no matter what you do. The primary reason for this is that some anti cheat software will just kick you. As of 14-11-22 this will happen in about 50% of games with anti cheat. However, if the game doesn't kick you, your chances to run it are almost 100%. Keep in mind that the experience might not be flawless, you might need to troubleshoot, there might be missing cut scenes, and there might be crashes. Currently, about 80% of the top 1000 games on Steam run without issues <ref>https://www.protondb.com/dashboard</ref>. Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better, especially if you have an AMD GPU. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. {| class="wikitable" |+ !Why you shouldn't switch to Linux: !Why you should switch to Linux: |- |You can tweak Windows to get better privacy. And there are even Linux distributions that spy on you. |Most Linux distributions don't spy on you. By design, and not just by some obscure setting that Windows might change at any point int time. To avoid the ''bad'' Linux distributions, either stay with the [[Getting started (short version)|quick start guide,]] or look at the [[Getting started with Linux#Recommendations|recommendations]]. |- |Customizing your Linux system might break it. |Customizability. You can make your system look and behave exactly like you want. |- |Learning how to use Linux consumes much time. |You learn valuable things that can make using your computer much easier. It might even give you a job. Your get a very reliable system, and you will be able to fix almost any problem. ''"That's not possible"'' is something you don't say. Everything is possible. You just need to find a way how to do it. |- |You get worse performance in some games. |You get better performance in some games. Some people say, you can even get less input lag. This can give you a competitive advantage. |- |Some hardware doesn't work, and you need to buy new stuff. |Old hardware stays usable. You can still use your 20 years old laptop. No need to throw it away. |- |You also don't get malware on Windows if you harden it, and you don't download/click random stuff. |Security. Getting malware on Linux is something that practically doesn't happen. |- |A lot of games just don't work on Linux. No matter what you do. On Windows, you can just click ''"install"'', and they work. |A lot of games don't work on Windows, either. Especially old titles. These games often work on Linux without issues whatsoever. |- |Installing games on Linux is often hard, and time consuming. In many cases you need to search the internet for a solution on how to run them, try different settings, and so on. This can take many hours. Especially if you like to play many different games. |Many games can be installed without problems. You install it, and it just works. If something doesn't work, chances are that someone else figured out how to run it. In many cases it's something from a very short list of things that you need to try. Usually, problems can be fixed within a couple minutes. |- |You need technical knowledge to use Linux. |You get technical knowledge by using Linux. |} == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch 2, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. See https://areweanticheatyet.com/ to get detailed information about specific games. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. See https://areweanticheatyet.com/ to get detailed information about specific games. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends on the individual tools the modding community uses. It's often not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you. * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB of RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable (not for serious gaming of course). And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. It won't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster, though. But it has significantly less overhead than Windows, so if that's the problem it will definitely help. For example, it might revive your old Laptop. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects your choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though—you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows to something like MacOS to something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is not even close to everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. Some examples of what Linux can look like: **KDE Plasma: [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/articles/tagline_images/528481101id19192gol.jpg 1][https://news-cdn.softpedia.com/images/news2/kde-plasma-5-15-desktop-environment-officially-released-here-s-what-s-new-524922-8.jpg 2][https://www.lffl.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/garuda-linux-dr460nized-1400x788.png 3][https://ubuntuhandbook.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/preview-arc-dark.jpg 4][https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RQLcqtqS-YA/XHTsrV6x_-I/AAAAAAAAU0Y/eKJma9C7vsITXzcDklMTaOXgUdVqBIvWgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot_20190226_073620.png 5][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 6][https://i.redd.it/lvubg0sxnl641.png 7][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 8][https://i.redd.it/8mz4z5kybs631.png 9][https://i.redd.it/jup9nde0f0l81.png 10][https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FEMS88kEx_8/maxresdefault.jpg 11][https://i.redd.it/f6ywf9pncpy31.png 12][https://i.imgur.com/kYX3ewJ.png 13][https://forum.endeavouros.com/uploads/default/original/2X/6/6e6c1619652607552c45b001ad2dbfb9d01ea21d.jpeg 14][https://i.redd.it/e4w1uvk48fr81.jpg 15][https://i.redd.it/0x4pz8o10xq81.png 16][https://i.redd.it/7a5mwp393jo81.png 17][https://i.redd.it/cv5gc2tne4r81.png 18] [https://i.redd.it/t65bae91v3s81.jpg 19] [https://64.media.tumblr.com/9bda2b57523402c142d4f797c8ad0093/d629d44890280e21-7d/s1280x1920/ad696bc813582410c77f9879cc0334b76ab252ea.jpg 20] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/comments/eor4up/plasma_cyberpunk_desktop/ 21] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=plasma&sort=top and] [https://store.kde.org/browse?cat=104&ord=rating more] **GNOME: [https://forum.garudalinux.org/uploads/default/optimized/2X/e/e6d6150878051d075fb6d8548f5314fcf6c7bf28_2_1035x646.jpeg 1][https://www.cmscritic.com/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cloudinary/pop-os-review-4_hhslpt.png 2][https://i.redd.it/jt3xl3e2qak61.png 3][https://pingvinus.ru/files/news/manjaro-20-1/manjaro-20.1-gnome.jpg 4][http://www.jetestelinux.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/manjaro_gnome_1710_mode_nuit.jpg 5][https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/f8e04f89-e155-4926-972e-76e0955933eb/dak2iyb-e5931cb1-e722-43f8-a1ed-63361f901ab9.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2Y4ZTA0Zjg5LWUxNTUtNDkyNi05NzJlLTc2ZTA5NTU5MzNlYlwvZGFrMml5Yi1lNTkzMWNiMS1lNzIyLTQzZjgtYTFlZC02MzM2MWY5MDFhYjkucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.zwpBVOqCfSFqWRDNz1fnEgVkyyXgrj_3NoJNLa0Zlzw 6][https://i.redd.it/b06ms6vfe0r81.png 7][https://i.redd.it/uvenc4r0dun81.png 8][https://i.redd.it/kw1enzggqmo81.png 9][https://i.redd.it/gdtwdhbk4tr81.png 10][https://i.redd.it/uk9uihckcsd41.png 11] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=gnome&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&sort=top and] [https://www.gnome-look.org/browse?ord=rating more] **Tiling window managers: [https://pic3.zhimg.com/v2-bad01545e1f69cc0a94633ff771b72e3_1200x500.jpg 1][https://preview.redd.it/f2jg3znpr1g31.png?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=9b64dde84ccb1e0ba20e8bba5ee6516123273bd2 2][https://pingvinus.ru/cr_images/userpicture/n/1938-0.png 3][https://i.redd.it/rpojcv4d3nr81.png 4][https://i.redd.it/lkviraiador81.png 5][https://i.redd.it/or7veqoicdq81.png 6][https://i.redd.it/ptbibz0gdk861.png 7] **[https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/ and many more] * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal Windows filesystem. Of course this doesn't apply to all games, so your mileage may vary. * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so (again) your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. Almost all software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == == References and Notes == 0534b3adb67cedf2b3ebc0f5e081af84fa8f835b 1344 1343 2023-01-11T09:08:48Z Aragorn 3 /* General expectations */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get everything working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Gaming on Linux is more complicated than gaming on Windows. If you want a computer that just works, then Linux is not the system you want to use. You should not be expecting a drop in replacement, Linux is different in a lot of ways. You should also not expect a flawless experience. Linux can be flawless, but it might be necessary to resolve some issues first. You will have to spend time learning it, and you will have to spend time troubleshooting. However, this experience is very rewarding, and you will end up getting a system that does exactly what you want. Expect that nothing works as you expect, and that you will have to research every little thing that you want to do. Linux is not Windows, and it doesn't want to be. And that's a good thing. But this also means that your knowledge about Windows doesn't help you. And it means that you will do things wrong. These things that you do wrong, may even break your system, and you will have to reinstall it. This will probably happen multiple times, until you adapted to Linux. Some games do not work, no matter what you do. The primary reason for this is that some anti cheat software will just kick you. As of 14-11-22 this will happen in about 50% of games with anti cheat. However, if the game doesn't kick you, your chances to run it are almost 100%. Keep in mind that the experience might not be flawless, you might need to troubleshoot, there might be missing cut scenes, and there might be crashes. Currently, about 80% of the top 1000 games on Steam run without issues <ref>https://www.protondb.com/dashboard</ref>. Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better, especially if you have an AMD GPU. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. {| class="wikitable" |+ !Why you shouldn't switch to Linux: !Why you should switch to Linux: |- |You can tweak Windows to get better privacy. And there are even Linux distributions that spy on you. |Most Linux distributions don't spy on you. By design, and not just by some obscure setting that Windows might change at any point int time. To avoid the ''bad'' Linux distributions, either stay with the [[Getting started (short version)|quick start guide,]] or look at the [[Getting started with Linux#Recommendations|recommendations]]. |- |Customizing your Linux system might break it. |Customization options are endless. You can make your system look and behave exactly like you want. |- |Learning how to use Linux consumes much time. |You learn valuable things that can make using your computer much easier. It might even give you a job. Your get a very reliable system, and you will be able to fix almost any problem. ''"That's not possible"'' is something you don't say. Everything is possible. You just need to find a way how to do it. |- |You get worse performance in some games. |You get better performance in some games. Some people say, you can even get less input lag. This can give you a competitive advantage. |- |Some hardware doesn't work, and you need to buy new stuff. |Old hardware stays usable. You can still use your 20 years old laptop. No need to throw it away. |- |You also don't get malware on Windows if you harden it, and you don't download/click random stuff. |Security. Getting malware on Linux is something that practically doesn't happen. |- |A lot of games just don't work on Linux. No matter what you do. On Windows, you can just click ''"install"'', and they work. |A lot of games don't work on Windows, either. Especially old titles. These games often work on Linux without issues whatsoever. |- |Installing games on Linux is often hard, and time consuming. In many cases you need to search the internet for a solution on how to run them, try different settings, and so on. This can take many hours. Especially if you like to play many different games. |Many games can be installed without problems. You install it, and it just works. If something doesn't work, chances are that someone else figured out how to run it. In many cases it's something from a very short list of things that you need to try. Usually, problems can be fixed within a couple minutes. |- |You need technical knowledge to use Linux. |You get technical knowledge by using Linux. |} == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch 2, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. See https://areweanticheatyet.com/ to get detailed information about specific games. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. See https://areweanticheatyet.com/ to get detailed information about specific games. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends on the individual tools the modding community uses. It's often not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you. * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB of RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable (not for serious gaming of course). And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. It won't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster, though. But it has significantly less overhead than Windows, so if that's the problem it will definitely help. For example, it might revive your old Laptop. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects your choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though—you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows to something like MacOS to something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is not even close to everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. Some examples of what Linux can look like: **KDE Plasma: [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/articles/tagline_images/528481101id19192gol.jpg 1][https://news-cdn.softpedia.com/images/news2/kde-plasma-5-15-desktop-environment-officially-released-here-s-what-s-new-524922-8.jpg 2][https://www.lffl.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/garuda-linux-dr460nized-1400x788.png 3][https://ubuntuhandbook.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/preview-arc-dark.jpg 4][https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RQLcqtqS-YA/XHTsrV6x_-I/AAAAAAAAU0Y/eKJma9C7vsITXzcDklMTaOXgUdVqBIvWgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot_20190226_073620.png 5][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 6][https://i.redd.it/lvubg0sxnl641.png 7][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 8][https://i.redd.it/8mz4z5kybs631.png 9][https://i.redd.it/jup9nde0f0l81.png 10][https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FEMS88kEx_8/maxresdefault.jpg 11][https://i.redd.it/f6ywf9pncpy31.png 12][https://i.imgur.com/kYX3ewJ.png 13][https://forum.endeavouros.com/uploads/default/original/2X/6/6e6c1619652607552c45b001ad2dbfb9d01ea21d.jpeg 14][https://i.redd.it/e4w1uvk48fr81.jpg 15][https://i.redd.it/0x4pz8o10xq81.png 16][https://i.redd.it/7a5mwp393jo81.png 17][https://i.redd.it/cv5gc2tne4r81.png 18] [https://i.redd.it/t65bae91v3s81.jpg 19] [https://64.media.tumblr.com/9bda2b57523402c142d4f797c8ad0093/d629d44890280e21-7d/s1280x1920/ad696bc813582410c77f9879cc0334b76ab252ea.jpg 20] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/comments/eor4up/plasma_cyberpunk_desktop/ 21] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=plasma&sort=top and] [https://store.kde.org/browse?cat=104&ord=rating more] **GNOME: [https://forum.garudalinux.org/uploads/default/optimized/2X/e/e6d6150878051d075fb6d8548f5314fcf6c7bf28_2_1035x646.jpeg 1][https://www.cmscritic.com/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cloudinary/pop-os-review-4_hhslpt.png 2][https://i.redd.it/jt3xl3e2qak61.png 3][https://pingvinus.ru/files/news/manjaro-20-1/manjaro-20.1-gnome.jpg 4][http://www.jetestelinux.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/manjaro_gnome_1710_mode_nuit.jpg 5][https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/f8e04f89-e155-4926-972e-76e0955933eb/dak2iyb-e5931cb1-e722-43f8-a1ed-63361f901ab9.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2Y4ZTA0Zjg5LWUxNTUtNDkyNi05NzJlLTc2ZTA5NTU5MzNlYlwvZGFrMml5Yi1lNTkzMWNiMS1lNzIyLTQzZjgtYTFlZC02MzM2MWY5MDFhYjkucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.zwpBVOqCfSFqWRDNz1fnEgVkyyXgrj_3NoJNLa0Zlzw 6][https://i.redd.it/b06ms6vfe0r81.png 7][https://i.redd.it/uvenc4r0dun81.png 8][https://i.redd.it/kw1enzggqmo81.png 9][https://i.redd.it/gdtwdhbk4tr81.png 10][https://i.redd.it/uk9uihckcsd41.png 11] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=gnome&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&sort=top and] [https://www.gnome-look.org/browse?ord=rating more] **Tiling window managers: [https://pic3.zhimg.com/v2-bad01545e1f69cc0a94633ff771b72e3_1200x500.jpg 1][https://preview.redd.it/f2jg3znpr1g31.png?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=9b64dde84ccb1e0ba20e8bba5ee6516123273bd2 2][https://pingvinus.ru/cr_images/userpicture/n/1938-0.png 3][https://i.redd.it/rpojcv4d3nr81.png 4][https://i.redd.it/lkviraiador81.png 5][https://i.redd.it/or7veqoicdq81.png 6][https://i.redd.it/ptbibz0gdk861.png 7] **[https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/ and many more] * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal Windows filesystem. Of course this doesn't apply to all games, so your mileage may vary. * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so (again) your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. Almost all software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == == References and Notes == bbe9e599f318a909c2ef797ee217ef1d8068ad7c 1345 1344 2023-01-11T09:09:56Z Aragorn 3 /* General expectations */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get everything working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Gaming on Linux is more complicated than gaming on Windows. If you want a computer that just works, then Linux is not the system you want to use. You should not be expecting a drop in replacement, Linux is different in a lot of ways. You should also not expect a flawless experience. Linux can be flawless, but it might be necessary to resolve some issues first. You will have to spend time learning it, and you will have to spend time troubleshooting. However, this experience is very rewarding, and you will end up getting a system that does exactly what you want. Expect that nothing works as you expect, and that you will have to research every little thing that you want to do. Linux is not Windows, and it doesn't want to be. And that's a good thing. But this also means that your knowledge about Windows doesn't help you. And it means that you will do things wrong. These things that you do wrong, may even break your system, and you will have to reinstall it. This will probably happen multiple times, until you adapted to Linux. Some games do not work, no matter what you do. The primary reason for this is that some anti cheat software will just kick you. As of 14-11-22 this will happen in about 50% of games with anti cheat. However, if the game doesn't kick you, your chances to run it are almost 100%. Keep in mind that the experience might not be flawless, you might need to troubleshoot, there might be missing cut scenes, and there might be crashes. Currently, about 80% of the top 1000 games on Steam run without issues <ref>https://www.protondb.com/dashboard</ref>. Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better, especially if you have an AMD GPU. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. {| class="wikitable" |+ !Why you shouldn't switch to Linux: !Why you should switch to Linux: |- |You can tweak Windows to get better privacy. And there are even Linux distributions that spy on you. |Most Linux distributions don't spy on you. By design, and not just by some obscure setting that Windows might change at any point in time. To avoid the ''bad'' Linux distributions, either stay with the [[Getting started (short version)|quick start guide,]] or look at the [[Getting started with Linux#Recommendations|recommendations]]. |- |Customizing your Linux system might break it. |Customization options are endless. You can make your system look and behave exactly like you want. |- |Learning how to use Linux consumes much time. |You learn valuable things that can make using your computer much easier. It might even give you a job. Your get a very reliable system, and you will be able to fix almost any problem. ''"That's not possible"'' is something you don't say. Everything is possible. You just need to find a way how to do it. |- |You get worse performance in some games. |You get better performance in some games. Some people say, you can even get less input lag. This can give you a competitive advantage. |- |Some hardware doesn't work, and you need to buy new stuff. |Old hardware stays usable. You can still use your 20 years old laptop. No need to throw it away. |- |You also don't get malware on Windows if you harden it, and you don't download/click random stuff. |Security. Getting malware on Linux is something that practically doesn't happen. |- |A lot of games just don't work on Linux. No matter what you do. On Windows, you can just click ''"install"'', and they work. |A lot of games don't work on Windows, either. Especially old titles. These games often work on Linux without issues whatsoever. |- |Installing games on Linux is often hard, and time consuming. In many cases you need to search the internet for a solution on how to run them, try different settings, and so on. This can take many hours. Especially if you like to play many different games. |Many games can be installed without problems. You install it, and it just works. If something doesn't work, chances are that someone else figured out how to run it. In many cases it's something from a very short list of things that you need to try. Usually, problems can be fixed within a couple minutes. |- |You need technical knowledge to use Linux. |You get technical knowledge by using Linux. |} == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch 2, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. See https://areweanticheatyet.com/ to get detailed information about specific games. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. See https://areweanticheatyet.com/ to get detailed information about specific games. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends on the individual tools the modding community uses. It's often not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you. * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB of RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable (not for serious gaming of course). And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. It won't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster, though. But it has significantly less overhead than Windows, so if that's the problem it will definitely help. For example, it might revive your old Laptop. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects your choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though—you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows to something like MacOS to something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is not even close to everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. Some examples of what Linux can look like: **KDE Plasma: [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/articles/tagline_images/528481101id19192gol.jpg 1][https://news-cdn.softpedia.com/images/news2/kde-plasma-5-15-desktop-environment-officially-released-here-s-what-s-new-524922-8.jpg 2][https://www.lffl.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/garuda-linux-dr460nized-1400x788.png 3][https://ubuntuhandbook.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/preview-arc-dark.jpg 4][https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RQLcqtqS-YA/XHTsrV6x_-I/AAAAAAAAU0Y/eKJma9C7vsITXzcDklMTaOXgUdVqBIvWgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot_20190226_073620.png 5][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 6][https://i.redd.it/lvubg0sxnl641.png 7][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 8][https://i.redd.it/8mz4z5kybs631.png 9][https://i.redd.it/jup9nde0f0l81.png 10][https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FEMS88kEx_8/maxresdefault.jpg 11][https://i.redd.it/f6ywf9pncpy31.png 12][https://i.imgur.com/kYX3ewJ.png 13][https://forum.endeavouros.com/uploads/default/original/2X/6/6e6c1619652607552c45b001ad2dbfb9d01ea21d.jpeg 14][https://i.redd.it/e4w1uvk48fr81.jpg 15][https://i.redd.it/0x4pz8o10xq81.png 16][https://i.redd.it/7a5mwp393jo81.png 17][https://i.redd.it/cv5gc2tne4r81.png 18] [https://i.redd.it/t65bae91v3s81.jpg 19] [https://64.media.tumblr.com/9bda2b57523402c142d4f797c8ad0093/d629d44890280e21-7d/s1280x1920/ad696bc813582410c77f9879cc0334b76ab252ea.jpg 20] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/comments/eor4up/plasma_cyberpunk_desktop/ 21] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=plasma&sort=top and] [https://store.kde.org/browse?cat=104&ord=rating more] **GNOME: [https://forum.garudalinux.org/uploads/default/optimized/2X/e/e6d6150878051d075fb6d8548f5314fcf6c7bf28_2_1035x646.jpeg 1][https://www.cmscritic.com/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cloudinary/pop-os-review-4_hhslpt.png 2][https://i.redd.it/jt3xl3e2qak61.png 3][https://pingvinus.ru/files/news/manjaro-20-1/manjaro-20.1-gnome.jpg 4][http://www.jetestelinux.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/manjaro_gnome_1710_mode_nuit.jpg 5][https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/f8e04f89-e155-4926-972e-76e0955933eb/dak2iyb-e5931cb1-e722-43f8-a1ed-63361f901ab9.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2Y4ZTA0Zjg5LWUxNTUtNDkyNi05NzJlLTc2ZTA5NTU5MzNlYlwvZGFrMml5Yi1lNTkzMWNiMS1lNzIyLTQzZjgtYTFlZC02MzM2MWY5MDFhYjkucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.zwpBVOqCfSFqWRDNz1fnEgVkyyXgrj_3NoJNLa0Zlzw 6][https://i.redd.it/b06ms6vfe0r81.png 7][https://i.redd.it/uvenc4r0dun81.png 8][https://i.redd.it/kw1enzggqmo81.png 9][https://i.redd.it/gdtwdhbk4tr81.png 10][https://i.redd.it/uk9uihckcsd41.png 11] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=gnome&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&sort=top and] [https://www.gnome-look.org/browse?ord=rating more] **Tiling window managers: [https://pic3.zhimg.com/v2-bad01545e1f69cc0a94633ff771b72e3_1200x500.jpg 1][https://preview.redd.it/f2jg3znpr1g31.png?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=9b64dde84ccb1e0ba20e8bba5ee6516123273bd2 2][https://pingvinus.ru/cr_images/userpicture/n/1938-0.png 3][https://i.redd.it/rpojcv4d3nr81.png 4][https://i.redd.it/lkviraiador81.png 5][https://i.redd.it/or7veqoicdq81.png 6][https://i.redd.it/ptbibz0gdk861.png 7] **[https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/ and many more] * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal Windows filesystem. Of course this doesn't apply to all games, so your mileage may vary. * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so (again) your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. Almost all software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == == References and Notes == 53486d73a210eb9f76389229f28c4e378ef42fe4 1346 1345 2023-01-11T09:10:17Z Aragorn 3 /* General expectations */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get everything working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Gaming on Linux is more complicated than gaming on Windows. If you want a computer that just works, then Linux is not the system you want to use. You should not be expecting a drop in replacement, Linux is different in a lot of ways. You should also not expect a flawless experience. Linux can be flawless, but it might be necessary to resolve some issues first. You will have to spend time learning it, and you will have to spend time troubleshooting. However, this experience is very rewarding, and you will end up getting a system that does exactly what you want. Expect that nothing works as you expect, and that you will have to research every little thing that you want to do. Linux is not Windows, and it doesn't want to be. And that's a good thing. But this also means that your knowledge about Windows doesn't help you. And it means that you will do things wrong. These things that you do wrong, may even break your system, and you will have to reinstall it. This will probably happen multiple times, until you adapted to Linux. Some games do not work, no matter what you do. The primary reason for this is that some anti cheat software will just kick you. As of 14-11-22 this will happen in about 50% of games with anti cheat. However, if the game doesn't kick you, your chances to run it are almost 100%. Keep in mind that the experience might not be flawless, you might need to troubleshoot, there might be missing cut scenes, and there might be crashes. Currently, about 80% of the top 1000 games on Steam run without issues <ref>https://www.protondb.com/dashboard</ref>. Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Typically, its worse by around ~5%, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better, especially if you have an AMD GPU. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. {| class="wikitable" |+ !Why you shouldn't switch to Linux !Why you should switch to Linux |- |You can tweak Windows to get better privacy. And there are even Linux distributions that spy on you. |Most Linux distributions don't spy on you. By design, and not just by some obscure setting that Windows might change at any point in time. To avoid the ''bad'' Linux distributions, either stay with the [[Getting started (short version)|quick start guide,]] or look at the [[Getting started with Linux#Recommendations|recommendations]]. |- |Customizing your Linux system might break it. |Customization options are endless. You can make your system look and behave exactly like you want. |- |Learning how to use Linux consumes much time. |You learn valuable things that can make using your computer much easier. It might even give you a job. Your get a very reliable system, and you will be able to fix almost any problem. ''"That's not possible"'' is something you don't say. Everything is possible. You just need to find a way how to do it. |- |You get worse performance in some games. |You get better performance in some games. Some people say, you can even get less input lag. This can give you a competitive advantage. |- |Some hardware doesn't work, and you need to buy new stuff. |Old hardware stays usable. You can still use your 20 years old laptop. No need to throw it away. |- |You also don't get malware on Windows if you harden it, and you don't download/click random stuff. |Security. Getting malware on Linux is something that practically doesn't happen. |- |A lot of games just don't work on Linux. No matter what you do. On Windows, you can just click ''"install"'', and they work. |A lot of games don't work on Windows, either. Especially old titles. These games often work on Linux without issues whatsoever. |- |Installing games on Linux is often hard, and time consuming. In many cases you need to search the internet for a solution on how to run them, try different settings, and so on. This can take many hours. Especially if you like to play many different games. |Many games can be installed without problems. You install it, and it just works. If something doesn't work, chances are that someone else figured out how to run it. In many cases it's something from a very short list of things that you need to try. Usually, problems can be fixed within a couple minutes. |- |You need technical knowledge to use Linux. |You get technical knowledge by using Linux. |} == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch 2, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. See https://areweanticheatyet.com/ to get detailed information about specific games. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. See https://areweanticheatyet.com/ to get detailed information about specific games. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends on the individual tools the modding community uses. It's often not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you. * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB of RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable (not for serious gaming of course). And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. It won't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster, though. But it has significantly less overhead than Windows, so if that's the problem it will definitely help. For example, it might revive your old Laptop. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects your choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though—you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows to something like MacOS to something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is not even close to everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. Some examples of what Linux can look like: **KDE Plasma: [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/articles/tagline_images/528481101id19192gol.jpg 1][https://news-cdn.softpedia.com/images/news2/kde-plasma-5-15-desktop-environment-officially-released-here-s-what-s-new-524922-8.jpg 2][https://www.lffl.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/garuda-linux-dr460nized-1400x788.png 3][https://ubuntuhandbook.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/preview-arc-dark.jpg 4][https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RQLcqtqS-YA/XHTsrV6x_-I/AAAAAAAAU0Y/eKJma9C7vsITXzcDklMTaOXgUdVqBIvWgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot_20190226_073620.png 5][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 6][https://i.redd.it/lvubg0sxnl641.png 7][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 8][https://i.redd.it/8mz4z5kybs631.png 9][https://i.redd.it/jup9nde0f0l81.png 10][https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FEMS88kEx_8/maxresdefault.jpg 11][https://i.redd.it/f6ywf9pncpy31.png 12][https://i.imgur.com/kYX3ewJ.png 13][https://forum.endeavouros.com/uploads/default/original/2X/6/6e6c1619652607552c45b001ad2dbfb9d01ea21d.jpeg 14][https://i.redd.it/e4w1uvk48fr81.jpg 15][https://i.redd.it/0x4pz8o10xq81.png 16][https://i.redd.it/7a5mwp393jo81.png 17][https://i.redd.it/cv5gc2tne4r81.png 18] [https://i.redd.it/t65bae91v3s81.jpg 19] [https://64.media.tumblr.com/9bda2b57523402c142d4f797c8ad0093/d629d44890280e21-7d/s1280x1920/ad696bc813582410c77f9879cc0334b76ab252ea.jpg 20] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/comments/eor4up/plasma_cyberpunk_desktop/ 21] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=plasma&sort=top and] [https://store.kde.org/browse?cat=104&ord=rating more] **GNOME: [https://forum.garudalinux.org/uploads/default/optimized/2X/e/e6d6150878051d075fb6d8548f5314fcf6c7bf28_2_1035x646.jpeg 1][https://www.cmscritic.com/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cloudinary/pop-os-review-4_hhslpt.png 2][https://i.redd.it/jt3xl3e2qak61.png 3][https://pingvinus.ru/files/news/manjaro-20-1/manjaro-20.1-gnome.jpg 4][http://www.jetestelinux.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/manjaro_gnome_1710_mode_nuit.jpg 5][https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/f8e04f89-e155-4926-972e-76e0955933eb/dak2iyb-e5931cb1-e722-43f8-a1ed-63361f901ab9.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2Y4ZTA0Zjg5LWUxNTUtNDkyNi05NzJlLTc2ZTA5NTU5MzNlYlwvZGFrMml5Yi1lNTkzMWNiMS1lNzIyLTQzZjgtYTFlZC02MzM2MWY5MDFhYjkucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.zwpBVOqCfSFqWRDNz1fnEgVkyyXgrj_3NoJNLa0Zlzw 6][https://i.redd.it/b06ms6vfe0r81.png 7][https://i.redd.it/uvenc4r0dun81.png 8][https://i.redd.it/kw1enzggqmo81.png 9][https://i.redd.it/gdtwdhbk4tr81.png 10][https://i.redd.it/uk9uihckcsd41.png 11] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=gnome&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&sort=top and] [https://www.gnome-look.org/browse?ord=rating more] **Tiling window managers: [https://pic3.zhimg.com/v2-bad01545e1f69cc0a94633ff771b72e3_1200x500.jpg 1][https://preview.redd.it/f2jg3znpr1g31.png?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=9b64dde84ccb1e0ba20e8bba5ee6516123273bd2 2][https://pingvinus.ru/cr_images/userpicture/n/1938-0.png 3][https://i.redd.it/rpojcv4d3nr81.png 4][https://i.redd.it/lkviraiador81.png 5][https://i.redd.it/or7veqoicdq81.png 6][https://i.redd.it/ptbibz0gdk861.png 7] **[https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/ and many more] * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal Windows filesystem. Of course this doesn't apply to all games, so your mileage may vary. * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so (again) your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. Almost all software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == == References and Notes == 5362d120396f8c70ddd2839e3651369d4442c9e0 1360 1346 2023-01-16T23:18:16Z Aragorn 3 /* General expectations */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get everything working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Gaming on Linux is more complicated than gaming on Windows. If you want a computer that just works, then Linux is not the system you want to use. You should not be expecting a drop in replacement, Linux is different in a lot of ways. You should also not expect a flawless experience. Linux can be flawless, but it might be necessary to resolve some issues first. You will have to spend time learning it, and you will have to spend time troubleshooting. However, this experience is very rewarding, and you will end up getting a system that does exactly what you want. Expect that nothing works as you expect, and that you will have to research every little thing that you want to do. Linux is not Windows, and it doesn't want to be. And that's a good thing. But this also means that your knowledge about Windows doesn't help you. And it means that you will do things wrong. These things that you do wrong, may even break your system, and you will have to reinstall it. This will probably happen multiple times, until you adapted to Linux. Some games do not work, no matter what you do. The primary reason for this is that some anti cheat software will just kick you. As of 14-11-22 this will happen in about 50% of games with anti cheat. However, if the game doesn't kick you, your chances to run it are almost 100%. Keep in mind that the experience might not be flawless, you might need to troubleshoot, there might be missing cut scenes, and there might be crashes. Currently, about 80% of the top 1000 games on Steam run without issues <ref>https://www.protondb.com/dashboard</ref>. Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. Out of the box, it's typically worse, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better, especially if you have an AMD GPU. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. {| class="wikitable" |+ !Why you shouldn't switch to Linux !Why you should switch to Linux |- |You can tweak Windows to get better privacy. And there are even Linux distributions that spy on you. |Most Linux distributions don't spy on you. By design, and not just by some obscure setting that Windows might change at any point in time. To avoid the ''bad'' Linux distributions, either stay with the [[Getting started (short version)|quick start guide,]] or look at the [[Getting started with Linux#Recommendations|recommendations]]. |- |Customizing your Linux system might break it. |Customization options are endless. You can make your system look and behave exactly like you want. |- |Learning how to use Linux consumes much time. |You learn valuable things that can make using your computer much easier. It might even give you a job. Your get a very reliable system, and you will be able to fix almost any problem. ''"That's not possible"'' is something you don't say. Everything is possible. You just need to find a way how to do it. |- |You get worse performance in some games. |You get better performance in some games. Some people say, you can even get less input lag. This can give you a competitive advantage. |- |Some hardware doesn't work, and you need to buy new stuff. |Old hardware stays usable. You can still use your 20 years old laptop. No need to throw it away. |- |You also don't get malware on Windows if you harden it, and you don't download/click random stuff. |Security. Getting malware on Linux is something that practically doesn't happen. |- |A lot of games just don't work on Linux. No matter what you do. On Windows, you can just click ''"install"'', and they work. |A lot of games don't work on Windows, either. Especially old titles. These games often work on Linux without issues whatsoever. |- |Installing games on Linux is often hard, and time consuming. In many cases you need to search the internet for a solution on how to run them, try different settings, and so on. This can take many hours. Especially if you like to play many different games. |Many games can be installed without problems. You install it, and it just works. If something doesn't work, chances are that someone else figured out how to run it. In many cases it's something from a very short list of things that you need to try. Usually, problems can be fixed within a couple minutes. |- |You need technical knowledge to use Linux. |You get technical knowledge by using Linux. |} == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch 2, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. See https://areweanticheatyet.com/ to get detailed information about specific games. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. See https://areweanticheatyet.com/ to get detailed information about specific games. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends on the individual tools the modding community uses. It's often not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you. * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB of RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable (not for serious gaming of course). And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. It won't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster, though. But it has significantly less overhead than Windows, so if that's the problem it will definitely help. For example, it might revive your old Laptop. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects your choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though—you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows to something like MacOS to something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is not even close to everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. Some examples of what Linux can look like: **KDE Plasma: [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/articles/tagline_images/528481101id19192gol.jpg 1][https://news-cdn.softpedia.com/images/news2/kde-plasma-5-15-desktop-environment-officially-released-here-s-what-s-new-524922-8.jpg 2][https://www.lffl.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/garuda-linux-dr460nized-1400x788.png 3][https://ubuntuhandbook.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/preview-arc-dark.jpg 4][https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RQLcqtqS-YA/XHTsrV6x_-I/AAAAAAAAU0Y/eKJma9C7vsITXzcDklMTaOXgUdVqBIvWgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot_20190226_073620.png 5][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 6][https://i.redd.it/lvubg0sxnl641.png 7][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 8][https://i.redd.it/8mz4z5kybs631.png 9][https://i.redd.it/jup9nde0f0l81.png 10][https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FEMS88kEx_8/maxresdefault.jpg 11][https://i.redd.it/f6ywf9pncpy31.png 12][https://i.imgur.com/kYX3ewJ.png 13][https://forum.endeavouros.com/uploads/default/original/2X/6/6e6c1619652607552c45b001ad2dbfb9d01ea21d.jpeg 14][https://i.redd.it/e4w1uvk48fr81.jpg 15][https://i.redd.it/0x4pz8o10xq81.png 16][https://i.redd.it/7a5mwp393jo81.png 17][https://i.redd.it/cv5gc2tne4r81.png 18] [https://i.redd.it/t65bae91v3s81.jpg 19] [https://64.media.tumblr.com/9bda2b57523402c142d4f797c8ad0093/d629d44890280e21-7d/s1280x1920/ad696bc813582410c77f9879cc0334b76ab252ea.jpg 20] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/comments/eor4up/plasma_cyberpunk_desktop/ 21] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=plasma&sort=top and] [https://store.kde.org/browse?cat=104&ord=rating more] **GNOME: [https://forum.garudalinux.org/uploads/default/optimized/2X/e/e6d6150878051d075fb6d8548f5314fcf6c7bf28_2_1035x646.jpeg 1][https://www.cmscritic.com/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cloudinary/pop-os-review-4_hhslpt.png 2][https://i.redd.it/jt3xl3e2qak61.png 3][https://pingvinus.ru/files/news/manjaro-20-1/manjaro-20.1-gnome.jpg 4][http://www.jetestelinux.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/manjaro_gnome_1710_mode_nuit.jpg 5][https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/f8e04f89-e155-4926-972e-76e0955933eb/dak2iyb-e5931cb1-e722-43f8-a1ed-63361f901ab9.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2Y4ZTA0Zjg5LWUxNTUtNDkyNi05NzJlLTc2ZTA5NTU5MzNlYlwvZGFrMml5Yi1lNTkzMWNiMS1lNzIyLTQzZjgtYTFlZC02MzM2MWY5MDFhYjkucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.zwpBVOqCfSFqWRDNz1fnEgVkyyXgrj_3NoJNLa0Zlzw 6][https://i.redd.it/b06ms6vfe0r81.png 7][https://i.redd.it/uvenc4r0dun81.png 8][https://i.redd.it/kw1enzggqmo81.png 9][https://i.redd.it/gdtwdhbk4tr81.png 10][https://i.redd.it/uk9uihckcsd41.png 11] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=gnome&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&sort=top and] [https://www.gnome-look.org/browse?ord=rating more] **Tiling window managers: [https://pic3.zhimg.com/v2-bad01545e1f69cc0a94633ff771b72e3_1200x500.jpg 1][https://preview.redd.it/f2jg3znpr1g31.png?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=9b64dde84ccb1e0ba20e8bba5ee6516123273bd2 2][https://pingvinus.ru/cr_images/userpicture/n/1938-0.png 3][https://i.redd.it/rpojcv4d3nr81.png 4][https://i.redd.it/lkviraiador81.png 5][https://i.redd.it/or7veqoicdq81.png 6][https://i.redd.it/ptbibz0gdk861.png 7] **[https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/ and many more] * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal Windows filesystem. Of course this doesn't apply to all games, so your mileage may vary. * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so (again) your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. Almost all software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == == References and Notes == 5fbd62cf745ac7a20284af75000a1b99e06c4085 1361 1360 2023-01-16T23:19:22Z Aragorn 3 /* General expectations */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get everything working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Gaming on Linux is more complicated than gaming on Windows. If you want a computer that just works, then Linux is not the system you want to use. You should not be expecting a drop in replacement, Linux is different in a lot of ways. You should also not expect a flawless experience. Linux can be flawless, but it might be necessary to resolve some issues first. You will have to spend time learning it, and you will have to spend time troubleshooting. However, this experience is very rewarding, and you will end up getting a system that does exactly what you want. Expect that nothing works as you expect, and that you will have to research every little thing that you want to do. Linux is not Windows, and it doesn't want to be. And that's a good thing. But this also means that your knowledge about Windows doesn't help you. And it means that you will do things wrong. These things that you do wrong, may even break your system, and you will have to reinstall it. This will probably happen multiple times, until you adapted to Linux. Some games do not work, no matter what you do. The primary reason for this is that some anti cheat software will just kick you. As of 14-11-22 this will happen in about 50% of games with anti cheat. However, if the game doesn't kick you, your chances to run it are almost 100%. Keep in mind that the experience might not be flawless, you might need to troubleshoot, there might be missing cut scenes, and there might be crashes. Currently, about 80% of the top 1000 games on Steam run without issues <ref>https://www.protondb.com/dashboard</ref>. Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. On most distributions, the of-the-box performance is a lot worse than on Windows, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better, especially if you have an AMD GPU. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. {| class="wikitable" |+ !Why you shouldn't switch to Linux !Why you should switch to Linux |- |You can tweak Windows to get better privacy. And there are even Linux distributions that spy on you. |Most Linux distributions don't spy on you. By design, and not just by some obscure setting that Windows might change at any point in time. To avoid the ''bad'' Linux distributions, either stay with the [[Getting started (short version)|quick start guide,]] or look at the [[Getting started with Linux#Recommendations|recommendations]]. |- |Customizing your Linux system might break it. |Customization options are endless. You can make your system look and behave exactly like you want. |- |Learning how to use Linux consumes much time. |You learn valuable things that can make using your computer much easier. It might even give you a job. Your get a very reliable system, and you will be able to fix almost any problem. ''"That's not possible"'' is something you don't say. Everything is possible. You just need to find a way how to do it. |- |You get worse performance in some games. |You get better performance in some games. Some people say, you can even get less input lag. This can give you a competitive advantage. |- |Some hardware doesn't work, and you need to buy new stuff. |Old hardware stays usable. You can still use your 20 years old laptop. No need to throw it away. |- |You also don't get malware on Windows if you harden it, and you don't download/click random stuff. |Security. Getting malware on Linux is something that practically doesn't happen. |- |A lot of games just don't work on Linux. No matter what you do. On Windows, you can just click ''"install"'', and they work. |A lot of games don't work on Windows, either. Especially old titles. These games often work on Linux without issues whatsoever. |- |Installing games on Linux is often hard, and time consuming. In many cases you need to search the internet for a solution on how to run them, try different settings, and so on. This can take many hours. Especially if you like to play many different games. |Many games can be installed without problems. You install it, and it just works. If something doesn't work, chances are that someone else figured out how to run it. In many cases it's something from a very short list of things that you need to try. Usually, problems can be fixed within a couple minutes. |- |You need technical knowledge to use Linux. |You get technical knowledge by using Linux. |} == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch 2, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. See https://areweanticheatyet.com/ to get detailed information about specific games. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. See https://areweanticheatyet.com/ to get detailed information about specific games. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends on the individual tools the modding community uses. It's often not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you. * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB of RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable (not for serious gaming of course). And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. It won't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster, though. But it has significantly less overhead than Windows, so if that's the problem it will definitely help. For example, it might revive your old Laptop. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects your choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though—you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows to something like MacOS to something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is not even close to everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. Some examples of what Linux can look like: **KDE Plasma: [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/articles/tagline_images/528481101id19192gol.jpg 1][https://news-cdn.softpedia.com/images/news2/kde-plasma-5-15-desktop-environment-officially-released-here-s-what-s-new-524922-8.jpg 2][https://www.lffl.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/garuda-linux-dr460nized-1400x788.png 3][https://ubuntuhandbook.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/preview-arc-dark.jpg 4][https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RQLcqtqS-YA/XHTsrV6x_-I/AAAAAAAAU0Y/eKJma9C7vsITXzcDklMTaOXgUdVqBIvWgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot_20190226_073620.png 5][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 6][https://i.redd.it/lvubg0sxnl641.png 7][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 8][https://i.redd.it/8mz4z5kybs631.png 9][https://i.redd.it/jup9nde0f0l81.png 10][https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FEMS88kEx_8/maxresdefault.jpg 11][https://i.redd.it/f6ywf9pncpy31.png 12][https://i.imgur.com/kYX3ewJ.png 13][https://forum.endeavouros.com/uploads/default/original/2X/6/6e6c1619652607552c45b001ad2dbfb9d01ea21d.jpeg 14][https://i.redd.it/e4w1uvk48fr81.jpg 15][https://i.redd.it/0x4pz8o10xq81.png 16][https://i.redd.it/7a5mwp393jo81.png 17][https://i.redd.it/cv5gc2tne4r81.png 18] [https://i.redd.it/t65bae91v3s81.jpg 19] [https://64.media.tumblr.com/9bda2b57523402c142d4f797c8ad0093/d629d44890280e21-7d/s1280x1920/ad696bc813582410c77f9879cc0334b76ab252ea.jpg 20] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/comments/eor4up/plasma_cyberpunk_desktop/ 21] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=plasma&sort=top and] [https://store.kde.org/browse?cat=104&ord=rating more] **GNOME: [https://forum.garudalinux.org/uploads/default/optimized/2X/e/e6d6150878051d075fb6d8548f5314fcf6c7bf28_2_1035x646.jpeg 1][https://www.cmscritic.com/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cloudinary/pop-os-review-4_hhslpt.png 2][https://i.redd.it/jt3xl3e2qak61.png 3][https://pingvinus.ru/files/news/manjaro-20-1/manjaro-20.1-gnome.jpg 4][http://www.jetestelinux.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/manjaro_gnome_1710_mode_nuit.jpg 5][https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/f8e04f89-e155-4926-972e-76e0955933eb/dak2iyb-e5931cb1-e722-43f8-a1ed-63361f901ab9.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2Y4ZTA0Zjg5LWUxNTUtNDkyNi05NzJlLTc2ZTA5NTU5MzNlYlwvZGFrMml5Yi1lNTkzMWNiMS1lNzIyLTQzZjgtYTFlZC02MzM2MWY5MDFhYjkucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.zwpBVOqCfSFqWRDNz1fnEgVkyyXgrj_3NoJNLa0Zlzw 6][https://i.redd.it/b06ms6vfe0r81.png 7][https://i.redd.it/uvenc4r0dun81.png 8][https://i.redd.it/kw1enzggqmo81.png 9][https://i.redd.it/gdtwdhbk4tr81.png 10][https://i.redd.it/uk9uihckcsd41.png 11] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=gnome&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&sort=top and] [https://www.gnome-look.org/browse?ord=rating more] **Tiling window managers: [https://pic3.zhimg.com/v2-bad01545e1f69cc0a94633ff771b72e3_1200x500.jpg 1][https://preview.redd.it/f2jg3znpr1g31.png?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=9b64dde84ccb1e0ba20e8bba5ee6516123273bd2 2][https://pingvinus.ru/cr_images/userpicture/n/1938-0.png 3][https://i.redd.it/rpojcv4d3nr81.png 4][https://i.redd.it/lkviraiador81.png 5][https://i.redd.it/or7veqoicdq81.png 6][https://i.redd.it/ptbibz0gdk861.png 7] **[https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/ and many more] * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal Windows filesystem. Of course this doesn't apply to all games, so your mileage may vary. * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so (again) your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. Almost all software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == == References and Notes == 802818adef89e0df5bc32aee5ee642409d59c694 1363 1361 2023-01-17T09:14:02Z Aragorn 3 /* General expectations */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get everything working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Gaming on Linux is more complicated than gaming on Windows. If you want a computer that just works, then Linux is not the system you want to use. You should not be expecting a drop in replacement, Linux is different in a lot of ways. You should also not expect a flawless experience. Linux can be flawless, but it might be necessary to resolve some issues first. You will have to spend time learning it, and you will have to spend time troubleshooting. However, this experience is very rewarding, and you will end up getting a system that does exactly what you want. Expect that nothing works as you expect, and that you will have to research every little thing that you want to do. Linux is not Windows, and it doesn't want to be. And that's a good thing. But this also means that your knowledge about Windows doesn't help you. And it means that you will do things wrong. These things that you do wrong, may even break your system, and you will have to reinstall it. This will probably happen multiple times, until you adapted to Linux. Some games do not work, no matter what you do. The primary reason for this is that some anti cheat software will just kick you. As of 14-11-22 this will happen in about 50% of games with anti cheat. However, if the game doesn't kick you, your chances to run it are almost 100%. Keep in mind that the experience might not be flawless, you might need to troubleshoot, there might be missing cut scenes, and there might be crashes. Currently, about 80% of the top 1000 games on Steam run without issues <ref>https://www.protondb.com/dashboard</ref>. Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. On most distributions, the of-the-box performance is a lot worse than on Windows, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better, especially if you have an AMD GPU. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. {| class="wikitable" |+ !Why you shouldn't switch to Linux !Why you should switch to Linux |- |You can tweak Windows to get better privacy. And there are even Linux distributions that spy on you. |Most Linux distributions don't spy on you. By design, and not just by some obscure setting that Windows might change at any point in time. To avoid the ''bad'' Linux distributions, either stay with the [[Getting started (short version)|quick start guide,]] or look at the [[Getting started with Linux#Recommendations|recommendations]]. |- |Customizing your Linux system might break it. |Customization options are endless. You can make your system look and behave exactly like you want. |- |Learning how to use Linux consumes much time. |You learn valuable things that can make using your computer much easier. It might even give you a job. Your get a very reliable system, and you will be able to fix almost any problem. ''"That's not possible"'' is something you don't say. Everything is possible. You just need to find a way how to do it. |- |You get worse performance in some games. |You get better performance in some games. Some people say, you can even get less input lag. This can give you a competitive advantage. |- |Some hardware doesn't work, and you need to buy new stuff. |Old hardware stays usable. You can still use your 20 years old laptop. No need to throw it away. |- |You also don't get malware on Windows if you harden it, and you don't download/click random stuff. |Security. Getting malware on Linux is something that practically doesn't happen. |- |A lot of games just don't work on Linux. No matter what you do. On Windows, you can just click ''"install"'', and they work. |A lot of games don't work on Windows, either. Especially old titles. These games often work on Linux without issues whatsoever. |- |Installing games on Linux is often hard, and time consuming. In many cases you need to search the internet for a solution on how to run them, try different settings, and so on. This can take many hours. Especially if you like to play many different games. |Many games can be installed without problems. You install it, and it just works. If something doesn't work, chances are that someone else figured out how to run it. In many cases it's something from a very short list of things that you need to try. Usually, problems can be fixed within a couple minutes. |- |You need technical knowledge to use Linux. |You get technical knowledge by using Linux. |- |You might have to reinstall your system a couple times until you got used to it. |You don't need to reinstall your system every couple months because it gets slow. |} == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch 2, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. See https://areweanticheatyet.com/ to get detailed information about specific games. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. See https://areweanticheatyet.com/ to get detailed information about specific games. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends on the individual tools the modding community uses. It's often not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you. * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB of RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable (not for serious gaming of course). And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. It won't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster, though. But it has significantly less overhead than Windows, so if that's the problem it will definitely help. For example, it might revive your old Laptop. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects your choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though—you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows to something like MacOS to something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is not even close to everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. Some examples of what Linux can look like: **KDE Plasma: [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/articles/tagline_images/528481101id19192gol.jpg 1][https://news-cdn.softpedia.com/images/news2/kde-plasma-5-15-desktop-environment-officially-released-here-s-what-s-new-524922-8.jpg 2][https://www.lffl.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/garuda-linux-dr460nized-1400x788.png 3][https://ubuntuhandbook.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/preview-arc-dark.jpg 4][https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RQLcqtqS-YA/XHTsrV6x_-I/AAAAAAAAU0Y/eKJma9C7vsITXzcDklMTaOXgUdVqBIvWgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot_20190226_073620.png 5][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 6][https://i.redd.it/lvubg0sxnl641.png 7][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 8][https://i.redd.it/8mz4z5kybs631.png 9][https://i.redd.it/jup9nde0f0l81.png 10][https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FEMS88kEx_8/maxresdefault.jpg 11][https://i.redd.it/f6ywf9pncpy31.png 12][https://i.imgur.com/kYX3ewJ.png 13][https://forum.endeavouros.com/uploads/default/original/2X/6/6e6c1619652607552c45b001ad2dbfb9d01ea21d.jpeg 14][https://i.redd.it/e4w1uvk48fr81.jpg 15][https://i.redd.it/0x4pz8o10xq81.png 16][https://i.redd.it/7a5mwp393jo81.png 17][https://i.redd.it/cv5gc2tne4r81.png 18] [https://i.redd.it/t65bae91v3s81.jpg 19] [https://64.media.tumblr.com/9bda2b57523402c142d4f797c8ad0093/d629d44890280e21-7d/s1280x1920/ad696bc813582410c77f9879cc0334b76ab252ea.jpg 20] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/comments/eor4up/plasma_cyberpunk_desktop/ 21] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=plasma&sort=top and] [https://store.kde.org/browse?cat=104&ord=rating more] **GNOME: [https://forum.garudalinux.org/uploads/default/optimized/2X/e/e6d6150878051d075fb6d8548f5314fcf6c7bf28_2_1035x646.jpeg 1][https://www.cmscritic.com/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cloudinary/pop-os-review-4_hhslpt.png 2][https://i.redd.it/jt3xl3e2qak61.png 3][https://pingvinus.ru/files/news/manjaro-20-1/manjaro-20.1-gnome.jpg 4][http://www.jetestelinux.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/manjaro_gnome_1710_mode_nuit.jpg 5][https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/f8e04f89-e155-4926-972e-76e0955933eb/dak2iyb-e5931cb1-e722-43f8-a1ed-63361f901ab9.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2Y4ZTA0Zjg5LWUxNTUtNDkyNi05NzJlLTc2ZTA5NTU5MzNlYlwvZGFrMml5Yi1lNTkzMWNiMS1lNzIyLTQzZjgtYTFlZC02MzM2MWY5MDFhYjkucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.zwpBVOqCfSFqWRDNz1fnEgVkyyXgrj_3NoJNLa0Zlzw 6][https://i.redd.it/b06ms6vfe0r81.png 7][https://i.redd.it/uvenc4r0dun81.png 8][https://i.redd.it/kw1enzggqmo81.png 9][https://i.redd.it/gdtwdhbk4tr81.png 10][https://i.redd.it/uk9uihckcsd41.png 11] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=gnome&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&sort=top and] [https://www.gnome-look.org/browse?ord=rating more] **Tiling window managers: [https://pic3.zhimg.com/v2-bad01545e1f69cc0a94633ff771b72e3_1200x500.jpg 1][https://preview.redd.it/f2jg3znpr1g31.png?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=9b64dde84ccb1e0ba20e8bba5ee6516123273bd2 2][https://pingvinus.ru/cr_images/userpicture/n/1938-0.png 3][https://i.redd.it/rpojcv4d3nr81.png 4][https://i.redd.it/lkviraiador81.png 5][https://i.redd.it/or7veqoicdq81.png 6][https://i.redd.it/ptbibz0gdk861.png 7] **[https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/ and many more] * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal Windows filesystem. Of course this doesn't apply to all games, so your mileage may vary. * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so (again) your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. Almost all software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == == References and Notes == 83458595d3393d07daa0949f14c6ac66ee4fa086 1364 1363 2023-01-17T09:17:07Z Aragorn 3 /* General expectations */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get everything working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Gaming on Linux is more complicated than gaming on Windows. If you want a computer that just works, then Linux is not the system you want to use. You should not be expecting a drop in replacement, Linux is different in a lot of ways. You should also not expect a flawless experience. Linux can be flawless, but it might be necessary to resolve some issues first. You will have to spend time learning it, and you will have to spend time troubleshooting. However, this experience is very rewarding, and you will end up getting a system that does exactly what you want. Expect that nothing works as you expect, and that you will have to research every little thing that you want to do. Linux is not Windows, and it doesn't want to be. And that's a good thing. But this also means that your knowledge about Windows doesn't help you. And it means that you will do things wrong. These things that you do wrong, may even break your system, and you will have to reinstall it. This will probably happen multiple times, until you adapted to Linux. Some games do not work, no matter what you do. The primary reason for this is that some anti cheat software will just kick you. As of 14-11-22 this will happen in about 50% of games with anti cheat. However, if the game doesn't kick you, your chances to run it are almost 100%. Keep in mind that the experience might not be flawless, you might need to troubleshoot, there might be missing cut scenes, and there might be crashes. Currently, about 80% of the top 1000 games on Steam run without issues <ref>https://www.protondb.com/dashboard</ref>. Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. On most distributions, the of-the-box performance is a lot worse than on Windows, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better, especially if you have an AMD GPU. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. {| class="wikitable" |+ !Why you shouldn't switch to Linux !Why you should switch to Linux |- |Linux is not necessary for better privacy. You can also tweak Windows so that it doesn't spy as much on you. If you use Windows 10 Education or Enterprise, the spying can even be completely disabled. At least if you trust Microsoft that they don't lie. |Most Linux distributions don't spy on you. By design, and not just by some obscure setting that Windows might change at any point in time. To avoid the ''bad'' Linux distributions, either stay with the [[Getting started (short version)|quick start guide,]] or look at the [[Getting started with Linux#Recommendations|recommendations]]. |- |Customizing your Linux system might break it. |Customization options are endless. You can make your system look and behave exactly like you want. |- |Learning how to use Linux consumes much time. |You learn valuable things that can make using your computer much easier. It might even give you a job. Your get a very reliable system, and you will be able to fix almost any problem. ''"That's not possible"'' is something you don't say. Everything is possible. You just need to find a way how to do it. |- |You get worse performance in some games. |You get better performance in some games. Some people say, you can even get less input lag. This can give you a competitive advantage. |- |Some hardware doesn't work, and you need to buy new stuff. |Old hardware stays usable. You can still use your 20 years old laptop. No need to throw it away. |- |You also don't get malware on Windows if you harden it, and you don't download/click random stuff. |Security. Getting malware on Linux is something that practically doesn't happen. |- |A lot of games just don't work on Linux. No matter what you do. On Windows, you can just click ''"install"'', and they work. |A lot of games don't work on Windows, either. Especially old titles. These games often work on Linux without issues whatsoever. |- |Installing games on Linux is often hard, and time consuming. In many cases you need to search the internet for a solution on how to run them, try different settings, and so on. This can take many hours. Especially if you like to play many different games. |Many games can be installed without problems. You install it, and it just works. If something doesn't work, chances are that someone else figured out how to run it. In many cases it's something from a very short list of things that you need to try. Usually, problems can be fixed within a couple minutes. |- |You need technical knowledge to use Linux. |You get technical knowledge by using Linux. |- |You might have to reinstall your system a couple times until you got used to it. |You don't need to reinstall your system every couple months because it gets slow. |} == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch 2, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. See https://areweanticheatyet.com/ to get detailed information about specific games. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. See https://areweanticheatyet.com/ to get detailed information about specific games. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends on the individual tools the modding community uses. It's often not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you. * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB of RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable (not for serious gaming of course). And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. It won't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster, though. But it has significantly less overhead than Windows, so if that's the problem it will definitely help. For example, it might revive your old Laptop. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects your choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though—you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows to something like MacOS to something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is not even close to everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. Some examples of what Linux can look like: **KDE Plasma: [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/articles/tagline_images/528481101id19192gol.jpg 1][https://news-cdn.softpedia.com/images/news2/kde-plasma-5-15-desktop-environment-officially-released-here-s-what-s-new-524922-8.jpg 2][https://www.lffl.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/garuda-linux-dr460nized-1400x788.png 3][https://ubuntuhandbook.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/preview-arc-dark.jpg 4][https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RQLcqtqS-YA/XHTsrV6x_-I/AAAAAAAAU0Y/eKJma9C7vsITXzcDklMTaOXgUdVqBIvWgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot_20190226_073620.png 5][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 6][https://i.redd.it/lvubg0sxnl641.png 7][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 8][https://i.redd.it/8mz4z5kybs631.png 9][https://i.redd.it/jup9nde0f0l81.png 10][https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FEMS88kEx_8/maxresdefault.jpg 11][https://i.redd.it/f6ywf9pncpy31.png 12][https://i.imgur.com/kYX3ewJ.png 13][https://forum.endeavouros.com/uploads/default/original/2X/6/6e6c1619652607552c45b001ad2dbfb9d01ea21d.jpeg 14][https://i.redd.it/e4w1uvk48fr81.jpg 15][https://i.redd.it/0x4pz8o10xq81.png 16][https://i.redd.it/7a5mwp393jo81.png 17][https://i.redd.it/cv5gc2tne4r81.png 18] [https://i.redd.it/t65bae91v3s81.jpg 19] [https://64.media.tumblr.com/9bda2b57523402c142d4f797c8ad0093/d629d44890280e21-7d/s1280x1920/ad696bc813582410c77f9879cc0334b76ab252ea.jpg 20] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/comments/eor4up/plasma_cyberpunk_desktop/ 21] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=plasma&sort=top and] [https://store.kde.org/browse?cat=104&ord=rating more] **GNOME: [https://forum.garudalinux.org/uploads/default/optimized/2X/e/e6d6150878051d075fb6d8548f5314fcf6c7bf28_2_1035x646.jpeg 1][https://www.cmscritic.com/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cloudinary/pop-os-review-4_hhslpt.png 2][https://i.redd.it/jt3xl3e2qak61.png 3][https://pingvinus.ru/files/news/manjaro-20-1/manjaro-20.1-gnome.jpg 4][http://www.jetestelinux.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/manjaro_gnome_1710_mode_nuit.jpg 5][https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/f8e04f89-e155-4926-972e-76e0955933eb/dak2iyb-e5931cb1-e722-43f8-a1ed-63361f901ab9.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2Y4ZTA0Zjg5LWUxNTUtNDkyNi05NzJlLTc2ZTA5NTU5MzNlYlwvZGFrMml5Yi1lNTkzMWNiMS1lNzIyLTQzZjgtYTFlZC02MzM2MWY5MDFhYjkucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.zwpBVOqCfSFqWRDNz1fnEgVkyyXgrj_3NoJNLa0Zlzw 6][https://i.redd.it/b06ms6vfe0r81.png 7][https://i.redd.it/uvenc4r0dun81.png 8][https://i.redd.it/kw1enzggqmo81.png 9][https://i.redd.it/gdtwdhbk4tr81.png 10][https://i.redd.it/uk9uihckcsd41.png 11] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=gnome&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&sort=top and] [https://www.gnome-look.org/browse?ord=rating more] **Tiling window managers: [https://pic3.zhimg.com/v2-bad01545e1f69cc0a94633ff771b72e3_1200x500.jpg 1][https://preview.redd.it/f2jg3znpr1g31.png?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=9b64dde84ccb1e0ba20e8bba5ee6516123273bd2 2][https://pingvinus.ru/cr_images/userpicture/n/1938-0.png 3][https://i.redd.it/rpojcv4d3nr81.png 4][https://i.redd.it/lkviraiador81.png 5][https://i.redd.it/or7veqoicdq81.png 6][https://i.redd.it/ptbibz0gdk861.png 7] **[https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/ and many more] * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal Windows filesystem. Of course this doesn't apply to all games, so your mileage may vary. * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so (again) your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. Almost all software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == == References and Notes == 7f4a2f17f703fa7f888fb497708f524f0474a10d 1365 1364 2023-01-17T09:19:22Z Aragorn 3 /* General expectations */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get everything working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Gaming on Linux is more complicated than gaming on Windows. If you want a computer that just works, then Linux is not the system you want to use. You should not be expecting a drop in replacement, Linux is different in a lot of ways. You should also not expect a flawless experience. Linux can be flawless, but it might be necessary to resolve some issues first. You will have to spend time learning it, and you will have to spend time troubleshooting. However, this experience is very rewarding, and you will end up getting a system that does exactly what you want. Expect that nothing works as you expect, and that you will have to research every little thing that you want to do. Linux is not Windows, and it doesn't want to be. And that's a good thing. But this also means that your knowledge about Windows doesn't help you. And it means that you will do things wrong. These things that you do wrong, may even break your system, and you will have to reinstall it. This will probably happen multiple times, until you adapted to Linux. Some games do not work, no matter what you do. The primary reason for this is that some anti cheat software will just kick you. As of 14-11-22 this will happen in about 50% of games with anti cheat. However, if the game doesn't kick you, your chances to run it are almost 100%. Keep in mind that the experience might not be flawless, you might need to troubleshoot, there might be missing cut scenes, and there might be crashes. Currently, about 80% of the top 1000 games on Steam run without issues <ref>https://www.protondb.com/dashboard</ref>. Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. On most distributions, the of-the-box performance is a lot worse than on Windows, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better, especially if you have an AMD GPU. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. {| class="wikitable" |+ !Why you shouldn't switch to Linux !Why you should switch to Linux |- |Linux is not necessary for better privacy. You can also tweak Windows so that it doesn't spy as much on you. If you use Windows 10 Education or Enterprise, the spying can even be completely disabled. At least if you trust Microsoft that they don't lie. |Most Linux distributions don't spy on you. By design, and not just by some obscure setting that Windows might change at any point in time. To avoid the ''bad'' Linux distributions, either stay with the [[Getting started (short version)|quick start guide,]] or look at the [[Getting started with Linux#Recommendations|recommendations]]. |- |Customizing your Linux system might break it. |Customization options are endless. You can make your system look and behave exactly like you want. |- |Learning how to use Linux consumes much time. |You learn valuable things that can make using your computer much easier. It might even give you a job. Your get a very reliable system, and you will be able to fix almost any problem. ''"That's not possible"'' is something you don't say. Everything is possible. You just need to find a way how to do it. |- |You get worse performance in some games. |You get better performance in some games. Some people say, you can even get less input lag. This can give you a competitive advantage. |- |Some hardware doesn't work, and you need to buy new stuff. |Old hardware stays usable. You can still use your 20 years old laptop. No need to throw it away. |- |Linux is not necessary to get a secure system. You're also not likely to get malware on Windows if you harden it, and you don't download/click random stuff. |Security. Getting malware on Linux is something that practically doesn't happen. |- |A lot of games just don't work on Linux. No matter what you do. On Windows, you can just click ''"install"'', and they work. |A lot of games don't work on Windows, either. Especially old titles. These games often work on Linux without issues whatsoever. |- |Installing games on Linux is often hard, and time consuming. In many cases you need to search the internet for a solution on how to run them, try different settings, and so on. This can take many hours. Especially if you like to play many different games. |Many games can be installed without problems. You install it, and it just works. If something doesn't work, chances are that someone else figured out how to run it. In many cases it's something from a very short list of things that you need to try. Usually, problems can be fixed within a couple minutes. |- |You need technical knowledge to use Linux. |You get technical knowledge by using Linux. |- |You might have to reinstall your system a couple times until you got used to it. |You don't need to reinstall your system every couple months because it gets slow. |} == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch 2, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. See https://areweanticheatyet.com/ to get detailed information about specific games. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. See https://areweanticheatyet.com/ to get detailed information about specific games. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends on the individual tools the modding community uses. It's often not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you. * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB of RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable (not for serious gaming of course). And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. It won't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster, though. But it has significantly less overhead than Windows, so if that's the problem it will definitely help. For example, it might revive your old Laptop. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects your choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though—you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows to something like MacOS to something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is not even close to everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. Some examples of what Linux can look like: **KDE Plasma: [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/articles/tagline_images/528481101id19192gol.jpg 1][https://news-cdn.softpedia.com/images/news2/kde-plasma-5-15-desktop-environment-officially-released-here-s-what-s-new-524922-8.jpg 2][https://www.lffl.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/garuda-linux-dr460nized-1400x788.png 3][https://ubuntuhandbook.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/preview-arc-dark.jpg 4][https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RQLcqtqS-YA/XHTsrV6x_-I/AAAAAAAAU0Y/eKJma9C7vsITXzcDklMTaOXgUdVqBIvWgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot_20190226_073620.png 5][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 6][https://i.redd.it/lvubg0sxnl641.png 7][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 8][https://i.redd.it/8mz4z5kybs631.png 9][https://i.redd.it/jup9nde0f0l81.png 10][https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FEMS88kEx_8/maxresdefault.jpg 11][https://i.redd.it/f6ywf9pncpy31.png 12][https://i.imgur.com/kYX3ewJ.png 13][https://forum.endeavouros.com/uploads/default/original/2X/6/6e6c1619652607552c45b001ad2dbfb9d01ea21d.jpeg 14][https://i.redd.it/e4w1uvk48fr81.jpg 15][https://i.redd.it/0x4pz8o10xq81.png 16][https://i.redd.it/7a5mwp393jo81.png 17][https://i.redd.it/cv5gc2tne4r81.png 18] [https://i.redd.it/t65bae91v3s81.jpg 19] [https://64.media.tumblr.com/9bda2b57523402c142d4f797c8ad0093/d629d44890280e21-7d/s1280x1920/ad696bc813582410c77f9879cc0334b76ab252ea.jpg 20] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/comments/eor4up/plasma_cyberpunk_desktop/ 21] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=plasma&sort=top and] [https://store.kde.org/browse?cat=104&ord=rating more] **GNOME: [https://forum.garudalinux.org/uploads/default/optimized/2X/e/e6d6150878051d075fb6d8548f5314fcf6c7bf28_2_1035x646.jpeg 1][https://www.cmscritic.com/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cloudinary/pop-os-review-4_hhslpt.png 2][https://i.redd.it/jt3xl3e2qak61.png 3][https://pingvinus.ru/files/news/manjaro-20-1/manjaro-20.1-gnome.jpg 4][http://www.jetestelinux.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/manjaro_gnome_1710_mode_nuit.jpg 5][https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/f8e04f89-e155-4926-972e-76e0955933eb/dak2iyb-e5931cb1-e722-43f8-a1ed-63361f901ab9.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2Y4ZTA0Zjg5LWUxNTUtNDkyNi05NzJlLTc2ZTA5NTU5MzNlYlwvZGFrMml5Yi1lNTkzMWNiMS1lNzIyLTQzZjgtYTFlZC02MzM2MWY5MDFhYjkucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.zwpBVOqCfSFqWRDNz1fnEgVkyyXgrj_3NoJNLa0Zlzw 6][https://i.redd.it/b06ms6vfe0r81.png 7][https://i.redd.it/uvenc4r0dun81.png 8][https://i.redd.it/kw1enzggqmo81.png 9][https://i.redd.it/gdtwdhbk4tr81.png 10][https://i.redd.it/uk9uihckcsd41.png 11] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=gnome&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&sort=top and] [https://www.gnome-look.org/browse?ord=rating more] **Tiling window managers: [https://pic3.zhimg.com/v2-bad01545e1f69cc0a94633ff771b72e3_1200x500.jpg 1][https://preview.redd.it/f2jg3znpr1g31.png?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=9b64dde84ccb1e0ba20e8bba5ee6516123273bd2 2][https://pingvinus.ru/cr_images/userpicture/n/1938-0.png 3][https://i.redd.it/rpojcv4d3nr81.png 4][https://i.redd.it/lkviraiador81.png 5][https://i.redd.it/or7veqoicdq81.png 6][https://i.redd.it/ptbibz0gdk861.png 7] **[https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/ and many more] * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal Windows filesystem. Of course this doesn't apply to all games, so your mileage may vary. * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so (again) your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. Almost all software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == == References and Notes == 0a760396ed438bfd36599b26d4a48ca416da8c9f 1382 1365 2023-01-24T09:51:23Z Aragorn 3 /* Advantages */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get everything working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Gaming on Linux is more complicated than gaming on Windows. If you want a computer that just works, then Linux is not the system you want to use. You should not be expecting a drop in replacement, Linux is different in a lot of ways. You should also not expect a flawless experience. Linux can be flawless, but it might be necessary to resolve some issues first. You will have to spend time learning it, and you will have to spend time troubleshooting. However, this experience is very rewarding, and you will end up getting a system that does exactly what you want. Expect that nothing works as you expect, and that you will have to research every little thing that you want to do. Linux is not Windows, and it doesn't want to be. And that's a good thing. But this also means that your knowledge about Windows doesn't help you. And it means that you will do things wrong. These things that you do wrong, may even break your system, and you will have to reinstall it. This will probably happen multiple times, until you adapted to Linux. Some games do not work, no matter what you do. The primary reason for this is that some anti cheat software will just kick you. As of 14-11-22 this will happen in about 50% of games with anti cheat. However, if the game doesn't kick you, your chances to run it are almost 100%. Keep in mind that the experience might not be flawless, you might need to troubleshoot, there might be missing cut scenes, and there might be crashes. Currently, about 80% of the top 1000 games on Steam run without issues <ref>https://www.protondb.com/dashboard</ref>. Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. On most distributions, the of-the-box performance is a lot worse than on Windows, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better, especially if you have an AMD GPU. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. {| class="wikitable" |+ !Why you shouldn't switch to Linux !Why you should switch to Linux |- |Linux is not necessary for better privacy. You can also tweak Windows so that it doesn't spy as much on you. If you use Windows 10 Education or Enterprise, the spying can even be completely disabled. At least if you trust Microsoft that they don't lie. |Most Linux distributions don't spy on you. By design, and not just by some obscure setting that Windows might change at any point in time. To avoid the ''bad'' Linux distributions, either stay with the [[Getting started (short version)|quick start guide,]] or look at the [[Getting started with Linux#Recommendations|recommendations]]. |- |Customizing your Linux system might break it. |Customization options are endless. You can make your system look and behave exactly like you want. |- |Learning how to use Linux consumes much time. |You learn valuable things that can make using your computer much easier. It might even give you a job. Your get a very reliable system, and you will be able to fix almost any problem. ''"That's not possible"'' is something you don't say. Everything is possible. You just need to find a way how to do it. |- |You get worse performance in some games. |You get better performance in some games. Some people say, you can even get less input lag. This can give you a competitive advantage. |- |Some hardware doesn't work, and you need to buy new stuff. |Old hardware stays usable. You can still use your 20 years old laptop. No need to throw it away. |- |Linux is not necessary to get a secure system. You're also not likely to get malware on Windows if you harden it, and you don't download/click random stuff. |Security. Getting malware on Linux is something that practically doesn't happen. |- |A lot of games just don't work on Linux. No matter what you do. On Windows, you can just click ''"install"'', and they work. |A lot of games don't work on Windows, either. Especially old titles. These games often work on Linux without issues whatsoever. |- |Installing games on Linux is often hard, and time consuming. In many cases you need to search the internet for a solution on how to run them, try different settings, and so on. This can take many hours. Especially if you like to play many different games. |Many games can be installed without problems. You install it, and it just works. If something doesn't work, chances are that someone else figured out how to run it. In many cases it's something from a very short list of things that you need to try. Usually, problems can be fixed within a couple minutes. |- |You need technical knowledge to use Linux. |You get technical knowledge by using Linux. |- |You might have to reinstall your system a couple times until you got used to it. |You don't need to reinstall your system every couple months because it gets slow. |} == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch 2, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. See https://areweanticheatyet.com/ to get detailed information about specific games. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. See https://areweanticheatyet.com/ to get detailed information about specific games. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends on the individual tools the modding community uses. It's often not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you. * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB of RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable (not for serious gaming of course). And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. It won't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster, though. But it has significantly less overhead than Windows, so if that's the problem it will definitely help. For example, it might revive your old Laptop. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects your choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though—you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows to something like MacOS to something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is not even close to everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. Some examples of what Linux can look like: **KDE Plasma: [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/articles/tagline_images/528481101id19192gol.jpg 1][https://news-cdn.softpedia.com/images/news2/kde-plasma-5-15-desktop-environment-officially-released-here-s-what-s-new-524922-8.jpg 2][https://www.lffl.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/garuda-linux-dr460nized-1400x788.png 3][https://ubuntuhandbook.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/preview-arc-dark.jpg 4][https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RQLcqtqS-YA/XHTsrV6x_-I/AAAAAAAAU0Y/eKJma9C7vsITXzcDklMTaOXgUdVqBIvWgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot_20190226_073620.png 5][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 6][https://i.redd.it/lvubg0sxnl641.png 7][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 8][https://i.redd.it/8mz4z5kybs631.png 9][https://i.redd.it/jup9nde0f0l81.png 10][https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FEMS88kEx_8/maxresdefault.jpg 11][https://i.redd.it/f6ywf9pncpy31.png 12][https://i.imgur.com/kYX3ewJ.png 13][https://forum.endeavouros.com/uploads/default/original/2X/6/6e6c1619652607552c45b001ad2dbfb9d01ea21d.jpeg 14][https://i.redd.it/e4w1uvk48fr81.jpg 15][https://i.redd.it/0x4pz8o10xq81.png 16][https://i.redd.it/7a5mwp393jo81.png 17][https://i.redd.it/cv5gc2tne4r81.png 18] [https://i.redd.it/t65bae91v3s81.jpg 19] [https://64.media.tumblr.com/9bda2b57523402c142d4f797c8ad0093/d629d44890280e21-7d/s1280x1920/ad696bc813582410c77f9879cc0334b76ab252ea.jpg 20] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/comments/eor4up/plasma_cyberpunk_desktop/ 21] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=plasma&sort=top and] [https://store.kde.org/browse?cat=104&ord=rating more] **GNOME: [https://forum.garudalinux.org/uploads/default/optimized/2X/e/e6d6150878051d075fb6d8548f5314fcf6c7bf28_2_1035x646.jpeg 1][https://www.cmscritic.com/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cloudinary/pop-os-review-4_hhslpt.png 2][https://i.redd.it/jt3xl3e2qak61.png 3][https://pingvinus.ru/files/news/manjaro-20-1/manjaro-20.1-gnome.jpg 4][http://www.jetestelinux.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/manjaro_gnome_1710_mode_nuit.jpg 5][https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/f8e04f89-e155-4926-972e-76e0955933eb/dak2iyb-e5931cb1-e722-43f8-a1ed-63361f901ab9.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2Y4ZTA0Zjg5LWUxNTUtNDkyNi05NzJlLTc2ZTA5NTU5MzNlYlwvZGFrMml5Yi1lNTkzMWNiMS1lNzIyLTQzZjgtYTFlZC02MzM2MWY5MDFhYjkucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.zwpBVOqCfSFqWRDNz1fnEgVkyyXgrj_3NoJNLa0Zlzw 6][https://i.redd.it/b06ms6vfe0r81.png 7][https://i.redd.it/uvenc4r0dun81.png 8][https://i.redd.it/kw1enzggqmo81.png 9][https://i.redd.it/gdtwdhbk4tr81.png 10][https://i.redd.it/uk9uihckcsd41.png 11] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=gnome&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&sort=top and] [https://www.gnome-look.org/browse?ord=rating more] **Tiling window managers: [https://pic3.zhimg.com/v2-bad01545e1f69cc0a94633ff771b72e3_1200x500.jpg 1][https://preview.redd.it/f2jg3znpr1g31.png?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=9b64dde84ccb1e0ba20e8bba5ee6516123273bd2 2][https://pingvinus.ru/cr_images/userpicture/n/1938-0.png 3][https://i.redd.it/rpojcv4d3nr81.png 4][https://i.redd.it/lkviraiador81.png 5][https://i.redd.it/or7veqoicdq81.png 6][https://i.redd.it/ptbibz0gdk861.png 7] **[https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/ and many more] * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal Windows filesystem. Of course this doesn't apply to all games, so your mileage may vary. * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so (again) your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. Almost all software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. *You can separate your games from each other, so you don't get dependency problems. And you can even have several versions of the same game. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games]. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == == References and Notes == b3dae9dc4fc25ac8933291e189b03e9e0a19e3e1 0 45 1347 1254 2023-01-11T10:26:07Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Hardware compatibility with Linux is sometimes tricky. You can not buy just anything and expect it to work. Some manufacturers don't support Linux at all, and sometimes the support is not good. However, if you already own a desktop or laptop, it is probably going to work. Just try it with a live USB. This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware categories. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Regarding specific recommendations. Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a timestamp in the form YYYY-MM. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. If you buy wrong, you might end up with completely incompatible hardware. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. The important thing in the sticks is the chip. Manufacturers sometimes have the same model with different chips. Chips that often work, are Qualcomm Atheros, and [https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005511/wireless.html Intel]. === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. Recommendations: To be done. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. Recommendations: To be done. == Less problematic Hardware == Your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is much lower. However, you might face some jank, some features might not work, and stuff might not be flawless. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. If you want to read more about it, you might find something in [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/tdmup7/unpopular_opinion_i_feel_like_the_whole_nvidia/ this reddit post]. AMD and Nvidia both work, and you'll ''probably'' be fine with either. However: * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), and Nvidia even released their kernel module, but they are no option for gaming (at least yet). **If you want long support, AMD is the way to go, as support is essentially never dropped. * Nvidia provides proprietary day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, due to not being FOSS. There might be some delayed features, or some bugs. But as said, you're ''probably'' going to be fine. If you're not, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s blame Nvidia]. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] and FSR 2, which works in a similar way. There are mods that translate DLSS 2 to FSR 2 for many games. * If you buy a very old GPU, make sure that it has Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth, and even those often work. You might face problems if you have a device with two GPUs (should be solvable), or other special components (fingerprint reader, etc - might not be solvable). * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo **Slimbook * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: **Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15ACH6 | EU | around 800-1 000 € (multiple similar models available) | Available without OS | Out of the box full compatibility (WiFi since kernel 5.16, on older manual installation of driver<ref>https://github.com/lwfinger/rtw89</ref> needed) === Mainboards === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. ==== AMD ==== * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] === Mice/Keyboards === Generally all of them work, as long as you don't expect the specific configuration software to work. This can mean that you can't control RGB, DPI, or makro buttons. Some models have native support: * Logitech: [https://pwr-solaar.github.io/Solaar/devices Solaar] * Razer: [https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer OpenRazer]. * Roccat: [https://github.com/X3n0m0rph59/eruption Eruption], [https://sourceforge.net/projects/roccat/files/roccat-tools/ roccat-tools]([https://aur.archlinux.org/pkgbase/roccat-tools aur], [https://launchpad.net/~berfenger/+archive/ubuntu/roccat ppa]) A workaround for unsupported models can be to boot Windows once to change the settings (if you don't need to change them all the time). You can also start a VM, pass through the device, and change settings there. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. Recommendations: * To be done == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs == Unknown categories == {{Needs work|Problem=I'm not sure whether these categories are unproblematic or not. Personally I never had issues, and I don't see many people writing about problems in forums}} === Bluetooth Headphones === ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03<!-- Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). --> ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03 === USB Digital/Audio converter === *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03 == References == * * 02243bed329abb06149d8767110a4d07b1ddaadc 1348 1347 2023-01-11T10:41:19Z Aragorn 3 /* GPUs */ wikitext text/x-wiki Hardware compatibility with Linux is sometimes tricky. You can not buy just anything and expect it to work. Some manufacturers don't support Linux at all, and sometimes the support is not good. However, if you already own a desktop or laptop, it is probably going to work. Just try it with a live USB. This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware categories. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Regarding specific recommendations. Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a timestamp in the form YYYY-MM. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. If you buy wrong, you might end up with completely incompatible hardware. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. The important thing in the sticks is the chip. Manufacturers sometimes have the same model with different chips. Chips that often work, are Qualcomm Atheros, and [https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005511/wireless.html Intel]. === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. Recommendations: To be done. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. Recommendations: To be done. == Less problematic Hardware == Your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is much lower. However, you might face some jank, some features might not work, and stuff might not be flawless. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. If you want to read more about it, you might find something in [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/tdmup7/unpopular_opinion_i_feel_like_the_whole_nvidia/ this reddit post]. AMD and Nvidia both work, and you'll ''probably'' be fine with either. However: * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), and Nvidia even released their kernel module, but they are no option for gaming (at least yet). **If you want long support, AMD is the way to go, as support is essentially never dropped. * Nvidia provides proprietary day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, due to not being FOSS. There might be some delayed features, or some bugs. But as said, you're ''probably'' going to be fine. If you're not, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s blame Nvidia]. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] and FSR 2, which works in a similar way. There are mods that translate DLSS 2 to FSR 2 for many games. **Don't fear to switch to Linux if you own an Nvidia GPU. Even though AMD might be the better option, many people are very happy with their Nvidia GPU. * If you buy a very old GPU, make sure that it has Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth, and even those often work. You might face problems if you have a device with two GPUs (should be solvable), or other special components (fingerprint reader, etc - might not be solvable). * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo **Slimbook * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: **Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15ACH6 | EU | around 800-1 000 € (multiple similar models available) | Available without OS | Out of the box full compatibility (WiFi since kernel 5.16, on older manual installation of driver<ref>https://github.com/lwfinger/rtw89</ref> needed) === Mainboards === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. ==== AMD ==== * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] === Mice/Keyboards === Generally all of them work, as long as you don't expect the specific configuration software to work. This can mean that you can't control RGB, DPI, or makro buttons. Some models have native support: * Logitech: [https://pwr-solaar.github.io/Solaar/devices Solaar] * Razer: [https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer OpenRazer]. * Roccat: [https://github.com/X3n0m0rph59/eruption Eruption], [https://sourceforge.net/projects/roccat/files/roccat-tools/ roccat-tools]([https://aur.archlinux.org/pkgbase/roccat-tools aur], [https://launchpad.net/~berfenger/+archive/ubuntu/roccat ppa]) A workaround for unsupported models can be to boot Windows once to change the settings (if you don't need to change them all the time). You can also start a VM, pass through the device, and change settings there. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. Recommendations: * To be done == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs == Unknown categories == {{Needs work|Problem=I'm not sure whether these categories are unproblematic or not. Personally I never had issues, and I don't see many people writing about problems in forums}} === Bluetooth Headphones === ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03<!-- Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). --> ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03 === USB Digital/Audio converter === *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03 == References == * * f413b0257d01b17940e71745bd9cac7799489c80 0 1 1349 1326 2023-01-11T11:08:25Z Aragorn 3 /* Other */ wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. === Tweaking === *[[Troubleshooting]] - What to do if your game just won't work. *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies. *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Monitoring & Stresstesting]] - How to test that your tweaked system is still stable === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Visual Enhancement]] - Enhancing the visuals of a game. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! *[[Graphical tools]] - Programs that no one tells you about, but that you might like if you don't want to use the terminal == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. *[https://github.com/mikeroyal/Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide/blob/main/README.md Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide] - in depth tutorial on how to configure Ubuntu. Also contains a gaming section, that might also be relevant for other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. b4bbfc0664c979c6b7e43b8cd7da91eb6d5d089a 1362 1349 2023-01-16T23:23:55Z Aragorn 3 /* Tweaking */ wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. === Tweaking === *[[Troubleshooting]] - What to do if your game just won't work. *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies. *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. *[[Dual GPU]] - How to get the game running on the correct GPU. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Monitoring & Stresstesting]] - How to test that your tweaked system is still stable === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Visual Enhancement]] - Enhancing the visuals of a game. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! *[[Graphical tools]] - Programs that no one tells you about, but that you might like if you don't want to use the terminal == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] *[http://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. *[https://github.com/mikeroyal/Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide/blob/main/README.md Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide] - in depth tutorial on how to configure Ubuntu. Also contains a gaming section, that might also be relevant for other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. eff72a1302ff08d84a989bc1d1b4f1c5a48128a3 1393 1362 2023-01-29T01:24:10Z 2001:56A:FC8E:D600:B36D:10D1:FAED:2F92 0 /* External Links */ *[https://web.archive.org/web/20210419173711/https://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] (2012-2021) *[https://linuxgamingnews.org/ Linux Gaming News] (2009-2018) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20150726203906/http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] (1998-2015) wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. === Tweaking === *[[Troubleshooting]] - What to do if your game just won't work. *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies. *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. *[[Dual GPU]] - How to get the game running on the correct GPU. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Monitoring & Stresstesting]] - How to test that your tweaked system is still stable === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Visual Enhancement]] - Enhancing the visuals of a game. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! *[[Graphical tools]] - Programs that no one tells you about, but that you might like if you don't want to use the terminal == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[https://linuxgamenews.com/ Linux Game News] *[https://happypenguin.altervista.org/index.php Happy Penguin - The Linux Game Tome] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20210419173711/https://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] (2012-2021) *[https://linuxgamingnews.org/ Linux Gaming News] (2009-2018) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20150726203906/http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] (1998-2015) Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. *[https://github.com/mikeroyal/Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide/blob/main/README.md Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide] - in depth tutorial on how to configure Ubuntu. Also contains a gaming section, that might also be relevant for other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. fd9d276304b07dedee7d862be953a61b3f10a137 0 117 1350 2023-01-11T11:11:09Z Aragorn 3 Created page with "This page aims to provide graphical alternatives for things that most people would do in the terminal. * fstab (drive management) -> Gnome Disks" wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to provide graphical alternatives for things that most people would do in the terminal. * fstab (drive management) -> Gnome Disks e33cdf5f034fe59a489acf05cb1f3efa2ab15899 0 41 1351 1164 2023-01-11T13:05:47Z Aragorn 3 /* Path names */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game mods modify games in some way. A good source for mods is https://www.nexusmods.com. Sometimes they work in the same way as on Windows, but that's not always the case. [[Reshade]] is an example for a modding tool. If you're using Steam, [[Steam#Steam Tinker Launch|Steam Tinker Launch]] may make your life a lot easier. == Mod Manager == Mod managers that are not native will not set dll overrides. If the installed mod uses dlls, you have to [[Installing dlls#DLL overrides|set the overrides manually]]. === Install mod managers with Wine === You can try installing mod managers from [[Lutris]], if there is an install script. For example there are scripts (for older versions of) Vortex and NMM. Otherwise, you can try installing them in the same wine prefix. You could do this for example in the following way: * Copy the executable into the wine prefix of your game: <code>~/Games/<your_game>/drive_c/users/<your_name>/Downloads/</code> *Run it in the same prefix as your game: ** Lutris: Click your game, then click on the arrow next to the wine bottle on the bottom of the window. Click <code>Run EXE inside Wine prefix</code>. Locate the exe, and run it. **Bottles: todo **Steam: todo **Heroic: todo * If it works, you can locate the executable of the installed mod manager, and run it in this way. Otherwise, you can also create a new "game" in the same wine prefix and select the executable there. TODO: describe how. *You can also install the mod manager in a different prefix, and symlink the game folder into the prefix === Install mod managers in a VM === If a mod manager is not working well with wine, you can install Windows in VirtualBox, share your game folder with the VM, and install the mod manager inside the VM. You need to install the guest additions for it to work. The folder will be mounted as network drive Z. This will not work with every mod manager and every mod. For example it will not work with MO2 (however, MO2 is working in Wine<ref>https://github.com/Modorganizer2/modorganizer/issues/372</ref>). If you want to mod a Linux native game, you can try creating a fake .exe in order for the mod manager to detect the game. In more detail: # Install the game on Linux, for example with Lutris, Heroic, or Steam. # Install Windows in a VM # Share the game folder with the Windows VM # Install a mod manager in the Windows VM # Use the mod manager to install a mod # Play the game that is now modded (on Linux, without VM) Optional: Disable internet access for the VM, and enable drag/drop to copy files easily to the VM. This way, Windows can not send telemetry data, or do unnecessary updates that just take space and processing time. You might even use older (and lighter) versions like Windows 7 if the mod manager is compatible. In this case, you will have to manually download mods, though. == Manual Installation == === Installing dlls === In many cases (for example reshade, specialK) you just need a dll in your game folder. Just download the exe, extract it, and [[Installing dlls#Manual|manually install the dll]]. You might have to rename it, for example to * <code>d3d9.dll</code> if your game uses Directx9 (this is more likely for older games) * <code>dxgi.dll</code> if your game uses Directx11 (this is more likely for newer games) or something like that. Also note that you should use a dll that has the architecture of your game, so if the game is 32 bit, you might need to choose another dll than if your game is 64 bit (often indicated by a 32 or a 64 in the dll filename). === Path names === Linux paths are case sensitive, while Windows paths are not. This leads to mod developers using different folder names when referring to the same folder, for example ''textures'' and ''Textures''. Wine knows that, and is able to handle it accordingly. However, if you manually copy the mod to it's destination with your Linux file manager, you might get problems if you create an additional folder. There are a couple things that you can do to avoid these problems: * If you encounter a problem, look at the file structures to detect problems. * Use ext4 with [https://www.collabora.com/news-and-blog/blog/2020/08/27/using-the-linux-kernel-case-insensitive-feature-in-ext4/ case folding]. (The SteamDeck uses ext4 with case folding by default.) * Install 7zip for Windows and use that to extract and move the mod to it's destination. 7zip also comes with a file manager that you can use. You could also use any other Windows file manager. It just needs access to the game folder. Either install it in the same prefix, or use it's own prefix and symlink the game folder. == Trainer == {{Needs work|Problem=I didn't test any of these, and just copied some links from answers to reddit posts asking about this kind of stuff. Maybe some are redundant or not working well. Please edit this if you have any idea what these tools do}} *[https://github.com/leaty/tuxtrain tuxtrain] * [https://github.com/korcankaraokcu/PINCE PINCE] * [https://github.com/scanmem/scanmem scanmem] * [https://linuxhint.com/use-gameconqueror-cheat-engine-linux/ gameconqueror] * [https://github.com/evg-zhabotinsky/libspeedhack libspeedhack] == Linux native modding tools == There are some game specific Linux native modding tools, you may find a list [[Game specific modding tools|here]]. 9b0deedfd9b24b562ed4ba7d1496bf7b7d77d118 1352 1351 2023-01-11T13:10:05Z Aragorn 3 /* Path names */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game mods modify games in some way. A good source for mods is https://www.nexusmods.com. Sometimes they work in the same way as on Windows, but that's not always the case. [[Reshade]] is an example for a modding tool. If you're using Steam, [[Steam#Steam Tinker Launch|Steam Tinker Launch]] may make your life a lot easier. == Mod Manager == Mod managers that are not native will not set dll overrides. If the installed mod uses dlls, you have to [[Installing dlls#DLL overrides|set the overrides manually]]. === Install mod managers with Wine === You can try installing mod managers from [[Lutris]], if there is an install script. For example there are scripts (for older versions of) Vortex and NMM. Otherwise, you can try installing them in the same wine prefix. You could do this for example in the following way: * Copy the executable into the wine prefix of your game: <code>~/Games/<your_game>/drive_c/users/<your_name>/Downloads/</code> *Run it in the same prefix as your game: ** Lutris: Click your game, then click on the arrow next to the wine bottle on the bottom of the window. Click <code>Run EXE inside Wine prefix</code>. Locate the exe, and run it. **Bottles: todo **Steam: todo **Heroic: todo * If it works, you can locate the executable of the installed mod manager, and run it in this way. Otherwise, you can also create a new "game" in the same wine prefix and select the executable there. TODO: describe how. *You can also install the mod manager in a different prefix, and symlink the game folder into the prefix === Install mod managers in a VM === If a mod manager is not working well with wine, you can install Windows in VirtualBox, share your game folder with the VM, and install the mod manager inside the VM. You need to install the guest additions for it to work. The folder will be mounted as network drive Z. This will not work with every mod manager and every mod. For example it will not work with MO2 (however, MO2 is working in Wine<ref>https://github.com/Modorganizer2/modorganizer/issues/372</ref>). If you want to mod a Linux native game, you can try creating a fake .exe in order for the mod manager to detect the game. In more detail: # Install the game on Linux, for example with Lutris, Heroic, or Steam. # Install Windows in a VM # Share the game folder with the Windows VM # Install a mod manager in the Windows VM # Use the mod manager to install a mod # Play the game that is now modded (on Linux, without VM) Optional: Disable internet access for the VM, and enable drag/drop to copy files easily to the VM. This way, Windows can not send telemetry data, or do unnecessary updates that just take space and processing time. You might even use older (and lighter) versions like Windows 7 if the mod manager is compatible. In this case, you will have to manually download mods, though. == Manual Installation == === Installing dlls === In many cases (for example reshade, specialK) you just need a dll in your game folder. Just download the exe, extract it, and [[Installing dlls#Manual|manually install the dll]]. You might have to rename it, for example to * <code>d3d9.dll</code> if your game uses Directx9 (this is more likely for older games) * <code>dxgi.dll</code> if your game uses Directx11 (this is more likely for newer games) or something like that. Also note that you should use a dll that has the architecture of your game, so if the game is 32 bit, you might need to choose another dll than if your game is 64 bit (often indicated by a 32 or a 64 in the dll filename). === Path names === Linux paths are case sensitive, while Windows paths are not. This leads to mod developers using different folder names when referring to the same folder, for example ''textures'' and ''Textures''. Wine knows that, and is able to handle it accordingly. However, if you manually copy the mod to it's destination with your Linux file manager, you might get problems if you create an additional folder. There are a couple options to avoid these problems: * If you encounter a problem, look at the file structures to detect problems. *Use a mod manager that you install with wine. * Use ext4 with [https://www.collabora.com/news-and-blog/blog/2020/08/27/using-the-linux-kernel-case-insensitive-feature-in-ext4/ case folding]. (The SteamDeck uses ext4 with case folding by default.) * Install 7zip for Windows and use that to extract and move the mod to it's destination. 7zip also comes with a file manager that you can use. You could also use any other Windows file manager. It just needs access to the game folder. Either install it in the same prefix, or use it's own prefix and symlink the game folder. == Trainer == {{Needs work|Problem=I didn't test any of these, and just copied some links from answers to reddit posts asking about this kind of stuff. Maybe some are redundant or not working well. Please edit this if you have any idea what these tools do}} *[https://github.com/leaty/tuxtrain tuxtrain] * [https://github.com/korcankaraokcu/PINCE PINCE] * [https://github.com/scanmem/scanmem scanmem] * [https://linuxhint.com/use-gameconqueror-cheat-engine-linux/ gameconqueror] * [https://github.com/evg-zhabotinsky/libspeedhack libspeedhack] == Linux native modding tools == There are some game specific Linux native modding tools, you may find a list [[Game specific modding tools|here]]. c63d3265f48cd470de28ca264ad51801696e13c1 1353 1352 2023-01-11T18:31:37Z Aragorn 3 /* Path names */ wikitext text/x-wiki Game mods modify games in some way. A good source for mods is https://www.nexusmods.com. Sometimes they work in the same way as on Windows, but that's not always the case. [[Reshade]] is an example for a modding tool. If you're using Steam, [[Steam#Steam Tinker Launch|Steam Tinker Launch]] may make your life a lot easier. == Mod Manager == Mod managers that are not native will not set dll overrides. If the installed mod uses dlls, you have to [[Installing dlls#DLL overrides|set the overrides manually]]. === Install mod managers with Wine === You can try installing mod managers from [[Lutris]], if there is an install script. For example there are scripts (for older versions of) Vortex and NMM. Otherwise, you can try installing them in the same wine prefix. You could do this for example in the following way: * Copy the executable into the wine prefix of your game: <code>~/Games/<your_game>/drive_c/users/<your_name>/Downloads/</code> *Run it in the same prefix as your game: ** Lutris: Click your game, then click on the arrow next to the wine bottle on the bottom of the window. Click <code>Run EXE inside Wine prefix</code>. Locate the exe, and run it. **Bottles: todo **Steam: todo **Heroic: todo * If it works, you can locate the executable of the installed mod manager, and run it in this way. Otherwise, you can also create a new "game" in the same wine prefix and select the executable there. TODO: describe how. *You can also install the mod manager in a different prefix, and symlink the game folder into the prefix === Install mod managers in a VM === If a mod manager is not working well with wine, you can install Windows in VirtualBox, share your game folder with the VM, and install the mod manager inside the VM. You need to install the guest additions for it to work. The folder will be mounted as network drive Z. This will not work with every mod manager and every mod. For example it will not work with MO2 (however, MO2 is working in Wine<ref>https://github.com/Modorganizer2/modorganizer/issues/372</ref>). If you want to mod a Linux native game, you can try creating a fake .exe in order for the mod manager to detect the game. In more detail: # Install the game on Linux, for example with Lutris, Heroic, or Steam. # Install Windows in a VM # Share the game folder with the Windows VM # Install a mod manager in the Windows VM # Use the mod manager to install a mod # Play the game that is now modded (on Linux, without VM) Optional: Disable internet access for the VM, and enable drag/drop to copy files easily to the VM. This way, Windows can not send telemetry data, or do unnecessary updates that just take space and processing time. You might even use older (and lighter) versions like Windows 7 if the mod manager is compatible. In this case, you will have to manually download mods, though. == Manual Installation == === Installing dlls === In many cases (for example reshade, specialK) you just need a dll in your game folder. Just download the exe, extract it, and [[Installing dlls#Manual|manually install the dll]]. You might have to rename it, for example to * <code>d3d9.dll</code> if your game uses Directx9 (this is more likely for older games) * <code>dxgi.dll</code> if your game uses Directx11 (this is more likely for newer games) or something like that. Also note that you should use a dll that has the architecture of your game, so if the game is 32 bit, you might need to choose another dll than if your game is 64 bit (often indicated by a 32 or a 64 in the dll filename). === Path names === Linux paths are case sensitive, while Windows paths are not. This leads to mod developers using different folder names when referring to the same folder, for example ''textures'' and ''Textures''. Wine knows that, and is able to handle it accordingly. However, if you manually copy the mod to it's destination with your Linux file manager, you might get problems if you create an additional folder. There are a couple options to avoid these problems: * If you encounter a problem, look at the file structures to detect problems. You can use <code>find . -type d | tr "[A-Z]" "[a-z]" | sort | uniq -c | grep -v " 1 "</code> to find conflicts. <ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/1091xud/comment/j3wgz4a/?context=3</ref> *Use a mod manager that you install with wine. * Use ext4 with [https://www.collabora.com/news-and-blog/blog/2020/08/27/using-the-linux-kernel-case-insensitive-feature-in-ext4/ case folding]. (The SteamDeck uses ext4 with case folding by default.) * Install 7zip for Windows and use that to extract and move the mod to it's destination. 7zip also comes with a file manager that you can use. You could also use any other Windows file manager. It just needs access to the game folder. Either install it in the same prefix, or use it's own prefix and symlink the game folder. == Trainer == {{Needs work|Problem=I didn't test any of these, and just copied some links from answers to reddit posts asking about this kind of stuff. Maybe some are redundant or not working well. Please edit this if you have any idea what these tools do}} *[https://github.com/leaty/tuxtrain tuxtrain] * [https://github.com/korcankaraokcu/PINCE PINCE] * [https://github.com/scanmem/scanmem scanmem] * [https://linuxhint.com/use-gameconqueror-cheat-engine-linux/ gameconqueror] * [https://github.com/evg-zhabotinsky/libspeedhack libspeedhack] == Linux native modding tools == There are some game specific Linux native modding tools, you may find a list [[Game specific modding tools|here]]. f789e0962b47f5722a15fa23bba2b68a1af02c8c 2 118 1354 2023-01-12T12:52:48Z NMBDelores 83 Created page with "A drug rehabilitation midpoint is among the absolute most prosperous choices so as to get rid of a medicine dependence. 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A procedure facility has all the aspects that are actually called for to aid you out in this process if you are actually actually established to bounce back from your addiction.<br><br>My site [https://jermainewolfe.dropmark.com/1373933/31521122 Clicking Here] 61af177c6cdfdcb7ff24160d7f2da30976ea3d58 0 2 1358 1324 2023-01-16T21:19:58Z Aragorn 3 /* Desktop Environments */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **You don't need to worry about this. All of them are fine. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from Gnome. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. Windows 10 and 11 look a lot like default KDE, but they still miss a couple nice-to-have features that KDE has. Additionally, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |Gnome |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing Gnome often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on Gnome, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |Not good for gaming. | | | |} === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable, for example [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here]. |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base desktop and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you do a default configuration, it will probably not be better than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. The installation of Arch is hard also, but if you can read and follow instructions on the installation guide then it shouldn't be a problem. To make it easier, use archinstall. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |Gentoo |Gentoo is a good distribution for gaming actually. BUT: It's very complicated, takes a lot of time to install, and requires you to build every package which is time consuming. Plus, if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |- |AmogOS |It might have a funny name, but it's not a mature distribution. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |LFS | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 11afcbb8cdbd7d56845ce0d376ba0f44635b843c 1359 1358 2023-01-16T21:22:31Z Aragorn 3 /* Desktop Environments */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **You don't need to worry about this. All of them are fine. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from Gnome. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. Windows 10 and 11 look a lot like default KDE. But if you don't like that, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. It also has a lot of nice-to-have features that make your life easier |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |Gnome |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing Gnome often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on Gnome, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |Not good for gaming. | | | |} === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable, for example [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here]. |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base desktop and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you do a default configuration, it will probably not be better than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. The installation of Arch is hard also, but if you can read and follow instructions on the installation guide then it shouldn't be a problem. To make it easier, use archinstall. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |Gentoo |Gentoo is a good distribution for gaming actually. BUT: It's very complicated, takes a lot of time to install, and requires you to build every package which is time consuming. Plus, if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |- |AmogOS |It might have a funny name, but it's not a mature distribution. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |LFS | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> dc7610a3414efef5f9c5165b8b120aff8eb8cb8a 1392 1359 2023-01-28T22:40:44Z Aragorn 3 /* Installing Software */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **You don't need to worry about this. All of them are fine. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from Gnome. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. Windows 10 and 11 look a lot like default KDE. But if you don't like that, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. It also has a lot of nice-to-have features that make your life easier |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |Gnome |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing Gnome often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on Gnome, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |Not good for gaming. | | | |} === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a &quot;stable&quot; distribution because &quot;stable&quot; usually means &quot;old&quot;. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable, for example [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here]. |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base desktop and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you do a default configuration, it will probably not be better than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. The installation of Arch is hard also, but if you can read and follow instructions on the installation guide then it shouldn't be a problem. To make it easier, use archinstall. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |Gentoo |Gentoo is a good distribution for gaming actually. BUT: It's very complicated, takes a lot of time to install, and requires you to build every package which is time consuming. Plus, if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |- |AmogOS |It might have a funny name, but it's not a mature distribution. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |LFS | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. But generally, you would open your software store (or whatever it is called), and search for the program you want to install, click ''"update"'', or whatever else. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 9da3e6396b87a869f5c68f9610d9cbe50c6ba8ce 2 122 1367 2023-01-18T06:08:19Z LucianaSaywell 87 Created page with "Nocode is getting raising attraction as a substitute to a conventional advancement design. More and more providers discover that such an option carries out certainly not have to confine them. Very contrarily, it enables all of them to pay attention to the center aspects of the app growth that are actually the most relevant to the customers as well as thus, boosts their odds for market results.<br><br>Also visit my blog ... [http://www.truemetrics.cn/qa/index.php/user/pau..." wikitext text/x-wiki Nocode is getting raising attraction as a substitute to a conventional advancement design. More and more providers discover that such an option carries out certainly not have to confine them. Very contrarily, it enables all of them to pay attention to the center aspects of the app growth that are actually the most relevant to the customers as well as thus, boosts their odds for market results.<br><br>Also visit my blog ... [http://www.truemetrics.cn/qa/index.php/user/paulvein2 Read My Post Here] 509f57934cdf55acea3c5d049d20d3176d10f9b8 0 5 1368 1312 2023-01-18T08:54:41Z Aragorn 3 /* Troubleshooting */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Nobara Official, Nobara Gnome, and Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]], it's not necessary on Wayland. **You do have to do this on Nobara KDE! *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Read the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. *If you have two GPUs (for example an integrated and a dedicated one), use the one with more performance. ''TODO: How?'' ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (one of the gaming optimized kernels, or just any kernel above 5.16), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>[https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg-pds]</code>, <code>[https://xanmod.org/ Xanmod]</code>, or <code>[https://liquorix.net/ Liquorix]</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> and <code>Liquorix</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. ***They should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. If you don't, you end up with an insecure system! **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people also recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler). Currently there are no scientific tests, so you have to see yourself what works best for you. You can get both from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. On an average gaming CPU, this will take something in the magnitude of an hour. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **Note that the following environment variable is not needed with Nvidia driver 520 (or higher) and DXVK 2.0 (or higher) thanks to VK_EXT_graphics_pipeline_library, Intel and AMD driver support is coming soon. <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE comes with a compatible version. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (just type in the name manually). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page] and [https://github.com/AdelKS/LinuxGamingGuide this collection of tweaks]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (Gnome and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. Disabling composition should lead to slightly less input lag.<ref name=":2" /> KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. Gnome is also valid, but adds a small amount of input lag.<ref name=":2">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section ''(Test needed to know how good it works!)''. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid Gnome x11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync or enable tearing updates. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. KDE plasma 5.27 or higher will be required for tearing updates on Wayland and your game will also need to be run in fullscreen mode for it to work. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on (unless tearing updates are enabled), regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. *Sometimes a game has both, a Linux native, and a Windows version. They don't always run equally well. If you have problems, it might be worth a shot to try the other one. *If you use Arch or an Arch based distribution, and you own a very new AMD GPU, it might be worth it to install <code>linux-firmware-git</code>, and <code>mesa-git</code> from the AUR (for example by using an AUR helper like <code>paru</code>). You might also consider to install a release candidate of the Linux kernel, for example by using <code>linux-rc</code> from the AUR, or to compile <code>linux-tkg</code> and select a release candidate. ==References and notes == <references /> 4c20fa34185a5f51faf5a5f5e47d2ebf2d1b275e 1369 1368 2023-01-18T08:56:37Z Aragorn 3 /* Troubleshooting */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Nobara Official, Nobara Gnome, and Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]], it's not necessary on Wayland. **You do have to do this on Nobara KDE! *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Read the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. *If you have two GPUs (for example an integrated and a dedicated one), use the one with more performance. ''TODO: How?'' ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (one of the gaming optimized kernels, or just any kernel above 5.16), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>[https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg-pds]</code>, <code>[https://xanmod.org/ Xanmod]</code>, or <code>[https://liquorix.net/ Liquorix]</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> and <code>Liquorix</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. ***They should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. If you don't, you end up with an insecure system! **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people also recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler). Currently there are no scientific tests, so you have to see yourself what works best for you. You can get both from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. On an average gaming CPU, this will take something in the magnitude of an hour. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **Note that the following environment variable is not needed with Nvidia driver 520 (or higher) and DXVK 2.0 (or higher) thanks to VK_EXT_graphics_pipeline_library, Intel and AMD driver support is coming soon. <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE comes with a compatible version. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (just type in the name manually). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page] and [https://github.com/AdelKS/LinuxGamingGuide this collection of tweaks]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (Gnome and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. Disabling composition should lead to slightly less input lag.<ref name=":2" /> KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. Gnome is also valid, but adds a small amount of input lag.<ref name=":2">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section ''(Test needed to know how good it works!)''. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid Gnome x11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync or enable tearing updates. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. KDE plasma 5.27 or higher will be required for tearing updates on Wayland and your game will also need to be run in fullscreen mode for it to work. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on (unless tearing updates are enabled), regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. *Sometimes a game has both, a Linux native, and a Windows version. They don't always run equally well. If you have problems, it might be worth a shot to try the other one. *If you use Arch or an Arch based distribution, and you own a very new AMD GPU, it might be worth it to install <code>linux-firmware-git</code>, and <code>mesa-git</code> from the AUR (for example by using an AUR helper like <code>paru</code>). You might also consider to install a release candidate of the Linux kernel, for example by using <code>linux-rc</code> from the AUR, or to compile <code>linux-tkg</code> and select a release candidate (to be detected by the <code>rc</code>, as in <code>v6.2-'''rc'''4</code>). ==References and notes == <references /> 92aae17e01bf0665558bf5ce2054b8e9505c4959 1370 1369 2023-01-18T08:57:17Z Aragorn 3 /* Troubleshooting */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Nobara Official, Nobara Gnome, and Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]], it's not necessary on Wayland. **You do have to do this on Nobara KDE! *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Read the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. *If you have two GPUs (for example an integrated and a dedicated one), use the one with more performance. ''TODO: How?'' ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (one of the gaming optimized kernels, or just any kernel above 5.16), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>[https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg-pds]</code>, <code>[https://xanmod.org/ Xanmod]</code>, or <code>[https://liquorix.net/ Liquorix]</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> and <code>Liquorix</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. ***They should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. If you don't, you end up with an insecure system! **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people also recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler). Currently there are no scientific tests, so you have to see yourself what works best for you. You can get both from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. On an average gaming CPU, this will take something in the magnitude of an hour. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **Note that the following environment variable is not needed with Nvidia driver 520 (or higher) and DXVK 2.0 (or higher) thanks to VK_EXT_graphics_pipeline_library, Intel and AMD driver support is coming soon. <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE comes with a compatible version. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (just type in the name manually). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page] and [https://github.com/AdelKS/LinuxGamingGuide this collection of tweaks]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (Gnome and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. Disabling composition should lead to slightly less input lag.<ref name=":2" /> KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. Gnome is also valid, but adds a small amount of input lag.<ref name=":2">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section ''(Test needed to know how good it works!)''. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid Gnome x11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync or enable tearing updates. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. KDE plasma 5.27 or higher will be required for tearing updates on Wayland and your game will also need to be run in fullscreen mode for it to work. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on (unless tearing updates are enabled), regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. *Sometimes a game has both, a Linux native, and a Windows version. They don't always run equally well. If you have problems, it might be worth a shot to try the other one. *If you use Arch or an Arch based distribution, and you own a very new AMD GPU, it might be worth it to install <code>linux-firmware-git</code>, and <code>mesa-git</code> from the AUR (for example by using an AUR helper like <code>paru</code>). You might also consider to install a release candidate of the Linux kernel, for example by using <code>linux-rc</code> from the AUR, or by compiling <code>linux-tkg</code> and selecting a release candidate (to be detected by the <code>rc</code>, as in <code>v6.2-'''rc'''4</code>). ==References and notes == <references /> 8877460df3064ed1afb2dbe624aadf9eddc35664 1371 1370 2023-01-19T09:29:15Z Aragorn 3 /* Optional */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Nobara Official, Nobara Gnome, and Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]], it's not necessary on Wayland. **You do have to do this on Nobara KDE! *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Read the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. *If you have two GPUs (for example an integrated and a dedicated one), use the one with more performance. ''TODO: How?'' ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (one of the gaming optimized kernels, or just any kernel above 5.16), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>[https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg-pds]</code>, <code>[https://xanmod.org/ Xanmod]</code>, or <code>[https://liquorix.net/ Liquorix]</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> and <code>Liquorix</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. ***They should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. If you don't, you end up with an insecure system! **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people also recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler). Currently there are no scientific tests, so you have to see yourself what works best for you. You can get both from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. On an average gaming CPU, this will take something in the magnitude of an hour. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **Note that the following environment variable is not needed with Nvidia driver 520 (or higher) and DXVK 2.0 (or higher) thanks to VK_EXT_graphics_pipeline_library, Intel and AMD driver support is coming soon. <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE, ''until version 7-44'', is compatible. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (just type in the name manually). **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=gpl</code>: Should lead to a behavior similar to shader caching on Windows. Games that don't stutter on Windows, should also not stutter on Linux. Currently, it also disables shader caching, so load times will be high. Is still new, and might not work correctly. Does not yet work with AMD GPUs. *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page] and [https://github.com/AdelKS/LinuxGamingGuide this collection of tweaks]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (Gnome and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. Disabling composition should lead to slightly less input lag.<ref name=":2" /> KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. Gnome is also valid, but adds a small amount of input lag.<ref name=":2">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section ''(Test needed to know how good it works!)''. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid Gnome x11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync or enable tearing updates. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. KDE plasma 5.27 or higher will be required for tearing updates on Wayland and your game will also need to be run in fullscreen mode for it to work. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on (unless tearing updates are enabled), regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. *Sometimes a game has both, a Linux native, and a Windows version. They don't always run equally well. If you have problems, it might be worth a shot to try the other one. *If you use Arch or an Arch based distribution, and you own a very new AMD GPU, it might be worth it to install <code>linux-firmware-git</code>, and <code>mesa-git</code> from the AUR (for example by using an AUR helper like <code>paru</code>). You might also consider to install a release candidate of the Linux kernel, for example by using <code>linux-rc</code> from the AUR, or by compiling <code>linux-tkg</code> and selecting a release candidate (to be detected by the <code>rc</code>, as in <code>v6.2-'''rc'''4</code>). ==References and notes == <references /> 32b3b81e36b1d7b89ce8bdeaeb340890e6dbf694 1372 1371 2023-01-19T09:30:46Z Aragorn 3 /* Optional */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Nobara Official, Nobara Gnome, and Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]], it's not necessary on Wayland. **You do have to do this on Nobara KDE! *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Read the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. *If you have two GPUs (for example an integrated and a dedicated one), use the one with more performance. ''TODO: How?'' ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (one of the gaming optimized kernels, or just any kernel above 5.16), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>[https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg-pds]</code>, <code>[https://xanmod.org/ Xanmod]</code>, or <code>[https://liquorix.net/ Liquorix]</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> and <code>Liquorix</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. ***They should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. If you don't, you end up with an insecure system! **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people also recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler). Currently there are no scientific tests, so you have to see yourself what works best for you. You can get both from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. On an average gaming CPU, this will take something in the magnitude of an hour. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **Note that the following environment variable is not needed with Nvidia driver 520 (or higher) and DXVK 2.0 (or higher) thanks to VK_EXT_graphics_pipeline_library, Intel and AMD driver support is coming soon. <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE, ''until version 7-44'', is compatible. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (just type in the name manually). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page] and [https://github.com/AdelKS/LinuxGamingGuide this collection of tweaks]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=gpl</code>: Should lead to a behavior similar to shader caching on Windows. Games that don't stutter on Windows, should also not stutter on Linux. Currently, it also disables shader caching, so load times will be high. Is still new, and might not work correctly. You need mesa-git or mesa 23 for it to work. ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (Gnome and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. Disabling composition should lead to slightly less input lag.<ref name=":2" /> KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. Gnome is also valid, but adds a small amount of input lag.<ref name=":2">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section ''(Test needed to know how good it works!)''. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid Gnome x11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync or enable tearing updates. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. KDE plasma 5.27 or higher will be required for tearing updates on Wayland and your game will also need to be run in fullscreen mode for it to work. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on (unless tearing updates are enabled), regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. *Sometimes a game has both, a Linux native, and a Windows version. They don't always run equally well. If you have problems, it might be worth a shot to try the other one. *If you use Arch or an Arch based distribution, and you own a very new AMD GPU, it might be worth it to install <code>linux-firmware-git</code>, and <code>mesa-git</code> from the AUR (for example by using an AUR helper like <code>paru</code>). You might also consider to install a release candidate of the Linux kernel, for example by using <code>linux-rc</code> from the AUR, or by compiling <code>linux-tkg</code> and selecting a release candidate (to be detected by the <code>rc</code>, as in <code>v6.2-'''rc'''4</code>). ==References and notes == <references /> 0061e8ea5abc13062ddaca8667c0eacc2ba72c28 1373 1372 2023-01-19T09:33:27Z Aragorn 3 /* Optional */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Nobara Official, Nobara Gnome, and Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]], it's not necessary on Wayland. **You do have to do this on Nobara KDE! *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Read the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. *If you have two GPUs (for example an integrated and a dedicated one), use the one with more performance. ''TODO: How?'' ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (one of the gaming optimized kernels, or just any kernel above 5.16), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>[https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg-pds]</code>, <code>[https://xanmod.org/ Xanmod]</code>, or <code>[https://liquorix.net/ Liquorix]</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> and <code>Liquorix</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. ***They should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. If you don't, you end up with an insecure system! **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people also recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler). Currently there are no scientific tests, so you have to see yourself what works best for you. You can get both from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. On an average gaming CPU, this will take something in the magnitude of an hour. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **Note that the following environment variable is not needed with Nvidia driver 520 (or higher) and DXVK 2.0 (or higher) thanks to VK_EXT_graphics_pipeline_library, Intel and AMD driver support is coming soon. <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE, ''until version 7-44'', is compatible. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (if you named the folder <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code>, you also need to manually type <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code> in the field). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page] and [https://github.com/AdelKS/LinuxGamingGuide this collection of tweaks]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=gpl</code>: Should lead to a behavior similar to shader caching on Windows. Games that don't stutter on Windows, should also not stutter on Linux. Currently, it also disables shader caching, so load times will be high. Is still new, and might not work correctly. You need mesa-git or mesa 23 for it to work. ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (Gnome and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. Disabling composition should lead to slightly less input lag.<ref name=":2" /> KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. Gnome is also valid, but adds a small amount of input lag.<ref name=":2">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section ''(Test needed to know how good it works!)''. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid Gnome x11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync or enable tearing updates. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. KDE plasma 5.27 or higher will be required for tearing updates on Wayland and your game will also need to be run in fullscreen mode for it to work. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on (unless tearing updates are enabled), regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. *Sometimes a game has both, a Linux native, and a Windows version. They don't always run equally well. If you have problems, it might be worth a shot to try the other one. *If you use Arch or an Arch based distribution, and you own a very new AMD GPU, it might be worth it to install <code>linux-firmware-git</code>, and <code>mesa-git</code> from the AUR (for example by using an AUR helper like <code>paru</code>). You might also consider to install a release candidate of the Linux kernel, for example by using <code>linux-rc</code> from the AUR, or by compiling <code>linux-tkg</code> and selecting a release candidate (to be detected by the <code>rc</code>, as in <code>v6.2-'''rc'''4</code>). ==References and notes == <references /> 77f392cfcc716946f1293291ab813cfdb3834380 0 33 1374 1266 2023-01-22T20:03:15Z Aragorn 3 /* Other stuff you should know */ wikitext text/x-wiki The terminal is the black thing with text you probably have already seen in some hacker movies. It might look scary, but it basically works like a voice assistant with text input. If you see instructions in the form of <code>sudo pacman -Q | grep -i -C 10 "apt"</code>, then this is something you have to put into the terminal. And the best thing is, you can control your entire computer, just from the terminal! Technically speaking, you don't even need a graphical interface. This can be very useful if you break your system to the point where the graphical interface is not working anymore. But it has more benefits. If you know how to use it, it's also the fastest way to do certain things. And it's always the same, no matter which graphical interface (desktop environment) you use. And the best: You can just copy instructions, and paste them. You don't have to follow a ten step tutorial, search buttons, and so on. You copy a couple lines of code, paste them to the terminal (attention here, but more on that later), press enter, and (if everything went well) you are done. Additionally, the terminal can give you very useful information about errors, if you start a program from it. == How to use the terminal == '''Where do I find the terminal?''' You will probably find it somewhere in your menu. It might have a name like Gnome-Terminal, Konsole, Xterm, Terminator, or something else. It will probably have an icon that looks vaguely like a terminal (black background, white text). '''How does the terminal work?''' You write a line of text, you press enter, and you look at what happens. The terminal usually tells you if something goes wrong. Sometimes you need to press additional buttons like <code>y</code> for "yes" or <code>n</code> for "no". '''Should I read the output?''' Yes, it might contain warnings. However: Sometimes the output is very long, for example if you install software. In this case, you don't have to read everything. The important stuff will be at the end. If you have problems and look for help in forums, always include the output from the terminal. '''Should I take warnings seriously?''' YES! [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average "You could harm your computer" bullshit you are used to from Windows.] '''Is the terminal dangerous?''' It might look scary, but it's not dangerous. If you write something wrong, it will just tell you that it's wrong - your computer will not explode. However, things can go wrong, more in the next section. '''How can I learn using it?''' Look here: https://linuxjourney.com/ == Dangers of the terminal == '''So should I just input whatever I find at some random place in the internet?''' NO! You should not copy/paste stuff from untrusted sources (like this wiki - everyone can edit it) if you don't understand what you're doing. The commands might be malicious. For example, if you would type the following, you would delete everything on your computer, and potentially destroy your motherboard: <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> '''<big>DO NOT DO THIS!</big>''' There is no situation where it would be a good thing to input the following command. It will delete your system, it will delete other mounted drives (like Windows, external drives, your game drive, whatever), and it might '''permanently''' '''destroy''' your motherboard. <code>sudo rm -rf / --no-preserve-root</code> Don't do it. Seriously. Not for fun, not because you don't need your system anymore. Just don't. </div> Other commands may uninstall your graphical user interface, or install a remote access for hackers. '''This sounds scary!''' Don't be afraid. Malicious tutorials for Linux are rarer than malware for Windows (I don't even know if this ever happened somewhere), and if someone did write one, it would probably get noticed and removed very fast. If you're fine with installing software on Windows, you should be fine with tutorials for Linux. But still. Be wary. '''So as long as I don't type --no-preserve-root, everything is fine?''' No. The terminal is a way to operate your computer. It will do exactly what you tell it to do. If you tell it to remove all your important files, it will do just that. In the same way you might harm your computer with the GUI, you might as well harm it with the terminal. However, you definitely have more options to fuck things up when using the terminal. For example, always be careful, when running <code>sudo</code>. This is the equivalent to "Administrator access", but much more powerful. You should always avoid running a ''root-shell'' (a shell where you have sudo access without typing sudo). In many shells you would detect it by the # symbol at the beginning of each line. But note, that you can do all kind of bad stuff in your home directory (the place where all your important files are), without typing <code>sudo</code>. Always think before typing something, and especially think before pressing enter. Also note, that <code>rm</code> actually ''removes'' files, and doesn't just move them to the trash bin. Always be careful when using <code>rm</code>. If you want to have extra safety, you can use <code>trash</code> instead, it will move files to the trash bin. '''Could I harm my computer if I type malicious commands by accident?''' Accidentally typing a command that installs malware is near impossible. However you can absolutely delete important files by accident. For example, you could want to do <code>rm -r ~/images/bad_images</code> to remove some bad images. However, if you accidentally hit <code>enter</code> instead of <code>/</code> after typing <code>rm -r ~/images</code> you will remove ''all'' images. Be alert when using dangerous commands, or use less dangerous commands instead! For example, you can use <code>trash</code> instead of <code>rm</code>, it will move into the recycle bin instead of deleting. '''What else can go wrong?''' There might be instances where you copy a command from some website, and you also copy the "enter command". This might lead to ''enter'' being automatically pressed at the end of the line, and the command being executed without additional interaction by you. If you want to modify the command before executing it, this would be unintended behavior. To prevent it, you can copy to a text editor first, modify the commands, and then copy to the terminal. Malicious websites could even alter what you copy. It's always a good idea to paste in a text editor before you paste into the terminal. == Other stuff you should know == If you have a folder <code>foo</code> and in it a folder <code>bar</code>, you would write this as <code>foo/bar</code>. The topmost folder is <code>/</code>. This means, that every path on your computer looks like this: <code>/path/to/some/file.txt</code> === Common commands === Go to a folder: <code>cd <folder_name></code>. List files: <code>ls</code> Copy: <code>cp <nowiki><source> <target></nowiki></code> Copy a folder: <code>cp -r <nowiki><source> <target></nowiki></code> Move: <code>mv <nowiki><source> <target></nowiki></code> Symlink: <code>ln -s <nowiki><source> <target></nowiki></code> Rename: <code>mv <nowiki><source> <target></nowiki></code> Edit: <code>nano <file_name></code> Delete: <code>rm <file_name></code> (better alternative: <code>trash <file_name></code><s>)</s> Delete folder: <code>rm -r <folder_name></code> (better alternative: <code>trash -r <folder_name></code>) Do something as <code>root</code> (the equivalent to the windows administrator): <code>sudo <command></code> === Path Abbreviations === <code>~</code> is an abbreviation for <code>/home/<username></code> (where <code><username></code> is your actual username. If your username is ''peter'', this would be <code>/home/peter</code>), so paths to files in your ''home directory'' (the place where all your personal files are, look like this: <code>~/path/to/some/file.txt</code>. <code>.</code> is an abbreviation for the folder you are currently in. For example if you are in <code>~/.var/app/</code>, <code>.</code> would be <code>~/.var/app/</code>. This is especially useful if you want to execute a script that's inside your current folder: <code>./<script_name></code>, or if you need the path you are currently in, but don't want to type it, for example to search a file inside your current folder or a subfolder: <code>find . | grep -i <file_name></code>. <code>..</code> is an abbreviation for the parent of the folder you are currently in. For example if you are in <code>~/.var/app/</code>, <code>..</code> would be <code>~/.var/</code>. 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Many games are only available on Linux thanks to source code releases which have enabled fans to port them when some developers wouldn't do so themselves. '''3D Realms:''' Duke Nukem 3D - ftp://ftp.3drealms.com/source/duke3dsource.zip - Most notable project is eDuke32 (http://www.eduke32.com/). Rise of the Triad - ftp://ftp.3drealms.com/source/rottsource.zip - An updated and cross platform version is available (https://icculus.org/rott/) '''Arkane Studios:''' Arx Fatalis - http://download.zenimax.com/arxfatalis/other/ArxFatalis_1.21_Sources.zip - Arx Libtertatis is a project aimed at bug fixes, new OS and platform support and also modding support, which can be found here: http://arx-libertatis.org/ '''Bit-Blot:''' Aquaria - Source was released as part of the original Humble Indie Bundle. Community has actually been producing updated engine builds for some time (including Linux versions). Original repository here: https://hg.icculus.org/icculus/aquaria/ More info here: http://infiniteammo.ca/blog/aquaria-source-released/ and here: http://blog.wolfire.com/2010/06/Aquaria-goes-open-source Community builds can be found here: http://www.bit-blot.com/forum/index.php?topic=4313.0 Source: https://github.com/fgenesis/Aquaria_clean '''Bungie:''' Marathon series - Aleph One - http://marathon.sourceforge.net/ - Plays all three of the Marathon games. Also has support for mods and stand alone campaigns. '''Cryptic Sea''' Gish - http://www.crypticsea.com/download/gishsource153.zip - Source released as part of the original Humble Indie Bundle. Freegish provides an updated engine as well as a few levels of its own, entirely free content - https://github.com/freegish/freegish '''id Software:''' The Quake series, Doom series (including Doom 3: BFG Edition) and Wolfenstein (up to Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory) series all have source available at ftp://ftp.idsoftware.com/idstuff/source/ &amp; https://github.com/id-Software. There are numerous projects providing new ports, new features and bug fixes for these titles. Most notable are: * Doom series - Chocolate Doom (http://www.chocolate-doom.org/wiki/index.php/Chocolate_Doom), zDoom (http://zdoom.org/News) &amp; Doom Legacy (http://doomlegacy.sourceforge.net/) * Quake series - Darkplaces (https://icculus.org/twilight/darkplaces/), Yamagi Quake2 (http://www.yamagi.org/quake2/), ioQuake3 (http://ioquake3.org/) and Quake4Doom (https://github.com/jmarshall23/Quake4Doom) * Doom 3 - ioDoom3 (http://github.com/iodoom/iod3), RBDoom3 (https://github.com/RobertBeckebans/RBDOOM-3-BFG) &amp; Dhewm3 (https://github.com/dhewm/dhewm3) * Return to Castle Wolfenstein - iortcw (https://github.com/iortcw/iortcw) and rtcwcoop (http://www.rtcwcoop.com/) for added online co-op * Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory - ET:Legacy (http://www.etlegacy.com/). In particular ET:Legacy could probably do with some help, as well as rtcwcoop. '''Frictional Games:''' Penumbra: Overture - https://github.com/FrictionalGames - Code for the Overture engine, including the source for the early, free Penumbra tech demo. More information on the release can be found here: http://frictionalgames.blogspot.co.uk/2010/05/penumbra-overture-goes-open-source.html '''Frozenbyte:''' * Shadowgrounds + Shadowgrounds: Survivor - http://frozenbyte.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=3597 - Updated source available (https://github.com/vayerx/shadowgrounds), cannot say what improvements or fixes have been applied overall. * Jack Claw - https://github.com/Frozenbyte/Jack-Claw - Abandoned prototype that was released and open sourced as part of the Humble Frozenbyte Bundle. Intended to be a game taken on by the community, but never seemed to gain traction. Could do with a serious revival. '''LucasArts:''' Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy + Jedi Outcast - see OpenJK for a project aimed at more general improvements and fixes - https://github.com/Razish/OpenJK For a quick 'n' dirty Linux port, see https://github.com/xLAva/JediAcademyLinux '''Parallax Studios:''' Descent 1 + 2 - Source released under a non-commercial license. See DXX-Rebirth - http://www.dxx-rebirth.com/ '''Raven Software:''' Hexen &amp; Heretic - http://sourceforge.net/projects/heretic/ - Both can be played by Zdoom (http://www.zdoom.org/) or Chocolate Doom (http://www.chocolate-doom.org/wiki/index.php/Chocolate_Doom) Hexen II + Portals of Praevus + HexenWorld - http://www.fileplanet.com/51987/50000/fileinfo/Hexen-2-Source-Code - Significantly updated and cross platform version available from Hammer of Thyrion/uHexen2 project (http://uhexen2.sourceforge.net/) '''Rebellion''' Aliens vs Predator - Released under a non-commerical license. Updated source available from here: https://icculus.org/avp/ '''Sir-Tech Canada:''' Jagged Alliance 2 - The source code was released by Strategy First-Inc. in 2004 under the Source Code License Agreement (CFI-SCLA). There are 3 notable projects, which are: * JA2-Stracciatella http://tron.homeunix.org/ja2/ - This project has been defunct since 2010. The project is now superseded by... * JA2-Stracciatella Continued - https://bitbucket.org/gennady/ja2-stracciatella - Includes the expected bug fixes since the 2010 version, as well as some new features like high resolution support * JA2 v1.13 - http://ja2v113.pbworks.com/w/page/4218339/FrontPage - Includes many new features as well as vastly improved modding support, allowing the editing of many previously hard coded aspects of the game. For more information on various mods and possibly other engine projects, see The Bear Pits forums (http://www.ja-galaxy-forum.com/board/ubbthreads.php). '''Volition:''' Freespace 2 - https://icculus.org/freespace2/ - FreeSpace 2 source code project has been working on this for years, with many new features and enhancements. The engine is under a non-commercial license however - http://scp.indiegames.us/ Also of note is Diaspora: Shattered Armistice, a Free Culture, community made Battlestar Galactica game using the engine, complete with voice acting. '''Wolfire:''' Lugaru - https://hg.icculus.org/icculus/lugaru/ - Art assets are also under a non-commercial license. More info here: http://blog.wolfire.com/2010/05/Lugaru-goes-open-source Info on some of the first projects that sprung up here: http://blog.wolfire.com/2010/05/Zero-day-open-source-contributions == Engine Projects == These are for games with no official source release - these are games which had to be reverse engineered, source was discovered and unofficially released or otherwise: '''Activision''' Zork: Grand Inquisitor - ZEngine - https://github.com/marisa-chan/Zengine '''Bethesda Game Studios''' Elder Scrollls III: Morrowind - OpenMW - https://openmw.org/en/ - Newer a less buggy engine for TES3:Morrowind, comes with many graphical enhancements and improved performance. '''Bioware''' Baldurs Gate and Planescape series - GemRB - http://www.gemrb.org/ '''Blizzard''' Diablo - Freeablo - https://github.com/wheybags/freeablo - Currently incomplete, still active at time of writing. '''Bullfrog''' Theme Hospital - https://code.google.com/p/corsix-th/ - source: https://github.com/CorsixTH - CorsixTH is not quite feature complete, but the game is largely playable. '''Century Interactive''' Bermuda Syndrome - http://cyxdown.free.fr/bs/ - Re-implementation of the engine behind Bermuda Syndrome. '''Chris Sawyer''' Rollercoaster Tycoon 2 - https://openrct2.org/ - Adds multiplayer co-op amongst many other new features and improvements. '''Core Design''' Tomb Raider series - There are several projects aimed at re-implementing the original Tomb Raider series: * OpenRaider - https://github.com/xythobuz/OpenRaider - Revived after previously being abandoned in 2003. Already has an OpenGL3 renderer and SDL2 support for gamepads. Inactive/Defunt * OpenTomb - https://opentomb.github.io/ - Works with the first 4 Tomb Raider games. Playable but not complete. * OpenLara - https://github.com/XProger/OpenLara - Mostly focused on support for the first Tomb Raider, playable. '''Ensemble Studios''' Age of Empires II - OpenAage - http://openage.sft.mx/ - Primarily aimed at Linux users, Also compatible with HD remake version. '''Interplay Entertainment''' Heart of the Alien - Heart of the Alien Redux - http://hota.sourceforge.net/ - Sequel to Another World Fallout 2 - Falltergeist - https://github.com/falltergeist/falltergeist '''Konami''' Metal Gear Solid: Integral - https://github.com/paulsapps/msgi - Reverse engineering project for the PC port of Metal Gear Solid with cross platform support planned '''Looking Glass Studios''' Thief 1 + 2 - OpenDarkEngine - https://github.com/volca02/openDarkEngine - Previously stalled due to lack of developer time (http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=102289&p=2121201&viewfull=1#post2121201). As of April 2014 the project has been revived by the original developer and is now hosted at Github [http://sourceforge.net/projects/opde/ instead of SourceForge]. '''LucasArts''' Grim Fandango - ResidualVM - http://www.residualvm.org/ - re-implementation of Grim Fandango. including new platform support, bug fixes and even mod support (allows for replacing of of game data like textures and models). It will likely work better than the original version on Windows too (it's infamously prone to crashing). Star Wars Episode I: Racer - OpenSWE1R - https://openswe1r.github.io/ - Part emulation and part re-implementation project. '''Micropose''' X-COM/UFO: Enemy Unknown - OpenXcom - http://openxcom.org/ '''New World Computing''' Heroes of Might and Magic II - Free Heroes2 engine - http://sourceforge.net/projects/fheroes2/ Heroes of Might and Magic III - VCMI Project - http://forum.vcmi.eu/ '''Origin''' Ultima VII + Expansions - http://exult.sourceforge.net Ultima 8 - http://pentagram.sourceforge.net/ - Game can apparently be completed, though there may be issues and missing features. According to the FAQ, they also want to add support for Crusader: No Remorse and Crusader: No Regret. '''Pixel''' Cave Story - NXEngine - http://nxengine.sourceforge.net/ - Refers to itself as a clone/rewrite. Supports ARM processors. '''Raven Software''' Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force - http://thilo.kickchat.com/efport-progress/ - Extended from ioQuake3, sadly multiplayer only '''Rockstar''' GTA III - OpenRW - https://github.com/rwengine/openrw - as of September 2016 a few missions are completable but no melee and no civilian collisions. '''Westwood Studios''' Command &amp; Conquer Series - OpenRA - http://openra.res0l.net/ - A re-implementation of the Red Alert engine - plays original C&amp;C and Red Alert. I'm not sure about expansions. Source: https://github.com/OpenRA/OpenRA Dune II - Dune Legacy - http://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/dunelegacy/ - Re-implements Dune II engine, with some gameplay differences compared to the original. '''Titus Interactive''' Titus the Fox - OpenTitus - https://github.com/stople/OpenTitus '''Xatrix Entertainment''' Redneck Rampage series - erampage - https://github.com/ttyborg/erampage - Extended from eDuke32, requires building from source for Linux version. '''Zombie LLC''' Zork Nemeis - ZEngine - https://github.com/marisa-chan/Zengine '''Various''' ScummVM - http://www.scummvm.org/ - Re-implements a large range of game engines, primarily for &quot;point and click&quot; adventure games, including many LucasArts and Sierra classics. XLEngine - http://xlengine.com/ - Re-implements various engines to support and improve certain older games. The supported list currently includes TES II: Daggerfall, Blood, Star Wars: Dark Forces and Outlaws. Xoreos - http://xoreos.org/ - Re-implementation of the Aurora engine by BioWare. The project currently aims to support: * Neverwinter Nights + Neverwinter Nights 2 * Star Wars: Nights of the Old Republic I + II * Jade Empire * Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood * The Witcher * Dragon Age: Origins + 2 == FAQ == '''What is a game engine?''' The software that drives pretty much everything you can see and do in a game. It's the code that handles input, display, rendering (graphics), AI, sound etc. It is usually created so that several or many games can be made with the same engine. '''What is source code?''' The human readable instructions that define any computer program, typically written in a programming language like C or C++ which are then compiled. If you wanted to make changes to a game engine, in the vast majority of cases it is easier if you have access to the source code. Modding communities, particularly ones that try to update or add new features to an older game, may require significant reverse engineering or hacks that are less likely to be maintainable over a long period of time if no engine source code is available. '''Why is having the source code to a game important?''' There are many reasons, including but not limited to: Community improvement of a game or its engine - from improved visuals to support for more platforms, as well as entirely new features in some cases. Cultural preservation - Can allow games to be updated so that they can continue to be played, or be better preserved, particularly for use in museums and libraries.  Cultural independence - Allows us to not be dependent on the will of commercial entities to continue to be able to play our games, or to improve and remix them without waiting on some timely &quot;HD&quot; edition or similar. Particularly true for niche and/or very old games, and instances when developers or publishers go bust and the copyright and trademarks become difficult or impossible to trace. Such a situation happened to System Shock 2 where for many years new copies of the game simply could not be sold, and was only available second hand or through piracy until it recently became available on GOG and Steam. For every SS2, there are many more games that simply get forgotten or become unplayable. Having source code can benefit developers too. John Carmack has stated that the port of Doom to iPhone likely would not have been possible were it not for the engine being GPL'd (http://www.bethblog.com/2009/11/05/john-carmack-on-doom-classic-development-fan-questions/). Not only has the engine been publicly preserved, the many updated and improved variations of the doom engine meant he had many options to turn to as a basis for the iPhone port, making it commercially viable. '''How do I make use of a source port?''' Most source ports do not provide the game data (models, textures, audio etc.), as most developers do not release that for free. You will typically still need to have your copy of the original game for that data or you will need to buy the game. For where you need to put that data so the source port will see it, check that projects documentation or ask someone. Also, some source ports may not provide Linux binaries, but are still compatible and will compile on Linux. Once again, check that projects documentation or ask someone. '''Where can I get X game?''' Second hand may be preferable as some games are cheaper that way than they are buying &quot;new&quot; from places like GOG or Steam. If you really feel you have to buy first hand, I would recommend GOG over Steam should a game be available on both. GOG gives you DRM free access to downloads of the installers straight from your browser, allowing you to extract the data immediately or install via Wine and copy the data that way. With Steam, it will not let you install games that do not have official support for your OS, meaning you will need to go through the pain of setting up and logging in to Steam via Wine, which may be unreliable or require you to log out of your Linux Steam client. 2e749d5a8a60b1e5847efd995cecbcaefd72e4cd 0 1 1395 1393 2023-01-29T02:49:50Z 2001:56A:FC8E:D600:B36D:10D1:FAED:2F92 0 /* External Links */ wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. === Tweaking === *[[Troubleshooting]] - What to do if your game just won't work. *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies. *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. *[[Dual GPU]] - How to get the game running on the correct GPU. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Monitoring & Stresstesting]] - How to test that your tweaked system is still stable === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Visual Enhancement]] - Enhancing the visuals of a game. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! *[[Graphical tools]] - Programs that no one tells you about, but that you might like if you don't want to use the terminal == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[https://happypenguin.altervista.org/index.php Happy Penguin - The Linux Game Tome] *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[https://linuxgamenews.com/ Linux Game News] *[https://www.linux-games.com/ Linux Games] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20210419173711/https://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] (2012-2021) *[https://linuxgamingnews.org/ Linux Gaming News] (2009-2018) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20150726203906/http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] (1998-2015) Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. *[https://github.com/mikeroyal/Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide/blob/main/README.md Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide] - in depth tutorial on how to configure Ubuntu. Also contains a gaming section, that might also be relevant for other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. 1a34c22b6b32fbe52181bd10caf3be9d68a27871 1396 1395 2023-01-29T20:28:01Z 2001:56A:FC8E:D600:B36D:10D1:FAED:2F92 0 /* External Links */ *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160604150745/http://www.lgdb.org/games Linux Game Database] (defunct) wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. === Tweaking === *[[Troubleshooting]] - What to do if your game just won't work. *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies. *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. *[[Dual GPU]] - How to get the game running on the correct GPU. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Monitoring & Stresstesting]] - How to test that your tweaked system is still stable === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Visual Enhancement]] - Enhancing the visuals of a game. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! *[[Graphical tools]] - Programs that no one tells you about, but that you might like if you don't want to use the terminal == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[https://happypenguin.altervista.org/index.php Happy Penguin - The Linux Game Tome] *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160604150745/http://www.lgdb.org/games Linux Game Database] (defunct) Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[https://linuxgamenews.com/ Linux Game News] *[https://www.linux-games.com/ Linux Games] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20210419173711/https://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] (2012-2021) *[https://linuxgamingnews.org/ Linux Gaming News] (2009-2018) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20150726203906/http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] (1998-2015) Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. *[https://github.com/mikeroyal/Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide/blob/main/README.md Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide] - in depth tutorial on how to configure Ubuntu. Also contains a gaming section, that might also be relevant for other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. 68debf5be92421bfd842344cd548cd807785612a 1416 1396 2023-02-02T23:58:36Z 2001:56A:FC8E:D600:B36D:10D1:FAED:2F92 0 /* Getting Tech Support */ *[http://www.gamersonlinux.com/ Gamers on Linux] - Linux gaming community forum wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. === Tweaking === *[[Troubleshooting]] - What to do if your game just won't work. *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies. *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. *[[Dual GPU]] - How to get the game running on the correct GPU. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Monitoring & Stresstesting]] - How to test that your tweaked system is still stable === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Visual Enhancement]] - Enhancing the visuals of a game. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! *[[Graphical tools]] - Programs that no one tells you about, but that you might like if you don't want to use the terminal == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[http://www.gamersonlinux.com/ Gamers on Linux] - Linux gaming community forum *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[https://happypenguin.altervista.org/index.php Happy Penguin - The Linux Game Tome] *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160604150745/http://www.lgdb.org/games Linux Game Database] (defunct) Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[https://linuxgamenews.com/ Linux Game News] *[https://www.linux-games.com/ Linux Games] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20210419173711/https://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] (2012-2021) *[https://linuxgamingnews.org/ Linux Gaming News] (2009-2018) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20150726203906/http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] (1998-2015) Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. *[https://github.com/mikeroyal/Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide/blob/main/README.md Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide] - in depth tutorial on how to configure Ubuntu. Also contains a gaming section, that might also be relevant for other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. 8e6fc8e94d1ca6674d639854752d184d831eed42 1417 1416 2023-02-02T23:59:12Z 2001:56A:FC8E:D600:B36D:10D1:FAED:2F92 0 /* Getting Tech Support */ wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. === Tweaking === *[[Troubleshooting]] - What to do if your game just won't work. *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies. *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. *[[Dual GPU]] - How to get the game running on the correct GPU. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Monitoring & Stresstesting]] - How to test that your tweaked system is still stable === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Visual Enhancement]] - Enhancing the visuals of a game. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! *[[Graphical tools]] - Programs that no one tells you about, but that you might like if you don't want to use the terminal == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[http://www.gamersonlinux.com/ GamersOnLinux] - Linux gaming community forum *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[https://happypenguin.altervista.org/index.php Happy Penguin - The Linux Game Tome] *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160604150745/http://www.lgdb.org/games Linux Game Database] (defunct) Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[https://linuxgamenews.com/ Linux Game News] *[https://www.linux-games.com/ Linux Games] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20210419173711/https://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] (2012-2021) *[https://linuxgamingnews.org/ Linux Gaming News] (2009-2018) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20150726203906/http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] (1998-2015) Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a cross-platform package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. *[https://github.com/mikeroyal/Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide/blob/main/README.md Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide] - in depth tutorial on how to configure Ubuntu. Also contains a gaming section, that might also be relevant for other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. 29e788b467a1efdbb9616bbc1ebea33e82e3de91 1418 1417 2023-02-03T00:00:01Z 2001:56A:FC8E:D600:B36D:10D1:FAED:2F92 0 /* External Links */ wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. === Tweaking === *[[Troubleshooting]] - What to do if your game just won't work. *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies. *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. *[[Dual GPU]] - How to get the game running on the correct GPU. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Monitoring & Stresstesting]] - How to test that your tweaked system is still stable === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Visual Enhancement]] - Enhancing the visuals of a game. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! *[[Graphical tools]] - Programs that no one tells you about, but that you might like if you don't want to use the terminal == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[http://www.gamersonlinux.com/ GamersOnLinux] - Linux gaming community forum *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[https://happypenguin.altervista.org/index.php Happy Penguin - The Linux Game Tome] *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160604150745/http://www.lgdb.org/games Linux Game Database] (defunct) Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[https://linuxgamenews.com/ Linux Game News] *[https://www.linux-games.com/ Linux Games] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20210419173711/https://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] (2012-2021) *[https://linuxgamingnews.org/ Linux Gaming News] (2009-2018) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20150726203906/http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] (1998-2015) Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a distribution agnostic package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. *[https://github.com/mikeroyal/Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide/blob/main/README.md Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide] - in depth tutorial on how to configure Ubuntu. Also contains a gaming section, that might also be relevant for other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. fbede199ca9f23fb6ace9a8a2e0c528e3285305a 1419 1418 2023-02-03T00:01:00Z 2001:56A:FC8E:D600:B36D:10D1:FAED:2F92 0 /* External Links */ *[https://www.zoom-platform.com/ Zoom Platform] - DRM-free retro games. wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. === Tweaking === *[[Troubleshooting]] - What to do if your game just won't work. *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies. *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. *[[Dual GPU]] - How to get the game running on the correct GPU. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Monitoring & Stresstesting]] - How to test that your tweaked system is still stable === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Visual Enhancement]] - Enhancing the visuals of a game. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! *[[Graphical tools]] - Programs that no one tells you about, but that you might like if you don't want to use the terminal == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[http://www.gamersonlinux.com/ GamersOnLinux] - Linux gaming community forum *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[https://happypenguin.altervista.org/index.php Happy Penguin - The Linux Game Tome] *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160604150745/http://www.lgdb.org/games Linux Game Database] (defunct) Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.zoom-platform.com/ Zoom Platform] - DRM-free retro games. *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[https://linuxgamenews.com/ Linux Game News] *[https://www.linux-games.com/ Linux Games] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20210419173711/https://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] (2012-2021) *[https://linuxgamingnews.org/ Linux Gaming News] (2009-2018) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20150726203906/http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] (1998-2015) Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a distribution agnostic package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. *[https://github.com/mikeroyal/Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide/blob/main/README.md Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide] - in depth tutorial on how to configure Ubuntu. Also contains a gaming section, that might also be relevant for other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. 35f1c25c6fa107773b65cdb4a1372fbfbb3ee081 1420 1419 2023-02-03T01:34:27Z 2001:56A:FC8E:D600:B36D:10D1:FAED:2F92 0 /* External Links */ Added more links wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. === Tweaking === *[[Troubleshooting]] - What to do if your game just won't work. *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies. *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. *[[Dual GPU]] - How to get the game running on the correct GPU. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Monitoring & Stresstesting]] - How to test that your tweaked system is still stable === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Visual Enhancement]] - Enhancing the visuals of a game. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! *[[Graphical tools]] - Programs that no one tells you about, but that you might like if you don't want to use the terminal == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[http://www.gamersonlinux.com/ GamersOnLinux] - Linux gaming community forum *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[https://happypenguin.altervista.org/index.php Happy Penguin - The Linux Game Tome] *[http://www.gamingonlinux.info/ Gaming On Linux] - another database *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160604150745/http://www.lgdb.org/games Linux Game Database] (defunct) Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.zoom-platform.com/ Zoom Platform] - DRM-free retro games. *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[https://linuxgamenews.com/ Linux Game News] *[https://www.linux-games.com/ Linux-Games] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20210419173711/https://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] (2012-2021) *[https://linuxgamingnews.org/ Linux Gaming News] (2009-2018) *[http://linuxgames.me/ Linux Games] (2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140217234002/http://www.linux-gamers.net/ linuXgamers.net] (2003-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20150726203906/http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] (1998-2015) Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a distribution agnostic package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. *[https://github.com/mikeroyal/Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide/blob/main/README.md Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide] - in depth tutorial on how to configure Ubuntu. Also contains a gaming section, that might also be relevant for other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. 1bca5163b358191a496f5f7438e0460aadd4ee2a 1463 1420 2023-02-11T20:10:01Z 2604:3D09:8C77:A500:0:0:0:D7DB 0 /* External Links */ *[https://www.codingcommanders.com/linux-gaming/ Coding Commanders - Linux Game Blog] wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. === Tweaking === *[[Troubleshooting]] - What to do if your game just won't work. *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies. *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. *[[Dual GPU]] - How to get the game running on the correct GPU. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Monitoring & Stresstesting]] - How to test that your tweaked system is still stable === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Visual Enhancement]] - Enhancing the visuals of a game. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! *[[Graphical tools]] - Programs that no one tells you about, but that you might like if you don't want to use the terminal == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[http://www.gamersonlinux.com/ GamersOnLinux] - Linux gaming community forum *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[https://happypenguin.altervista.org/index.php Happy Penguin - The Linux Game Tome] *[http://www.gamingonlinux.info/ Gaming On Linux] - another database *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160604150745/http://www.lgdb.org/games Linux Game Database] (defunct) Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.zoom-platform.com/ Zoom Platform] - DRM-free retro games. *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[https://linuxgamenews.com/ Linux Game News] *[https://www.linux-games.com/ Linux-Games] *[https://www.codingcommanders.com/linux-gaming/ Coding Commanders - Linux Game Blog] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20210419173711/https://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] (2012-2021) *[https://linuxgamingnews.org/ Linux Gaming News] (2009-2018) *[http://linuxgames.me/ Linux Games] (2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140217234002/http://www.linux-gamers.net/ linuXgamers.net] (2003-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20150726203906/http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] (1998-2015) Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a distribution agnostic package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. *[https://github.com/mikeroyal/Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide/blob/main/README.md Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide] - in depth tutorial on how to configure Ubuntu. Also contains a gaming section, that might also be relevant for other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. 8516176d5e4e2a4c6074ba62686b7caff93aa9ce 1484 1463 2023-02-14T01:14:42Z 2604:3D09:8C77:A500:0:0:0:E108 0 *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040109114819/http://www.linuxgaming.net:80/index.php LinuxGaming] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040925062326/http://www.tuxgamer.com:80/ Tux Gamer] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080119000310/http://lgdc.sunsite.dk/ Linux Game Development Centre] (2000-2002) wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. === Tweaking === *[[Troubleshooting]] - What to do if your game just won't work. *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies. *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. *[[Dual GPU]] - How to get the game running on the correct GPU. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Monitoring & Stresstesting]] - How to test that your tweaked system is still stable === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Visual Enhancement]] - Enhancing the visuals of a game. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! *[[Graphical tools]] - Programs that no one tells you about, but that you might like if you don't want to use the terminal == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[http://www.gamersonlinux.com/ GamersOnLinux] - Linux gaming community forum *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[https://happypenguin.altervista.org/index.php Happy Penguin - The Linux Game Tome] *[http://www.gamingonlinux.info/ Gaming On Linux] - another database *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160604150745/http://www.lgdb.org/games Linux Game Database] (defunct) Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.zoom-platform.com/ Zoom Platform] - DRM-free retro games. *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[https://linuxgamenews.com/ Linux Game News] *[https://www.linux-games.com/ Linux-Games] *[https://www.codingcommanders.com/linux-gaming/ Coding Commanders - Linux Game Blog] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20210419173711/https://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] (2012-2021) *[https://linuxgamingnews.org/ Linux Gaming News] (2009-2018) *[http://linuxgames.me/ Linux Games] (2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140217234002/http://www.linux-gamers.net/ linuXgamers.net] (2003-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20150726203906/http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] (1998-2015) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040109114819/http://www.linuxgaming.net:80/index.php LinuxGaming] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040925062326/http://www.tuxgamer.com:80/ Tux Gamer] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080119000310/http://lgdc.sunsite.dk/ Linux Game Development Centre] (2000-2002) Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a distribution agnostic package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. *[https://github.com/mikeroyal/Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide/blob/main/README.md Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide] - in depth tutorial on how to configure Ubuntu. Also contains a gaming section, that might also be relevant for other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. 5e01a3de7fcae0704cf85d40599c6f6a5b781b68 1485 1484 2023-02-14T01:16:47Z 2604:3D09:8C77:A500:0:0:0:E108 0 /* External Links */ *[https://zerker.ca/home/tag/linuxunix.html Zerk Zone - Retro Linux Games] wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. === Tweaking === *[[Troubleshooting]] - What to do if your game just won't work. *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies. *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. *[[Dual GPU]] - How to get the game running on the correct GPU. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Monitoring & Stresstesting]] - How to test that your tweaked system is still stable === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Visual Enhancement]] - Enhancing the visuals of a game. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! *[[Graphical tools]] - Programs that no one tells you about, but that you might like if you don't want to use the terminal == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[http://www.gamersonlinux.com/ GamersOnLinux] - Linux gaming community forum *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[https://happypenguin.altervista.org/index.php Happy Penguin - The Linux Game Tome] *[http://www.gamingonlinux.info/ Gaming On Linux] - another database *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160604150745/http://www.lgdb.org/games Linux Game Database] (defunct) Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.zoom-platform.com/ Zoom Platform] - DRM-free retro games. *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[https://linuxgamenews.com/ Linux Game News] *[https://www.linux-games.com/ Linux-Games] *[https://www.codingcommanders.com/linux-gaming/ Coding Commanders - Linux Game Blog] *[https://zerker.ca/home/tag/linuxunix.html Zerk Zone - Retro Linux Games] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20210419173711/https://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] (2012-2021) *[https://linuxgamingnews.org/ Linux Gaming News] (2009-2018) *[http://linuxgames.me/ Linux Games] (2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140217234002/http://www.linux-gamers.net/ linuXgamers.net] (2003-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20150726203906/http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] (1998-2015) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040109114819/http://www.linuxgaming.net:80/index.php LinuxGaming] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040925062326/http://www.tuxgamer.com:80/ Tux Gamer] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080119000310/http://lgdc.sunsite.dk/ Linux Game Development Centre] (2000-2002) Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a distribution agnostic package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. *[https://github.com/mikeroyal/Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide/blob/main/README.md Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide] - in depth tutorial on how to configure Ubuntu. Also contains a gaming section, that might also be relevant for other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. bf4eac05859f504085023741883e7d5001270f36 1486 1485 2023-02-14T01:25:44Z 2604:3D09:8C77:A500:0:0:0:E108 0 /* External Links */ wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. === Tweaking === *[[Troubleshooting]] - What to do if your game just won't work. *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies. *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. *[[Dual GPU]] - How to get the game running on the correct GPU. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Monitoring & Stresstesting]] - How to test that your tweaked system is still stable === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Visual Enhancement]] - Enhancing the visuals of a game. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! *[[Graphical tools]] - Programs that no one tells you about, but that you might like if you don't want to use the terminal == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[http://www.gamersonlinux.com/ GamersOnLinux] - Linux gaming community forum *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[https://happypenguin.altervista.org/index.php Happy Penguin - The Linux Game Tome] *[http://www.gamingonlinux.info/ Gaming On Linux] - another database *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160604150745/http://www.lgdb.org/games Linux Game Database] (defunct) Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.zoom-platform.com/ Zoom Platform] - DRM-free retro games. *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[https://linuxgamenews.com/ Linux Game News] *[https://www.linux-games.com/ Linux-Games] *[https://www.codingcommanders.com/linux-gaming/ Coding Commanders - Linux Game Blog] *[https://zerker.ca/home/tag/linuxunix.html Zerk Zone - Retro Linux Games] Historical Linux Gaming Sites *[https://web.archive.org/web/20210419173711/https://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] (2012-2021) *[https://linuxgamingnews.org/ Linux Gaming News] (2009-2018) *[http://linuxgames.me/ Linux Games] (2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140217234002/http://www.linux-gamers.net/ linuXgamers.net] (2003-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20150726203906/http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] (1998-2015) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040109114819/http://www.linuxgaming.net:80/index.php LinuxGaming] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040925062326/http://www.tuxgamer.com:80/ Tux Gamer] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080119000310/http://lgdc.sunsite.dk/ Linux Game Development Centre] (2000-2002) Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a distribution agnostic package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. *[https://github.com/mikeroyal/Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide/blob/main/README.md Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide] - in depth tutorial on how to configure Ubuntu. Also contains a gaming section, that might also be relevant for other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. eb99bfdc47fb2e39ddcb2671ffbc32eda1407852 1487 1486 2023-02-14T01:34:48Z 2604:3D09:8C77:A500:0:0:0:E108 0 /* External Links */ *[https://web.archive.org/web/20130402151010/http://happypenguin.org/ The Linux Game Tome) (1995-2013) wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. === Tweaking === *[[Troubleshooting]] - What to do if your game just won't work. *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies. *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. *[[Dual GPU]] - How to get the game running on the correct GPU. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Monitoring & Stresstesting]] - How to test that your tweaked system is still stable === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Visual Enhancement]] - Enhancing the visuals of a game. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! *[[Graphical tools]] - Programs that no one tells you about, but that you might like if you don't want to use the terminal == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[http://www.gamersonlinux.com/ GamersOnLinux] - Linux gaming community forum *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[https://happypenguin.altervista.org/index.php Happy Penguin - The Linux Game Tome] *[http://www.gamingonlinux.info/ Gaming On Linux] - another database *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160604150745/http://www.lgdb.org/games Linux Game Database] (defunct) Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.zoom-platform.com/ Zoom Platform] - DRM-free retro games. *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[https://linuxgamenews.com/ Linux Game News] *[https://www.linux-games.com/ Linux-Games] *[https://www.codingcommanders.com/linux-gaming/ Coding Commanders - Linux Game Blog] *[https://zerker.ca/home/tag/linuxunix.html Zerk Zone - Retro Linux Games] Historical Linux Gaming Sites *[https://web.archive.org/web/20210419173711/https://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] (2012-2021) *[https://linuxgamingnews.org/ Linux Gaming News] (2009-2018) *[http://linuxgames.me/ Linux Games] (2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140217234002/http://www.linux-gamers.net/ linuXgamers.net] (2003-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20150726203906/http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] (1998-2015) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20130402151010/http://happypenguin.org/ The Linux Game Tome) (1995-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040109114819/http://www.linuxgaming.net:80/index.php LinuxGaming] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040925062326/http://www.tuxgamer.com:80/ Tux Gamer] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080119000310/http://lgdc.sunsite.dk/ Linux Game Development Centre] (2000-2002) Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a distribution agnostic package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. *[https://github.com/mikeroyal/Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide/blob/main/README.md Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide] - in depth tutorial on how to configure Ubuntu. Also contains a gaming section, that might also be relevant for other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. f6b47c796f3ac1d5a295ff41e30e9d5e87ea529f 1488 1487 2023-02-14T01:35:09Z 2604:3D09:8C77:A500:0:0:0:E108 0 /* External Links */ wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. === Tweaking === *[[Troubleshooting]] - What to do if your game just won't work. *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies. *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. *[[Dual GPU]] - How to get the game running on the correct GPU. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Monitoring & Stresstesting]] - How to test that your tweaked system is still stable === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Visual Enhancement]] - Enhancing the visuals of a game. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! *[[Graphical tools]] - Programs that no one tells you about, but that you might like if you don't want to use the terminal == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[http://www.gamersonlinux.com/ GamersOnLinux] - Linux gaming community forum *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[https://happypenguin.altervista.org/index.php Happy Penguin - The Linux Game Tome] *[http://www.gamingonlinux.info/ Gaming On Linux] - another database *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160604150745/http://www.lgdb.org/games Linux Game Database] (defunct) Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.zoom-platform.com/ Zoom Platform] - DRM-free retro games. *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[https://linuxgamenews.com/ Linux Game News] *[https://www.linux-games.com/ Linux-Games] *[https://www.codingcommanders.com/linux-gaming/ Coding Commanders - Linux Game Blog] *[https://zerker.ca/home/tag/linuxunix.html Zerk Zone - Retro Linux Games] Historical Linux Gaming Sites *[https://web.archive.org/web/20210419173711/https://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] (2012-2021) *[https://linuxgamingnews.org/ Linux Gaming News] (2009-2018) *[http://linuxgames.me/ Linux Games] (2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140217234002/http://www.linux-gamers.net/ linuXgamers.net] (2003-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20150726203906/http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] (1998-2015) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20130402151010/http://happypenguin.org/ The Linux Game Tome] (1995-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040109114819/http://www.linuxgaming.net:80/index.php LinuxGaming] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040925062326/http://www.tuxgamer.com:80/ Tux Gamer] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080119000310/http://lgdc.sunsite.dk/ Linux Game Development Centre] (2000-2002) Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a distribution agnostic package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. *[https://github.com/mikeroyal/Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide/blob/main/README.md Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide] - in depth tutorial on how to configure Ubuntu. Also contains a gaming section, that might also be relevant for other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. 33a565ecf089a98bb8f7163cfc729e1a55201e81 1489 1488 2023-02-14T02:05:14Z 2604:3D09:8C77:A500:0:0:0:E108 0 *[https://linuxgameconsortium.com/ Linux Game Consortium] *[https://www.linuxgamingportal.com/ Linux Gaming Potal] wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. === Tweaking === *[[Troubleshooting]] - What to do if your game just won't work. *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies. *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. *[[Dual GPU]] - How to get the game running on the correct GPU. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Monitoring & Stresstesting]] - How to test that your tweaked system is still stable === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Visual Enhancement]] - Enhancing the visuals of a game. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! *[[Graphical tools]] - Programs that no one tells you about, but that you might like if you don't want to use the terminal == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[http://www.gamersonlinux.com/ GamersOnLinux] - Linux gaming community forum *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[https://happypenguin.altervista.org/index.php Happy Penguin - The Linux Game Tome] *[http://www.gamingonlinux.info/ Gaming On Linux] - another database *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160604150745/http://www.lgdb.org/games Linux Game Database] (defunct) Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.zoom-platform.com/ Zoom Platform] - DRM-free retro games. *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[https://linuxgamenews.com/ Linux Game News] *[https://www.linux-games.com/ Linux-Games] *[https://linuxgameconsortium.com/ Linux Game Consortium] *[https://www.linuxgamingportal.com/ Linux Gaming Potal] *[https://www.codingcommanders.com/linux-gaming/ Coding Commanders - Linux Game Blog] *[https://zerker.ca/home/tag/linuxunix.html Zerk Zone - Retro Linux Games] Historical Linux Gaming Sites *[https://web.archive.org/web/20210419173711/https://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] (2012-2021) *[https://linuxgamingnews.org/ Linux Gaming News] (2009-2018) *[http://linuxgames.me/ Linux Games] (2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140217234002/http://www.linux-gamers.net/ linuXgamers.net] (2003-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20150726203906/http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] (1998-2015) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20130402151010/http://happypenguin.org/ The Linux Game Tome] (1995-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040109114819/http://www.linuxgaming.net:80/index.php LinuxGaming] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040925062326/http://www.tuxgamer.com:80/ Tux Gamer] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080119000310/http://lgdc.sunsite.dk/ Linux Game Development Centre] (2000-2002) Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a distribution agnostic package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. *[https://github.com/mikeroyal/Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide/blob/main/README.md Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide] - in depth tutorial on how to configure Ubuntu. Also contains a gaming section, that might also be relevant for other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. 04e58390ec521d4bc1f34f56eaa821e0d6a09cc3 1490 1489 2023-02-14T02:11:13Z 2604:3D09:8C77:A500:0:0:0:E108 0 /* External Links */ *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140214112327/http://www.tuxgames.com/ Tux Games] (2000-2014) wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. === Tweaking === *[[Troubleshooting]] - What to do if your game just won't work. *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies. *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. *[[Dual GPU]] - How to get the game running on the correct GPU. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Monitoring & Stresstesting]] - How to test that your tweaked system is still stable === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Visual Enhancement]] - Enhancing the visuals of a game. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! *[[Graphical tools]] - Programs that no one tells you about, but that you might like if you don't want to use the terminal == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[http://www.gamersonlinux.com/ GamersOnLinux] - Linux gaming community forum *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[https://happypenguin.altervista.org/index.php Happy Penguin - The Linux Game Tome] *[http://www.gamingonlinux.info/ Gaming On Linux] - another database *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160604150745/http://www.lgdb.org/games Linux Game Database] (defunct) Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.zoom-platform.com/ Zoom Platform] - DRM-free retro games. *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[https://linuxgamenews.com/ Linux Game News] *[https://www.linux-games.com/ Linux-Games] *[https://linuxgameconsortium.com/ Linux Game Consortium] *[https://www.linuxgamingportal.com/ Linux Gaming Potal] *[https://www.codingcommanders.com/linux-gaming/ Coding Commanders - Linux Game Blog] *[https://zerker.ca/home/tag/linuxunix.html Zerk Zone - Retro Linux Games] Historical Linux Gaming Sites *[https://web.archive.org/web/20210419173711/https://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] (2012-2021) *[https://linuxgamingnews.org/ Linux Gaming News] (2009-2018) *[http://linuxgames.me/ Linux Games] (2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140217234002/http://www.linux-gamers.net/ linuXgamers.net] (2003-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20150726203906/http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] (1998-2015) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140214112327/http://www.tuxgames.com/ Tux Games] (2000-2014) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20130402151010/http://happypenguin.org/ The Linux Game Tome] (1995-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040109114819/http://www.linuxgaming.net:80/index.php LinuxGaming] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040925062326/http://www.tuxgamer.com:80/ Tux Gamer] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080119000310/http://lgdc.sunsite.dk/ Linux Game Development Centre] (2000-2002) Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a distribution agnostic package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. *[https://github.com/mikeroyal/Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide/blob/main/README.md Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide] - in depth tutorial on how to configure Ubuntu. Also contains a gaming section, that might also be relevant for other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. efe4f37dcbc8d8887b05cbfc919369fd8c695d7f 1491 1490 2023-02-14T02:25:27Z 2604:3D09:8C77:A500:0:0:0:E108 0 /* External Links */ https://web.archive.org/web/20191213112019/https://www.liflg.org/ wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. === Tweaking === *[[Troubleshooting]] - What to do if your game just won't work. *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies. *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. *[[Dual GPU]] - How to get the game running on the correct GPU. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Monitoring & Stresstesting]] - How to test that your tweaked system is still stable === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Visual Enhancement]] - Enhancing the visuals of a game. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! *[[Graphical tools]] - Programs that no one tells you about, but that you might like if you don't want to use the terminal == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[http://www.gamersonlinux.com/ GamersOnLinux] - Linux gaming community forum *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[https://happypenguin.altervista.org/index.php Happy Penguin - The Linux Game Tome] *[http://www.gamingonlinux.info/ Gaming On Linux] - another database *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.zoom-platform.com/ Zoom Platform] - DRM-free retro games. *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[https://linuxgamenews.com/ Linux Game News] *[https://www.linux-games.com/ Linux-Games] *[https://linuxgameconsortium.com/ Linux Game Consortium] *[https://www.linuxgamingportal.com/ Linux Gaming Potal] *[https://www.codingcommanders.com/linux-gaming/ Coding Commanders - Linux Game Blog] *[https://zerker.ca/home/tag/linuxunix.html Zerk Zone - Retro Linux Games] Historical Linux Gaming Sites *[https://web.archive.org/web/20210419173711/https://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] (2012-2021) *[https://linuxgamingnews.org/ Linux Gaming News] (2009-2018) *[http://linuxgames.me/ Linux Games] (2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20191213112019/https://www.liflg.org/ linux installers for linux gamers] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160604150745/http://www.lgdb.org/games Linux Game Database] (defunct) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140217234002/http://www.linux-gamers.net/ linuXgamers.net] (2003-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20150726203906/http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] (1998-2015) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140214112327/http://www.tuxgames.com/ Tux Games] (2000-2014) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20130402151010/http://happypenguin.org/ The Linux Game Tome] (1995-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040109114819/http://www.linuxgaming.net:80/index.php LinuxGaming] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040925062326/http://www.tuxgamer.com:80/ Tux Gamer] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080119000310/http://lgdc.sunsite.dk/ Linux Game Development Centre] (2000-2002) Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a distribution agnostic package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. *[https://github.com/mikeroyal/Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide/blob/main/README.md Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide] - in depth tutorial on how to configure Ubuntu. Also contains a gaming section, that might also be relevant for other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. a34c22be4bd1d3ac9b7380f8c85839fd436fc247 1492 1491 2023-02-14T02:27:26Z 2604:3D09:8C77:A500:0:0:0:E108 0 /* External Links */ *[http://www.lebottindesjeuxlinux.tuxfamily.org/en/home-en/ The Linux Game Book] wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. === Tweaking === *[[Troubleshooting]] - What to do if your game just won't work. *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies. *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. *[[Dual GPU]] - How to get the game running on the correct GPU. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Monitoring & Stresstesting]] - How to test that your tweaked system is still stable === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Visual Enhancement]] - Enhancing the visuals of a game. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! *[[Graphical tools]] - Programs that no one tells you about, but that you might like if you don't want to use the terminal == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[http://www.gamersonlinux.com/ GamersOnLinux] - Linux gaming community forum *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[https://happypenguin.altervista.org/index.php Happy Penguin - The Linux Game Tome] *[http://www.gamingonlinux.info/ Gaming On Linux] - another database *[http://www.lebottindesjeuxlinux.tuxfamily.org/en/home-en/ The Linux Game Book] *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.zoom-platform.com/ Zoom Platform] - DRM-free retro games. *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[https://linuxgamenews.com/ Linux Game News] *[https://www.linux-games.com/ Linux-Games] *[https://linuxgameconsortium.com/ Linux Game Consortium] *[https://www.linuxgamingportal.com/ Linux Gaming Potal] *[https://www.codingcommanders.com/linux-gaming/ Coding Commanders - Linux Game Blog] *[https://zerker.ca/home/tag/linuxunix.html Zerk Zone - Retro Linux Games] Historical Linux Gaming Sites *[https://web.archive.org/web/20210419173711/https://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] (2012-2021) *[https://linuxgamingnews.org/ Linux Gaming News] (2009-2018) *[http://linuxgames.me/ Linux Games] (2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20191213112019/https://www.liflg.org/ linux installers for linux gamers] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160604150745/http://www.lgdb.org/games Linux Game Database] (defunct) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140217234002/http://www.linux-gamers.net/ linuXgamers.net] (2003-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20150726203906/http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] (1998-2015) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140214112327/http://www.tuxgames.com/ Tux Games] (2000-2014) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20130402151010/http://happypenguin.org/ The Linux Game Tome] (1995-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040109114819/http://www.linuxgaming.net:80/index.php LinuxGaming] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040925062326/http://www.tuxgamer.com:80/ Tux Gamer] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080119000310/http://lgdc.sunsite.dk/ Linux Game Development Centre] (2000-2002) Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a distribution agnostic package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. *[https://github.com/mikeroyal/Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide/blob/main/README.md Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide] - in depth tutorial on how to configure Ubuntu. Also contains a gaming section, that might also be relevant for other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. 476d769b04be876b51d66ab802959641ee578a56 1493 1492 2023-02-14T02:28:56Z 2604:3D09:8C77:A500:0:0:0:E108 0 /* External Links */ *[http://www.lebottindesjeuxlinux.tuxfamily.org/en/home-en/ The Linux Game Book] - French and English database wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. === Tweaking === *[[Troubleshooting]] - What to do if your game just won't work. *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies. *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. *[[Dual GPU]] - How to get the game running on the correct GPU. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Monitoring & Stresstesting]] - How to test that your tweaked system is still stable === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Visual Enhancement]] - Enhancing the visuals of a game. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! *[[Graphical tools]] - Programs that no one tells you about, but that you might like if you don't want to use the terminal == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[http://www.gamersonlinux.com/ GamersOnLinux] - Linux gaming community forum *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[https://happypenguin.altervista.org/index.php Happy Penguin - The Linux Game Tome] *[http://www.gamingonlinux.info/ Gaming On Linux] - another database *[http://www.lebottindesjeuxlinux.tuxfamily.org/en/home-en/ The Linux Game Book] - French and English database *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.zoom-platform.com/ Zoom Platform] - DRM-free retro games. *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[https://linuxgamenews.com/ Linux Game News] *[https://www.linux-games.com/ Linux-Games] *[https://linuxgameconsortium.com/ Linux Game Consortium] *[https://www.linuxgamingportal.com/ Linux Gaming Potal] *[https://www.codingcommanders.com/linux-gaming/ Coding Commanders - Linux Game Blog] *[https://zerker.ca/home/tag/linuxunix.html Zerk Zone - Retro Linux Games] Historical Linux Gaming Sites *[https://web.archive.org/web/20210419173711/https://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] (2012-2021) *[https://linuxgamingnews.org/ Linux Gaming News] (2009-2018) *[http://linuxgames.me/ Linux Games] (2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20191213112019/https://www.liflg.org/ linux installers for linux gamers] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160604150745/http://www.lgdb.org/games Linux Game Database] (defunct) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140217234002/http://www.linux-gamers.net/ linuXgamers.net] (2003-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20150726203906/http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] (1998-2015) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140214112327/http://www.tuxgames.com/ Tux Games] (2000-2014) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20130402151010/http://happypenguin.org/ The Linux Game Tome] (1995-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040109114819/http://www.linuxgaming.net:80/index.php LinuxGaming] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040925062326/http://www.tuxgamer.com:80/ Tux Gamer] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080119000310/http://lgdc.sunsite.dk/ Linux Game Development Centre] (2000-2002) Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a distribution agnostic package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. *[https://github.com/mikeroyal/Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide/blob/main/README.md Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide] - in depth tutorial on how to configure Ubuntu. Also contains a gaming section, that might also be relevant for other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. f762bf8092bf6b3a5bdbbb332e19890e24060a21 1494 1493 2023-02-14T02:31:03Z 2604:3D09:8C77:A500:0:0:0:E108 0 /* External Links */ *[https://gamejolt.com/games?os=linux GameJolt] wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. === Tweaking === *[[Troubleshooting]] - What to do if your game just won't work. *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies. *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. *[[Dual GPU]] - How to get the game running on the correct GPU. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Monitoring & Stresstesting]] - How to test that your tweaked system is still stable === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Visual Enhancement]] - Enhancing the visuals of a game. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! *[[Graphical tools]] - Programs that no one tells you about, but that you might like if you don't want to use the terminal == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[http://www.gamersonlinux.com/ GamersOnLinux] - Linux gaming community forum *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[https://happypenguin.altervista.org/index.php Happy Penguin - The Linux Game Tome] *[http://www.gamingonlinux.info/ Gaming On Linux] - another database *[http://www.lebottindesjeuxlinux.tuxfamily.org/en/home-en/ The Linux Game Book] - French and English database *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.zoom-platform.com/ Zoom Platform] - DRM-free retro games. *[https://gamejolt.com/games?os=linux GameJolt] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[https://linuxgamenews.com/ Linux Game News] *[https://www.linux-games.com/ Linux-Games] *[https://linuxgameconsortium.com/ Linux Game Consortium] *[https://www.linuxgamingportal.com/ Linux Gaming Potal] *[https://www.codingcommanders.com/linux-gaming/ Coding Commanders - Linux Game Blog] *[https://zerker.ca/home/tag/linuxunix.html Zerk Zone - Retro Linux Games] Historical Linux Gaming Sites *[https://web.archive.org/web/20210419173711/https://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] (2012-2021) *[https://linuxgamingnews.org/ Linux Gaming News] (2009-2018) *[http://linuxgames.me/ Linux Games] (2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20191213112019/https://www.liflg.org/ linux installers for linux gamers] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160604150745/http://www.lgdb.org/games Linux Game Database] (defunct) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140217234002/http://www.linux-gamers.net/ linuXgamers.net] (2003-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20150726203906/http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] (1998-2015) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140214112327/http://www.tuxgames.com/ Tux Games] (2000-2014) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20130402151010/http://happypenguin.org/ The Linux Game Tome] (1995-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040109114819/http://www.linuxgaming.net:80/index.php LinuxGaming] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040925062326/http://www.tuxgamer.com:80/ Tux Gamer] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080119000310/http://lgdc.sunsite.dk/ Linux Game Development Centre] (2000-2002) Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a distribution agnostic package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. *[https://github.com/mikeroyal/Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide/blob/main/README.md Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide] - in depth tutorial on how to configure Ubuntu. Also contains a gaming section, that might also be relevant for other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. d7ef02156c3e58f5aa3cd93ec082a01283d636ae 1495 1494 2023-02-14T02:32:52Z 2604:3D09:8C77:A500:0:0:0:E108 0 /* External Links */ *[http://icculus.org/lgfaq/ Linux Gamers' FAQ] (last updated 2016) wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. === Tweaking === *[[Troubleshooting]] - What to do if your game just won't work. *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies. *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. *[[Dual GPU]] - How to get the game running on the correct GPU. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Monitoring & Stresstesting]] - How to test that your tweaked system is still stable === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Visual Enhancement]] - Enhancing the visuals of a game. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! *[[Graphical tools]] - Programs that no one tells you about, but that you might like if you don't want to use the terminal == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[http://www.gamersonlinux.com/ GamersOnLinux] - Linux gaming community forum *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[https://happypenguin.altervista.org/index.php Happy Penguin - The Linux Game Tome] *[http://www.gamingonlinux.info/ Gaming On Linux] - another database *[http://www.lebottindesjeuxlinux.tuxfamily.org/en/home-en/ The Linux Game Book] - French and English database *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.zoom-platform.com/ Zoom Platform] - DRM-free retro games. *[https://gamejolt.com/games?os=linux GameJolt] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[https://linuxgamenews.com/ Linux Game News] *[https://www.linux-games.com/ Linux-Games] *[https://linuxgameconsortium.com/ Linux Game Consortium] *[https://www.linuxgamingportal.com/ Linux Gaming Potal] *[https://www.codingcommanders.com/linux-gaming/ Coding Commanders - Linux Game Blog] *[https://zerker.ca/home/tag/linuxunix.html Zerk Zone - Retro Linux Games] Historical Linux Gaming Sites *[https://web.archive.org/web/20210419173711/https://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] (2012-2021) *[https://linuxgamingnews.org/ Linux Gaming News] (2009-2018) *[http://linuxgames.me/ Linux Games] (2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20191213112019/https://www.liflg.org/ linux installers for linux gamers] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160604150745/http://www.lgdb.org/games Linux Game Database] (defunct) *[http://icculus.org/lgfaq/ Linux Gamers' FAQ] (last updated 2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140217234002/http://www.linux-gamers.net/ linuXgamers.net] (2003-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20150726203906/http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] (1998-2015) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140214112327/http://www.tuxgames.com/ Tux Games] (2000-2014) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20130402151010/http://happypenguin.org/ The Linux Game Tome] (1995-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040109114819/http://www.linuxgaming.net:80/index.php LinuxGaming] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040925062326/http://www.tuxgamer.com:80/ Tux Gamer] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080119000310/http://lgdc.sunsite.dk/ Linux Game Development Centre] (2000-2002) Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a distribution agnostic package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. *[https://github.com/mikeroyal/Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide/blob/main/README.md Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide] - in depth tutorial on how to configure Ubuntu. Also contains a gaming section, that might also be relevant for other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. 44b810071bce957350ccb803bca042aa99bbc868 1496 1495 2023-02-14T05:30:30Z 2604:3D09:8C77:A500:2D37:8B5D:B995:A372 0 /* External Links */ wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. === Tweaking === *[[Troubleshooting]] - What to do if your game just won't work. *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies. *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. *[[Dual GPU]] - How to get the game running on the correct GPU. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Monitoring & Stresstesting]] - How to test that your tweaked system is still stable === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Visual Enhancement]] - Enhancing the visuals of a game. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! *[[Graphical tools]] - Programs that no one tells you about, but that you might like if you don't want to use the terminal == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[http://www.gamersonlinux.com/ GamersOnLinux] - Linux gaming community forum *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[https://happypenguin.altervista.org/index.php Happy Penguin - The Linux Game Tome] *[http://www.gamingonlinux.info/ Gaming On Linux] - another database *[http://www.lebottindesjeuxlinux.tuxfamily.org/en/home-en/ The Linux Game Book] - French and English database *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.zoom-platform.com/ Zoom Platform] - DRM-free retro games. *[https://gamejolt.com/games?os=linux GameJolt] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[https://linuxgamenews.com/ Linux Game News] *[https://www.linux-games.com/ Linux-Games] *[https://linuxgameconsortium.com/ Linux Game Consortium] *[https://www.linuxgamingportal.com/ Linux Gaming Potal] *[https://www.codingcommanders.com/linux-gaming/ Coding Commanders - Linux Game Blog] *[https://zerker.ca/home/tag/linuxunix.html Zerk Zone - Retro Linux Games] Historical Linux Gaming Sites *[https://web.archive.org/web/20210419173711/https://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] (2012-2021) *[https://linuxgamingnews.org/ Linux Gaming News] (2009-2018) *[http://linuxgames.me/ Linux Games] (2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20191213112019/https://www.liflg.org/ linux installers for linux gamers] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160604150745/http://www.lgdb.org/games Linux Game Database] (2010-2019) *[http://icculus.org/lgfaq/ Linux Gamers' FAQ] (last updated 2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140217234002/http://www.linux-gamers.net/ linuXgamers.net] (2003-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20150726203906/http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] (1998-2015) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140214112327/http://www.tuxgames.com/ Tux Games] (2000-2014) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20130402151010/http://happypenguin.org/ The Linux Game Tome] (1995-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040109114819/http://www.linuxgaming.net:80/index.php LinuxGaming] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040925062326/http://www.tuxgamer.com:80/ Tux Gamer] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080119000310/http://lgdc.sunsite.dk/ Linux Game Development Centre] (2000-2002) Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a distribution agnostic package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. *[https://github.com/mikeroyal/Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide/blob/main/README.md Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide] - in depth tutorial on how to configure Ubuntu. Also contains a gaming section, that might also be relevant for other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. b3ac32fb35f7d973aa346cca3c4679bd5f61d5eb 1497 1496 2023-02-14T05:32:34Z 2604:3D09:8C77:A500:2D37:8B5D:B995:A372 0 /* External Links */ wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. === Tweaking === *[[Troubleshooting]] - What to do if your game just won't work. *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies. *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. *[[Dual GPU]] - How to get the game running on the correct GPU. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Monitoring & Stresstesting]] - How to test that your tweaked system is still stable === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Visual Enhancement]] - Enhancing the visuals of a game. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! *[[Graphical tools]] - Programs that no one tells you about, but that you might like if you don't want to use the terminal == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[http://www.gamersonlinux.com/ GamersOnLinux] - Linux gaming community forum *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[https://happypenguin.altervista.org/index.php Happy Penguin - The Linux Game Tome] *[http://www.gamingonlinux.info/ Gaming On Linux] - another database *[http://www.lebottindesjeuxlinux.tuxfamily.org/en/home-en/ The Linux Game Book] - French and English database *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.zoom-platform.com/ Zoom Platform] - DRM-free retro games. *[https://gamejolt.com/games?os=linux GameJolt] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[https://linuxgamenews.com/ Linux Game News] *[https://www.linux-games.com/ Linux-Games] *[https://linuxgameconsortium.com/ Linux Game Consortium] *[https://www.linuxgamingportal.com/ Linux Gaming Potal] *[https://www.codingcommanders.com/linux-gaming/ Coding Commanders - Linux Game Blog] *[https://zerker.ca/home/tag/linuxunix.html Zerk Zone - Retro Linux Games] Historical Linux Gaming Sites *[https://web.archive.org/web/20210419173711/https://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] (2012-2021) *[https://linuxgamingnews.org/ Linux Gaming News] (2009-2018) *[http://linuxgames.me/ Linux Games] (2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20191213112019/https://www.liflg.org/ linux installers for linux gamers] (moved to GitHub in 2019) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160604150745/http://www.lgdb.org/games Linux Game Database] (2010-2019) *[http://icculus.org/lgfaq/ Linux Gamers' FAQ] (last updated 2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140217234002/http://www.linux-gamers.net/ linuXgamers.net] (2003-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20150726203906/http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] (1998-2015) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140214112327/http://www.tuxgames.com/ Tux Games] (2000-2014) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20130402151010/http://happypenguin.org/ The Linux Game Tome] (1995-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040109114819/http://www.linuxgaming.net:80/index.php LinuxGaming] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040925062326/http://www.tuxgamer.com:80/ Tux Gamer] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080119000310/http://lgdc.sunsite.dk/ Linux Game Development Centre] (2000-2002) Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a distribution agnostic package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. *[https://github.com/mikeroyal/Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide/blob/main/README.md Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide] - in depth tutorial on how to configure Ubuntu. Also contains a gaming section, that might also be relevant for other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. fb17d7c049c4dd69fccff97aa308430fb239e65a 1498 1497 2023-02-14T05:33:31Z 2604:3D09:8C77:A500:2D37:8B5D:B995:A372 0 /* External Links */ wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. === Tweaking === *[[Troubleshooting]] - What to do if your game just won't work. *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies. *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. *[[Dual GPU]] - How to get the game running on the correct GPU. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Monitoring & Stresstesting]] - How to test that your tweaked system is still stable === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Visual Enhancement]] - Enhancing the visuals of a game. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! *[[Graphical tools]] - Programs that no one tells you about, but that you might like if you don't want to use the terminal == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[http://www.gamersonlinux.com/ GamersOnLinux] - Linux gaming community forum *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[https://happypenguin.altervista.org/index.php Happy Penguin - The Linux Game Tome] *[http://www.gamingonlinux.info/ Gaming On Linux] - another database *[http://www.lebottindesjeuxlinux.tuxfamily.org/en/home-en/ The Linux Game Book] - French and English database *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.zoom-platform.com/ Zoom Platform] - DRM-free retro games. *[https://gamejolt.com/games?os=linux GameJolt] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[https://linuxgamenews.com/ Linux Game News] *[https://www.linux-games.com/ Linux-Games] *[https://linuxgameconsortium.com/ Linux Game Consortium] *[https://www.linuxgamingportal.com/ Linux Gaming Potal] *[https://www.codingcommanders.com/linux-gaming/ Coding Commanders - Linux Game Blog] *[https://zerker.ca/home/tag/linuxunix.html Zerk Zone - Retro Linux Games] Historical Linux Gaming Sites *[https://web.archive.org/web/20210419173711/https://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] (2012-2021) *[https://linuxgamingnews.org/ Linux Gaming News] (2009-2018) *[http://linuxgames.me/ Linux Games] (2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20191213112019/https://www.liflg.org/ linux installers for linux gamers] (2004-2019; moved to GitHub) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160604150745/http://www.lgdb.org/games Linux Game Database] (2010-2019) *[http://icculus.org/lgfaq/ Linux Gamers' FAQ] (last updated 2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140217234002/http://www.linux-gamers.net/ linuXgamers.net] (2003-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20150726203906/http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] (1998-2015) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140214112327/http://www.tuxgames.com/ Tux Games] (2000-2014) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20130402151010/http://happypenguin.org/ The Linux Game Tome] (1995-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040109114819/http://www.linuxgaming.net:80/index.php LinuxGaming] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040925062326/http://www.tuxgamer.com:80/ Tux Gamer] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080119000310/http://lgdc.sunsite.dk/ Linux Game Development Centre] (2000-2002) Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a distribution agnostic package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. *[https://github.com/mikeroyal/Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide/blob/main/README.md Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide] - in depth tutorial on how to configure Ubuntu. Also contains a gaming section, that might also be relevant for other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. 3bbfb5192b93a8354b7b4d810765aee262d75f3f 1499 1498 2023-02-14T05:34:13Z 2604:3D09:8C77:A500:2D37:8B5D:B995:A372 0 /* External Links */ wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. === Tweaking === *[[Troubleshooting]] - What to do if your game just won't work. *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies. *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. *[[Dual GPU]] - How to get the game running on the correct GPU. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Monitoring & Stresstesting]] - How to test that your tweaked system is still stable === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Visual Enhancement]] - Enhancing the visuals of a game. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! *[[Graphical tools]] - Programs that no one tells you about, but that you might like if you don't want to use the terminal == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[http://www.gamersonlinux.com/ GamersOnLinux] - Linux gaming community forum *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[https://happypenguin.altervista.org/index.php Happy Penguin - The Linux Game Tome] *[http://www.gamingonlinux.info/ Gaming On Linux] - another database *[http://www.lebottindesjeuxlinux.tuxfamily.org/en/home-en/ The Linux Game Book] - French and English database *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.zoom-platform.com/ Zoom Platform] - DRM-free retro games. *[https://gamejolt.com/games?os=linux GameJolt] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[https://linuxgamenews.com/ Linux Game News] *[https://www.linux-games.com/ Linux-Games] *[https://linuxgameconsortium.com/ Linux Game Consortium] *[https://www.linuxgamingportal.com/ Linux Gaming Portal] *[https://www.codingcommanders.com/linux-gaming/ Coding Commanders - Linux Game Blog] *[https://zerker.ca/home/tag/linuxunix.html Zerk Zone - Retro Linux Games] Historical Linux Gaming Sites *[https://web.archive.org/web/20210419173711/https://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] (2012-2021) *[https://linuxgamingnews.org/ Linux Gaming News] (2009-2018) *[http://linuxgames.me/ Linux Games] (2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20191213112019/https://www.liflg.org/ linux installers for linux gamers] (2004-2019; moved to GitHub) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160604150745/http://www.lgdb.org/games Linux Game Database] (2010-2019) *[http://icculus.org/lgfaq/ Linux Gamers' FAQ] (last updated 2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140217234002/http://www.linux-gamers.net/ linuXgamers.net] (2003-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20150726203906/http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] (1998-2015) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140214112327/http://www.tuxgames.com/ Tux Games] (2000-2014) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20130402151010/http://happypenguin.org/ The Linux Game Tome] (1995-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040109114819/http://www.linuxgaming.net:80/index.php LinuxGaming] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040925062326/http://www.tuxgamer.com:80/ Tux Gamer] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080119000310/http://lgdc.sunsite.dk/ Linux Game Development Centre] (2000-2002) Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a distribution agnostic package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. *[https://github.com/mikeroyal/Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide/blob/main/README.md Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide] - in depth tutorial on how to configure Ubuntu. Also contains a gaming section, that might also be relevant for other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. 620d1a4980421b4235ba543f9149cfccf4432b61 0 41 1397 1353 2023-01-31T15:55:58Z 188.214.125.163 0 /* Install mod managers with Wine */ Added my protontricks tip wikitext text/x-wiki Game mods modify games in some way. A good source for mods is https://www.nexusmods.com. Sometimes they work in the same way as on Windows, but that's not always the case. [[Reshade]] is an example for a modding tool. If you're using Steam, [[Steam#Steam Tinker Launch|Steam Tinker Launch]] may make your life a lot easier. == Mod Manager == Mod managers that are not native will not set dll overrides. If the installed mod uses dlls, you have to [[Installing dlls#DLL overrides|set the overrides manually]]. === Install mod managers with Wine === You can try installing mod managers from [[Lutris]], if there is an install script. For example there are scripts (for older versions of) Vortex and NMM. Otherwise, you can try installing them in the same wine prefix. You could do this for example in the following way: * Copy the executable into the wine prefix of your game: <code>~/Games/<your_game>/drive_c/users/<your_name>/Downloads/</code> *Run it in the same prefix as your game: ** Lutris: Click your game, then click on the arrow next to the wine bottle on the bottom of the window. Click <code>Run EXE inside Wine prefix</code>. Locate the exe, and run it. **Bottles: todo **Steam: Use ProtonTricks to run EXE files in the same prefix as your game and install or run the mod manager from there. **Heroic: todo * If it works, you can locate the executable of the installed mod manager, and run it in this way. Otherwise, you can also create a new "game" in the same wine prefix and select the executable there. TODO: describe how. *You can also install the mod manager in a different prefix, and symlink the game folder into the prefix === Install mod managers in a VM === If a mod manager is not working well with wine, you can install Windows in VirtualBox, share your game folder with the VM, and install the mod manager inside the VM. You need to install the guest additions for it to work. The folder will be mounted as network drive Z. This will not work with every mod manager and every mod. For example it will not work with MO2 (however, MO2 is working in Wine<ref>https://github.com/Modorganizer2/modorganizer/issues/372</ref>). If you want to mod a Linux native game, you can try creating a fake .exe in order for the mod manager to detect the game. In more detail: # Install the game on Linux, for example with Lutris, Heroic, or Steam. # Install Windows in a VM # Share the game folder with the Windows VM # Install a mod manager in the Windows VM # Use the mod manager to install a mod # Play the game that is now modded (on Linux, without VM) Optional: Disable internet access for the VM, and enable drag/drop to copy files easily to the VM. This way, Windows can not send telemetry data, or do unnecessary updates that just take space and processing time. You might even use older (and lighter) versions like Windows 7 if the mod manager is compatible. In this case, you will have to manually download mods, though. == Manual Installation == === Installing dlls === In many cases (for example reshade, specialK) you just need a dll in your game folder. Just download the exe, extract it, and [[Installing dlls#Manual|manually install the dll]]. You might have to rename it, for example to * <code>d3d9.dll</code> if your game uses Directx9 (this is more likely for older games) * <code>dxgi.dll</code> if your game uses Directx11 (this is more likely for newer games) or something like that. Also note that you should use a dll that has the architecture of your game, so if the game is 32 bit, you might need to choose another dll than if your game is 64 bit (often indicated by a 32 or a 64 in the dll filename). === Path names === Linux paths are case sensitive, while Windows paths are not. This leads to mod developers using different folder names when referring to the same folder, for example ''textures'' and ''Textures''. Wine knows that, and is able to handle it accordingly. However, if you manually copy the mod to it's destination with your Linux file manager, you might get problems if you create an additional folder. There are a couple options to avoid these problems: * If you encounter a problem, look at the file structures to detect problems. You can use <code>find . -type d | tr "[A-Z]" "[a-z]" | sort | uniq -c | grep -v " 1 "</code> to find conflicts. <ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/1091xud/comment/j3wgz4a/?context=3</ref> *Use a mod manager that you install with wine. * Use ext4 with [https://www.collabora.com/news-and-blog/blog/2020/08/27/using-the-linux-kernel-case-insensitive-feature-in-ext4/ case folding]. (The SteamDeck uses ext4 with case folding by default.) * Install 7zip for Windows and use that to extract and move the mod to it's destination. 7zip also comes with a file manager that you can use. You could also use any other Windows file manager. It just needs access to the game folder. Either install it in the same prefix, or use it's own prefix and symlink the game folder. == Trainer == {{Needs work|Problem=I didn't test any of these, and just copied some links from answers to reddit posts asking about this kind of stuff. Maybe some are redundant or not working well. Please edit this if you have any idea what these tools do}} *[https://github.com/leaty/tuxtrain tuxtrain] * [https://github.com/korcankaraokcu/PINCE PINCE] * [https://github.com/scanmem/scanmem scanmem] * [https://linuxhint.com/use-gameconqueror-cheat-engine-linux/ gameconqueror] * [https://github.com/evg-zhabotinsky/libspeedhack libspeedhack] == Linux native modding tools == There are some game specific Linux native modding tools, you may find a list [[Game specific modding tools|here]]. 7b3ed0977cc8ab721e8756a4fb99d778dd6ab7ae 0 42 1403 1195 2023-02-02T00:31:19Z 179.158.15.116 0 "accelleration" > "acceleration" wikitext text/x-wiki == Disable mouse acceleration == * '''KDE Plasma''': System Settings -> Input devices -> Mouse -> Acceleration profile: Flat * '''Gnome''': Download "Tweaks" App -> Open it -> Keyboard & Mouse -> Acceleration profile: Flat *'''Cinnamon''': System Settings -> Mouse and Touchpad -> Acceleration profile: Constant * Otherwise have a look at the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Mouse_acceleration#Disabling_mouse_acceleration Arch wiki] == Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio == Pipewire gives you much lower audio latency. TODO: write how. c9ec19e137731aa619b1c3ef146d6602c3d05c3a 1477 1403 2023-02-13T13:55:33Z Aragorn 3 /* Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Disable mouse acceleration == * '''KDE Plasma''': System Settings -> Input devices -> Mouse -> Acceleration profile: Flat * '''Gnome''': Download "Tweaks" App -> Open it -> Keyboard & Mouse -> Acceleration profile: Flat *'''Cinnamon''': System Settings -> Mouse and Touchpad -> Acceleration profile: Constant * Otherwise have a look at the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Mouse_acceleration#Disabling_mouse_acceleration Arch wiki] == Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio == Pipewire gives you much lower audio latency. The process depends on your distribution, look for specific instructions. 2dca2854b41cac6395e3fefd34cb03c0e963d80d 0 2 1433 1392 2023-02-05T23:55:45Z Aragorn 3 /* Avoid Problems */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **You don't need to worry about this. All of them are fine. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from Gnome. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. Windows 10 and 11 look a lot like default KDE. But if you don't like that, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. It also has a lot of nice-to-have features that make your life easier |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |Gnome |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing Gnome often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on Gnome, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |Not good for gaming. | | | |} === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a ''&quot;stable&quot;'' distribution because ''&quot;stable&quot;'' usually means ''&quot;old&quot;''. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable, for example [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here]. |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base desktop and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you do a default configuration, it will probably not be better than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. The installation of Arch is hard also, but if you can read and follow instructions on the installation guide then it shouldn't be a problem. To make it easier, use archinstall. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |Gentoo |Gentoo is a good distribution for gaming actually. BUT: It's very complicated, takes a lot of time to install, and requires you to build every package which is time consuming. Plus, if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |- |AmogOS |It might have a funny name, but it's not a mature distribution. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |LFS | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. But generally, you would open your software store (or whatever it is called), and search for the program you want to install, click ''"update"'', or whatever else. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> c2a0d86eef9e8cdd0e8f9836b857b19033d979ed 0 43 1436 1080 2023-02-07T09:39:43Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. == Edit System files as root (with elevated permissions) == You can either use the [[terminal]], or use a file manager like Nemo. == Watching the temperature == You can use <code>lm_sensors</code>. Before running it for the first time, run <code>sudo sensors-detect</code>. After that, type <code>sensors</code> to see your temperatures. If you want to monitor them for a longer time, type <code>watch sensors</code>. == Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc) == Settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows once, and change stuff there. You can also boot a VM (with KVM) and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings should be kept in Linux. == Audio stuff == === Noise Cancelling === You can use [https://github.com/wwmm/easyeffects EasyEffects] or [https://github.com/noisetorch/NoiseTorch NoiseTorch]. === Equalizer and more === EasyEffects also has various other audio processing options, like crystalizer, noise gate, equalizer, filter, and much more. NoiseTorch can only cancel noise, but also has the option to tweak how aggressive it cancels noise. === Patching Audio === If you want to have a patchbay to route your audio to various destinations, [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/rncbc/qpwgraph qpwgraph] or [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/helvum Helvum] might be what you're looking for. == Make the game look good == === Downsampling === You can use [[Gamescope]]. === Post Processing === You can use [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) ==Using GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long as it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try again to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code><nowiki>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</nowiki></code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. #Follow the instructions in the readme. == Using Checksums == When downloading a file, you might have seen something like <code>sha512: 497907d020870e564b814bb6c4f7eef2f3abdf5d0159ccbd96501a26cef155a8d771a420a16c9348525fa4ce7de3c137ad5ff15a013c84f327edbdea6495d86b easyanticheat_x64.so</code> This is a checksum, or more precise: An <code>sha512</code> checksum for the file <code>easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. This number is for verifying that you have the correct file, and not something that is manipulated or inaccurately transmitted. '''Usage''': Download file, open [[terminal]], and <code>cd Downloads</code>. Then you execute <code>sha512sum easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. The number you see there, should be ''exactly'' the same. Btw: <code>sha512</code> is better than <code>sha256</code>, and ''especially'' better than <code>md5</code>. <code>md5</code> is trash, don't use it. == Game Streaming == You can use [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == RGB == You can use [https://gitlab.com/CalcProgrammer1/OpenRGB OpenRGB]. == Razer control driver == For razer hardware, you can use this driver: https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer == Logitech control software == Solaar is a Linux device manager for Logitech devices. You can do stuff like changing DPI, or button mappings, etc. https://github.com/pwr-Solaar/Solaar == Suspend/resume of applications (games, an others) == You can use [https://github.com/Merrit/nyrna nyrna]. Unortunately it doesn't (yet) "survive" reboots. == Test whether you use X11 or Wayland == Open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. If it says <code>wayland</code>, you use wayland. == Disable swapping for a game == You can do it like [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/u02y88/psa_disable_swap_for_games_and_dont_submit_bogus/ this]. == Simultaneously play two different games on the same device == https://www.reddit.com/r/tuxedocomputers/comments/ucdvj7/finally_did_it_two_different_users_playing/ d2704a88591661dfd6d351be41d507d436afb474 1475 1436 2023-02-13T13:53:49Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. == Edit System files as root (with elevated permissions) == You can either use the [[terminal]], or use a file manager like Nemo. == Watching the temperature == You can use <code>lm_sensors</code>. Before running it for the first time, run <code>sudo sensors-detect</code>. After that, type <code>sensors</code> to see your temperatures. If you want to monitor them for a longer time, type <code>watch sensors</code>. == Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc) == Settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows once, and change stuff there. You can also boot a VM (with KVM) and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings should be kept in Linux. == Audio stuff == === Noise Cancelling === You can use [https://github.com/wwmm/easyeffects EasyEffects] or [https://github.com/noisetorch/NoiseTorch NoiseTorch]. === Equalizer and more === EasyEffects also has various other audio processing options, like crystalizer, noise gate, equalizer, filter, and much more. NoiseTorch can only cancel noise, but also has the option to tweak how aggressive it cancels noise. === Patching Audio === If you want to have a patchbay to route your audio to various destinations, [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/rncbc/qpwgraph qpwgraph] or [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/helvum Helvum] might be what you're looking for. == Make the game look good == === Downsampling === You can use [[Gamescope]]. === Post Processing === You can use [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) ==Using GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long as it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try again to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code><nowiki>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</nowiki></code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. #Follow the instructions in the readme. == Using Checksums == When downloading a file, you might have seen something like <code>sha512: 497907d020870e564b814bb6c4f7eef2f3abdf5d0159ccbd96501a26cef155a8d771a420a16c9348525fa4ce7de3c137ad5ff15a013c84f327edbdea6495d86b easyanticheat_x64.so</code> This is a checksum, or more precise: An <code>sha512</code> checksum for the file <code>easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. This number is for verifying that you have the correct file, and not something that is manipulated or inaccurately transmitted. '''Usage''': Download file, open [[terminal]], and <code>cd Downloads</code>. Then you execute <code>sha512sum easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. The number you see there, should be ''exactly'' the same. Btw: <code>sha512</code> is better than <code>sha256</code>, and ''especially'' better than <code>md5</code>. <code>md5</code> is trash, don't use it. == Game Streaming == You can use [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == RGB == You can use [https://gitlab.com/CalcProgrammer1/OpenRGB OpenRGB]. == Razer control driver == For razer hardware, you can use this driver: https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer == Logitech control software == Solaar is a Linux device manager for Logitech devices. You can do stuff like changing DPI, or button mappings, etc. https://github.com/pwr-Solaar/Solaar == Suspend/resume of applications (games, an others) == You can use [https://github.com/Merrit/nyrna nyrna]. Unortunately it doesn't (yet) "survive" reboots. == Test whether you use X11 or Wayland == Open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. If it says <code>wayland</code>, you use wayland. == Disable swapping for a game == You can do it like [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/u02y88/psa_disable_swap_for_games_and_dont_submit_bogus/ this]. == Simultaneously play two different games on the same device == https://www.reddit.com/r/tuxedocomputers/comments/ucdvj7/finally_did_it_two_different_users_playing/ == Merge two monitors into one == Type <code>xrandr</code> into the [[terminal]]. You will see a list of your screens. Pick the monitors that you want to merge. Assuming that you want to merge <code>DisplayPort-1</code> and <code>HDMI-A-0</code>, type <code>xrandr --setmonitor BigScreen auto "DisplayPort-1","HDMI-A-0"</code>. To undo the changes, type <code>xrandr --delmonitor BigScreen</code>. 6c3800b0f2381365356fa29fcb3eee084707cb6a 1476 1475 2023-02-13T13:54:23Z Aragorn 3 /* Merge two monitors into one */ wikitext text/x-wiki Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. == Edit System files as root (with elevated permissions) == You can either use the [[terminal]], or use a file manager like Nemo. == Watching the temperature == You can use <code>lm_sensors</code>. Before running it for the first time, run <code>sudo sensors-detect</code>. After that, type <code>sensors</code> to see your temperatures. If you want to monitor them for a longer time, type <code>watch sensors</code>. == Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc) == Settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows once, and change stuff there. You can also boot a VM (with KVM) and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings should be kept in Linux. == Audio stuff == === Noise Cancelling === You can use [https://github.com/wwmm/easyeffects EasyEffects] or [https://github.com/noisetorch/NoiseTorch NoiseTorch]. === Equalizer and more === EasyEffects also has various other audio processing options, like crystalizer, noise gate, equalizer, filter, and much more. NoiseTorch can only cancel noise, but also has the option to tweak how aggressive it cancels noise. === Patching Audio === If you want to have a patchbay to route your audio to various destinations, [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/rncbc/qpwgraph qpwgraph] or [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/helvum Helvum] might be what you're looking for. == Make the game look good == === Downsampling === You can use [[Gamescope]]. === Post Processing === You can use [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) ==Using GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long as it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try again to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code><nowiki>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</nowiki></code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. #Follow the instructions in the readme. == Using Checksums == When downloading a file, you might have seen something like <code>sha512: 497907d020870e564b814bb6c4f7eef2f3abdf5d0159ccbd96501a26cef155a8d771a420a16c9348525fa4ce7de3c137ad5ff15a013c84f327edbdea6495d86b easyanticheat_x64.so</code> This is a checksum, or more precise: An <code>sha512</code> checksum for the file <code>easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. This number is for verifying that you have the correct file, and not something that is manipulated or inaccurately transmitted. '''Usage''': Download file, open [[terminal]], and <code>cd Downloads</code>. Then you execute <code>sha512sum easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. The number you see there, should be ''exactly'' the same. Btw: <code>sha512</code> is better than <code>sha256</code>, and ''especially'' better than <code>md5</code>. <code>md5</code> is trash, don't use it. == Game Streaming == You can use [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == RGB == You can use [https://gitlab.com/CalcProgrammer1/OpenRGB OpenRGB]. == Razer control driver == For razer hardware, you can use this driver: https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer == Logitech control software == Solaar is a Linux device manager for Logitech devices. You can do stuff like changing DPI, or button mappings, etc. https://github.com/pwr-Solaar/Solaar == Suspend/resume of applications (games, an others) == You can use [https://github.com/Merrit/nyrna nyrna]. Unortunately it doesn't (yet) "survive" reboots. == Test whether you use X11 or Wayland == Open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. If it says <code>wayland</code>, you use wayland. == Disable swapping for a game == You can do it like [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/u02y88/psa_disable_swap_for_games_and_dont_submit_bogus/ this]. == Simultaneously play two different games on the same device == https://www.reddit.com/r/tuxedocomputers/comments/ucdvj7/finally_did_it_two_different_users_playing/ == Merge two monitors into one (to have one wide screen that spans both monitors) == Type <code>xrandr</code> into the [[terminal]]. You will see a list of your screens. Pick the monitors that you want to merge. Assuming that you want to merge <code>DisplayPort-1</code> and <code>HDMI-A-0</code>, type <code>xrandr --setmonitor BigScreen auto "DisplayPort-1","HDMI-A-0"</code>. To undo the changes, type <code>xrandr --delmonitor BigScreen</code>. 7f661a3c6c1c7e7b74389b3c992c726ed005f61e 1478 1476 2023-02-13T13:57:20Z Aragorn 3 /* Merge two monitors into one (to have one wide screen that spans both monitors) */ wikitext text/x-wiki Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. == Edit System files as root (with elevated permissions) == You can either use the [[terminal]], or use a file manager like Nemo. == Watching the temperature == You can use <code>lm_sensors</code>. Before running it for the first time, run <code>sudo sensors-detect</code>. After that, type <code>sensors</code> to see your temperatures. If you want to monitor them for a longer time, type <code>watch sensors</code>. == Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc) == Settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows once, and change stuff there. You can also boot a VM (with KVM) and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings should be kept in Linux. == Audio stuff == === Noise Cancelling === You can use [https://github.com/wwmm/easyeffects EasyEffects] or [https://github.com/noisetorch/NoiseTorch NoiseTorch]. === Equalizer and more === EasyEffects also has various other audio processing options, like crystalizer, noise gate, equalizer, filter, and much more. NoiseTorch can only cancel noise, but also has the option to tweak how aggressive it cancels noise. === Patching Audio === If you want to have a patchbay to route your audio to various destinations, [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/rncbc/qpwgraph qpwgraph] or [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/helvum Helvum] might be what you're looking for. == Make the game look good == === Downsampling === You can use [[Gamescope]]. === Post Processing === You can use [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) ==Using GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long as it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try again to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code><nowiki>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</nowiki></code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. #Follow the instructions in the readme. == Using Checksums == When downloading a file, you might have seen something like <code>sha512: 497907d020870e564b814bb6c4f7eef2f3abdf5d0159ccbd96501a26cef155a8d771a420a16c9348525fa4ce7de3c137ad5ff15a013c84f327edbdea6495d86b easyanticheat_x64.so</code> This is a checksum, or more precise: An <code>sha512</code> checksum for the file <code>easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. This number is for verifying that you have the correct file, and not something that is manipulated or inaccurately transmitted. '''Usage''': Download file, open [[terminal]], and <code>cd Downloads</code>. Then you execute <code>sha512sum easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. The number you see there, should be ''exactly'' the same. Btw: <code>sha512</code> is better than <code>sha256</code>, and ''especially'' better than <code>md5</code>. <code>md5</code> is trash, don't use it. == Game Streaming == You can use [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == RGB == You can use [https://gitlab.com/CalcProgrammer1/OpenRGB OpenRGB]. == Razer control driver == For razer hardware, you can use this driver: https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer == Logitech control software == Solaar is a Linux device manager for Logitech devices. You can do stuff like changing DPI, or button mappings, etc. https://github.com/pwr-Solaar/Solaar == Suspend/resume of applications (games, an others) == You can use [https://github.com/Merrit/nyrna nyrna]. Unortunately it doesn't (yet) "survive" reboots. == Test whether you use X11 or Wayland == Open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. If it says <code>wayland</code>, you use wayland. == Disable swapping for a game == You can do it like [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/u02y88/psa_disable_swap_for_games_and_dont_submit_bogus/ this]. == Simultaneously play two different games on the same device == https://www.reddit.com/r/tuxedocomputers/comments/ucdvj7/finally_did_it_two_different_users_playing/ == Merge two monitors into one (to have one wide screen that spans both monitors) == Type <code>xrandr</code> into the [[terminal]]. You will see a list of your screens. Pick the monitors that you want to merge. Assuming that you want to merge <code>DisplayPort-1</code> and <code>HDMI-A-0</code>, type <code>xrandr --setmonitor BigScreen auto "DisplayPort-1","HDMI-A-0"</code>. To undo the changes, type <code>xrandr --delmonitor BigScreen</code>. This works only on X11, and not on Wayland. e1be24f22dcc9b2d99e940df233972c42a77b695 1479 1478 2023-02-13T13:57:45Z Aragorn 3 /* Merge two monitors into one (to have one wide screen that spans both monitors) */ wikitext text/x-wiki Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. == Edit System files as root (with elevated permissions) == You can either use the [[terminal]], or use a file manager like Nemo. == Watching the temperature == You can use <code>lm_sensors</code>. Before running it for the first time, run <code>sudo sensors-detect</code>. After that, type <code>sensors</code> to see your temperatures. If you want to monitor them for a longer time, type <code>watch sensors</code>. == Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc) == Settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows once, and change stuff there. You can also boot a VM (with KVM) and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings should be kept in Linux. == Audio stuff == === Noise Cancelling === You can use [https://github.com/wwmm/easyeffects EasyEffects] or [https://github.com/noisetorch/NoiseTorch NoiseTorch]. === Equalizer and more === EasyEffects also has various other audio processing options, like crystalizer, noise gate, equalizer, filter, and much more. NoiseTorch can only cancel noise, but also has the option to tweak how aggressive it cancels noise. === Patching Audio === If you want to have a patchbay to route your audio to various destinations, [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/rncbc/qpwgraph qpwgraph] or [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/helvum Helvum] might be what you're looking for. == Make the game look good == === Downsampling === You can use [[Gamescope]]. === Post Processing === You can use [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) ==Using GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long as it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try again to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code><nowiki>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</nowiki></code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. #Follow the instructions in the readme. == Using Checksums == When downloading a file, you might have seen something like <code>sha512: 497907d020870e564b814bb6c4f7eef2f3abdf5d0159ccbd96501a26cef155a8d771a420a16c9348525fa4ce7de3c137ad5ff15a013c84f327edbdea6495d86b easyanticheat_x64.so</code> This is a checksum, or more precise: An <code>sha512</code> checksum for the file <code>easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. This number is for verifying that you have the correct file, and not something that is manipulated or inaccurately transmitted. '''Usage''': Download file, open [[terminal]], and <code>cd Downloads</code>. Then you execute <code>sha512sum easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. The number you see there, should be ''exactly'' the same. Btw: <code>sha512</code> is better than <code>sha256</code>, and ''especially'' better than <code>md5</code>. <code>md5</code> is trash, don't use it. == Game Streaming == You can use [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == RGB == You can use [https://gitlab.com/CalcProgrammer1/OpenRGB OpenRGB]. == Razer control driver == For razer hardware, you can use this driver: https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer == Logitech control software == Solaar is a Linux device manager for Logitech devices. You can do stuff like changing DPI, or button mappings, etc. https://github.com/pwr-Solaar/Solaar == Suspend/resume of applications (games, an others) == You can use [https://github.com/Merrit/nyrna nyrna]. Unortunately it doesn't (yet) "survive" reboots. == Test whether you use X11 or Wayland == Open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. If it says <code>wayland</code>, you use wayland. == Disable swapping for a game == You can do it like [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/u02y88/psa_disable_swap_for_games_and_dont_submit_bogus/ this]. == Simultaneously play two different games on the same device == https://www.reddit.com/r/tuxedocomputers/comments/ucdvj7/finally_did_it_two_different_users_playing/ == Merge two monitors into one (to have one wide screen that spans both monitors) == Type <code>xrandr</code> into the [[terminal]]. You will see a list of your monitors. Pick the monitors that you want to merge. Assuming that you want to merge <code>DisplayPort-1</code> and <code>HDMI-A-0</code>, type <code>xrandr --setmonitor BigScreen auto "DisplayPort-1","HDMI-A-0"</code>. To undo the changes, type <code>xrandr --delmonitor BigScreen</code>. This works only on X11, and not on Wayland. ece1ec91cdb5e07c607289456a6db091c84aed5d 1480 1479 2023-02-13T13:59:13Z Aragorn 3 /* Merge two monitors into one (to have one wide screen that spans both monitors) */ wikitext text/x-wiki Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. == Edit System files as root (with elevated permissions) == You can either use the [[terminal]], or use a file manager like Nemo. == Watching the temperature == You can use <code>lm_sensors</code>. Before running it for the first time, run <code>sudo sensors-detect</code>. After that, type <code>sensors</code> to see your temperatures. If you want to monitor them for a longer time, type <code>watch sensors</code>. == Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc) == Settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows once, and change stuff there. You can also boot a VM (with KVM) and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings should be kept in Linux. == Audio stuff == === Noise Cancelling === You can use [https://github.com/wwmm/easyeffects EasyEffects] or [https://github.com/noisetorch/NoiseTorch NoiseTorch]. === Equalizer and more === EasyEffects also has various other audio processing options, like crystalizer, noise gate, equalizer, filter, and much more. NoiseTorch can only cancel noise, but also has the option to tweak how aggressive it cancels noise. === Patching Audio === If you want to have a patchbay to route your audio to various destinations, [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/rncbc/qpwgraph qpwgraph] or [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/helvum Helvum] might be what you're looking for. == Make the game look good == === Downsampling === You can use [[Gamescope]]. === Post Processing === You can use [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) ==Using GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long as it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try again to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code><nowiki>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</nowiki></code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. #Follow the instructions in the readme. == Using Checksums == When downloading a file, you might have seen something like <code>sha512: 497907d020870e564b814bb6c4f7eef2f3abdf5d0159ccbd96501a26cef155a8d771a420a16c9348525fa4ce7de3c137ad5ff15a013c84f327edbdea6495d86b easyanticheat_x64.so</code> This is a checksum, or more precise: An <code>sha512</code> checksum for the file <code>easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. This number is for verifying that you have the correct file, and not something that is manipulated or inaccurately transmitted. '''Usage''': Download file, open [[terminal]], and <code>cd Downloads</code>. Then you execute <code>sha512sum easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. The number you see there, should be ''exactly'' the same. Btw: <code>sha512</code> is better than <code>sha256</code>, and ''especially'' better than <code>md5</code>. <code>md5</code> is trash, don't use it. == Game Streaming == You can use [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == RGB == You can use [https://gitlab.com/CalcProgrammer1/OpenRGB OpenRGB]. == Razer control driver == For razer hardware, you can use this driver: https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer == Logitech control software == Solaar is a Linux device manager for Logitech devices. You can do stuff like changing DPI, or button mappings, etc. https://github.com/pwr-Solaar/Solaar == Suspend/resume of applications (games, an others) == You can use [https://github.com/Merrit/nyrna nyrna]. Unortunately it doesn't (yet) "survive" reboots. == Test whether you use X11 or Wayland == Open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. If it says <code>wayland</code>, you use wayland. == Disable swapping for a game == You can do it like [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/u02y88/psa_disable_swap_for_games_and_dont_submit_bogus/ this]. == Simultaneously play two different games on the same device == https://www.reddit.com/r/tuxedocomputers/comments/ucdvj7/finally_did_it_two_different_users_playing/ == Merge two monitors into one (to have one wide screen that spans both monitors) == Type <code>xrandr</code> into the [[terminal]]. You will see a list of your monitors. Pick the monitors that you want to merge. Assuming that you want to merge <code>DisplayPort-1</code> and <code>HDMI-A-0</code>, type <code>xrandr --setmonitor BigScreen auto "DisplayPort-1","HDMI-A-0"</code>. The order of the monitors in the command determines the order how they are arranged. In this example, the monitor <code>DisplayPort-1</code> would be left, and <code>HDMI-A-0</code> would be right. To undo the changes, type <code>xrandr --delmonitor BigScreen</code>. This works only on X11, and not on Wayland. ac4a263ba6980c74b88abf4043ec24490248944d 1481 1480 2023-02-13T13:59:30Z Aragorn 3 /* Merge two monitors into one (to have one wide screen that spans both monitors) */ wikitext text/x-wiki Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. == Edit System files as root (with elevated permissions) == You can either use the [[terminal]], or use a file manager like Nemo. == Watching the temperature == You can use <code>lm_sensors</code>. Before running it for the first time, run <code>sudo sensors-detect</code>. After that, type <code>sensors</code> to see your temperatures. If you want to monitor them for a longer time, type <code>watch sensors</code>. == Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc) == Settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows once, and change stuff there. You can also boot a VM (with KVM) and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings should be kept in Linux. == Audio stuff == === Noise Cancelling === You can use [https://github.com/wwmm/easyeffects EasyEffects] or [https://github.com/noisetorch/NoiseTorch NoiseTorch]. === Equalizer and more === EasyEffects also has various other audio processing options, like crystalizer, noise gate, equalizer, filter, and much more. NoiseTorch can only cancel noise, but also has the option to tweak how aggressive it cancels noise. === Patching Audio === If you want to have a patchbay to route your audio to various destinations, [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/rncbc/qpwgraph qpwgraph] or [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/helvum Helvum] might be what you're looking for. == Make the game look good == === Downsampling === You can use [[Gamescope]]. === Post Processing === You can use [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) ==Using GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long as it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try again to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code><nowiki>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</nowiki></code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. #Follow the instructions in the readme. == Using Checksums == When downloading a file, you might have seen something like <code>sha512: 497907d020870e564b814bb6c4f7eef2f3abdf5d0159ccbd96501a26cef155a8d771a420a16c9348525fa4ce7de3c137ad5ff15a013c84f327edbdea6495d86b easyanticheat_x64.so</code> This is a checksum, or more precise: An <code>sha512</code> checksum for the file <code>easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. This number is for verifying that you have the correct file, and not something that is manipulated or inaccurately transmitted. '''Usage''': Download file, open [[terminal]], and <code>cd Downloads</code>. Then you execute <code>sha512sum easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. The number you see there, should be ''exactly'' the same. Btw: <code>sha512</code> is better than <code>sha256</code>, and ''especially'' better than <code>md5</code>. <code>md5</code> is trash, don't use it. == Game Streaming == You can use [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == RGB == You can use [https://gitlab.com/CalcProgrammer1/OpenRGB OpenRGB]. == Razer control driver == For razer hardware, you can use this driver: https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer == Logitech control software == Solaar is a Linux device manager for Logitech devices. You can do stuff like changing DPI, or button mappings, etc. https://github.com/pwr-Solaar/Solaar == Suspend/resume of applications (games, an others) == You can use [https://github.com/Merrit/nyrna nyrna]. Unortunately it doesn't (yet) "survive" reboots. == Test whether you use X11 or Wayland == Open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. If it says <code>wayland</code>, you use wayland. == Disable swapping for a game == You can do it like [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/u02y88/psa_disable_swap_for_games_and_dont_submit_bogus/ this]. == Simultaneously play two different games on the same device == https://www.reddit.com/r/tuxedocomputers/comments/ucdvj7/finally_did_it_two_different_users_playing/ == Merge two monitors into one (to have one wide screen that spans both monitors) == Type <code>xrandr</code> into the [[terminal]]. You will see a list of your monitors. Pick the monitors that you want to merge. Assuming that you want to merge <code>DisplayPort-1</code> and <code>HDMI-A-0</code>, type <code>xrandr --setmonitor BigScreen auto "DisplayPort-1","HDMI-A-0"</code>. The order of the monitors in the command determines the order of how they are arranged. In this example, the monitor <code>DisplayPort-1</code> would be left, and <code>HDMI-A-0</code> would be right. To undo the changes, type <code>xrandr --delmonitor BigScreen</code>. This works only on X11, and not on Wayland. 629ddb00ec8d036780c1c06ae8d2ba382dc03630 1482 1481 2023-02-13T14:01:46Z Aragorn 3 /* Merge two monitors into one (to have one wide screen that spans both monitors) */ wikitext text/x-wiki Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. == Edit System files as root (with elevated permissions) == You can either use the [[terminal]], or use a file manager like Nemo. == Watching the temperature == You can use <code>lm_sensors</code>. Before running it for the first time, run <code>sudo sensors-detect</code>. After that, type <code>sensors</code> to see your temperatures. If you want to monitor them for a longer time, type <code>watch sensors</code>. == Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc) == Settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows once, and change stuff there. You can also boot a VM (with KVM) and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings should be kept in Linux. == Audio stuff == === Noise Cancelling === You can use [https://github.com/wwmm/easyeffects EasyEffects] or [https://github.com/noisetorch/NoiseTorch NoiseTorch]. === Equalizer and more === EasyEffects also has various other audio processing options, like crystalizer, noise gate, equalizer, filter, and much more. NoiseTorch can only cancel noise, but also has the option to tweak how aggressive it cancels noise. === Patching Audio === If you want to have a patchbay to route your audio to various destinations, [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/rncbc/qpwgraph qpwgraph] or [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/helvum Helvum] might be what you're looking for. == Make the game look good == === Downsampling === You can use [[Gamescope]]. === Post Processing === You can use [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) ==Using GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long as it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try again to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code><nowiki>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</nowiki></code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. #Follow the instructions in the readme. == Using Checksums == When downloading a file, you might have seen something like <code>sha512: 497907d020870e564b814bb6c4f7eef2f3abdf5d0159ccbd96501a26cef155a8d771a420a16c9348525fa4ce7de3c137ad5ff15a013c84f327edbdea6495d86b easyanticheat_x64.so</code> This is a checksum, or more precise: An <code>sha512</code> checksum for the file <code>easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. This number is for verifying that you have the correct file, and not something that is manipulated or inaccurately transmitted. '''Usage''': Download file, open [[terminal]], and <code>cd Downloads</code>. Then you execute <code>sha512sum easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. The number you see there, should be ''exactly'' the same. Btw: <code>sha512</code> is better than <code>sha256</code>, and ''especially'' better than <code>md5</code>. <code>md5</code> is trash, don't use it. == Game Streaming == You can use [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == RGB == You can use [https://gitlab.com/CalcProgrammer1/OpenRGB OpenRGB]. == Razer control driver == For razer hardware, you can use this driver: https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer == Logitech control software == Solaar is a Linux device manager for Logitech devices. You can do stuff like changing DPI, or button mappings, etc. https://github.com/pwr-Solaar/Solaar == Suspend/resume of applications (games, an others) == You can use [https://github.com/Merrit/nyrna nyrna]. Unortunately it doesn't (yet) "survive" reboots. == Test whether you use X11 or Wayland == Open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. If it says <code>wayland</code>, you use wayland. == Disable swapping for a game == You can do it like [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/u02y88/psa_disable_swap_for_games_and_dont_submit_bogus/ this]. == Simultaneously play two different games on the same device == https://www.reddit.com/r/tuxedocomputers/comments/ucdvj7/finally_did_it_two_different_users_playing/ == Merge two monitors into one (to have one wide screen that spans both monitors) == Type <code>xrandr</code> into the [[terminal]]. You will see a list of your monitors. Pick the monitors that you want to merge. Assuming that you want to merge <code>DisplayPort-1</code> and <code>HDMI-A-0</code>, type <code>xrandr --setmonitor BigScreen auto "DisplayPort-1","HDMI-A-0"</code>. The order of the monitors in the command determines the order of how they are arranged. In this example, the monitor <code>DisplayPort-1</code> would be left, and <code>HDMI-A-0</code> would be right. To undo the changes, type <code>xrandr --delmonitor BigScreen</code>. This works only on X11, and not on Wayland. This does not work with every desktop environment, for example, it does not work with KDE Plasma. Generally speaking, it works better if the desktop environment is less sophisticated. b4fbcbb74a63d8127655076920820fb3dda22ecf 1483 1482 2023-02-13T14:02:10Z Aragorn 3 /* Merge two monitors into one (to have one wide screen that spans both monitors) */ wikitext text/x-wiki Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. == Edit System files as root (with elevated permissions) == You can either use the [[terminal]], or use a file manager like Nemo. == Watching the temperature == You can use <code>lm_sensors</code>. Before running it for the first time, run <code>sudo sensors-detect</code>. After that, type <code>sensors</code> to see your temperatures. If you want to monitor them for a longer time, type <code>watch sensors</code>. == Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc) == Settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows once, and change stuff there. You can also boot a VM (with KVM) and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings should be kept in Linux. == Audio stuff == === Noise Cancelling === You can use [https://github.com/wwmm/easyeffects EasyEffects] or [https://github.com/noisetorch/NoiseTorch NoiseTorch]. === Equalizer and more === EasyEffects also has various other audio processing options, like crystalizer, noise gate, equalizer, filter, and much more. NoiseTorch can only cancel noise, but also has the option to tweak how aggressive it cancels noise. === Patching Audio === If you want to have a patchbay to route your audio to various destinations, [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/rncbc/qpwgraph qpwgraph] or [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/helvum Helvum] might be what you're looking for. == Make the game look good == === Downsampling === You can use [[Gamescope]]. === Post Processing === You can use [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) ==Using GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long as it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try again to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code><nowiki>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</nowiki></code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. #Follow the instructions in the readme. == Using Checksums == When downloading a file, you might have seen something like <code>sha512: 497907d020870e564b814bb6c4f7eef2f3abdf5d0159ccbd96501a26cef155a8d771a420a16c9348525fa4ce7de3c137ad5ff15a013c84f327edbdea6495d86b easyanticheat_x64.so</code> This is a checksum, or more precise: An <code>sha512</code> checksum for the file <code>easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. This number is for verifying that you have the correct file, and not something that is manipulated or inaccurately transmitted. '''Usage''': Download file, open [[terminal]], and <code>cd Downloads</code>. Then you execute <code>sha512sum easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. The number you see there, should be ''exactly'' the same. Btw: <code>sha512</code> is better than <code>sha256</code>, and ''especially'' better than <code>md5</code>. <code>md5</code> is trash, don't use it. == Game Streaming == You can use [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == RGB == You can use [https://gitlab.com/CalcProgrammer1/OpenRGB OpenRGB]. == Razer control driver == For razer hardware, you can use this driver: https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer == Logitech control software == Solaar is a Linux device manager for Logitech devices. You can do stuff like changing DPI, or button mappings, etc. https://github.com/pwr-Solaar/Solaar == Suspend/resume of applications (games, an others) == You can use [https://github.com/Merrit/nyrna nyrna]. Unortunately it doesn't (yet) "survive" reboots. == Test whether you use X11 or Wayland == Open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. If it says <code>wayland</code>, you use wayland. == Disable swapping for a game == You can do it like [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/u02y88/psa_disable_swap_for_games_and_dont_submit_bogus/ this]. == Simultaneously play two different games on the same device == https://www.reddit.com/r/tuxedocomputers/comments/ucdvj7/finally_did_it_two_different_users_playing/ == Merge two monitors into one (to have one wide screen that spans both monitors) == Type <code>xrandr</code> into the [[terminal]]. You will see a list of your monitors. Pick the monitors that you want to merge. Assuming that you want to merge <code>DisplayPort-1</code> and <code>HDMI-A-0</code>, type <code>xrandr --setmonitor BigScreen auto "DisplayPort-1","HDMI-A-0"</code>. The order of the monitors in the command determines the order of how they are arranged. In this example, the monitor <code>DisplayPort-1</code> would be left, and <code>HDMI-A-0</code> would be right. To undo the changes, type <code>xrandr --delmonitor BigScreen</code>. This works only on X11, and not on Wayland. It also doesn't work with every desktop environment, for example, it does not work with KDE Plasma. Generally speaking, it works better if the desktop environment is less sophisticated. 90b70c32a2b5a51600a5441e61bf9c51fc946bc3 0 5 1438 1373 2023-02-07T12:36:44Z Aragorn 3 /* Major tweaks */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Nobara Official, Nobara Gnome, and Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]], it's not necessary on Wayland. **You do have to do this on Nobara KDE! *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Read the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. Old drivers can be a problem if they are too old. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. *If you have two GPUs (for example an integrated and a dedicated one), use the one with more performance. ''TODO: How?'' ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (one of the gaming optimized kernels, or just any kernel above 5.16), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>[https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg-pds]</code>, <code>[https://xanmod.org/ Xanmod]</code>, or <code>[https://liquorix.net/ Liquorix]</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> and <code>Liquorix</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. ***They should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. If you don't, you end up with an insecure system! **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people also recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler). Currently there are no scientific tests, so you have to see yourself what works best for you. You can get both from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. On an average gaming CPU, this will take something in the magnitude of an hour. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **Note that the following environment variable is not needed with Nvidia driver 520 (or higher) and DXVK 2.0 (or higher) thanks to VK_EXT_graphics_pipeline_library, Intel and AMD driver support is coming soon. <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE, ''until version 7-44'', is compatible. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (if you named the folder <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code>, you also need to manually type <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code> in the field). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page] and [https://github.com/AdelKS/LinuxGamingGuide this collection of tweaks]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=gpl</code>: Should lead to a behavior similar to shader caching on Windows. Games that don't stutter on Windows, should also not stutter on Linux. Currently, it also disables shader caching, so load times will be high. Is still new, and might not work correctly. You need mesa-git or mesa 23 for it to work. ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (Gnome and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. Disabling composition should lead to slightly less input lag.<ref name=":2" /> KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. Gnome is also valid, but adds a small amount of input lag.<ref name=":2">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section ''(Test needed to know how good it works!)''. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid Gnome x11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync or enable tearing updates. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. KDE plasma 5.27 or higher will be required for tearing updates on Wayland and your game will also need to be run in fullscreen mode for it to work. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on (unless tearing updates are enabled), regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. *Sometimes a game has both, a Linux native, and a Windows version. They don't always run equally well. If you have problems, it might be worth a shot to try the other one. *If you use Arch or an Arch based distribution, and you own a very new AMD GPU, it might be worth it to install <code>linux-firmware-git</code>, and <code>mesa-git</code> from the AUR (for example by using an AUR helper like <code>paru</code>). You might also consider to install a release candidate of the Linux kernel, for example by using <code>linux-rc</code> from the AUR, or by compiling <code>linux-tkg</code> and selecting a release candidate (to be detected by the <code>rc</code>, as in <code>v6.2-'''rc'''4</code>). ==References and notes == <references /> 4d78b9fc618fdc5a0b1559aa686d12a80cfc7a92 1439 1438 2023-02-08T00:01:47Z Aragorn 3 /* Troubleshooting */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Nobara Official, Nobara Gnome, and Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]], it's not necessary on Wayland. **You do have to do this on Nobara KDE! *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Read the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. Old drivers can be a problem if they are too old. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. *If you have two GPUs (for example an integrated and a dedicated one), use the one with more performance. ''TODO: How?'' ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (one of the gaming optimized kernels, or just any kernel above 5.16), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>[https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg-pds]</code>, <code>[https://xanmod.org/ Xanmod]</code>, or <code>[https://liquorix.net/ Liquorix]</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> and <code>Liquorix</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. ***They should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. If you don't, you end up with an insecure system! **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people also recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler). Currently there are no scientific tests, so you have to see yourself what works best for you. You can get both from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. On an average gaming CPU, this will take something in the magnitude of an hour. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **Note that the following environment variable is not needed with Nvidia driver 520 (or higher) and DXVK 2.0 (or higher) thanks to VK_EXT_graphics_pipeline_library, Intel and AMD driver support is coming soon. <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE, ''until version 7-44'', is compatible. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (if you named the folder <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code>, you also need to manually type <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code> in the field). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page] and [https://github.com/AdelKS/LinuxGamingGuide this collection of tweaks]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=gpl</code>: Should lead to a behavior similar to shader caching on Windows. Games that don't stutter on Windows, should also not stutter on Linux. Currently, it also disables shader caching, so load times will be high. Is still new, and might not work correctly. You need mesa-git or mesa 23 for it to work. ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (Gnome and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. Disabling composition should lead to slightly less input lag.<ref name=":2" /> KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. Gnome is also valid, but adds a small amount of input lag.<ref name=":2">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section ''(Test needed to know how good it works!)''. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid Gnome x11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync or enable tearing updates. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. KDE plasma 5.27 or higher will be required for tearing updates on Wayland and your game will also need to be run in fullscreen mode for it to work. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on (unless tearing updates are enabled), regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. *Sometimes a game has both, a Linux native, and a Windows version. They don't always run equally well. If you have problems, it might be worth a shot to try the other one. *If you use Arch or an Arch based distribution, and you own a very new AMD GPU, it might be worth it to install <code>linux-firmware-git</code>, and <code>mesa-git</code> from the AUR (for example by using an AUR helper like <code>paru</code>). You might also consider to install a release candidate of the Linux kernel, for example by using <code>linux-rc</code> from the AUR, or by compiling <code>linux-tkg</code> and selecting a release candidate (to be detected by the <code>rc</code>, as in <code>v6.2-'''rc'''4</code>). *On Nvidia, you might need the environment variable <code>PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1</code> for DLSS. *You might need the environment variable <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=dxr</code> for ray tracing. ==References and notes == <references /> 71d80bd5f8117a4bb803279f94b7049c60254bd4 1440 1439 2023-02-08T00:02:06Z Aragorn 3 /* Troubleshooting */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Nobara Official, Nobara Gnome, and Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]], it's not necessary on Wayland. **You do have to do this on Nobara KDE! *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Read the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. Old drivers can be a problem if they are too old. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. *If you have two GPUs (for example an integrated and a dedicated one), use the one with more performance. ''TODO: How?'' ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (one of the gaming optimized kernels, or just any kernel above 5.16), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>[https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg-pds]</code>, <code>[https://xanmod.org/ Xanmod]</code>, or <code>[https://liquorix.net/ Liquorix]</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> and <code>Liquorix</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. ***They should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. If you don't, you end up with an insecure system! **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people also recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler). Currently there are no scientific tests, so you have to see yourself what works best for you. You can get both from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. On an average gaming CPU, this will take something in the magnitude of an hour. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **Note that the following environment variable is not needed with Nvidia driver 520 (or higher) and DXVK 2.0 (or higher) thanks to VK_EXT_graphics_pipeline_library, Intel and AMD driver support is coming soon. <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE, ''until version 7-44'', is compatible. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (if you named the folder <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code>, you also need to manually type <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code> in the field). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page] and [https://github.com/AdelKS/LinuxGamingGuide this collection of tweaks]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=gpl</code>: Should lead to a behavior similar to shader caching on Windows. Games that don't stutter on Windows, should also not stutter on Linux. Currently, it also disables shader caching, so load times will be high. Is still new, and might not work correctly. You need mesa-git or mesa 23 for it to work. ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (Gnome and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. Disabling composition should lead to slightly less input lag.<ref name=":2" /> KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. Gnome is also valid, but adds a small amount of input lag.<ref name=":2">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section ''(Test needed to know how good it works!)''. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid Gnome x11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync or enable tearing updates. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. KDE plasma 5.27 or higher will be required for tearing updates on Wayland and your game will also need to be run in fullscreen mode for it to work. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on (unless tearing updates are enabled), regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. *Sometimes a game has both, a Linux native, and a Windows version. They don't always run equally well. If you have problems, it might be worth a shot to try the other one. *If you use Arch or an Arch based distribution, and you own a very new AMD GPU, it might be worth it to install <code>linux-firmware-git</code>, and <code>mesa-git</code> from the AUR (for example by using an AUR helper like <code>paru</code>). You might also consider to install a release candidate of the Linux kernel, for example by using <code>linux-rc</code> from the AUR, or by compiling <code>linux-tkg</code> and selecting a release candidate (to be detected by the <code>rc</code>, as in <code>v6.2-'''rc'''4</code>). *On Nvidia, you might need the [[Environment variables|environment variable]] <code>PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1</code> for DLSS. *You might need the [[Environment variables|environment variable]] <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=dxr</code> for ray tracing. ==References and notes == <references /> f95a0bae3e0ebb80ffd3ab99aeabc55ae8c9bfed 1528 1440 2023-02-18T10:24:52Z Aragorn 3 /* Optional */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Nobara Official, Nobara Gnome, and Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]], it's not necessary on Wayland. **You do have to do this on Nobara KDE! *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Read the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. Old drivers can be a problem if they are too old. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. *If you have two GPUs (for example an integrated and a dedicated one), use the one with more performance. ''TODO: How?'' ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (one of the gaming optimized kernels, or just any kernel above 5.16), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>[https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg-pds]</code>, <code>[https://xanmod.org/ Xanmod]</code>, or <code>[https://liquorix.net/ Liquorix]</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> and <code>Liquorix</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. ***They should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. If you don't, you end up with an insecure system! **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people also recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler). Currently there are no scientific tests, so you have to see yourself what works best for you. You can get both from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. On an average gaming CPU, this will take something in the magnitude of an hour. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **Note that for many games, the following is not needed with Nvidia driver 520 (or higher) and DXVK 2.0 (or higher) thanks to VK_EXT_graphics_pipeline_library, Intel and AMD driver support is coming soon. However, there are still games that can profit from it, and it might lead to slightly better frame times<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18AYlKq05ew</ref>. <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE, ''until version 7-44'', is compatible. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (if you named the folder <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code>, you also need to manually type <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code> in the field). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page] and [https://github.com/AdelKS/LinuxGamingGuide this collection of tweaks]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=gpl</code>: Should lead to a behavior similar to shader caching on Windows. Games that don't stutter on Windows, should also not stutter on Linux. Currently, it also disables shader caching, so load times will be high. Is still new, and might not work correctly. You need mesa-git or mesa 23 for it to work. ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (Gnome and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. Disabling composition should lead to slightly less input lag.<ref name=":2" /> KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. Gnome is also valid, but adds a small amount of input lag.<ref name=":2">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section ''(Test needed to know how good it works!)''. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid Gnome x11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync or enable tearing updates. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. KDE plasma 5.27 or higher will be required for tearing updates on Wayland and your game will also need to be run in fullscreen mode for it to work. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on (unless tearing updates are enabled), regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. *Sometimes a game has both, a Linux native, and a Windows version. They don't always run equally well. If you have problems, it might be worth a shot to try the other one. *If you use Arch or an Arch based distribution, and you own a very new AMD GPU, it might be worth it to install <code>linux-firmware-git</code>, and <code>mesa-git</code> from the AUR (for example by using an AUR helper like <code>paru</code>). You might also consider to install a release candidate of the Linux kernel, for example by using <code>linux-rc</code> from the AUR, or by compiling <code>linux-tkg</code> and selecting a release candidate (to be detected by the <code>rc</code>, as in <code>v6.2-'''rc'''4</code>). *On Nvidia, you might need the [[Environment variables|environment variable]] <code>PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1</code> for DLSS. *You might need the [[Environment variables|environment variable]] <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=dxr</code> for ray tracing. ==References and notes == <references /> c98d40dc4f16b7bbce2820c70c2fb68def1e2a4f 0 3 1444 1223 2023-02-09T01:47:38Z 179.158.15.116 0 Fixed some typos and shortened some sentences. Also, confirmed that FSR's maximum value is 5 on the environment variable. wikitext text/x-wiki FSR can be used to get better performance in games at the cost of visuals. It is comparable with DLSS, but can be applied to every game. There are several modes from ultra quality to maximum performance. For example, it is possible to double your FPS with very little visual loss. FSR only works if the game is GPU limited (your GPU runs at 100%). Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The performance difference might be even bigger if your VRAM is not big enough. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. == Setup with Wine == === Basic setup === * Set <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR=1</code> as [[Environment variables|environment variable]], or use the switch in Lutris/Bottles * In game set your setting according to the table on page 10 of [https://github.com/GPUOpen-Effects/FidelityFX-FSR/blob/master/docs/FidelityFX-FSR-Overview-Integration.pdf this] document: For example, if you want to have Ultra Quality, and your output resolution (the resolution of your actualy monitor) is 1920x1080, you set your ingame resolution to 1477x831. Other resolutions also work, but you might get black bars if the aspect ratio is not your monitor's native one. Setting your ingame resolution to your output resolution disables FSR. * In game ** Enable anti aliasing (TAA, MSAA, FXAA, ...) ** Disable effects that generate noise (like Motion Blur, Blur, Chromatic Aberration, Sharpening, etc.) * You need a patched version of Wine or Proton, for example the TKG, or GE version. Default versions in Lutris and Bottles work fine. === More configuration options === You can add more options with [[environment variables]]: * <code>WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR_STRENGTH=4</code> This sharpens the image. 4 is an example value. 0 is maximum sharpness, higher values mean less sharpening. 5 is the maximum value. The default is 2 but this is probably too much for your game. Just experiment with different values. * <code>WINE_VULKAN_NEGATIVE_MIP_BIAS=45</code> This results in textures with higher resolution. 45 is an example value. AMD recommends: {| class="wikitable" !Quality Setting !MIP Bias |- |Ultra Quality |38 |- |Quality |58 |- |Balanced |79 |- |Performance |100 |} * <code>WINE_VULKAN_BIAS_ALL_SAMPLER=1</code> This applies the MIP Bias to everything. 1 is enabled, 0 is disabled. This can result in weird game behaviour. === Examples === * [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/q3dl6y/witcher_3_fsr_is_working_great/ Witcher 3] == Setup with Gamescope == You can enable FSR in [[Gamescope]] with <code>gamescope -U --fsr-sharpness 4 --</code> as command prefix. 4 is an example value, replace it by something between 0 (max) and 20 (min). This also works for native games. == FSR 2 == FSR 2 provides far better graphics quality than FSR 1. However, it needs support from the game. You can often use a mod to translate DLSS to FSR 2 if the game only supports DLSS. 6f902e9b990addea7e1ad967b4192ed236c1ae5b 0 44 1454 1331 2023-02-10T10:20:56Z Aragorn 3 /* Steam Tinker Launch */ wikitext text/x-wiki Steam runs natively on Linux. You can probably just install it from your App store. Usually you want to use ''Steam (Runtime)''. Only use ''Steam (native)'' if you know why you want to use it. If you use the Flatpak version, you will also need to use the Flatpak version of other software that you want to use with it, like MangoHud. == Enable Steam Play for all games == In order to run games that have no Linux version, and that are not explicitly whitelisted by Valve, go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. It's usually a good idea to use [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] instead of Proton Experimental. It has lots of benefits like improved game compatibility, raw mouse input, additional codecs for cutscenes, and much more. However it can be unstable. So if you have stability issues, try something else, for example an older version. Installation instructions are [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom#installation= here]. If you want the latest features, you have to update it manually, though. == ProtonUp-Qt == You can use [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] to make the installation and update process of [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] simple: * 1. Download the [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] AppImage * 2. Mark the AppImage as executable * 3. Double-click the AppImage to run ProtonUp-Qt Alternatively, you can install it from [https://flathub.org/apps/details/net.davidotek.pupgui2 Flathub]. == Launch Options == You may find something like <code>-screen-width 1280 -screen-height 720 -screen-fullscreen 0</code> on protondb. These are ''launch options''. To use them, you right click on the game, and in the <code>general</code> tab, there is a field called <code>launch options</code>. You paste them (for example <code>%command% -screen-height 1920 -screen-width 1080 -screen-fullscreen</code>) in there. <code>%command%</code> is the command to start the game. Some launch options go before this command (commands to execute programs, for example <code>gamemoderun</code> or <code>mangohud</code>), and some go behind it (flags that are passed to the game itself, typically stuff that starts with a <code>-</code>). == Steam Tinker Launch == [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch Steam Tinker Launch] is a swiss army knife tool that allows easy customization of multiple options for Steam games. It includes helpers for custom commands, Vortex, Mod Organizer 2, Proton GE, Proton/DXVK/wine options, winetricks, ReShade + easy selection for shaders, FSR, debugging, side-by-side VR automation, SteamGridDB, SpecialK, Proton KillSwitch, Gamescope, GameMode, and more. You can find a more comprehensive list of features in the [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch/wiki wiki] (dropdownlist on the right). You can find instructions on how to install it [https://github.com/sonic2kk/steamtinkerlaunch#how-do-i-install-it here]. == File Locations == === Steam Folder === If you use the Steam Flatpak, your Steam folder is <code>~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/data/Steam/</code> If you use the "normal" package, your Steam folder is in<code>~/.local/share/Steam/</code> === Games and Save Files === Your games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/common/<game_name></code>. Your save games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/compatdata/<some_number>/pfx/drive_c/<windows_path></code>. In order to know which number is correct, you can just use the search functionality of your file manager (probably <code>ctrl</code> + <code>f</code>) to search for the game name, or type <code>find <steam_folder>/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/ | grep -i "<game_name>"</code> in the [[terminal]]. You have to substitute ''<steam_folder>'' and ''<game_name>'' with the actual thing, of course. 31a958af41b742cecd75886253ad6e3c38ab63e9 0 45 1513 1348 2023-02-17T10:19:38Z Aragorn 3 /* Mice/Keyboards */ wikitext text/x-wiki Hardware compatibility with Linux is sometimes tricky. You can not buy just anything and expect it to work. Some manufacturers don't support Linux at all, and sometimes the support is not good. However, if you already own a desktop or laptop, it is probably going to work. Just try it with a live USB. This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware categories. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Regarding specific recommendations. Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a timestamp in the form YYYY-MM. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. If you buy wrong, you might end up with completely incompatible hardware. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. The important thing in the sticks is the chip. Manufacturers sometimes have the same model with different chips. Chips that often work, are Qualcomm Atheros, and [https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005511/wireless.html Intel]. === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. Recommendations: To be done. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. Recommendations: To be done. == Less problematic Hardware == Your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is much lower. However, you might face some jank, some features might not work, and stuff might not be flawless. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. If you want to read more about it, you might find something in [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/tdmup7/unpopular_opinion_i_feel_like_the_whole_nvidia/ this reddit post]. AMD and Nvidia both work, and you'll ''probably'' be fine with either. However: * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), and Nvidia even released their kernel module, but they are no option for gaming (at least yet). **If you want long support, AMD is the way to go, as support is essentially never dropped. * Nvidia provides proprietary day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, due to not being FOSS. There might be some delayed features, or some bugs. But as said, you're ''probably'' going to be fine. If you're not, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s blame Nvidia]. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] and FSR 2, which works in a similar way. There are mods that translate DLSS 2 to FSR 2 for many games. **Don't fear to switch to Linux if you own an Nvidia GPU. Even though AMD might be the better option, many people are very happy with their Nvidia GPU. * If you buy a very old GPU, make sure that it has Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth, and even those often work. You might face problems if you have a device with two GPUs (should be solvable), or other special components (fingerprint reader, etc - might not be solvable). * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo **Slimbook * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: **Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15ACH6 | EU | around 800-1 000 € (multiple similar models available) | Available without OS | Out of the box full compatibility (WiFi since kernel 5.16, on older manual installation of driver<ref>https://github.com/lwfinger/rtw89</ref> needed) === Mainboards === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. ==== AMD ==== * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] === Mice/Keyboards === Generally all of them work, as long as you don't expect the specific configuration software to work. This can mean that you can't control RGB, DPI, or makro buttons. Some models have native support: * Logitech: [https://pwr-solaar.github.io/Solaar/devices Solaar] * Razer: [https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer OpenRazer]. * Roccat: [https://github.com/X3n0m0rph59/eruption Eruption], [https://sourceforge.net/projects/roccat/files/roccat-tools/ roccat-tools]([https://aur.archlinux.org/pkgbase/roccat-tools aur], [https://launchpad.net/~berfenger/+archive/ubuntu/roccat ppa]) *ASUS: [https://github.com/kyokenn/rogdrv rogdrv] *Various models: [https://github.com/libratbag/libratbag libratbag] A workaround for unsupported models can be to boot Windows once to change the settings (if you don't need to change them all the time). You can also start a VM, pass through the device, and change settings there. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. Recommendations: * To be done == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs == Unknown categories == {{Needs work|Problem=I'm not sure whether these categories are unproblematic or not. Personally I never had issues, and I don't see many people writing about problems in forums}} === Bluetooth Headphones === ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03<!-- Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). --> ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03 === USB Digital/Audio converter === *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03 == References == * * 3281e64a87d85ed33d369f1dff41dc3d940563c5 1514 1513 2023-02-17T10:23:49Z Aragorn 3 /* Mice/Keyboards */ wikitext text/x-wiki Hardware compatibility with Linux is sometimes tricky. You can not buy just anything and expect it to work. Some manufacturers don't support Linux at all, and sometimes the support is not good. However, if you already own a desktop or laptop, it is probably going to work. Just try it with a live USB. This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware categories. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Regarding specific recommendations. Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a timestamp in the form YYYY-MM. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. If you buy wrong, you might end up with completely incompatible hardware. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. The important thing in the sticks is the chip. Manufacturers sometimes have the same model with different chips. Chips that often work, are Qualcomm Atheros, and [https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005511/wireless.html Intel]. === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. Recommendations: To be done. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. Recommendations: To be done. == Less problematic Hardware == Your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is much lower. However, you might face some jank, some features might not work, and stuff might not be flawless. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. If you want to read more about it, you might find something in [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/tdmup7/unpopular_opinion_i_feel_like_the_whole_nvidia/ this reddit post]. AMD and Nvidia both work, and you'll ''probably'' be fine with either. However: * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), and Nvidia even released their kernel module, but they are no option for gaming (at least yet). **If you want long support, AMD is the way to go, as support is essentially never dropped. * Nvidia provides proprietary day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, due to not being FOSS. There might be some delayed features, or some bugs. But as said, you're ''probably'' going to be fine. If you're not, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s blame Nvidia]. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] and FSR 2, which works in a similar way. There are mods that translate DLSS 2 to FSR 2 for many games. **Don't fear to switch to Linux if you own an Nvidia GPU. Even though AMD might be the better option, many people are very happy with their Nvidia GPU. * If you buy a very old GPU, make sure that it has Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth, and even those often work. You might face problems if you have a device with two GPUs (should be solvable), or other special components (fingerprint reader, etc - might not be solvable). * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo **Slimbook * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: **Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15ACH6 | EU | around 800-1 000 € (multiple similar models available) | Available without OS | Out of the box full compatibility (WiFi since kernel 5.16, on older manual installation of driver<ref>https://github.com/lwfinger/rtw89</ref> needed) === Mainboards === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. ==== AMD ==== * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] === Mice/Keyboards === {{Needs work|Problem=It is not clear how good these tools are, and if they are actually a good recommendation. Maybe it would be possible to rate them for usability}} Generally all of them work, as long as you don't expect the specific configuration software to work. This can mean that you can't control RGB, DPI, or makro buttons. Some models have native support: * Logitech: [https://pwr-solaar.github.io/Solaar/devices Solaar] * Razer: [https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer OpenRazer]. * Roccat: [https://github.com/X3n0m0rph59/eruption Eruption], [https://sourceforge.net/projects/roccat/files/roccat-tools/ roccat-tools]([https://aur.archlinux.org/pkgbase/roccat-tools aur], [https://launchpad.net/~berfenger/+archive/ubuntu/roccat ppa]) *ASUS: [https://github.com/kyokenn/rogdrv rogdrv] *Various models: [https://github.com/libratbag/libratbag libratbag] A workaround for unsupported models can be to boot Windows once to change the settings (if you don't need to change them all the time). You can also start a VM, pass through the device, and change settings there. == Hardware with RGB support == Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. Recommendations: * To be done == Generally unproblematic hardware categories == * Monitors * Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs == Unknown categories == {{Needs work|Problem=I'm not sure whether these categories are unproblematic or not. Personally I never had issues, and I don't see many people writing about problems in forums}} === Bluetooth Headphones === ==== Noise Cancelling ==== * Over Ear ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03<!-- Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). --> ==== Non Noise Cancelling ==== * Headsets ** Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03 === USB Digital/Audio converter === *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio === USB microphones === * Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03 == References == * * b78bbb95c0e0bd1db4bcca0644eee3f2d3603109 1515 1514 2023-02-17T10:25:18Z Aragorn 3 /* Mice/Keyboards */ wikitext text/x-wiki Hardware compatibility with Linux is sometimes tricky. You can not buy just anything and expect it to work. Some manufacturers don't support Linux at all, and sometimes the support is not good. However, if you already own a desktop or laptop, it is probably going to work. Just try it with a live USB. This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware categories. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Regarding specific recommendations. Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a timestamp in the form YYYY-MM. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. If you buy wrong, you might end up with completely incompatible hardware. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. The important thing in the sticks is the chip. Manufacturers sometimes have the same model with different chips. Chips that often work, are Qualcomm Atheros, and [https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005511/wireless.html Intel]. === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. Recommendations: To be done. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. Recommendations: To be done. == Less problematic Hardware == Your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is much lower. However, you might face some jank, some features might not work, and stuff might not be flawless. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. If you want to read more about it, you might find something in [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/tdmup7/unpopular_opinion_i_feel_like_the_whole_nvidia/ this reddit post]. AMD and Nvidia both work, and you'll ''probably'' be fine with either. However: * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), and Nvidia even released their kernel module, but they are no option for gaming (at least yet). **If you want long support, AMD is the way to go, as support is essentially never dropped. * Nvidia provides proprietary day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, due to not being FOSS. There might be some delayed features, or some bugs. But as said, you're ''probably'' going to be fine. If you're not, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s blame Nvidia]. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] and FSR 2, which works in a similar way. There are mods that translate DLSS 2 to FSR 2 for many games. **Don't fear to switch to Linux if you own an Nvidia GPU. Even though AMD might be the better option, many people are very happy with their Nvidia GPU. * If you buy a very old GPU, make sure that it has Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth, and even those often work. You might face problems if you have a device with two GPUs (should be solvable), or other special components (fingerprint reader, etc - might not be solvable). * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo **Slimbook * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: **Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15ACH6 | EU | around 800-1 000 € (multiple similar models available) | Available without OS | Out of the box full compatibility (WiFi since kernel 5.16, on older manual installation of driver<ref>https://github.com/lwfinger/rtw89</ref> needed) === Mainboards === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. ==== AMD ==== * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] === Mice/Keyboards === Generally all of them work, as long as you don't expect the specific configuration software to work. This can mean that you can't control RGB, DPI, or makro buttons. ==== Models with native support ==== {{Needs work|Problem=It is not clear how good these tools are, and if they are actually a good recommendation. Maybe it would be possible to rate them for usability}} Some models have native support: * Logitech: [https://pwr-solaar.github.io/Solaar/devices Solaar] * Razer: [https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer OpenRazer]. * Roccat: [https://github.com/X3n0m0rph59/eruption Eruption], [https://sourceforge.net/projects/roccat/files/roccat-tools/ roccat-tools]([https://aur.archlinux.org/pkgbase/roccat-tools aur], [https://launchpad.net/~berfenger/+archive/ubuntu/roccat ppa]) *ASUS: [https://github.com/kyokenn/rogdrv rogdrv] *Various models: [https://github.com/libratbag/libratbag libratbag] A workaround for unsupported models can be to boot Windows once to change the settings (if you don't need to change them all the time). You can also start a VM, pass through the device, and change settings there. ==Hardware with RGB support== Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. Recommendations: *To be done ==Generally unproblematic hardware categories== *Monitors *Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs ==Unknown categories== {{Needs work|Problem=I'm not sure whether these categories are unproblematic or not. Personally I never had issues, and I don't see many people writing about problems in forums}} ===Bluetooth Headphones=== ====Noise Cancelling==== *Over Ear **Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03<!-- Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). --> ====Non Noise Cancelling==== *Headsets **Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03 ===USB Digital/Audio converter=== *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio ===USB microphones=== *Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03 ==References== * * <references /> 8ba0bfa6a5bdb9ee80e49256f456510e3caafd94 1516 1515 2023-02-17T10:26:45Z Aragorn 3 /* Mice/Keyboards */ wikitext text/x-wiki Hardware compatibility with Linux is sometimes tricky. You can not buy just anything and expect it to work. Some manufacturers don't support Linux at all, and sometimes the support is not good. However, if you already own a desktop or laptop, it is probably going to work. Just try it with a live USB. This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware categories. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Regarding specific recommendations. Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a timestamp in the form YYYY-MM. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. If you buy wrong, you might end up with completely incompatible hardware. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. The important thing in the sticks is the chip. Manufacturers sometimes have the same model with different chips. Chips that often work, are Qualcomm Atheros, and [https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005511/wireless.html Intel]. === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. Recommendations: To be done. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. Recommendations: To be done. == Less problematic Hardware == Your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is much lower. However, you might face some jank, some features might not work, and stuff might not be flawless. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. If you want to read more about it, you might find something in [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/tdmup7/unpopular_opinion_i_feel_like_the_whole_nvidia/ this reddit post]. AMD and Nvidia both work, and you'll ''probably'' be fine with either. However: * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), and Nvidia even released their kernel module, but they are no option for gaming (at least yet). **If you want long support, AMD is the way to go, as support is essentially never dropped. * Nvidia provides proprietary day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, due to not being FOSS. There might be some delayed features, or some bugs. But as said, you're ''probably'' going to be fine. If you're not, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s blame Nvidia]. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] and FSR 2, which works in a similar way. There are mods that translate DLSS 2 to FSR 2 for many games. **Don't fear to switch to Linux if you own an Nvidia GPU. Even though AMD might be the better option, many people are very happy with their Nvidia GPU. * If you buy a very old GPU, make sure that it has Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth, and even those often work. You might face problems if you have a device with two GPUs (should be solvable), or other special components (fingerprint reader, etc - might not be solvable). * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo **Slimbook * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: **Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15ACH6 | EU | around 800-1 000 € (multiple similar models available) | Available without OS | Out of the box full compatibility (WiFi since kernel 5.16, on older manual installation of driver<ref>https://github.com/lwfinger/rtw89</ref> needed) === Mainboards === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. ==== AMD ==== * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] === Mice/Keyboards === Generally all of them work, as long as you don't expect the specific configuration software to work. This can mean that you can't control RGB, DPI, or makro buttons. A workaround for unsupported models can be to boot Windows once to change the settings (if you don't need to change them all the time). You can also start a VM, pass through the device, and change settings there. ==== Models with native support ==== {{Needs work|Problem=It is not clear how good these tools are, and if they are actually a good recommendation. Maybe it would be possible to rate them for usability}} However, some models have native support: * Logitech: [https://pwr-solaar.github.io/Solaar/devices Solaar] * Razer: [https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer OpenRazer]. * Roccat: [https://github.com/X3n0m0rph59/eruption Eruption], [https://sourceforge.net/projects/roccat/files/roccat-tools/ roccat-tools]([https://aur.archlinux.org/pkgbase/roccat-tools aur], [https://launchpad.net/~berfenger/+archive/ubuntu/roccat ppa]) *ASUS: [https://github.com/kyokenn/rogdrv rogdrv] *Various models: [https://github.com/libratbag/libratbag libratbag] ==Hardware with RGB support== Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. Recommendations: *To be done ==Generally unproblematic hardware categories== *Monitors *Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs ==Unknown categories== {{Needs work|Problem=I'm not sure whether these categories are unproblematic or not. Personally I never had issues, and I don't see many people writing about problems in forums}} ===Bluetooth Headphones=== ====Noise Cancelling==== *Over Ear **Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03<!-- Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). --> ====Non Noise Cancelling==== *Headsets **Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03 ===USB Digital/Audio converter=== *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio ===USB microphones=== *Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03 ==References== * * <references /> d1b0de12f7215de898409dda026e7053f6d567f1 0 64 1529 1081 2023-02-18T16:01:00Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] is an easy way to install games and other programs that don't have an install script in [[Lutris]]. Some people even prefer it for games that do have a Lutris script. It comes with a nice and clean UI, and has many features like [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] integrated. It can easily be [https://flathub.org/apps/details/com.usebottles.bottles installed as a Flatpak], and comes with the Flatpak sandboxing by default. The wine prefixes (where your programs are stored) are in <code>~/.var/app/com.usebottles.bottles/data/bottles/bottles/<prefix_name></code>, where <code><prefix_name></code> is the name that you gave to the bottle. cf78b6fcf65085679507a0aa081c19293e338508 0 117 1530 1350 2023-02-18T16:23:12Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki This page aims to provide graphical alternatives for things that most people would do in the terminal. * fstab (drive management) -> Gnome Disks *sudo (edit files as root) -> nemo *vim, nano (text editor) -> kate, leafpad, gedit 1a0f7214fd3f7682a68e4d19e27ad3f40b752b34 0 28 1533 1382 2023-02-19T17:55:10Z Aragorn 3 /* Future */ wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get everything working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Gaming on Linux is more complicated than gaming on Windows. If you want a computer that just works, then Linux is not the system you want to use. You should not be expecting a drop in replacement, Linux is different in a lot of ways. You should also not expect a flawless experience. Linux can be flawless, but it might be necessary to resolve some issues first. You will have to spend time learning it, and you will have to spend time troubleshooting. However, this experience is very rewarding, and you will end up getting a system that does exactly what you want. Expect that nothing works as you expect, and that you will have to research every little thing that you want to do. Linux is not Windows, and it doesn't want to be. And that's a good thing. But this also means that your knowledge about Windows doesn't help you. And it means that you will do things wrong. These things that you do wrong, may even break your system, and you will have to reinstall it. This will probably happen multiple times, until you adapted to Linux. Some games do not work, no matter what you do. The primary reason for this is that some anti cheat software will just kick you. As of 14-11-22 this will happen in about 50% of games with anti cheat. However, if the game doesn't kick you, your chances to run it are almost 100%. Keep in mind that the experience might not be flawless, you might need to troubleshoot, there might be missing cut scenes, and there might be crashes. Currently, about 80% of the top 1000 games on Steam run without issues <ref>https://www.protondb.com/dashboard</ref>. Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. On most distributions, the of-the-box performance is a lot worse than on Windows, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better, especially if you have an AMD GPU. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. {| class="wikitable" |+ !Why you shouldn't switch to Linux !Why you should switch to Linux |- |Linux is not necessary for better privacy. You can also tweak Windows so that it doesn't spy as much on you. If you use Windows 10 Education or Enterprise, the spying can even be completely disabled. At least if you trust Microsoft that they don't lie. |Most Linux distributions don't spy on you. By design, and not just by some obscure setting that Windows might change at any point in time. To avoid the ''bad'' Linux distributions, either stay with the [[Getting started (short version)|quick start guide,]] or look at the [[Getting started with Linux#Recommendations|recommendations]]. |- |Customizing your Linux system might break it. |Customization options are endless. You can make your system look and behave exactly like you want. |- |Learning how to use Linux consumes much time. |You learn valuable things that can make using your computer much easier. It might even give you a job. Your get a very reliable system, and you will be able to fix almost any problem. ''"That's not possible"'' is something you don't say. Everything is possible. You just need to find a way how to do it. |- |You get worse performance in some games. |You get better performance in some games. Some people say, you can even get less input lag. This can give you a competitive advantage. |- |Some hardware doesn't work, and you need to buy new stuff. |Old hardware stays usable. You can still use your 20 years old laptop. No need to throw it away. |- |Linux is not necessary to get a secure system. You're also not likely to get malware on Windows if you harden it, and you don't download/click random stuff. |Security. Getting malware on Linux is something that practically doesn't happen. |- |A lot of games just don't work on Linux. No matter what you do. On Windows, you can just click ''"install"'', and they work. |A lot of games don't work on Windows, either. Especially old titles. These games often work on Linux without issues whatsoever. |- |Installing games on Linux is often hard, and time consuming. In many cases you need to search the internet for a solution on how to run them, try different settings, and so on. This can take many hours. Especially if you like to play many different games. |Many games can be installed without problems. You install it, and it just works. If something doesn't work, chances are that someone else figured out how to run it. In many cases it's something from a very short list of things that you need to try. Usually, problems can be fixed within a couple minutes. |- |You need technical knowledge to use Linux. |You get technical knowledge by using Linux. |- |You might have to reinstall your system a couple times until you got used to it. |You don't need to reinstall your system every couple months because it gets slow. |} == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch 2, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. See https://areweanticheatyet.com/ to get detailed information about specific games. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. See https://areweanticheatyet.com/ to get detailed information about specific games. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends on the individual tools the modding community uses. It's often not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you. * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB of RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable (not for serious gaming of course). And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. It won't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster, though. But it has significantly less overhead than Windows, so if that's the problem it will definitely help. For example, it might revive your old Laptop. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects your choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though—you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows to something like MacOS to something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is not even close to everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. Some examples of what Linux can look like: **KDE Plasma: [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/articles/tagline_images/528481101id19192gol.jpg 1][https://news-cdn.softpedia.com/images/news2/kde-plasma-5-15-desktop-environment-officially-released-here-s-what-s-new-524922-8.jpg 2][https://www.lffl.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/garuda-linux-dr460nized-1400x788.png 3][https://ubuntuhandbook.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/preview-arc-dark.jpg 4][https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RQLcqtqS-YA/XHTsrV6x_-I/AAAAAAAAU0Y/eKJma9C7vsITXzcDklMTaOXgUdVqBIvWgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot_20190226_073620.png 5][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 6][https://i.redd.it/lvubg0sxnl641.png 7][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 8][https://i.redd.it/8mz4z5kybs631.png 9][https://i.redd.it/jup9nde0f0l81.png 10][https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FEMS88kEx_8/maxresdefault.jpg 11][https://i.redd.it/f6ywf9pncpy31.png 12][https://i.imgur.com/kYX3ewJ.png 13][https://forum.endeavouros.com/uploads/default/original/2X/6/6e6c1619652607552c45b001ad2dbfb9d01ea21d.jpeg 14][https://i.redd.it/e4w1uvk48fr81.jpg 15][https://i.redd.it/0x4pz8o10xq81.png 16][https://i.redd.it/7a5mwp393jo81.png 17][https://i.redd.it/cv5gc2tne4r81.png 18] [https://i.redd.it/t65bae91v3s81.jpg 19] [https://64.media.tumblr.com/9bda2b57523402c142d4f797c8ad0093/d629d44890280e21-7d/s1280x1920/ad696bc813582410c77f9879cc0334b76ab252ea.jpg 20] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/comments/eor4up/plasma_cyberpunk_desktop/ 21] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=plasma&sort=top and] [https://store.kde.org/browse?cat=104&ord=rating more] **GNOME: [https://forum.garudalinux.org/uploads/default/optimized/2X/e/e6d6150878051d075fb6d8548f5314fcf6c7bf28_2_1035x646.jpeg 1][https://www.cmscritic.com/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cloudinary/pop-os-review-4_hhslpt.png 2][https://i.redd.it/jt3xl3e2qak61.png 3][https://pingvinus.ru/files/news/manjaro-20-1/manjaro-20.1-gnome.jpg 4][http://www.jetestelinux.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/manjaro_gnome_1710_mode_nuit.jpg 5][https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/f8e04f89-e155-4926-972e-76e0955933eb/dak2iyb-e5931cb1-e722-43f8-a1ed-63361f901ab9.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2Y4ZTA0Zjg5LWUxNTUtNDkyNi05NzJlLTc2ZTA5NTU5MzNlYlwvZGFrMml5Yi1lNTkzMWNiMS1lNzIyLTQzZjgtYTFlZC02MzM2MWY5MDFhYjkucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.zwpBVOqCfSFqWRDNz1fnEgVkyyXgrj_3NoJNLa0Zlzw 6][https://i.redd.it/b06ms6vfe0r81.png 7][https://i.redd.it/uvenc4r0dun81.png 8][https://i.redd.it/kw1enzggqmo81.png 9][https://i.redd.it/gdtwdhbk4tr81.png 10][https://i.redd.it/uk9uihckcsd41.png 11] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=gnome&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&sort=top and] [https://www.gnome-look.org/browse?ord=rating more] **Tiling window managers: [https://pic3.zhimg.com/v2-bad01545e1f69cc0a94633ff771b72e3_1200x500.jpg 1][https://preview.redd.it/f2jg3znpr1g31.png?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=9b64dde84ccb1e0ba20e8bba5ee6516123273bd2 2][https://pingvinus.ru/cr_images/userpicture/n/1938-0.png 3][https://i.redd.it/rpojcv4d3nr81.png 4][https://i.redd.it/lkviraiador81.png 5][https://i.redd.it/or7veqoicdq81.png 6][https://i.redd.it/ptbibz0gdk861.png 7] **[https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/ and many more] * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal Windows filesystem. Of course this doesn't apply to all games, so your mileage may vary. * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so (again) your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux. * Software. Almost all software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. *You can separate your games from each other, so you don't get dependency problems. And you can even have several versions of the same game. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games], and in many cases even in DirectX games. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == == References and Notes == ddc70e10c9cd7d962c25c3bdb97f173700147c3d 1901 1533 2023-04-23T22:09:59Z Kkiot 582 /* Advantages */ Add Wine malware compatibility reality check. wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get everything working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Gaming on Linux is more complicated than gaming on Windows. If you want a computer that just works, then Linux is not the system you want to use. You should not be expecting a drop in replacement, Linux is different in a lot of ways. You should also not expect a flawless experience. Linux can be flawless, but it might be necessary to resolve some issues first. You will have to spend time learning it, and you will have to spend time troubleshooting. However, this experience is very rewarding, and you will end up getting a system that does exactly what you want. Expect that nothing works as you expect, and that you will have to research every little thing that you want to do. Linux is not Windows, and it doesn't want to be. And that's a good thing. But this also means that your knowledge about Windows doesn't help you. And it means that you will do things wrong. These things that you do wrong, may even break your system, and you will have to reinstall it. This will probably happen multiple times, until you adapted to Linux. Some games do not work, no matter what you do. The primary reason for this is that some anti cheat software will just kick you. As of 14-11-22 this will happen in about 50% of games with anti cheat. However, if the game doesn't kick you, your chances to run it are almost 100%. Keep in mind that the experience might not be flawless, you might need to troubleshoot, there might be missing cut scenes, and there might be crashes. Currently, about 80% of the top 1000 games on Steam run without issues <ref>https://www.protondb.com/dashboard</ref>. Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''depending on the game and your computer'''. On most distributions, the of-the-box performance is a lot worse than on Windows, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better, especially if you have an AMD GPU. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. {| class="wikitable" |+ !Why you shouldn't switch to Linux !Why you should switch to Linux |- |Linux is not necessary for better privacy. You can also tweak Windows so that it doesn't spy as much on you. If you use Windows 10 Education or Enterprise, the spying can even be completely disabled. At least if you trust Microsoft that they don't lie. |Most Linux distributions don't spy on you. By design, and not just by some obscure setting that Windows might change at any point in time. To avoid the ''bad'' Linux distributions, either stay with the [[Getting started (short version)|quick start guide,]] or look at the [[Getting started with Linux#Recommendations|recommendations]]. |- |Customizing your Linux system might break it. |Customization options are endless. You can make your system look and behave exactly like you want. |- |Learning how to use Linux consumes much time. |You learn valuable things that can make using your computer much easier. It might even give you a job. Your get a very reliable system, and you will be able to fix almost any problem. ''"That's not possible"'' is something you don't say. Everything is possible. You just need to find a way how to do it. |- |You get worse performance in some games. |You get better performance in some games. Some people say, you can even get less input lag. This can give you a competitive advantage. |- |Some hardware doesn't work, and you need to buy new stuff. |Old hardware stays usable. You can still use your 20 years old laptop. No need to throw it away. |- |Linux is not necessary to get a secure system. You're also not likely to get malware on Windows if you harden it, and you don't download/click random stuff. |Security. Getting malware on Linux is something that practically doesn't happen. |- |A lot of games just don't work on Linux. No matter what you do. On Windows, you can just click ''"install"'', and they work. |A lot of games don't work on Windows, either. Especially old titles. These games often work on Linux without issues whatsoever. |- |Installing games on Linux is often hard, and time consuming. In many cases you need to search the internet for a solution on how to run them, try different settings, and so on. This can take many hours. Especially if you like to play many different games. |Many games can be installed without problems. You install it, and it just works. If something doesn't work, chances are that someone else figured out how to run it. In many cases it's something from a very short list of things that you need to try. Usually, problems can be fixed within a couple minutes. |- |You need technical knowledge to use Linux. |You get technical knowledge by using Linux. |- |You might have to reinstall your system a couple times until you got used to it. |You don't need to reinstall your system every couple months because it gets slow. |} == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch 2, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. See https://areweanticheatyet.com/ to get detailed information about specific games. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. See https://areweanticheatyet.com/ to get detailed information about specific games. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends on the individual tools the modding community uses. It's often not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you. * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB of RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable (not for serious gaming of course). And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. It won't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster, though. But it has significantly less overhead than Windows, so if that's the problem it will definitely help. For example, it might revive your old Laptop. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects your choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though—you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows to something like MacOS to something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is not even close to everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. Some examples of what Linux can look like: **KDE Plasma: [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/articles/tagline_images/528481101id19192gol.jpg 1][https://news-cdn.softpedia.com/images/news2/kde-plasma-5-15-desktop-environment-officially-released-here-s-what-s-new-524922-8.jpg 2][https://www.lffl.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/garuda-linux-dr460nized-1400x788.png 3][https://ubuntuhandbook.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/preview-arc-dark.jpg 4][https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RQLcqtqS-YA/XHTsrV6x_-I/AAAAAAAAU0Y/eKJma9C7vsITXzcDklMTaOXgUdVqBIvWgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot_20190226_073620.png 5][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 6][https://i.redd.it/lvubg0sxnl641.png 7][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 8][https://i.redd.it/8mz4z5kybs631.png 9][https://i.redd.it/jup9nde0f0l81.png 10][https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FEMS88kEx_8/maxresdefault.jpg 11][https://i.redd.it/f6ywf9pncpy31.png 12][https://i.imgur.com/kYX3ewJ.png 13][https://forum.endeavouros.com/uploads/default/original/2X/6/6e6c1619652607552c45b001ad2dbfb9d01ea21d.jpeg 14][https://i.redd.it/e4w1uvk48fr81.jpg 15][https://i.redd.it/0x4pz8o10xq81.png 16][https://i.redd.it/7a5mwp393jo81.png 17][https://i.redd.it/cv5gc2tne4r81.png 18] [https://i.redd.it/t65bae91v3s81.jpg 19] [https://64.media.tumblr.com/9bda2b57523402c142d4f797c8ad0093/d629d44890280e21-7d/s1280x1920/ad696bc813582410c77f9879cc0334b76ab252ea.jpg 20] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/comments/eor4up/plasma_cyberpunk_desktop/ 21] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=plasma&sort=top and] [https://store.kde.org/browse?cat=104&ord=rating more] **GNOME: [https://forum.garudalinux.org/uploads/default/optimized/2X/e/e6d6150878051d075fb6d8548f5314fcf6c7bf28_2_1035x646.jpeg 1][https://www.cmscritic.com/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cloudinary/pop-os-review-4_hhslpt.png 2][https://i.redd.it/jt3xl3e2qak61.png 3][https://pingvinus.ru/files/news/manjaro-20-1/manjaro-20.1-gnome.jpg 4][http://www.jetestelinux.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/manjaro_gnome_1710_mode_nuit.jpg 5][https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/f8e04f89-e155-4926-972e-76e0955933eb/dak2iyb-e5931cb1-e722-43f8-a1ed-63361f901ab9.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2Y4ZTA0Zjg5LWUxNTUtNDkyNi05NzJlLTc2ZTA5NTU5MzNlYlwvZGFrMml5Yi1lNTkzMWNiMS1lNzIyLTQzZjgtYTFlZC02MzM2MWY5MDFhYjkucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.zwpBVOqCfSFqWRDNz1fnEgVkyyXgrj_3NoJNLa0Zlzw 6][https://i.redd.it/b06ms6vfe0r81.png 7][https://i.redd.it/uvenc4r0dun81.png 8][https://i.redd.it/kw1enzggqmo81.png 9][https://i.redd.it/gdtwdhbk4tr81.png 10][https://i.redd.it/uk9uihckcsd41.png 11] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=gnome&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&sort=top and] [https://www.gnome-look.org/browse?ord=rating more] **Tiling window managers: [https://pic3.zhimg.com/v2-bad01545e1f69cc0a94633ff771b72e3_1200x500.jpg 1][https://preview.redd.it/f2jg3znpr1g31.png?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=9b64dde84ccb1e0ba20e8bba5ee6516123273bd2 2][https://pingvinus.ru/cr_images/userpicture/n/1938-0.png 3][https://i.redd.it/rpojcv4d3nr81.png 4][https://i.redd.it/lkviraiador81.png 5][https://i.redd.it/or7veqoicdq81.png 6][https://i.redd.it/ptbibz0gdk861.png 7] **[https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/ and many more] * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal Windows filesystem. Of course this doesn't apply to all games, so your mileage may vary. * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so (again) your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux, but beware that Wine can execute malware with success though!<ref>https://wiki.winehq.org/FAQ#Is_Wine_malware-compatible.3F</ref> * Software. Almost all software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. *You can separate your games from each other, so you don't get dependency problems. And you can even have several versions of the same game. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games], and in many cases even in DirectX games. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == == References and Notes == 128371330bb793b85816936a629cffd0533c8c07 0 46 1534 1245 2023-02-19T20:30:56Z 89.39.107.191 0 /* Mice */ wikitext text/x-wiki An extensive list of hardware that is known to work. If the device requires tweaking, please mention the tweaking steps. The criteria are not as strict as in the [[Hardware Recommendations|hardware recommendations]] list, but all mentioned hardware should still be somewhat "worthy" for a gaming PC. We really don't need 20 years old Bluetooth sticks, even if they work out of the box. If possible, also add a price and a timestamp in the form YYYY-MM. ==GPUs== {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |AMD |RX 5700XT | | |2022-03 |none |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | |} ==WiFi Sticks== ===2.4Ghz=== ===5Ghz=== ==Bluetooth Sticks== {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Mpow |Bluetooth 5.1 USB-Adapter | | | |none |- |DIGITUS |DN-30210-1 ''up to 10 m range'' ''Bluetooth® 4.0 & 3.0'' ''Full-speed USB 2.0 interface'' |EU |7,05€ |2022-03 |none |- | | | | | | |} ==Bluetooth Headphones== {| class="wikitable" |+Noise Cancelling Over Ear !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Sony |WH-1000XM4 |EU |250€ |2022-03 |none |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} ===Noise Cancelling In-Ear=== ===Over-Ear=== ===In-Ear=== ==Mainboard== ===AMD=== ====AM3==== {| class="wikitable" |+AM4 !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |MSI |B550 MAG Tomahawk |EU |140€ |2022-03 |Fan control not working out of the box. Requires [https://github.com/Fred78290/nct6687d kernel module]. For Arch: Module is available in the [https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/nct6687d-dkms-git AUR]. |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} ===Intel=== ====Sandy Bridge==== ==Printer/Scanner== {| class="wikitable" |+Combined devices !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Samsung |SCX-4200R | | |2022-03 |None |- |Brother |MFC L2712DN | | | |Driver not included in kernel - needs downloading. Available in AUR and from official website in .deb and .rpm. Scanning into computer from device (via menu on the device itself) is supported, but it is recommended to modify scripts in installation folder to your liking. |- | | | | | | |} {| class="wikitable" |+Printer !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} {| class="wikitable" |+Scanner !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} == Mice == {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !What works !Untested !Sensor !Extra Buttons !Tweaking Steps |- |Steel Series |Rival 300 | | | |DPI, static RGB |RGB settings in Linux |flawless |3 |Boot Windows (for example in a VM + pass through the mouse) and set settings there or use rivalcfg<ref name=":0">https://github.com/flozz/rivalcfg</ref> natively on linux |- |Steel Series |Rival 100 | | | |DPI, RGB (openRGB recommended) | |flawless |3 |Config available through rivalcfg<ref name=":0" /> (including setting RGB color and mode) |- |Logitech |G305 | | | |DPI |Macros | | |[https://pwr-solaar.github.io/Solaar/ Solaar] for easy DPI adjustments |} == USB audio converter == {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Sharkoon |Gaming DAC Pro S V2 |EU |30€ |2022-03 |None |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} == Microphones == {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Samson |Meteor Mic |EU |45€ |2022-03 |None |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} == Other == Elgato Stream Deck: https://gitlab.gnome.org/World/boatswain 48d5346170eb78fa32c4dca465019391c04bdeba 1535 1534 2023-02-19T20:32:18Z 89.39.107.191 0 /* GPUs */ wikitext text/x-wiki An extensive list of hardware that is known to work. If the device requires tweaking, please mention the tweaking steps. The criteria are not as strict as in the [[Hardware Recommendations|hardware recommendations]] list, but all mentioned hardware should still be somewhat "worthy" for a gaming PC. We really don't need 20 years old Bluetooth sticks, even if they work out of the box. If possible, also add a price and a timestamp in the form YYYY-MM. ==GPUs== {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |AMD |RX 5700XT | | |2022-03 |none |- |Nvidia |GTX 1050 Ti | | | |Driver Installation |- | | | | | |} ==WiFi Sticks== ===2.4Ghz=== ===5Ghz=== ==Bluetooth Sticks== {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Mpow |Bluetooth 5.1 USB-Adapter | | | |none |- |DIGITUS |DN-30210-1 ''up to 10 m range'' ''Bluetooth® 4.0 & 3.0'' ''Full-speed USB 2.0 interface'' |EU |7,05€ |2022-03 |none |- | | | | | | |} ==Bluetooth Headphones== {| class="wikitable" |+Noise Cancelling Over Ear !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Sony |WH-1000XM4 |EU |250€ |2022-03 |none |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} ===Noise Cancelling In-Ear=== ===Over-Ear=== ===In-Ear=== ==Mainboard== ===AMD=== ====AM3==== {| class="wikitable" |+AM4 !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |MSI |B550 MAG Tomahawk |EU |140€ |2022-03 |Fan control not working out of the box. Requires [https://github.com/Fred78290/nct6687d kernel module]. For Arch: Module is available in the [https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/nct6687d-dkms-git AUR]. |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} ===Intel=== ====Sandy Bridge==== ==Printer/Scanner== {| class="wikitable" |+Combined devices !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Samsung |SCX-4200R | | |2022-03 |None |- |Brother |MFC L2712DN | | | |Driver not included in kernel - needs downloading. Available in AUR and from official website in .deb and .rpm. Scanning into computer from device (via menu on the device itself) is supported, but it is recommended to modify scripts in installation folder to your liking. |- | | | | | | |} {| class="wikitable" |+Printer !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} {| class="wikitable" |+Scanner !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} == Mice == {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !What works !Untested !Sensor !Extra Buttons !Tweaking Steps |- |Steel Series |Rival 300 | | | |DPI, static RGB |RGB settings in Linux |flawless |3 |Boot Windows (for example in a VM + pass through the mouse) and set settings there or use rivalcfg<ref name=":0">https://github.com/flozz/rivalcfg</ref> natively on linux |- |Steel Series |Rival 100 | | | |DPI, RGB (openRGB recommended) | |flawless |3 |Config available through rivalcfg<ref name=":0" /> (including setting RGB color and mode) |- |Logitech |G305 | | | |DPI |Macros | | |[https://pwr-solaar.github.io/Solaar/ Solaar] for easy DPI adjustments |} == USB audio converter == {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Sharkoon |Gaming DAC Pro S V2 |EU |30€ |2022-03 |None |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} == Microphones == {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Samson |Meteor Mic |EU |45€ |2022-03 |None |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} == Other == Elgato Stream Deck: https://gitlab.gnome.org/World/boatswain 0ba0fdbb4c27c607759708afcea56676afb1bd3c 1536 1535 2023-02-19T20:32:33Z 89.39.107.191 0 /* GPUs */ wikitext text/x-wiki An extensive list of hardware that is known to work. If the device requires tweaking, please mention the tweaking steps. The criteria are not as strict as in the [[Hardware Recommendations|hardware recommendations]] list, but all mentioned hardware should still be somewhat "worthy" for a gaming PC. We really don't need 20 years old Bluetooth sticks, even if they work out of the box. If possible, also add a price and a timestamp in the form YYYY-MM. ==GPUs== {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |AMD |RX 5700XT | | |2022-03 |none |- |Nvidia |GTX 1050Ti | | | |Driver Installation |- | | | | | |} ==WiFi Sticks== ===2.4Ghz=== ===5Ghz=== ==Bluetooth Sticks== {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Mpow |Bluetooth 5.1 USB-Adapter | | | |none |- |DIGITUS |DN-30210-1 ''up to 10 m range'' ''Bluetooth® 4.0 & 3.0'' ''Full-speed USB 2.0 interface'' |EU |7,05€ |2022-03 |none |- | | | | | | |} ==Bluetooth Headphones== {| class="wikitable" |+Noise Cancelling Over Ear !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Sony |WH-1000XM4 |EU |250€ |2022-03 |none |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} ===Noise Cancelling In-Ear=== ===Over-Ear=== ===In-Ear=== ==Mainboard== ===AMD=== ====AM3==== {| class="wikitable" |+AM4 !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |MSI |B550 MAG Tomahawk |EU |140€ |2022-03 |Fan control not working out of the box. Requires [https://github.com/Fred78290/nct6687d kernel module]. For Arch: Module is available in the [https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/nct6687d-dkms-git AUR]. |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} ===Intel=== ====Sandy Bridge==== ==Printer/Scanner== {| class="wikitable" |+Combined devices !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Samsung |SCX-4200R | | |2022-03 |None |- |Brother |MFC L2712DN | | | |Driver not included in kernel - needs downloading. Available in AUR and from official website in .deb and .rpm. Scanning into computer from device (via menu on the device itself) is supported, but it is recommended to modify scripts in installation folder to your liking. |- | | | | | | |} {| class="wikitable" |+Printer !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} {| class="wikitable" |+Scanner !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} == Mice == {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !What works !Untested !Sensor !Extra Buttons !Tweaking Steps |- |Steel Series |Rival 300 | | | |DPI, static RGB |RGB settings in Linux |flawless |3 |Boot Windows (for example in a VM + pass through the mouse) and set settings there or use rivalcfg<ref name=":0">https://github.com/flozz/rivalcfg</ref> natively on linux |- |Steel Series |Rival 100 | | | |DPI, RGB (openRGB recommended) | |flawless |3 |Config available through rivalcfg<ref name=":0" /> (including setting RGB color and mode) |- |Logitech |G305 | | | |DPI |Macros | | |[https://pwr-solaar.github.io/Solaar/ Solaar] for easy DPI adjustments |} == USB audio converter == {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Sharkoon |Gaming DAC Pro S V2 |EU |30€ |2022-03 |None |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} == Microphones == {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Samson |Meteor Mic |EU |45€ |2022-03 |None |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} == Other == Elgato Stream Deck: https://gitlab.gnome.org/World/boatswain 75ef61ec1a5cb7472a84446b3ab2114636dff4bf 0 15 1540 1336 2023-02-20T11:57:25Z Aragorn 3 /* Finding a game on Lutris */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[File:Lutris icon.png|thumb|Lutris icon.]] '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that primarily provides installers for games not available on Steam. It can also act as a single app for your whole game library. You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam. == Installing Lutris == You can typically install Lutris through your distribution's app store (e.g. GNOME Software, Discover, Pop Shop). For example, on Pop!_OS, go to the '''Pop Shop''' and search "Lutris". [[File:Pop Shop - Lutris.png|frameless|581x581px]] Then, click install. See Lutris's [https://lutris.net/downloads download page] for more ways to install it. == Finding a game on Lutris == The most important feature of Lutris is that you can install games and launchers not found on Steam using '''install scripts'''. If you want to use an install script, click the '''+''' button on the top left, then click "Search for install script on the Lutris website". [[File:Lutris Add Button.png|frameless|448x448px]] [[File:SearchTheLutrisWebsiteForInstallers.png|frameless|450x450px]] Then, search for the game you want to install and select the game from the search results. If possible, search for the game itself, not for the launcher. For example, if you want to install Overwatch, search for ''"Overwatch"''. Don't search for ''"BattleNet"''. The game specific installer might have optimizations that make the game work better. [[File:SearchingForosuLutris.png|frameless|347x347px]] A new window will appear with option(s) , so pick what seems most standard. If your first choice doesn't work, you could try the other ones. You don't have to use the Lutris client to find install scripts - you can [https://lutris.net/games look up install scripts] on Lutris's website. === Installation === Typically, when installing a game, Lutris will ask if you want to download certain files. [[File:Lutrisinstalls.png|none|thumb|384x384px|Installing Overwatch on Lutris.]] Review the files to make sure everything looks okay, and then just press '''continue'''. Don't worry about the individual download buttons. === Install games that you own on GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam === Login to these stores by navigating to their tab in '''Sources''', and logging in to them by clicking the '''Connect''' icon. [[File:Lutrislogin.png|frameless]] After logging in, Lutris should display the games you own from that store. You can also enable the Epic Games Store as a source, but using [[Heroic|the Heroic Games launcher]] or just installing the Epic Games Store itself through Lutris are probably easier options. == Configuration Options == You might want to [[Improving performance|improve the performance]] of your games with stuff like: *Esync * Fsync * [[Gamemode]] * [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution]] You can also improve visuals with: *[https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] for downscaling *[https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or [[reshade]] Or you might want to try: * [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/wine-ge-custom/releases Wine-GE], instead of using Lutris's WINE == Installing Windows games without an install script == '''This is NOT what you would usually do when installing a game! Only do the following if there is no install script!''' *Click the plus on the top left * Select a name and select Wine as runner. * Select Game options, and select the executable ** Select the new folder as Wine prefix ** Select the prefix architecture (if you're not sure select 64-bit) *** Create a new folder where you want to install your game (for example <code>~/Games/MyNewGame</code>) * Select Runner options ** Select the Wine version (try different ones, including the ones from tkg and GE) * Click Save * Start your game ** Click through the installer * Right click the game in Lutris, click Configure ** Select Game options and modify the executable to be the actual game executable. (This could be <code>~/Games/MyNewGame/drive_c/Program Files(x86)/CoolGame/bin/CoolGame.exe</code>) * Start your game. **It will probably work, but if it's not, see the ''troubleshooting'' section. == Troubleshooting == This [https://piped.kavin.rocks/watch?v=oFB-Ly8RcOw video guide] explains how to install a game with a Lutris install script in more depth. If you encounter an issue installing your game, look up the game's name on the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/ Linux Gaming subreddit] to see if anyone's had the same issue and solved it. You should also check whether the game currently runs on Linux. === General approach: === (if the above does not work) Main article: [[Troubleshooting]] * Close Lutris, open a [[terminal]], type <code>lutris</code> and press enter. Lutris will now open, but you will see more information in the terminal. It might be necessary to force quit Lutris (for example with your system monitor, htop, btop, etc.). * Try running the game with different presets like other Wine version, with/without DXVK, with/without Esync, Fsync, Windowed (virtual desktop), etc. * Right click your game, go to Runner options, and set ''Output debugging info'' to ''Enabled''. * Start your game and pay close attention to the output in the terminal ** Try to understand the problem ** For example, you can use Winetricks to install missing dependencies === Winetricks === [[Winetricks]] is an easy way to do various stuff with Wine, including but not limited to installing libraries and other dependencies for your games. ==FAQ== ====What are runners?==== ''Runners'' are "methods" to run your programs. '''Linux''' is for native Linux games. '''Steam''' is for Steam games - though, using Steam itself to run those games is easier. '''Wine''' is what you want to use for every other Windows game. Other runners are available, these are mainly emulators for various consoles, or DOS (DosBox) ==== Where are save games? ==== <code>~/Games/MyGame/drive_c/<the_path_that_it_would_be_on_windows></code> ==See also== [https://lutris.net/ Lutris website] [[Category:Popular apps]] a814152c3061ee33705aee24761f083b31bede93 0 1 1541 1499 2023-02-20T19:41:14Z 207.148.176.7 0 /* External Links */ *[https://web.archive.org/web/20090302095738/http://www.linuxgamingworld.com/ Linux Gaming World] (2006-2009) wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. === Tweaking === *[[Troubleshooting]] - What to do if your game just won't work. *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies. *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. *[[Dual GPU]] - How to get the game running on the correct GPU. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Monitoring & Stresstesting]] - How to test that your tweaked system is still stable === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Visual Enhancement]] - Enhancing the visuals of a game. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! *[[Graphical tools]] - Programs that no one tells you about, but that you might like if you don't want to use the terminal == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[http://www.gamersonlinux.com/ GamersOnLinux] - Linux gaming community forum *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[https://happypenguin.altervista.org/index.php Happy Penguin - The Linux Game Tome] *[http://www.gamingonlinux.info/ Gaming On Linux] - another database *[http://www.lebottindesjeuxlinux.tuxfamily.org/en/home-en/ The Linux Game Book] - French and English database *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.zoom-platform.com/ Zoom Platform] - DRM-free retro games. *[https://gamejolt.com/games?os=linux GameJolt] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[https://linuxgamenews.com/ Linux Game News] *[https://www.linux-games.com/ Linux-Games] *[https://linuxgameconsortium.com/ Linux Game Consortium] *[https://www.linuxgamingportal.com/ Linux Gaming Portal] *[https://www.codingcommanders.com/linux-gaming/ Coding Commanders - Linux Game Blog] *[https://zerker.ca/home/tag/linuxunix.html Zerk Zone - Retro Linux Games] Historical Linux Gaming Sites *[https://web.archive.org/web/20210419173711/https://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] (2012-2021) *[https://linuxgamingnews.org/ Linux Gaming News] (2009-2018) *[http://linuxgames.me/ Linux Games] (2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20191213112019/https://www.liflg.org/ linux installers for linux gamers] (2004-2019; moved to GitHub) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160604150745/http://www.lgdb.org/games Linux Game Database] (2010-2019) *[http://icculus.org/lgfaq/ Linux Gamers' FAQ] (last updated 2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20090302095738/http://www.linuxgamingworld.com/ Linux Gaming World] (2006-2009) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140217234002/http://www.linux-gamers.net/ linuXgamers.net] (2003-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20150726203906/http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] (1998-2015) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140214112327/http://www.tuxgames.com/ Tux Games] (2000-2014) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20130402151010/http://happypenguin.org/ The Linux Game Tome] (1995-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040109114819/http://www.linuxgaming.net:80/index.php LinuxGaming] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040925062326/http://www.tuxgamer.com:80/ Tux Gamer] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080119000310/http://lgdc.sunsite.dk/ Linux Game Development Centre] (2000-2002) Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a distribution agnostic package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. *[https://github.com/mikeroyal/Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide/blob/main/README.md Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide] - in depth tutorial on how to configure Ubuntu. Also contains a gaming section, that might also be relevant for other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. fad6220bbdfc20196352b4d30fbd91132598e8a1 1542 1541 2023-02-20T19:49:41Z 207.148.176.7 0 /* External Links */ *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160505015216/http://ubuntugames.org/ Ubuntu Games] (2012-2016; Portuguese) wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. === Tweaking === *[[Troubleshooting]] - What to do if your game just won't work. *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies. *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. *[[Dual GPU]] - How to get the game running on the correct GPU. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Monitoring & Stresstesting]] - How to test that your tweaked system is still stable === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Visual Enhancement]] - Enhancing the visuals of a game. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! *[[Graphical tools]] - Programs that no one tells you about, but that you might like if you don't want to use the terminal == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[http://www.gamersonlinux.com/ GamersOnLinux] - Linux gaming community forum *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[https://happypenguin.altervista.org/index.php Happy Penguin - The Linux Game Tome] *[http://www.gamingonlinux.info/ Gaming On Linux] - another database *[http://www.lebottindesjeuxlinux.tuxfamily.org/en/home-en/ The Linux Game Book] - French and English database *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.zoom-platform.com/ Zoom Platform] - DRM-free retro games. *[https://gamejolt.com/games?os=linux GameJolt] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[https://linuxgamenews.com/ Linux Game News] *[https://www.linux-games.com/ Linux-Games] *[https://linuxgameconsortium.com/ Linux Game Consortium] *[https://www.linuxgamingportal.com/ Linux Gaming Portal] *[https://www.codingcommanders.com/linux-gaming/ Coding Commanders - Linux Game Blog] *[https://zerker.ca/home/tag/linuxunix.html Zerk Zone - Retro Linux Games] Historical Linux Gaming Sites *[https://web.archive.org/web/20210419173711/https://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] (2012-2021) *[https://linuxgamingnews.org/ Linux Gaming News] (2009-2018) *[http://linuxgames.me/ Linux Games] (2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20191213112019/https://www.liflg.org/ linux installers for linux gamers] (2004-2019; moved to GitHub) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160505015216/http://ubuntugames.org/ Ubuntu Games] (2012-2016; Portuguese) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160604150745/http://www.lgdb.org/games Linux Game Database] (2010-2019) *[http://icculus.org/lgfaq/ Linux Gamers' FAQ] (last updated 2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20090302095738/http://www.linuxgamingworld.com/ Linux Gaming World] (2006-2009) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140217234002/http://www.linux-gamers.net/ linuXgamers.net] (2003-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20150726203906/http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] (1998-2015) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140214112327/http://www.tuxgames.com/ Tux Games] (2000-2014) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20130402151010/http://happypenguin.org/ The Linux Game Tome] (1995-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040109114819/http://www.linuxgaming.net:80/index.php LinuxGaming] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040925062326/http://www.tuxgamer.com:80/ Tux Gamer] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080119000310/http://lgdc.sunsite.dk/ Linux Game Development Centre] (2000-2002) Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a distribution agnostic package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. *[https://github.com/mikeroyal/Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide/blob/main/README.md Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide] - in depth tutorial on how to configure Ubuntu. Also contains a gaming section, that might also be relevant for other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. e94e075996db9c26b96df5a3cb5c5c11dae0fc40 1570 1542 2023-02-26T22:41:23Z 2604:3D09:8C77:A500:0:0:0:E108 0 /* External Links */ *[https://playingtux.com/ Playing Tux] wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. === Tweaking === *[[Troubleshooting]] - What to do if your game just won't work. *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies. *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. *[[Dual GPU]] - How to get the game running on the correct GPU. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Monitoring & Stresstesting]] - How to test that your tweaked system is still stable === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Visual Enhancement]] - Enhancing the visuals of a game. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! *[[Graphical tools]] - Programs that no one tells you about, but that you might like if you don't want to use the terminal == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[http://www.gamersonlinux.com/ GamersOnLinux] - Linux gaming community forum *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[https://happypenguin.altervista.org/index.php Happy Penguin - The Linux Game Tome] *[http://www.gamingonlinux.info/ Gaming On Linux] - another database *[http://www.lebottindesjeuxlinux.tuxfamily.org/en/home-en/ The Linux Game Book] - French and English database *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.zoom-platform.com/ Zoom Platform] - DRM-free retro games. *[https://gamejolt.com/games?os=linux GameJolt] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[https://linuxgamenews.com/ Linux Game News] *[https://playingtux.com/ Playing Tux] *[https://www.linux-games.com/ Linux-Games] *[https://linuxgameconsortium.com/ Linux Game Consortium] *[https://www.linuxgamingportal.com/ Linux Gaming Portal] *[https://www.codingcommanders.com/linux-gaming/ Coding Commanders - Linux Game Blog] *[https://zerker.ca/home/tag/linuxunix.html Zerk Zone - Retro Linux Games] Historical Linux Gaming Sites *[https://web.archive.org/web/20210419173711/https://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] (2012-2021) *[https://linuxgamingnews.org/ Linux Gaming News] (2009-2018) *[http://linuxgames.me/ Linux Games] (2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20191213112019/https://www.liflg.org/ linux installers for linux gamers] (2004-2019; moved to GitHub) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160505015216/http://ubuntugames.org/ Ubuntu Games] (2012-2016; Portuguese) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160604150745/http://www.lgdb.org/games Linux Game Database] (2010-2019) *[http://icculus.org/lgfaq/ Linux Gamers' FAQ] (last updated 2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20090302095738/http://www.linuxgamingworld.com/ Linux Gaming World] (2006-2009) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140217234002/http://www.linux-gamers.net/ linuXgamers.net] (2003-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20150726203906/http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] (1998-2015) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140214112327/http://www.tuxgames.com/ Tux Games] (2000-2014) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20130402151010/http://happypenguin.org/ The Linux Game Tome] (1995-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040109114819/http://www.linuxgaming.net:80/index.php LinuxGaming] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040925062326/http://www.tuxgamer.com:80/ Tux Gamer] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080119000310/http://lgdc.sunsite.dk/ Linux Game Development Centre] (2000-2002) Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a distribution agnostic package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. *[https://github.com/mikeroyal/Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide/blob/main/README.md Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide] - in depth tutorial on how to configure Ubuntu. Also contains a gaming section, that might also be relevant for other distributions. == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. 1fd5169405e47496736e1cadbb24071a51a4b0d3 1571 1570 2023-02-26T23:44:32Z 2604:3D09:8C77:A500:0:0:0:E108 0 /* External Links */ *[https://indiegamereviewer.com/category/platforms/linux/ Inde Game Reviewer - Linux] wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. === Tweaking === *[[Troubleshooting]] - What to do if your game just won't work. *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies. *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. *[[Dual GPU]] - How to get the game running on the correct GPU. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Monitoring & Stresstesting]] - How to test that your tweaked system is still stable === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Visual Enhancement]] - Enhancing the visuals of a game. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! *[[Graphical tools]] - Programs that no one tells you about, but that you might like if you don't want to use the terminal == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[http://www.gamersonlinux.com/ GamersOnLinux] - Linux gaming community forum *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[https://happypenguin.altervista.org/index.php Happy Penguin - The Linux Game Tome] *[http://www.gamingonlinux.info/ Gaming On Linux] - another database *[http://www.lebottindesjeuxlinux.tuxfamily.org/en/home-en/ The Linux Game Book] - French and English database *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.zoom-platform.com/ Zoom Platform] - DRM-free retro games. *[https://gamejolt.com/games?os=linux GameJolt] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[https://linuxgamenews.com/ Linux Game News] *[https://playingtux.com/ Playing Tux] *[https://www.linux-games.com/ Linux-Games] *[https://linuxgameconsortium.com/ Linux Game Consortium] *[https://www.linuxgamingportal.com/ Linux Gaming Portal] *[https://www.codingcommanders.com/linux-gaming/ Coding Commanders - Linux Game Blog] *[https://zerker.ca/home/tag/linuxunix.html Zerk Zone - Retro Linux Games] Historical Linux Gaming Sites *[https://web.archive.org/web/20210419173711/https://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] (2012-2021) *[https://linuxgamingnews.org/ Linux Gaming News] (2009-2018) *[http://linuxgames.me/ Linux Games] (2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20191213112019/https://www.liflg.org/ linux installers for linux gamers] (2004-2019; moved to GitHub) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160505015216/http://ubuntugames.org/ Ubuntu Games] (2012-2016; Portuguese) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160604150745/http://www.lgdb.org/games Linux Game Database] (2010-2019) *[http://icculus.org/lgfaq/ Linux Gamers' FAQ] (last updated 2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20090302095738/http://www.linuxgamingworld.com/ Linux Gaming World] (2006-2009) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140217234002/http://www.linux-gamers.net/ linuXgamers.net] (2003-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20150726203906/http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] (1998-2015) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140214112327/http://www.tuxgames.com/ Tux Games] (2000-2014) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20130402151010/http://happypenguin.org/ The Linux Game Tome] (1995-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040109114819/http://www.linuxgaming.net:80/index.php LinuxGaming] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040925062326/http://www.tuxgamer.com:80/ Tux Gamer] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080119000310/http://lgdc.sunsite.dk/ Linux Game Development Centre] (2000-2002) Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a distribution agnostic package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. *[https://github.com/mikeroyal/Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide/blob/main/README.md Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide] - in depth tutorial on how to configure Ubuntu. Also contains a gaming section, that might also be relevant for other distributions. *[https://indiegamereviewer.com/category/platforms/linux/ Inde Game Reviewer - Linux] == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. b740055c9318807d7632b6cf16547b68b436ba42 1572 1571 2023-02-27T03:51:31Z 2604:3D09:8C77:A500:0:0:0:E108 0 /* External Links */ wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "fork" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. === Tweaking === *[[Troubleshooting]] - What to do if your game just won't work. *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies. *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. *[[Dual GPU]] - How to get the game running on the correct GPU. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Monitoring & Stresstesting]] - How to test that your tweaked system is still stable === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Visual Enhancement]] - Enhancing the visuals of a game. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! *[[Graphical tools]] - Programs that no one tells you about, but that you might like if you don't want to use the terminal == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[http://www.gamersonlinux.com/ GamersOnLinux] - Linux gaming community forum *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[https://happypenguin.altervista.org/index.php Happy Penguin - The Linux Game Tome] *[http://www.gamingonlinux.info/ Gaming On Linux] - another database *[http://www.lebottindesjeuxlinux.tuxfamily.org/en/home-en/ The Linux Game Book] - French and English database *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.zoom-platform.com/ Zoom Platform] - DRM-free retro games. *[https://gamejolt.com/games?os=linux GameJolt] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[https://linuxgamenews.com/ Linux Game News] *[https://playingtux.com/?lang=en Playing Tux] *[https://www.linux-games.com/ Linux-Games] *[https://linuxgameconsortium.com/ Linux Game Consortium] *[https://www.linuxgamingportal.com/ Linux Gaming Portal] *[https://www.codingcommanders.com/linux-gaming/ Coding Commanders - Linux Game Blog] *[https://zerker.ca/home/tag/linuxunix.html Zerk Zone - Retro Linux Games] Historical Linux Gaming Sites *[https://web.archive.org/web/20210419173711/https://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] (2012-2021) *[https://linuxgamingnews.org/ Linux Gaming News] (2009-2018) *[http://linuxgames.me/ Linux Games] (2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20191213112019/https://www.liflg.org/ linux installers for linux gamers] (2004-2019; moved to GitHub) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160505015216/http://ubuntugames.org/ Ubuntu Games] (2012-2016; Portuguese) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160604150745/http://www.lgdb.org/games Linux Game Database] (2010-2019) *[http://icculus.org/lgfaq/ Linux Gamers' FAQ] (last updated 2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20090302095738/http://www.linuxgamingworld.com/ Linux Gaming World] (2006-2009) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140217234002/http://www.linux-gamers.net/ linuXgamers.net] (2003-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20150726203906/http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] (1998-2015) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140214112327/http://www.tuxgames.com/ Tux Games] (2000-2014) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20130402151010/http://happypenguin.org/ The Linux Game Tome] (1995-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040109114819/http://www.linuxgaming.net:80/index.php LinuxGaming] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040925062326/http://www.tuxgamer.com:80/ Tux Gamer] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080119000310/http://lgdc.sunsite.dk/ Linux Game Development Centre] (2000-2002) Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a distribution agnostic package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. *[https://github.com/mikeroyal/Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide/blob/main/README.md Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide] - in depth tutorial on how to configure Ubuntu. Also contains a gaming section, that might also be relevant for other distributions. *[https://indiegamereviewer.com/category/platforms/linux/ Inde Game Reviewer - Linux] == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. 2c57f1fc430eb23e500fd6aaeefc6b3559c0f692 1600 1572 2023-03-07T02:55:33Z 2604:3D09:8C77:A500:0:0:0:A33E 0 wikitext text/x-wiki This wiki is a "[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/index/ fork]" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. === Tweaking === *[[Troubleshooting]] - What to do if your game just won't work. *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies. *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. *[[Dual GPU]] - How to get the game running on the correct GPU. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Monitoring & Stresstesting]] - How to test that your tweaked system is still stable === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Visual Enhancement]] - Enhancing the visuals of a game. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! *[[Graphical tools]] - Programs that no one tells you about, but that you might like if you don't want to use the terminal == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[http://www.gamersonlinux.com/ GamersOnLinux] - Linux gaming community forum *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[https://happypenguin.altervista.org/index.php Happy Penguin - The Linux Game Tome] *[http://www.gamingonlinux.info/ Gaming On Linux] - another database *[http://www.lebottindesjeuxlinux.tuxfamily.org/en/home-en/ The Linux Game Book] - French and English database *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.zoom-platform.com/ Zoom Platform] - DRM-free retro games. *[https://gamejolt.com/games?os=linux GameJolt] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[https://linuxgamenews.com/ Linux Game News] *[https://playingtux.com/?lang=en Playing Tux] *[https://www.linux-games.com/ Linux-Games] *[https://linuxgameconsortium.com/ Linux Game Consortium] *[https://www.linuxgamingportal.com/ Linux Gaming Portal] *[https://www.codingcommanders.com/linux-gaming/ Coding Commanders - Linux Game Blog] *[https://zerker.ca/home/tag/linuxunix.html Zerk Zone - Retro Linux Games] Historical Linux Gaming Sites *[https://web.archive.org/web/20210419173711/https://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] (2012-2021) *[https://linuxgamingnews.org/ Linux Gaming News] (2009-2018) *[http://linuxgames.me/ Linux Games] (2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20191213112019/https://www.liflg.org/ linux installers for linux gamers] (2004-2019; moved to GitHub) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160505015216/http://ubuntugames.org/ Ubuntu Games] (2012-2016; Portuguese) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160604150745/http://www.lgdb.org/games Linux Game Database] (2010-2019) *[http://icculus.org/lgfaq/ Linux Gamers' FAQ] (last updated 2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20090302095738/http://www.linuxgamingworld.com/ Linux Gaming World] (2006-2009) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140217234002/http://www.linux-gamers.net/ linuXgamers.net] (2003-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20150726203906/http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] (1998-2015) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140214112327/http://www.tuxgames.com/ Tux Games] (2000-2014) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20130402151010/http://happypenguin.org/ The Linux Game Tome] (1995-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040109114819/http://www.linuxgaming.net:80/index.php LinuxGaming] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040925062326/http://www.tuxgamer.com:80/ Tux Gamer] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080119000310/http://lgdc.sunsite.dk/ Linux Game Development Centre] (2000-2002) Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a distribution agnostic package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. *[https://github.com/mikeroyal/Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide/blob/main/README.md Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide] - in depth tutorial on how to configure Ubuntu. Also contains a gaming section, that might also be relevant for other distributions. *[https://indiegamereviewer.com/category/platforms/linux/ Inde Game Reviewer - Linux] == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. 34a6313279677eadaa3b7ca4d73ca5389ae08e49 0 5 1553 1528 2023-02-23T08:42:21Z Aragorn 3 /* Troubleshooting */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Nobara Official, Nobara Gnome, and Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]], it's not necessary on Wayland. **You do have to do this on Nobara KDE! *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Read the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. Old drivers can be a problem if they are too old. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. *If you have two GPUs (for example an integrated and a dedicated one), use the one with more performance. ''TODO: How?'' ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (one of the gaming optimized kernels, or just any kernel above 5.16), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>[https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg-pds]</code>, <code>[https://xanmod.org/ Xanmod]</code>, or <code>[https://liquorix.net/ Liquorix]</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> and <code>Liquorix</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. ***They should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. If you don't, you end up with an insecure system! **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people also recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler). Currently there are no scientific tests, so you have to see yourself what works best for you. You can get both from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. On an average gaming CPU, this will take something in the magnitude of an hour. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **Note that for many games, the following is not needed with Nvidia driver 520 (or higher) and DXVK 2.0 (or higher) thanks to VK_EXT_graphics_pipeline_library, Intel and AMD driver support is coming soon. However, there are still games that can profit from it, and it might lead to slightly better frame times<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18AYlKq05ew</ref>. <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE, ''until version 7-44'', is compatible. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (if you named the folder <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code>, you also need to manually type <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code> in the field). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page] and [https://github.com/AdelKS/LinuxGamingGuide this collection of tweaks]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=gpl</code>: Should lead to a behavior similar to shader caching on Windows. Games that don't stutter on Windows, should also not stutter on Linux. Currently, it also disables shader caching, so load times will be high. Is still new, and might not work correctly. You need mesa-git or mesa 23 for it to work. ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (Gnome and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. Disabling composition should lead to slightly less input lag.<ref name=":2" /> KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. Gnome is also valid, but adds a small amount of input lag.<ref name=":2">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section ''(Test needed to know how good it works!)''. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid Gnome x11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync or enable tearing updates. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. KDE plasma 5.27 or higher will be required for tearing updates on Wayland and your game will also need to be run in fullscreen mode for it to work. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on (unless tearing updates are enabled), regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. *Sometimes a game has both, a Linux native, and a Windows version. They don't always run equally well. If you have problems, it might be worth a shot to try the other one. *If you use Arch or an Arch based distribution, and you own a very new AMD GPU, it might be worth it to install <code>linux-firmware-git</code>, and <code>mesa-git</code> from the AUR (for example by using an AUR helper like <code>paru</code>). You might also consider to install a release candidate of the Linux kernel, for example by using <code>linux-rc</code> from the AUR, or by compiling <code>linux-tkg</code> and selecting a release candidate (to be detected by the <code>rc</code>, as in <code>v6.2-'''rc'''4</code>). *On Nvidia, you might need the [[Environment variables|environment variable]] <code>PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1</code> for DLSS. *You might need the [[Environment variables|environment variable]] <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=dxr</code> for ray tracing. *If you're using VKD3D, and enabling Resizable BAR leads to lower performance, you might want to try <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=no_upload_hvv</code><ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/119hwmt/this_setting_may_help_vkd3d_games_that_have/</ref>. ==References and notes == <references /> cf8f1a9bfc71471737af401328fe123e39c244e8 1554 1553 2023-02-23T08:43:58Z Aragorn 3 /* Only AMD */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Nobara Official, Nobara Gnome, and Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]], it's not necessary on Wayland. **You do have to do this on Nobara KDE! *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Read the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. Old drivers can be a problem if they are too old. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. *If you have two GPUs (for example an integrated and a dedicated one), use the one with more performance. ''TODO: How?'' ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (one of the gaming optimized kernels, or just any kernel above 5.16), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>[https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg-pds]</code>, <code>[https://xanmod.org/ Xanmod]</code>, or <code>[https://liquorix.net/ Liquorix]</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> and <code>Liquorix</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. ***They should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. If you don't, you end up with an insecure system! **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people also recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler). Currently there are no scientific tests, so you have to see yourself what works best for you. You can get both from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. On an average gaming CPU, this will take something in the magnitude of an hour. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **Note that for many games, the following is not needed with Nvidia driver 520 (or higher) and DXVK 2.0 (or higher) thanks to VK_EXT_graphics_pipeline_library, Intel and AMD driver support is coming soon. However, there are still games that can profit from it, and it might lead to slightly better frame times<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18AYlKq05ew</ref>. <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE, ''until version 7-44'', is compatible. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (if you named the folder <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code>, you also need to manually type <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code> in the field). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page] and [https://github.com/AdelKS/LinuxGamingGuide this collection of tweaks]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. In case it is reducing performance, try adding <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=no_upload_hvv</code><ref name=":3" />. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=gpl</code>: Should lead to a behavior similar to shader caching on Windows. Games that don't stutter on Windows, should also not stutter on Linux. Currently, it also disables shader caching, so load times will be high. Is still new, and might not work correctly. You need mesa-git or mesa 23 for it to work. ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (Gnome and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. Disabling composition should lead to slightly less input lag.<ref name=":2" /> KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. Gnome is also valid, but adds a small amount of input lag.<ref name=":2">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section ''(Test needed to know how good it works!)''. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid Gnome x11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync or enable tearing updates. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. KDE plasma 5.27 or higher will be required for tearing updates on Wayland and your game will also need to be run in fullscreen mode for it to work. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on (unless tearing updates are enabled), regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. *Sometimes a game has both, a Linux native, and a Windows version. They don't always run equally well. If you have problems, it might be worth a shot to try the other one. *If you use Arch or an Arch based distribution, and you own a very new AMD GPU, it might be worth it to install <code>linux-firmware-git</code>, and <code>mesa-git</code> from the AUR (for example by using an AUR helper like <code>paru</code>). You might also consider to install a release candidate of the Linux kernel, for example by using <code>linux-rc</code> from the AUR, or by compiling <code>linux-tkg</code> and selecting a release candidate (to be detected by the <code>rc</code>, as in <code>v6.2-'''rc'''4</code>). *On Nvidia, you might need the [[Environment variables|environment variable]] <code>PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1</code> for DLSS. *You might need the [[Environment variables|environment variable]] <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=dxr</code> for ray tracing. *If you're using VKD3D, and enabling Resizable BAR leads to lower performance, you might want to try <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=no_upload_hvv</code><ref name=":3">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/119hwmt/this_setting_may_help_vkd3d_games_that_have/</ref>. ==References and notes == <references /> 78c52671ba81d87eeabb46daf655b1388c4de31d 1555 1554 2023-02-23T08:44:43Z Aragorn 3 /* Only AMD */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Nobara Official, Nobara Gnome, and Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]], it's not necessary on Wayland. **You do have to do this on Nobara KDE! *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Read the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. Old drivers can be a problem if they are too old. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. *If you have two GPUs (for example an integrated and a dedicated one), use the one with more performance. ''TODO: How?'' ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (one of the gaming optimized kernels, or just any kernel above 5.16), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>[https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg-pds]</code>, <code>[https://xanmod.org/ Xanmod]</code>, or <code>[https://liquorix.net/ Liquorix]</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> and <code>Liquorix</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. ***They should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. If you don't, you end up with an insecure system! **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people also recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler). Currently there are no scientific tests, so you have to see yourself what works best for you. You can get both from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. On an average gaming CPU, this will take something in the magnitude of an hour. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **Note that for many games, the following is not needed with Nvidia driver 520 (or higher) and DXVK 2.0 (or higher) thanks to VK_EXT_graphics_pipeline_library, Intel and AMD driver support is coming soon. However, there are still games that can profit from it, and it might lead to slightly better frame times<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18AYlKq05ew</ref>. <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE, ''until version 7-44'', is compatible. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (if you named the folder <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code>, you also need to manually type <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code> in the field). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page] and [https://github.com/AdelKS/LinuxGamingGuide this collection of tweaks]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. In case it is reducing performance and you use VKD3D, try adding <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=no_upload_hvv</code><ref name=":3" />. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=gpl</code>: Should lead to a behavior similar to shader caching on Windows. Games that don't stutter on Windows, should also not stutter on Linux. Currently, it also disables shader caching, so load times will be high. Is still new, and might not work correctly. You need mesa-git or mesa 23 for it to work. ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (Gnome and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. Disabling composition should lead to slightly less input lag.<ref name=":2" /> KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. Gnome is also valid, but adds a small amount of input lag.<ref name=":2">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section ''(Test needed to know how good it works!)''. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid Gnome x11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync or enable tearing updates. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. KDE plasma 5.27 or higher will be required for tearing updates on Wayland and your game will also need to be run in fullscreen mode for it to work. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on (unless tearing updates are enabled), regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. *Sometimes a game has both, a Linux native, and a Windows version. They don't always run equally well. If you have problems, it might be worth a shot to try the other one. *If you use Arch or an Arch based distribution, and you own a very new AMD GPU, it might be worth it to install <code>linux-firmware-git</code>, and <code>mesa-git</code> from the AUR (for example by using an AUR helper like <code>paru</code>). You might also consider to install a release candidate of the Linux kernel, for example by using <code>linux-rc</code> from the AUR, or by compiling <code>linux-tkg</code> and selecting a release candidate (to be detected by the <code>rc</code>, as in <code>v6.2-'''rc'''4</code>). *On Nvidia, you might need the [[Environment variables|environment variable]] <code>PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1</code> for DLSS. *You might need the [[Environment variables|environment variable]] <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=dxr</code> for ray tracing. *If you're using VKD3D, and enabling Resizable BAR leads to lower performance, you might want to try <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=no_upload_hvv</code><ref name=":3">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/119hwmt/this_setting_may_help_vkd3d_games_that_have/</ref>. ==References and notes == <references /> 0dd8fa05f551d9f5dff2a1d2f0550c2fd7ce317d 1557 1555 2023-02-23T18:55:08Z Aragorn 3 /* Wayland */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Nobara Official, Nobara Gnome, and Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]], it's not necessary on Wayland. **You do have to do this on Nobara KDE! *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Read the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. Old drivers can be a problem if they are too old. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. *If you have two GPUs (for example an integrated and a dedicated one), use the one with more performance. ''TODO: How?'' ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (one of the gaming optimized kernels, or just any kernel above 5.16), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>[https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg-pds]</code>, <code>[https://xanmod.org/ Xanmod]</code>, or <code>[https://liquorix.net/ Liquorix]</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> and <code>Liquorix</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. ***They should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. If you don't, you end up with an insecure system! **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people also recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler). Currently there are no scientific tests, so you have to see yourself what works best for you. You can get both from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. On an average gaming CPU, this will take something in the magnitude of an hour. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **Note that for many games, the following is not needed with Nvidia driver 520 (or higher) and DXVK 2.0 (or higher) thanks to VK_EXT_graphics_pipeline_library, Intel and AMD driver support is coming soon. However, there are still games that can profit from it, and it might lead to slightly better frame times<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18AYlKq05ew</ref>. <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE, ''until version 7-44'', is compatible. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (if you named the folder <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code>, you also need to manually type <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code> in the field). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page] and [https://github.com/AdelKS/LinuxGamingGuide this collection of tweaks]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. In case it is reducing performance and you use VKD3D, try adding <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=no_upload_hvv</code><ref name=":3" />. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=gpl</code>: Should lead to a behavior similar to shader caching on Windows. Games that don't stutter on Windows, should also not stutter on Linux. Currently, it also disables shader caching, so load times will be high. Is still new, and might not work correctly. You need mesa-git or mesa 23 for it to work. ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (Gnome and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. Disabling composition should lead to slightly less input lag.<ref name=":2" /> KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. Gnome is also valid, but adds a small amount of input lag.<ref name=":2">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section ''(Test needed to know how good it works!)''. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid Gnome x11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync or enable tearing updates. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. KDE plasma 5.27 or higher will be required for tearing updates on Wayland and your game will also need to be run in fullscreen mode for it to work. Wine doesn't yet support tearing on Wayland. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on (unless tearing updates are enabled), regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. *Sometimes a game has both, a Linux native, and a Windows version. They don't always run equally well. If you have problems, it might be worth a shot to try the other one. *If you use Arch or an Arch based distribution, and you own a very new AMD GPU, it might be worth it to install <code>linux-firmware-git</code>, and <code>mesa-git</code> from the AUR (for example by using an AUR helper like <code>paru</code>). You might also consider to install a release candidate of the Linux kernel, for example by using <code>linux-rc</code> from the AUR, or by compiling <code>linux-tkg</code> and selecting a release candidate (to be detected by the <code>rc</code>, as in <code>v6.2-'''rc'''4</code>). *On Nvidia, you might need the [[Environment variables|environment variable]] <code>PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1</code> for DLSS. *You might need the [[Environment variables|environment variable]] <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=dxr</code> for ray tracing. *If you're using VKD3D, and enabling Resizable BAR leads to lower performance, you might want to try <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=no_upload_hvv</code><ref name=":3">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/119hwmt/this_setting_may_help_vkd3d_games_that_have/</ref>. ==References and notes == <references /> 22a2d6a02214f0b7cc55c891f94b9aebde6ff060 1583 1557 2023-02-28T21:34:20Z Aragorn 3 /* Troubleshooting */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Nobara Official, Nobara Gnome, and Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]], it's not necessary on Wayland. **You do have to do this on Nobara KDE! *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Read the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. Old drivers can be a problem if they are too old. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. *If you have two GPUs (for example an integrated and a dedicated one), use the one with more performance. ''TODO: How?'' ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (one of the gaming optimized kernels, or just any kernel above 5.16), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>[https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg-pds]</code>, <code>[https://xanmod.org/ Xanmod]</code>, or <code>[https://liquorix.net/ Liquorix]</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> and <code>Liquorix</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. ***They should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. If you don't, you end up with an insecure system! **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people also recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler). Currently there are no scientific tests, so you have to see yourself what works best for you. You can get both from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. On an average gaming CPU, this will take something in the magnitude of an hour. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **Note that for many games, the following is not needed with Nvidia driver 520 (or higher) and DXVK 2.0 (or higher) thanks to VK_EXT_graphics_pipeline_library, Intel and AMD driver support is coming soon. However, there are still games that can profit from it, and it might lead to slightly better frame times<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18AYlKq05ew</ref>. <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE, ''until version 7-44'', is compatible. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (if you named the folder <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code>, you also need to manually type <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code> in the field). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page] and [https://github.com/AdelKS/LinuxGamingGuide this collection of tweaks]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. In case it is reducing performance and you use VKD3D, try adding <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=no_upload_hvv</code><ref name=":3" />. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=gpl</code>: Should lead to a behavior similar to shader caching on Windows. Games that don't stutter on Windows, should also not stutter on Linux. Currently, it also disables shader caching, so load times will be high. Is still new, and might not work correctly. You need mesa-git or mesa 23 for it to work. ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (Gnome and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. Disabling composition should lead to slightly less input lag.<ref name=":2" /> KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. Gnome is also valid, but adds a small amount of input lag.<ref name=":2">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section ''(Test needed to know how good it works!)''. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid Gnome x11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync or enable tearing updates. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. KDE plasma 5.27 or higher will be required for tearing updates on Wayland and your game will also need to be run in fullscreen mode for it to work. Wine doesn't yet support tearing on Wayland. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on (unless tearing updates are enabled), regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. *Sometimes a game has both, a Linux native, and a Windows version. They don't always run equally well. If you have problems, it might be worth a shot to try the other one. *If you use Arch or an Arch based distribution, and you own a very new AMD GPU, it might be worth it to install <code>linux-firmware-git</code>, and <code>mesa-git</code> from the AUR (for example by using an AUR helper like <code>paru</code>). You might also consider to install a release candidate of the Linux kernel, for example by using <code>linux-rc</code> from the AUR, or by compiling <code>linux-tkg</code> and selecting a release candidate (to be detected by the <code>rc</code>, as in <code>v6.2-'''rc'''4</code>). *On Nvidia, you might need the [[Environment variables|environment variable]] <code>PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1</code> for DLSS. *You might need the [[Environment variables|environment variable]] <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=dxr</code> for ray tracing. *If you're using VKD3D, and enabling Resizable BAR leads to lower performance, you might want to try <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=no_upload_hvv</code><ref name=":3">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/119hwmt/this_setting_may_help_vkd3d_games_that_have/</ref>. *If you're using KDE Plasma, you might get performance problems because of Baloo file indexing. You can disable it as described [https://community.kde.org/Baloo/Configuration here]. ==References and notes == <references /> 722951699aa345dbe9efc7c04ff8557b6e876103 1609 1583 2023-03-08T10:27:23Z Aragorn 3 /* Optional */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Nobara Official, Nobara Gnome, and Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]], it's not necessary on Wayland. **You do have to do this on Nobara KDE! *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Read the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. Old drivers can be a problem if they are too old. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. *If you have two GPUs (for example an integrated and a dedicated one), use the one with more performance. ''TODO: How?'' ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (one of the gaming optimized kernels, or just any kernel above 5.16), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>[https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg-pds]</code>, <code>[https://xanmod.org/ Xanmod]</code>, or <code>[https://liquorix.net/ Liquorix]</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> and <code>Liquorix</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. ***They should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. If you don't, you end up with an insecure system! **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people also recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler). Currently there are no scientific tests, so you have to see yourself what works best for you. You can get both from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. On an average gaming CPU, this will take something in the magnitude of an hour. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **Note that for many games, the following is not needed with Nvidia driver 520 (or higher) and DXVK 2.0 (or higher) thanks to VK_EXT_graphics_pipeline_library, Intel and AMD driver support is coming soon. However, there are still games that can profit from it, and it might lead to slightly better frame times<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18AYlKq05ew</ref>. <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE, ''until version 7-44'', is compatible. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (if you named the folder <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code>, you also need to manually type <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code> in the field). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *The following tweaks can improve gaming performance, but might be a bad choice for other workloads/normal desktop usage. However, it is possible to set/reset these settings with [[gamemode]], as described in [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/11lslhs/tutorial_how_to_use_memory_tweaks_from/ this tutorial]. **Use Transparent Hugepages: <code>echo always | sudo tee /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/enabled</code> ***With shared memory: <code>echo advise | sudo tee /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/shmem_enabled</code> **Use Compaction Proactiveness: <code>echo 0 | sudo tee /proc/sys/vm/compaction_proactiveness</code> **Disable Hugepage Defragmentation: <code>echo 0 | sudo tee /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/khugepaged/defrag</code> **Lower Page Lock Unfairness: <code>echo 1 | sudo tee /proc/sys/vm/page_lock_unfairness</code> *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page] and [https://github.com/AdelKS/LinuxGamingGuide this collection of tweaks]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. In case it is reducing performance and you use VKD3D, try adding <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=no_upload_hvv</code><ref name=":3" />. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=gpl</code>: Should lead to a behavior similar to shader caching on Windows. Games that don't stutter on Windows, should also not stutter on Linux. Currently, it also disables shader caching, so load times will be high. Is still new, and might not work correctly. You need mesa-git or mesa 23 for it to work. ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (Gnome and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. Disabling composition should lead to slightly less input lag.<ref name=":2" /> KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. Gnome is also valid, but adds a small amount of input lag.<ref name=":2">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section ''(Test needed to know how good it works!)''. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid Gnome x11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync or enable tearing updates. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. KDE plasma 5.27 or higher will be required for tearing updates on Wayland and your game will also need to be run in fullscreen mode for it to work. Wine doesn't yet support tearing on Wayland. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on (unless tearing updates are enabled), regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. *Sometimes a game has both, a Linux native, and a Windows version. They don't always run equally well. If you have problems, it might be worth a shot to try the other one. *If you use Arch or an Arch based distribution, and you own a very new AMD GPU, it might be worth it to install <code>linux-firmware-git</code>, and <code>mesa-git</code> from the AUR (for example by using an AUR helper like <code>paru</code>). You might also consider to install a release candidate of the Linux kernel, for example by using <code>linux-rc</code> from the AUR, or by compiling <code>linux-tkg</code> and selecting a release candidate (to be detected by the <code>rc</code>, as in <code>v6.2-'''rc'''4</code>). *On Nvidia, you might need the [[Environment variables|environment variable]] <code>PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1</code> for DLSS. *You might need the [[Environment variables|environment variable]] <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=dxr</code> for ray tracing. *If you're using VKD3D, and enabling Resizable BAR leads to lower performance, you might want to try <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=no_upload_hvv</code><ref name=":3">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/119hwmt/this_setting_may_help_vkd3d_games_that_have/</ref>. *If you're using KDE Plasma, you might get performance problems because of Baloo file indexing. You can disable it as described [https://community.kde.org/Baloo/Configuration here]. ==References and notes == <references /> 3f3f1f815b4bab5f8861162fbad881e935b81e56 1610 1609 2023-03-08T15:14:28Z Aragorn 3 /* Optional */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Nobara Official, Nobara Gnome, and Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]], it's not necessary on Wayland. **You do have to do this on Nobara KDE! *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Read the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. Old drivers can be a problem if they are too old. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. *If you have two GPUs (for example an integrated and a dedicated one), use the one with more performance. ''TODO: How?'' ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (one of the gaming optimized kernels, or just any kernel above 5.16), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>[https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg-pds]</code>, <code>[https://xanmod.org/ Xanmod]</code>, or <code>[https://liquorix.net/ Liquorix]</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> and <code>Liquorix</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. ***They should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. If you don't, you end up with an insecure system! **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people also recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler). Currently there are no scientific tests, so you have to see yourself what works best for you. You can get both from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. On an average gaming CPU, this will take something in the magnitude of an hour. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **Note that for many games, the following is not needed with Nvidia driver 520 (or higher) and DXVK 2.0 (or higher) thanks to VK_EXT_graphics_pipeline_library, Intel and AMD driver support is coming soon. However, there are still games that can profit from it, and it might lead to slightly better frame times<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18AYlKq05ew</ref>. <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE, ''until version 7-44'', is compatible. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (if you named the folder <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code>, you also need to manually type <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code> in the field). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *The following tweaks can improve gaming performance, but might not be optimal for other workloads/normal desktop usage. However, it is possible to set/reset these settings with [[gamemode]], as described in [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/11lslhs/tutorial_how_to_use_memory_tweaks_from/ this tutorial]. **Use Transparent Hugepages: <code>echo always | sudo tee /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/enabled</code> ***With shared memory: <code>echo advise | sudo tee /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/shmem_enabled</code> **Use Compaction Proactiveness: <code>echo 0 | sudo tee /proc/sys/vm/compaction_proactiveness</code> **Disable Hugepage Defragmentation: <code>echo 0 | sudo tee /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/khugepaged/defrag</code> **Lower Page Lock Unfairness: <code>echo 1 | sudo tee /proc/sys/vm/page_lock_unfairness</code> *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page] and [https://github.com/AdelKS/LinuxGamingGuide this collection of tweaks]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. In case it is reducing performance and you use VKD3D, try adding <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=no_upload_hvv</code><ref name=":3" />. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=gpl</code>: Should lead to a behavior similar to shader caching on Windows. Games that don't stutter on Windows, should also not stutter on Linux. Currently, it also disables shader caching, so load times will be high. Is still new, and might not work correctly. You need mesa-git or mesa 23 for it to work. ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (Gnome and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. Disabling composition should lead to slightly less input lag.<ref name=":2" /> KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. Gnome is also valid, but adds a small amount of input lag.<ref name=":2">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section ''(Test needed to know how good it works!)''. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid Gnome x11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync or enable tearing updates. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. KDE plasma 5.27 or higher will be required for tearing updates on Wayland and your game will also need to be run in fullscreen mode for it to work. Wine doesn't yet support tearing on Wayland. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on (unless tearing updates are enabled), regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. *Sometimes a game has both, a Linux native, and a Windows version. They don't always run equally well. If you have problems, it might be worth a shot to try the other one. *If you use Arch or an Arch based distribution, and you own a very new AMD GPU, it might be worth it to install <code>linux-firmware-git</code>, and <code>mesa-git</code> from the AUR (for example by using an AUR helper like <code>paru</code>). You might also consider to install a release candidate of the Linux kernel, for example by using <code>linux-rc</code> from the AUR, or by compiling <code>linux-tkg</code> and selecting a release candidate (to be detected by the <code>rc</code>, as in <code>v6.2-'''rc'''4</code>). *On Nvidia, you might need the [[Environment variables|environment variable]] <code>PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1</code> for DLSS. *You might need the [[Environment variables|environment variable]] <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=dxr</code> for ray tracing. *If you're using VKD3D, and enabling Resizable BAR leads to lower performance, you might want to try <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=no_upload_hvv</code><ref name=":3">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/119hwmt/this_setting_may_help_vkd3d_games_that_have/</ref>. *If you're using KDE Plasma, you might get performance problems because of Baloo file indexing. You can disable it as described [https://community.kde.org/Baloo/Configuration here]. ==References and notes == <references /> 121673af21b9d33782f0065a1a9d377cf271d2f1 1611 1610 2023-03-08T15:16:00Z Aragorn 3 /* Optional */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Nobara Official, Nobara Gnome, and Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]], it's not necessary on Wayland. **You do have to do this on Nobara KDE! *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Read the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. Old drivers can be a problem if they are too old. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. *If you have two GPUs (for example an integrated and a dedicated one), use the one with more performance. ''TODO: How?'' ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (one of the gaming optimized kernels, or just any kernel above 5.16), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>[https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg-pds]</code>, <code>[https://xanmod.org/ Xanmod]</code>, or <code>[https://liquorix.net/ Liquorix]</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> and <code>Liquorix</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. ***They should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. If you don't, you end up with an insecure system! **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people also recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler). Currently there are no scientific tests, so you have to see yourself what works best for you. You can get both from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. On an average gaming CPU, this will take something in the magnitude of an hour. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **Note that for many games, the following is not needed with Nvidia driver 520 (or higher) and DXVK 2.0 (or higher) thanks to VK_EXT_graphics_pipeline_library, Intel and AMD driver support is coming soon. However, there are still games that can profit from it, and it might lead to slightly better frame times<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18AYlKq05ew</ref>. <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE, ''until version 7-44'', is compatible. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (if you named the folder <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code>, you also need to manually type <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code> in the field). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *The following tweaks<ref>https://github.com/CryoByte33/steam-deck-utilities/blob/main/docs/tweak-explanation.md</ref> can improve gaming performance, but might not be optimal for other workloads/normal desktop usage. However, it is possible to set/reset these settings with [[gamemode]], as described in [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/11lslhs/tutorial_how_to_use_memory_tweaks_from/ this tutorial]. **Use Transparent Hugepages: <code>echo always | sudo tee /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/enabled</code> ***With shared memory: <code>echo advise | sudo tee /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/shmem_enabled</code> **Use Compaction Proactiveness: <code>echo 0 | sudo tee /proc/sys/vm/compaction_proactiveness</code> **Disable Hugepage Defragmentation: <code>echo 0 | sudo tee /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/khugepaged/defrag</code> **Lower Page Lock Unfairness: <code>echo 1 | sudo tee /proc/sys/vm/page_lock_unfairness</code> *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page] and [https://github.com/AdelKS/LinuxGamingGuide this collection of tweaks]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. In case it is reducing performance and you use VKD3D, try adding <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=no_upload_hvv</code><ref name=":3" />. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=gpl</code>: Should lead to a behavior similar to shader caching on Windows. Games that don't stutter on Windows, should also not stutter on Linux. Currently, it also disables shader caching, so load times will be high. Is still new, and might not work correctly. You need mesa-git or mesa 23 for it to work. ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (Gnome and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. Disabling composition should lead to slightly less input lag.<ref name=":2" /> KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. Gnome is also valid, but adds a small amount of input lag.<ref name=":2">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section ''(Test needed to know how good it works!)''. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid Gnome x11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync or enable tearing updates. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. KDE plasma 5.27 or higher will be required for tearing updates on Wayland and your game will also need to be run in fullscreen mode for it to work. Wine doesn't yet support tearing on Wayland. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on (unless tearing updates are enabled), regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. *Sometimes a game has both, a Linux native, and a Windows version. They don't always run equally well. If you have problems, it might be worth a shot to try the other one. *If you use Arch or an Arch based distribution, and you own a very new AMD GPU, it might be worth it to install <code>linux-firmware-git</code>, and <code>mesa-git</code> from the AUR (for example by using an AUR helper like <code>paru</code>). You might also consider to install a release candidate of the Linux kernel, for example by using <code>linux-rc</code> from the AUR, or by compiling <code>linux-tkg</code> and selecting a release candidate (to be detected by the <code>rc</code>, as in <code>v6.2-'''rc'''4</code>). *On Nvidia, you might need the [[Environment variables|environment variable]] <code>PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1</code> for DLSS. *You might need the [[Environment variables|environment variable]] <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=dxr</code> for ray tracing. *If you're using VKD3D, and enabling Resizable BAR leads to lower performance, you might want to try <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=no_upload_hvv</code><ref name=":3">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/119hwmt/this_setting_may_help_vkd3d_games_that_have/</ref>. *If you're using KDE Plasma, you might get performance problems because of Baloo file indexing. You can disable it as described [https://community.kde.org/Baloo/Configuration here]. ==References and notes == <references /> 9ed5df14dce02ac45be5c3e99c58d527fef2c388 1819 1611 2023-04-11T17:02:40Z Aragorn 3 /* Overclocking and controlling the GPU */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Nobara Official, Nobara Gnome, and Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]], it's not necessary on Wayland. **You do have to do this on Nobara KDE! *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Read the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. Old drivers can be a problem if they are too old. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. *If you have two GPUs (for example an integrated and a dedicated one), use the one with more performance. ''TODO: How?'' ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms=""</code> set to true in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. **Alternatively, you can also use the CLI, as described [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Custom_TDP_Limit here]. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (one of the gaming optimized kernels, or just any kernel above 5.16), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>[https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg-pds]</code>, <code>[https://xanmod.org/ Xanmod]</code>, or <code>[https://liquorix.net/ Liquorix]</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> and <code>Liquorix</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. ***They should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. If you don't, you end up with an insecure system! **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people also recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler). Currently there are no scientific tests, so you have to see yourself what works best for you. You can get both from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. On an average gaming CPU, this will take something in the magnitude of an hour. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **Note that for many games, the following is not needed with Nvidia driver 520 (or higher) and DXVK 2.0 (or higher) thanks to VK_EXT_graphics_pipeline_library, Intel and AMD driver support is coming soon. However, there are still games that can profit from it, and it might lead to slightly better frame times<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18AYlKq05ew</ref>. <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE, ''until version 7-44'', is compatible. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (if you named the folder <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code>, you also need to manually type <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code> in the field). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *The following tweaks<ref>https://github.com/CryoByte33/steam-deck-utilities/blob/main/docs/tweak-explanation.md</ref> can improve gaming performance, but might not be optimal for other workloads/normal desktop usage. However, it is possible to set/reset these settings with [[gamemode]], as described in [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/11lslhs/tutorial_how_to_use_memory_tweaks_from/ this tutorial]. **Use Transparent Hugepages: <code>echo always | sudo tee /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/enabled</code> ***With shared memory: <code>echo advise | sudo tee /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/shmem_enabled</code> **Use Compaction Proactiveness: <code>echo 0 | sudo tee /proc/sys/vm/compaction_proactiveness</code> **Disable Hugepage Defragmentation: <code>echo 0 | sudo tee /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/khugepaged/defrag</code> **Lower Page Lock Unfairness: <code>echo 1 | sudo tee /proc/sys/vm/page_lock_unfairness</code> *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page] and [https://github.com/AdelKS/LinuxGamingGuide this collection of tweaks]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. In case it is reducing performance and you use VKD3D, try adding <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=no_upload_hvv</code><ref name=":3" />. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=gpl</code>: Should lead to a behavior similar to shader caching on Windows. Games that don't stutter on Windows, should also not stutter on Linux. Currently, it also disables shader caching, so load times will be high. Is still new, and might not work correctly. You need mesa-git or mesa 23 for it to work. ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (Gnome and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. Disabling composition should lead to slightly less input lag.<ref name=":2" /> KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. Gnome is also valid, but adds a small amount of input lag.<ref name=":2">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section ''(Test needed to know how good it works!)''. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid Gnome x11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync or enable tearing updates. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. KDE plasma 5.27 or higher will be required for tearing updates on Wayland and your game will also need to be run in fullscreen mode for it to work. Wine doesn't yet support tearing on Wayland. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on (unless tearing updates are enabled), regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. *Sometimes a game has both, a Linux native, and a Windows version. They don't always run equally well. If you have problems, it might be worth a shot to try the other one. *If you use Arch or an Arch based distribution, and you own a very new AMD GPU, it might be worth it to install <code>linux-firmware-git</code>, and <code>mesa-git</code> from the AUR (for example by using an AUR helper like <code>paru</code>). You might also consider to install a release candidate of the Linux kernel, for example by using <code>linux-rc</code> from the AUR, or by compiling <code>linux-tkg</code> and selecting a release candidate (to be detected by the <code>rc</code>, as in <code>v6.2-'''rc'''4</code>). *On Nvidia, you might need the [[Environment variables|environment variable]] <code>PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1</code> for DLSS. *You might need the [[Environment variables|environment variable]] <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=dxr</code> for ray tracing. *If you're using VKD3D, and enabling Resizable BAR leads to lower performance, you might want to try <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=no_upload_hvv</code><ref name=":3">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/119hwmt/this_setting_may_help_vkd3d_games_that_have/</ref>. *If you're using KDE Plasma, you might get performance problems because of Baloo file indexing. You can disable it as described [https://community.kde.org/Baloo/Configuration here]. ==References and notes == <references /> 2759244f771dfeb39792c01decafbe9413752ce7 1894 1819 2023-04-23T21:34:15Z Kkiot 582 /* Nvidia */ Simplify the DKMS option in nvidia-all. wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Nobara Official, Nobara Gnome, and Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]], it's not necessary on Wayland. **You do have to do this on Nobara KDE! *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS. **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Read the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. Old drivers can be a problem if they are too old. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. *If you have two GPUs (for example an integrated and a dedicated one), use the one with more performance. ''TODO: How?'' ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms="true"</code> in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. **Alternatively, you can also use the CLI, as described [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Custom_TDP_Limit here]. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (one of the gaming optimized kernels, or just any kernel above 5.16), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>[https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg-pds]</code>, <code>[https://xanmod.org/ Xanmod]</code>, or <code>[https://liquorix.net/ Liquorix]</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> and <code>Liquorix</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. ***They should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. If you don't, you end up with an insecure system! **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people also recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler). Currently there are no scientific tests, so you have to see yourself what works best for you. You can get both from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. On an average gaming CPU, this will take something in the magnitude of an hour. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **Note that for many games, the following is not needed with Nvidia driver 520 (or higher) and DXVK 2.0 (or higher) thanks to VK_EXT_graphics_pipeline_library, Intel and AMD driver support is coming soon. However, there are still games that can profit from it, and it might lead to slightly better frame times<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18AYlKq05ew</ref>. <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE, ''until version 7-44'', is compatible. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (if you named the folder <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code>, you also need to manually type <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code> in the field). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *The following tweaks<ref>https://github.com/CryoByte33/steam-deck-utilities/blob/main/docs/tweak-explanation.md</ref> can improve gaming performance, but might not be optimal for other workloads/normal desktop usage. However, it is possible to set/reset these settings with [[gamemode]], as described in [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/11lslhs/tutorial_how_to_use_memory_tweaks_from/ this tutorial]. **Use Transparent Hugepages: <code>echo always | sudo tee /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/enabled</code> ***With shared memory: <code>echo advise | sudo tee /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/shmem_enabled</code> **Use Compaction Proactiveness: <code>echo 0 | sudo tee /proc/sys/vm/compaction_proactiveness</code> **Disable Hugepage Defragmentation: <code>echo 0 | sudo tee /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/khugepaged/defrag</code> **Lower Page Lock Unfairness: <code>echo 1 | sudo tee /proc/sys/vm/page_lock_unfairness</code> *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page] and [https://github.com/AdelKS/LinuxGamingGuide this collection of tweaks]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. In case it is reducing performance and you use VKD3D, try adding <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=no_upload_hvv</code><ref name=":3" />. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=gpl</code>: Should lead to a behavior similar to shader caching on Windows. Games that don't stutter on Windows, should also not stutter on Linux. Currently, it also disables shader caching, so load times will be high. Is still new, and might not work correctly. You need mesa-git or mesa 23 for it to work. ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (Gnome and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. Disabling composition should lead to slightly less input lag.<ref name=":2" /> KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. Gnome is also valid, but adds a small amount of input lag.<ref name=":2">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section ''(Test needed to know how good it works!)''. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid Gnome x11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync or enable tearing updates. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. KDE plasma 5.27 or higher will be required for tearing updates on Wayland and your game will also need to be run in fullscreen mode for it to work. Wine doesn't yet support tearing on Wayland. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on (unless tearing updates are enabled), regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. *Sometimes a game has both, a Linux native, and a Windows version. They don't always run equally well. If you have problems, it might be worth a shot to try the other one. *If you use Arch or an Arch based distribution, and you own a very new AMD GPU, it might be worth it to install <code>linux-firmware-git</code>, and <code>mesa-git</code> from the AUR (for example by using an AUR helper like <code>paru</code>). You might also consider to install a release candidate of the Linux kernel, for example by using <code>linux-rc</code> from the AUR, or by compiling <code>linux-tkg</code> and selecting a release candidate (to be detected by the <code>rc</code>, as in <code>v6.2-'''rc'''4</code>). *On Nvidia, you might need the [[Environment variables|environment variable]] <code>PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1</code> for DLSS. *You might need the [[Environment variables|environment variable]] <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=dxr</code> for ray tracing. *If you're using VKD3D, and enabling Resizable BAR leads to lower performance, you might want to try <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=no_upload_hvv</code><ref name=":3">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/119hwmt/this_setting_may_help_vkd3d_games_that_have/</ref>. *If you're using KDE Plasma, you might get performance problems because of Baloo file indexing. You can disable it as described [https://community.kde.org/Baloo/Configuration here]. ==References and notes == <references /> 9c21c3dfb026ac69775ae9f3ae91b1e6d2f485c0 1895 1894 2023-04-23T21:38:16Z Kkiot 582 /* Major tweaks */ Clarify Pop!_OS requirements wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use Gnome (the default on Nobara Official, Nobara Gnome, and Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]], it's not necessary on Wayland. **You do have to do this on Nobara KDE! *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS (if you chose the NVIDIA ISO for NVIDIA graphics cards). **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Read the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. Old drivers can be a problem if they are too old. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. *If you have two GPUs (for example an integrated and a dedicated one), use the one with more performance. ''TODO: How?'' ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms="true"</code> in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. **Alternatively, you can also use the CLI, as described [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Custom_TDP_Limit here]. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (one of the gaming optimized kernels, or just any kernel above 5.16), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>[https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg-pds]</code>, <code>[https://xanmod.org/ Xanmod]</code>, or <code>[https://liquorix.net/ Liquorix]</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> and <code>Liquorix</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. ***They should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. If you don't, you end up with an insecure system! **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people also recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler). Currently there are no scientific tests, so you have to see yourself what works best for you. You can get both from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. On an average gaming CPU, this will take something in the magnitude of an hour. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **Note that for many games, the following is not needed with Nvidia driver 520 (or higher) and DXVK 2.0 (or higher) thanks to VK_EXT_graphics_pipeline_library, Intel and AMD driver support is coming soon. However, there are still games that can profit from it, and it might lead to slightly better frame times<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18AYlKq05ew</ref>. <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE, ''until version 7-44'', is compatible. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (if you named the folder <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code>, you also need to manually type <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code> in the field). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *The following tweaks<ref>https://github.com/CryoByte33/steam-deck-utilities/blob/main/docs/tweak-explanation.md</ref> can improve gaming performance, but might not be optimal for other workloads/normal desktop usage. However, it is possible to set/reset these settings with [[gamemode]], as described in [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/11lslhs/tutorial_how_to_use_memory_tweaks_from/ this tutorial]. **Use Transparent Hugepages: <code>echo always | sudo tee /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/enabled</code> ***With shared memory: <code>echo advise | sudo tee /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/shmem_enabled</code> **Use Compaction Proactiveness: <code>echo 0 | sudo tee /proc/sys/vm/compaction_proactiveness</code> **Disable Hugepage Defragmentation: <code>echo 0 | sudo tee /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/khugepaged/defrag</code> **Lower Page Lock Unfairness: <code>echo 1 | sudo tee /proc/sys/vm/page_lock_unfairness</code> *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page] and [https://github.com/AdelKS/LinuxGamingGuide this collection of tweaks]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. In case it is reducing performance and you use VKD3D, try adding <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=no_upload_hvv</code><ref name=":3" />. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=gpl</code>: Should lead to a behavior similar to shader caching on Windows. Games that don't stutter on Windows, should also not stutter on Linux. Currently, it also disables shader caching, so load times will be high. Is still new, and might not work correctly. You need mesa-git or mesa 23 for it to work. ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (Gnome and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. Disabling composition should lead to slightly less input lag.<ref name=":2" /> KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. Gnome is also valid, but adds a small amount of input lag.<ref name=":2">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section ''(Test needed to know how good it works!)''. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid Gnome x11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync or enable tearing updates. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. KDE plasma 5.27 or higher will be required for tearing updates on Wayland and your game will also need to be run in fullscreen mode for it to work. Wine doesn't yet support tearing on Wayland. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on (unless tearing updates are enabled), regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> Gnome will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. *Sometimes a game has both, a Linux native, and a Windows version. They don't always run equally well. If you have problems, it might be worth a shot to try the other one. *If you use Arch or an Arch based distribution, and you own a very new AMD GPU, it might be worth it to install <code>linux-firmware-git</code>, and <code>mesa-git</code> from the AUR (for example by using an AUR helper like <code>paru</code>). You might also consider to install a release candidate of the Linux kernel, for example by using <code>linux-rc</code> from the AUR, or by compiling <code>linux-tkg</code> and selecting a release candidate (to be detected by the <code>rc</code>, as in <code>v6.2-'''rc'''4</code>). *On Nvidia, you might need the [[Environment variables|environment variable]] <code>PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1</code> for DLSS. *You might need the [[Environment variables|environment variable]] <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=dxr</code> for ray tracing. *If you're using VKD3D, and enabling Resizable BAR leads to lower performance, you might want to try <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=no_upload_hvv</code><ref name=":3">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/119hwmt/this_setting_may_help_vkd3d_games_that_have/</ref>. *If you're using KDE Plasma, you might get performance problems because of Baloo file indexing. You can disable it as described [https://community.kde.org/Baloo/Configuration here]. ==References and notes == <references /> c59406f4fb7dc807c5487c40a59691dfe70ec8b6 1896 1895 2023-04-23T21:39:12Z Kkiot 582 Properly capitalize "GNOME". wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use GNOME (the default on Nobara Official, Nobara GNOME, and Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]], it's not necessary on Wayland. **You do have to do this on Nobara KDE! *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS (if you chose the NVIDIA ISO for NVIDIA graphics cards). **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Read the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. Old drivers can be a problem if they are too old. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. *If you have two GPUs (for example an integrated and a dedicated one), use the one with more performance. ''TODO: How?'' ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms="true"</code> in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. **Alternatively, you can also use the CLI, as described [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Custom_TDP_Limit here]. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (one of the gaming optimized kernels, or just any kernel above 5.16), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>[https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg-pds]</code>, <code>[https://xanmod.org/ Xanmod]</code>, or <code>[https://liquorix.net/ Liquorix]</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> and <code>Liquorix</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. ***They should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. If you don't, you end up with an insecure system! **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people also recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler). Currently there are no scientific tests, so you have to see yourself what works best for you. You can get both from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. On an average gaming CPU, this will take something in the magnitude of an hour. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **Note that for many games, the following is not needed with Nvidia driver 520 (or higher) and DXVK 2.0 (or higher) thanks to VK_EXT_graphics_pipeline_library, Intel and AMD driver support is coming soon. However, there are still games that can profit from it, and it might lead to slightly better frame times<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18AYlKq05ew</ref>. <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE, ''until version 7-44'', is compatible. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (if you named the folder <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code>, you also need to manually type <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code> in the field). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *The following tweaks<ref>https://github.com/CryoByte33/steam-deck-utilities/blob/main/docs/tweak-explanation.md</ref> can improve gaming performance, but might not be optimal for other workloads/normal desktop usage. However, it is possible to set/reset these settings with [[gamemode]], as described in [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/11lslhs/tutorial_how_to_use_memory_tweaks_from/ this tutorial]. **Use Transparent Hugepages: <code>echo always | sudo tee /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/enabled</code> ***With shared memory: <code>echo advise | sudo tee /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/shmem_enabled</code> **Use Compaction Proactiveness: <code>echo 0 | sudo tee /proc/sys/vm/compaction_proactiveness</code> **Disable Hugepage Defragmentation: <code>echo 0 | sudo tee /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/khugepaged/defrag</code> **Lower Page Lock Unfairness: <code>echo 1 | sudo tee /proc/sys/vm/page_lock_unfairness</code> *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page] and [https://github.com/AdelKS/LinuxGamingGuide this collection of tweaks]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. In case it is reducing performance and you use VKD3D, try adding <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=no_upload_hvv</code><ref name=":3" />. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=gpl</code>: Should lead to a behavior similar to shader caching on Windows. Games that don't stutter on Windows, should also not stutter on Linux. Currently, it also disables shader caching, so load times will be high. Is still new, and might not work correctly. You need mesa-git or mesa 23 for it to work. ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (GNOME and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. Disabling composition should lead to slightly less input lag.<ref name=":2" /> KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. GNOME is also valid, but adds a small amount of input lag.<ref name=":2">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section ''(Test needed to know how good it works!)''. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid GNOME X11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync or enable tearing updates. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. KDE plasma 5.27 or higher will be required for tearing updates on Wayland and your game will also need to be run in fullscreen mode for it to work. Wine doesn't yet support tearing on Wayland. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on (unless tearing updates are enabled), regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> GNOME will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. *Sometimes a game has both, a Linux native, and a Windows version. They don't always run equally well. If you have problems, it might be worth a shot to try the other one. *If you use Arch or an Arch based distribution, and you own a very new AMD GPU, it might be worth it to install <code>linux-firmware-git</code>, and <code>mesa-git</code> from the AUR (for example by using an AUR helper like <code>paru</code>). You might also consider to install a release candidate of the Linux kernel, for example by using <code>linux-rc</code> from the AUR, or by compiling <code>linux-tkg</code> and selecting a release candidate (to be detected by the <code>rc</code>, as in <code>v6.2-'''rc'''4</code>). *On Nvidia, you might need the [[Environment variables|environment variable]] <code>PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1</code> for DLSS. *You might need the [[Environment variables|environment variable]] <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=dxr</code> for ray tracing. *If you're using VKD3D, and enabling Resizable BAR leads to lower performance, you might want to try <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=no_upload_hvv</code><ref name=":3">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/119hwmt/this_setting_may_help_vkd3d_games_that_have/</ref>. *If you're using KDE Plasma, you might get performance problems because of Baloo file indexing. You can disable it as described [https://community.kde.org/Baloo/Configuration here]. ==References and notes == <references /> 01a5f75555be469758b4fb14b8febd2d1e7e77e9 1897 1896 2023-04-23T21:44:08Z Kkiot 582 /* Minor tweaks */ Replaced "average gaming CPU" by hexa-core CPU. Kernel compilation takes half an hour without Modprobed-db. wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use GNOME (the default on Nobara Official, Nobara GNOME, and Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]], it's not necessary on Wayland. **You do have to do this on Nobara KDE! *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS (if you chose the NVIDIA ISO for NVIDIA graphics cards). **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Read the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. Old drivers can be a problem if they are too old. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. *If you have two GPUs (for example an integrated and a dedicated one), use the one with more performance. ''TODO: How?'' ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms="true"</code> in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. **Alternatively, you can also use the CLI, as described [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Custom_TDP_Limit here]. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (one of the gaming optimized kernels, or just any kernel above 5.16), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>[https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg-pds]</code>, <code>[https://xanmod.org/ Xanmod]</code>, or <code>[https://liquorix.net/ Liquorix]</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> and <code>Liquorix</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. ***They should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. If you don't, you end up with an insecure system! **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people also recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler). Currently there are no scientific tests, so you have to see yourself what works best for you. You can get both from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though. On a six-core processor, this will take something in the magnitude of half an hour. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **Note that for many games, the following is not needed with Nvidia driver 520 (or higher) and DXVK 2.0 (or higher) thanks to VK_EXT_graphics_pipeline_library, Intel and AMD driver support is coming soon. However, there are still games that can profit from it, and it might lead to slightly better frame times<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18AYlKq05ew</ref>. <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE, ''until version 7-44'', is compatible. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (if you named the folder <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code>, you also need to manually type <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code> in the field). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *The following tweaks<ref>https://github.com/CryoByte33/steam-deck-utilities/blob/main/docs/tweak-explanation.md</ref> can improve gaming performance, but might not be optimal for other workloads/normal desktop usage. However, it is possible to set/reset these settings with [[gamemode]], as described in [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/11lslhs/tutorial_how_to_use_memory_tweaks_from/ this tutorial]. **Use Transparent Hugepages: <code>echo always | sudo tee /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/enabled</code> ***With shared memory: <code>echo advise | sudo tee /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/shmem_enabled</code> **Use Compaction Proactiveness: <code>echo 0 | sudo tee /proc/sys/vm/compaction_proactiveness</code> **Disable Hugepage Defragmentation: <code>echo 0 | sudo tee /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/khugepaged/defrag</code> **Lower Page Lock Unfairness: <code>echo 1 | sudo tee /proc/sys/vm/page_lock_unfairness</code> *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page] and [https://github.com/AdelKS/LinuxGamingGuide this collection of tweaks]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. In case it is reducing performance and you use VKD3D, try adding <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=no_upload_hvv</code><ref name=":3" />. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=gpl</code>: Should lead to a behavior similar to shader caching on Windows. Games that don't stutter on Windows, should also not stutter on Linux. Currently, it also disables shader caching, so load times will be high. Is still new, and might not work correctly. You need mesa-git or mesa 23 for it to work. ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (GNOME and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. Disabling composition should lead to slightly less input lag.<ref name=":2" /> KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. GNOME is also valid, but adds a small amount of input lag.<ref name=":2">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section ''(Test needed to know how good it works!)''. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid GNOME X11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync or enable tearing updates. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. KDE plasma 5.27 or higher will be required for tearing updates on Wayland and your game will also need to be run in fullscreen mode for it to work. Wine doesn't yet support tearing on Wayland. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on (unless tearing updates are enabled), regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> GNOME will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. *Sometimes a game has both, a Linux native, and a Windows version. They don't always run equally well. If you have problems, it might be worth a shot to try the other one. *If you use Arch or an Arch based distribution, and you own a very new AMD GPU, it might be worth it to install <code>linux-firmware-git</code>, and <code>mesa-git</code> from the AUR (for example by using an AUR helper like <code>paru</code>). You might also consider to install a release candidate of the Linux kernel, for example by using <code>linux-rc</code> from the AUR, or by compiling <code>linux-tkg</code> and selecting a release candidate (to be detected by the <code>rc</code>, as in <code>v6.2-'''rc'''4</code>). *On Nvidia, you might need the [[Environment variables|environment variable]] <code>PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1</code> for DLSS. *You might need the [[Environment variables|environment variable]] <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=dxr</code> for ray tracing. *If you're using VKD3D, and enabling Resizable BAR leads to lower performance, you might want to try <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=no_upload_hvv</code><ref name=":3">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/119hwmt/this_setting_may_help_vkd3d_games_that_have/</ref>. *If you're using KDE Plasma, you might get performance problems because of Baloo file indexing. You can disable it as described [https://community.kde.org/Baloo/Configuration here]. ==References and notes == <references /> 2b7da720b64ef619e981d3069828c225ead82445 1898 1897 2023-04-23T21:45:40Z Kkiot 582 /* Minor tweaks */ Add Modprobed-db possibility. wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use GNOME (the default on Nobara Official, Nobara GNOME, and Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]], it's not necessary on Wayland. **You do have to do this on Nobara KDE! *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS (if you chose the NVIDIA ISO for NVIDIA graphics cards). **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Read the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. Old drivers can be a problem if they are too old. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. *If you have two GPUs (for example an integrated and a dedicated one), use the one with more performance. ''TODO: How?'' ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms="true"</code> in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. **Alternatively, you can also use the CLI, as described [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Custom_TDP_Limit here]. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (one of the gaming optimized kernels, or just any kernel above 5.16), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>[https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg-pds]</code>, <code>[https://xanmod.org/ Xanmod]</code>, or <code>[https://liquorix.net/ Liquorix]</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> and <code>Liquorix</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. ***They should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. If you don't, you end up with an insecure system! **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people also recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler). Currently there are no scientific tests, so you have to see yourself what works best for you. You can get both from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though; on a six-core processor, this will take something in the magnitude of half an hour. You can use Modprobed-db to only compile kernel modules you need; this will significantly cut down the time needed to compile the kernel. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **Note that for many games, the following is not needed with Nvidia driver 520 (or higher) and DXVK 2.0 (or higher) thanks to VK_EXT_graphics_pipeline_library, Intel and AMD driver support is coming soon. However, there are still games that can profit from it, and it might lead to slightly better frame times<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18AYlKq05ew</ref>. <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE, ''until version 7-44'', is compatible. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (if you named the folder <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code>, you also need to manually type <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code> in the field). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *The following tweaks<ref>https://github.com/CryoByte33/steam-deck-utilities/blob/main/docs/tweak-explanation.md</ref> can improve gaming performance, but might not be optimal for other workloads/normal desktop usage. However, it is possible to set/reset these settings with [[gamemode]], as described in [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/11lslhs/tutorial_how_to_use_memory_tweaks_from/ this tutorial]. **Use Transparent Hugepages: <code>echo always | sudo tee /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/enabled</code> ***With shared memory: <code>echo advise | sudo tee /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/shmem_enabled</code> **Use Compaction Proactiveness: <code>echo 0 | sudo tee /proc/sys/vm/compaction_proactiveness</code> **Disable Hugepage Defragmentation: <code>echo 0 | sudo tee /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/khugepaged/defrag</code> **Lower Page Lock Unfairness: <code>echo 1 | sudo tee /proc/sys/vm/page_lock_unfairness</code> *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page] and [https://github.com/AdelKS/LinuxGamingGuide this collection of tweaks]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. In case it is reducing performance and you use VKD3D, try adding <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=no_upload_hvv</code><ref name=":3" />. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=gpl</code>: Should lead to a behavior similar to shader caching on Windows. Games that don't stutter on Windows, should also not stutter on Linux. Currently, it also disables shader caching, so load times will be high. Is still new, and might not work correctly. You need mesa-git or mesa 23 for it to work. ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (GNOME and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. Disabling composition should lead to slightly less input lag.<ref name=":2" /> KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. GNOME is also valid, but adds a small amount of input lag.<ref name=":2">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section ''(Test needed to know how good it works!)''. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid GNOME X11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync or enable tearing updates. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. KDE plasma 5.27 or higher will be required for tearing updates on Wayland and your game will also need to be run in fullscreen mode for it to work. Wine doesn't yet support tearing on Wayland. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on (unless tearing updates are enabled), regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> GNOME will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. *Sometimes a game has both, a Linux native, and a Windows version. They don't always run equally well. If you have problems, it might be worth a shot to try the other one. *If you use Arch or an Arch based distribution, and you own a very new AMD GPU, it might be worth it to install <code>linux-firmware-git</code>, and <code>mesa-git</code> from the AUR (for example by using an AUR helper like <code>paru</code>). You might also consider to install a release candidate of the Linux kernel, for example by using <code>linux-rc</code> from the AUR, or by compiling <code>linux-tkg</code> and selecting a release candidate (to be detected by the <code>rc</code>, as in <code>v6.2-'''rc'''4</code>). *On Nvidia, you might need the [[Environment variables|environment variable]] <code>PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1</code> for DLSS. *You might need the [[Environment variables|environment variable]] <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=dxr</code> for ray tracing. *If you're using VKD3D, and enabling Resizable BAR leads to lower performance, you might want to try <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=no_upload_hvv</code><ref name=":3">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/119hwmt/this_setting_may_help_vkd3d_games_that_have/</ref>. *If you're using KDE Plasma, you might get performance problems because of Baloo file indexing. You can disable it as described [https://community.kde.org/Baloo/Configuration here]. ==References and notes == <references /> d5bee61fa34cfcbce97823d5ad8cf08682ab3319 1899 1898 2023-04-23T21:58:49Z Kkiot 582 /* Minor tweaks */ Add opposition conjunction to Modprobed-db possibility. wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use GNOME (the default on Nobara Official, Nobara GNOME, and Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]], it's not necessary on Wayland. **You do have to do this on Nobara KDE! *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS (if you chose the NVIDIA ISO for NVIDIA graphics cards). **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Read the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. Old drivers can be a problem if they are too old. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. *If you have two GPUs (for example an integrated and a dedicated one), use the one with more performance. ''TODO: How?'' ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell ( are *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms="true"</code> in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. **Alternatively, you can also use the CLI, as described [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Custom_TDP_Limit here]. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (one of the gaming optimized kernels, or just any kernel above 5.16), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>[https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg-pds]</code>, <code>[https://xanmod.org/ Xanmod]</code>, or <code>[https://liquorix.net/ Liquorix]</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> and <code>Liquorix</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. ***They should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. If you don't, you end up with an insecure system! **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people also recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler). Currently there are no scientific tests, so you have to see yourself what works best for you. You can get both from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though; on a six-core processor, this will take something in the magnitude of half an hour. However, you can use Modprobed-db to only compile kernel modules you need; this will significantly cut down the time needed to compile the kernel. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **Note that for many games, the following is not needed with Nvidia driver 520 (or higher) and DXVK 2.0 (or higher) thanks to VK_EXT_graphics_pipeline_library, Intel and AMD driver support is coming soon. However, there are still games that can profit from it, and it might lead to slightly better frame times<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18AYlKq05ew</ref>. <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE, ''until version 7-44'', is compatible. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (if you named the folder <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code>, you also need to manually type <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code> in the field). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *The following tweaks<ref>https://github.com/CryoByte33/steam-deck-utilities/blob/main/docs/tweak-explanation.md</ref> can improve gaming performance, but might not be optimal for other workloads/normal desktop usage. However, it is possible to set/reset these settings with [[gamemode]], as described in [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/11lslhs/tutorial_how_to_use_memory_tweaks_from/ this tutorial]. **Use Transparent Hugepages: <code>echo always | sudo tee /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/enabled</code> ***With shared memory: <code>echo advise | sudo tee /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/shmem_enabled</code> **Use Compaction Proactiveness: <code>echo 0 | sudo tee /proc/sys/vm/compaction_proactiveness</code> **Disable Hugepage Defragmentation: <code>echo 0 | sudo tee /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/khugepaged/defrag</code> **Lower Page Lock Unfairness: <code>echo 1 | sudo tee /proc/sys/vm/page_lock_unfairness</code> *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page] and [https://github.com/AdelKS/LinuxGamingGuide this collection of tweaks]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. In case it is reducing performance and you use VKD3D, try adding <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=no_upload_hvv</code><ref name=":3" />. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=gpl</code>: Should lead to a behavior similar to shader caching on Windows. Games that don't stutter on Windows, should also not stutter on Linux. Currently, it also disables shader caching, so load times will be high. Is still new, and might not work correctly. You need mesa-git or mesa 23 for it to work. ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (GNOME and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. Disabling composition should lead to slightly less input lag.<ref name=":2" /> KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. GNOME is also valid, but adds a small amount of input lag.<ref name=":2">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section ''(Test needed to know how good it works!)''. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid GNOME X11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync or enable tearing updates. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. KDE plasma 5.27 or higher will be required for tearing updates on Wayland and your game will also need to be run in fullscreen mode for it to work. Wine doesn't yet support tearing on Wayland. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on (unless tearing updates are enabled), regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> GNOME will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. *Sometimes a game has both, a Linux native, and a Windows version. They don't always run equally well. If you have problems, it might be worth a shot to try the other one. *If you use Arch or an Arch based distribution, and you own a very new AMD GPU, it might be worth it to install <code>linux-firmware-git</code>, and <code>mesa-git</code> from the AUR (for example by using an AUR helper like <code>paru</code>). You might also consider to install a release candidate of the Linux kernel, for example by using <code>linux-rc</code> from the AUR, or by compiling <code>linux-tkg</code> and selecting a release candidate (to be detected by the <code>rc</code>, as in <code>v6.2-'''rc'''4</code>). *On Nvidia, you might need the [[Environment variables|environment variable]] <code>PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1</code> for DLSS. *You might need the [[Environment variables|environment variable]] <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=dxr</code> for ray tracing. *If you're using VKD3D, and enabling Resizable BAR leads to lower performance, you might want to try <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=no_upload_hvv</code><ref name=":3">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/119hwmt/this_setting_may_help_vkd3d_games_that_have/</ref>. *If you're using KDE Plasma, you might get performance problems because of Baloo file indexing. You can disable it as described [https://community.kde.org/Baloo/Configuration here]. ==References and notes == <references /> 153d29ed499df0a4c69b784c8dedddd0c5e38949 1900 1899 2023-04-23T22:04:16Z Kkiot 582 /* Nvidia */ Fix broken sentence about GPUs older than Maxwell. wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use GNOME (the default on Nobara Official, Nobara GNOME, and Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]], it's not necessary on Wayland. **You do have to do this on Nobara KDE! *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS (if you chose the NVIDIA ISO for NVIDIA graphics cards). **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Read the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. Old drivers can be a problem if they are too old. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. *If you have two GPUs (for example an integrated and a dedicated one), use the one with more performance. ''TODO: How?'' ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell require legacy drivers. *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms="true"</code> in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. **Alternatively, you can also use the CLI, as described [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Custom_TDP_Limit here]. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (one of the gaming optimized kernels, or just any kernel above 5.16), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>[https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg-pds]</code>, <code>[https://xanmod.org/ Xanmod]</code>, or <code>[https://liquorix.net/ Liquorix]</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> and <code>Liquorix</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. ***They should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. If you don't, you end up with an insecure system! **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people also recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler). Currently there are no scientific tests, so you have to see yourself what works best for you. You can get both from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though; on a six-core processor, this will take something in the magnitude of half an hour. However, you can use Modprobed-db to only compile kernel modules you need; this will significantly cut down the time needed to compile the kernel. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **Note that for many games, the following is not needed with Nvidia driver 520 (or higher) and DXVK 2.0 (or higher) thanks to VK_EXT_graphics_pipeline_library, Intel and AMD driver support is coming soon. However, there are still games that can profit from it, and it might lead to slightly better frame times<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18AYlKq05ew</ref>. <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE, ''until version 7-44'', is compatible. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (if you named the folder <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code>, you also need to manually type <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code> in the field). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *The following tweaks<ref>https://github.com/CryoByte33/steam-deck-utilities/blob/main/docs/tweak-explanation.md</ref> can improve gaming performance, but might not be optimal for other workloads/normal desktop usage. However, it is possible to set/reset these settings with [[gamemode]], as described in [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/11lslhs/tutorial_how_to_use_memory_tweaks_from/ this tutorial]. **Use Transparent Hugepages: <code>echo always | sudo tee /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/enabled</code> ***With shared memory: <code>echo advise | sudo tee /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/shmem_enabled</code> **Use Compaction Proactiveness: <code>echo 0 | sudo tee /proc/sys/vm/compaction_proactiveness</code> **Disable Hugepage Defragmentation: <code>echo 0 | sudo tee /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/khugepaged/defrag</code> **Lower Page Lock Unfairness: <code>echo 1 | sudo tee /proc/sys/vm/page_lock_unfairness</code> *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page] and [https://github.com/AdelKS/LinuxGamingGuide this collection of tweaks]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. In case it is reducing performance and you use VKD3D, try adding <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=no_upload_hvv</code><ref name=":3" />. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=gpl</code>: Should lead to a behavior similar to shader caching on Windows. Games that don't stutter on Windows, should also not stutter on Linux. Currently, it also disables shader caching, so load times will be high. Is still new, and might not work correctly. You need mesa-git or mesa 23 for it to work. ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (GNOME and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. Disabling composition should lead to slightly less input lag.<ref name=":2" /> KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. GNOME is also valid, but adds a small amount of input lag.<ref name=":2">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section ''(Test needed to know how good it works!)''. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid GNOME X11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync or enable tearing updates. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. KDE plasma 5.27 or higher will be required for tearing updates on Wayland and your game will also need to be run in fullscreen mode for it to work. Wine doesn't yet support tearing on Wayland. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on (unless tearing updates are enabled), regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> GNOME will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. *Sometimes a game has both, a Linux native, and a Windows version. They don't always run equally well. If you have problems, it might be worth a shot to try the other one. *If you use Arch or an Arch based distribution, and you own a very new AMD GPU, it might be worth it to install <code>linux-firmware-git</code>, and <code>mesa-git</code> from the AUR (for example by using an AUR helper like <code>paru</code>). You might also consider to install a release candidate of the Linux kernel, for example by using <code>linux-rc</code> from the AUR, or by compiling <code>linux-tkg</code> and selecting a release candidate (to be detected by the <code>rc</code>, as in <code>v6.2-'''rc'''4</code>). *On Nvidia, you might need the [[Environment variables|environment variable]] <code>PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1</code> for DLSS. *You might need the [[Environment variables|environment variable]] <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=dxr</code> for ray tracing. *If you're using VKD3D, and enabling Resizable BAR leads to lower performance, you might want to try <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=no_upload_hvv</code><ref name=":3">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/119hwmt/this_setting_may_help_vkd3d_games_that_have/</ref>. *If you're using KDE Plasma, you might get performance problems because of Baloo file indexing. You can disable it as described [https://community.kde.org/Baloo/Configuration here]. ==References and notes == <references /> 2301d3f3c1984253b3af8016781643f1a8f81360 0 2 1558 1433 2023-02-23T21:28:58Z 188.126.94.119 0 /* The developers on Discord are daily answering no to the question if it supports dual booting. */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **You don't need to worry about this. All of them are fine. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from Gnome. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. Windows 10 and 11 look a lot like default KDE. But if you don't like that, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. It also has a lot of nice-to-have features that make your life easier |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |Gnome |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing Gnome often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on Gnome, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |Not good for gaming. | | | |} === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a ''&quot;stable&quot;'' distribution because ''&quot;stable&quot;'' usually means ''&quot;old&quot;''. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. '''Doesn't support dual booting with Windows.''' <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable, for example [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here]. |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base desktop and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you do a default configuration, it will probably not be better than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. The installation of Arch is hard also, but if you can read and follow instructions on the installation guide then it shouldn't be a problem. To make it easier, use archinstall. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |Gentoo |Gentoo is a good distribution for gaming actually. BUT: It's very complicated, takes a lot of time to install, and requires you to build every package which is time consuming. Plus, if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |- |AmogOS |It might have a funny name, but it's not a mature distribution. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |LFS | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. But generally, you would open your software store (or whatever it is called), and search for the program you want to install, click ''"update"'', or whatever else. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 810da5dac7511616eb89c0ba44a7841f899185f6 1676 1558 2023-03-22T04:52:22Z 190.114.75.50 0 /* Recommendations */ A one-man distro should not be the main recommendation, instead of Pop!_Os, a distro maintained by an Linux hardware maker company. wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **You don't need to worry about this. All of them are fine. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from Gnome. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. Windows 10 and 11 look a lot like default KDE. But if you don't like that, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. It also has a lot of nice-to-have features that make your life easier |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |Gnome |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing Gnome often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on Gnome, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |Not good for gaming. | | | |} === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a ''&quot;stable&quot;'' distribution because ''&quot;stable&quot;'' usually means ''&quot;old&quot;''. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. '''Doesn't support dual booting with Windows.''' |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable, for example [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here]. |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base desktop and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you do a default configuration, it will probably not be better than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. The installation of Arch is hard also, but if you can read and follow instructions on the installation guide then it shouldn't be a problem. To make it easier, use archinstall. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |Gentoo |Gentoo is a good distribution for gaming actually. BUT: It's very complicated, takes a lot of time to install, and requires you to build every package which is time consuming. Plus, if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |- |AmogOS |It might have a funny name, but it's not a mature distribution. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |LFS | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. But generally, you would open your software store (or whatever it is called), and search for the program you want to install, click ''"update"'', or whatever else. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 86aecd0e3da748072bda5a25a997ee3daeb3a157 1889 1676 2023-04-23T20:56:41Z Kkiot 582 /* Recommendations */ Changed "desktop" to "system"; this is a better definition of the end result of the Arch installation process. wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **You don't need to worry about this. All of them are fine. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from Gnome. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. Windows 10 and 11 look a lot like default KDE. But if you don't like that, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. It also has a lot of nice-to-have features that make your life easier |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |Gnome |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing Gnome often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on Gnome, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |Not good for gaming. | | | |} === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a ''&quot;stable&quot;'' distribution because ''&quot;stable&quot;'' usually means ''&quot;old&quot;''. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. '''Doesn't support dual booting with Windows.''' |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable, for example [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here]. |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base system and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you do a default configuration, it will probably not be better than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. The installation of Arch is hard also, but if you can read and follow instructions on the installation guide then it shouldn't be a problem. To make it easier, use archinstall. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |Gentoo |Gentoo is a good distribution for gaming actually. BUT: It's very complicated, takes a lot of time to install, and requires you to build every package which is time consuming. Plus, if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |- |AmogOS |It might have a funny name, but it's not a mature distribution. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |LFS | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. But generally, you would open your software store (or whatever it is called), and search for the program you want to install, click ''"update"'', or whatever else. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 894015be414104f733e64fb8b41cec86dcc10405 1890 1889 2023-04-23T21:05:46Z Kkiot 582 /* Recommendations */ Arch Linux: the user not configuring their installation (e.g. keep Nouveau driver) will likely be worse than other distros. wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **You don't need to worry about this. All of them are fine. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from Gnome. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. Windows 10 and 11 look a lot like default KDE. But if you don't like that, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. It also has a lot of nice-to-have features that make your life easier |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |Gnome |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing Gnome often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on Gnome, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |Not good for gaming. | | | |} === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a ''&quot;stable&quot;'' distribution because ''&quot;stable&quot;'' usually means ''&quot;old&quot;''. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. '''Doesn't support dual booting with Windows.''' |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable, for example [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here]. |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base system and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you don't configure your system enough, it will probably be worse than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. The installation of Arch is hard also, but if you can read and follow instructions on the installation guide then it shouldn't be a problem. To make it easier, use archinstall. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |Gentoo |Gentoo is a good distribution for gaming actually. BUT: It's very complicated, takes a lot of time to install, and requires you to build every package which is time consuming. Plus, if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |- |AmogOS |It might have a funny name, but it's not a mature distribution. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |LFS | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. But generally, you would open your software store (or whatever it is called), and search for the program you want to install, click ''"update"'', or whatever else. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 708a3087aff27d8a31d05823fb0bd16f8fa8eebe 1891 1890 2023-04-23T21:24:35Z Kkiot 582 /* Recommendations */ Arch Linux: simplified the installation sentence. Made archinstall "not the recommended way". wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **You don't need to worry about this. All of them are fine. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from Gnome. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. Windows 10 and 11 look a lot like default KDE. But if you don't like that, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. It also has a lot of nice-to-have features that make your life easier |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |Gnome |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing Gnome often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on Gnome, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |Not good for gaming. | | | |} === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a ''&quot;stable&quot;'' distribution because ''&quot;stable&quot;'' usually means ''&quot;old&quot;''. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. '''Doesn't support dual booting with Windows.''' |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable, for example [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here]. |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base system and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you don't configure your system enough, it will probably be worse than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. Contrary to popular belief, installing Arch is not too hard if you follow carefully the installation guide; it's even simpler with the provided archinstall script, although ''it's not the recommended way''. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |Gentoo |Gentoo is a good distribution for gaming actually. BUT: It's very complicated, takes a lot of time to install, and requires you to build every package which is time consuming. Plus, if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |- |AmogOS |It might have a funny name, but it's not a mature distribution. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |LFS | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. But generally, you would open your software store (or whatever it is called), and search for the program you want to install, click ''"update"'', or whatever else. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 02f7a667d85d4869c1d3141fcecb821015205084 1892 1891 2023-04-23T21:25:37Z Kkiot 582 /* Recommendations */ Arch Linux: Moved installation sentence to 1st paragraph. wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **You don't need to worry about this. All of them are fine. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from Gnome. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. Windows 10 and 11 look a lot like default KDE. But if you don't like that, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. It also has a lot of nice-to-have features that make your life easier |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |Gnome |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing Gnome often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on Gnome, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |Not good for gaming. | | | |} === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a ''&quot;stable&quot;'' distribution because ''&quot;stable&quot;'' usually means ''&quot;old&quot;''. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. '''Doesn't support dual booting with Windows.''' |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable, for example [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here]. |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base system and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you don't configure your system enough, it will probably be worse than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn.Contrary to popular belief, installing Arch is not too hard if you follow carefully the installation guide; it's even simpler with the provided archinstall script, although ''it's not the recommended way''. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |Gentoo |Gentoo is a good distribution for gaming actually. BUT: It's very complicated, takes a lot of time to install, and requires you to build every package which is time consuming. Plus, if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |- |AmogOS |It might have a funny name, but it's not a mature distribution. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |LFS | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. But generally, you would open your software store (or whatever it is called), and search for the program you want to install, click ''"update"'', or whatever else. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 852ec245d384742ca9cfd3c76e2ac4ddee2632b9 1893 1892 2023-04-23T21:27:04Z Kkiot 582 /* Recommendations */ Add "friendly" in reading the wiki, as in RTFM. wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **You don't need to worry about this. All of them are fine. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from Gnome. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. Windows 10 and 11 look a lot like default KDE. But if you don't like that, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. It also has a lot of nice-to-have features that make your life easier |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |Gnome |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing Gnome often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on Gnome, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |Not good for gaming. | | | |} === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a ''&quot;stable&quot;'' distribution because ''&quot;stable&quot;'' usually means ''&quot;old&quot;''. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. '''Doesn't support dual booting with Windows.''' |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable, for example [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here]. |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base system and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you don't configure your system enough, it will probably be worse than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn.Contrary to popular belief, installing Arch is not too hard if you follow carefully the installation guide; it's even simpler with the provided archinstall script, although ''it's not the recommended way''. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the friendly wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |Gentoo |Gentoo is a good distribution for gaming actually. BUT: It's very complicated, takes a lot of time to install, and requires you to build every package which is time consuming. Plus, if you're reading this guide, you're probably not even able to install it. You will not have a good time, and you will probably hate Linux. |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |- |AmogOS |It might have a funny name, but it's not a mature distribution. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |LFS | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. But generally, you would open your software store (or whatever it is called), and search for the program you want to install, click ''"update"'', or whatever else. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 5acddb8d6487ef5b30a39d348fe84d24a2be3491 0 43 1580 1483 2023-02-28T17:03:44Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. == Edit System files as root (with elevated permissions) == You can either use the [[terminal]], or use a file manager like Nemo. == Watching the temperature == You can use <code>lm_sensors</code>. Before running it for the first time, run <code>sudo sensors-detect</code>. After that, type <code>sensors</code> to see your temperatures. If you want to monitor them for a longer time, type <code>watch sensors</code>. == Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc) == Settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows once, and change stuff there. You can also boot a VM (with KVM) and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings should be kept in Linux. == Audio stuff == === Noise Cancelling === You can use [https://github.com/wwmm/easyeffects EasyEffects] or [https://github.com/noisetorch/NoiseTorch NoiseTorch]. === Equalizer and more === EasyEffects also has various other audio processing options, like crystalizer, noise gate, equalizer, filter, and much more. NoiseTorch can only cancel noise, but also has the option to tweak how aggressive it cancels noise. === Patching Audio === If you want to have a patchbay to route your audio to various destinations, [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/rncbc/qpwgraph qpwgraph] or [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/helvum Helvum] might be what you're looking for. == Make the game look good == === Downsampling === You can use [[Gamescope]]. === Post Processing === You can use [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) ==Using GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long as it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try again to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code><nowiki>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</nowiki></code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. #Follow the instructions in the readme. == Using Checksums == When downloading a file, you might have seen something like <code>sha512: 497907d020870e564b814bb6c4f7eef2f3abdf5d0159ccbd96501a26cef155a8d771a420a16c9348525fa4ce7de3c137ad5ff15a013c84f327edbdea6495d86b easyanticheat_x64.so</code> This is a checksum, or more precise: An <code>sha512</code> checksum for the file <code>easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. This number is for verifying that you have the correct file, and not something that is manipulated or inaccurately transmitted. '''Usage''': Download file, open [[terminal]], and <code>cd Downloads</code>. Then you execute <code>sha512sum easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. The number you see there, should be ''exactly'' the same. Btw: <code>sha512</code> is better than <code>sha256</code>, and ''especially'' better than <code>md5</code>. <code>md5</code> is trash, don't use it. == Game Streaming == You can use [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == RGB == You can use [https://gitlab.com/CalcProgrammer1/OpenRGB OpenRGB]. == Razer control driver == For razer hardware, you can use this driver: https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer == Logitech control software == Solaar is a Linux device manager for Logitech devices. You can do stuff like changing DPI, or button mappings, etc. https://github.com/pwr-Solaar/Solaar == Suspend/resume of applications (games, an others) == You can use [https://github.com/Merrit/nyrna nyrna]. Unortunately it doesn't (yet) "survive" reboots. == Test whether you use X11 or Wayland == Open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. If it says <code>wayland</code>, you use wayland. == Disable swapping for a game == You can do it like [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/u02y88/psa_disable_swap_for_games_and_dont_submit_bogus/ this]. == Simultaneously play two different games on the same device == https://www.reddit.com/r/tuxedocomputers/comments/ucdvj7/finally_did_it_two_different_users_playing/ == Merge two monitors into one (to have one wide screen that spans both monitors) == Type <code>xrandr</code> into the [[terminal]]. You will see a list of your monitors. Pick the monitors that you want to merge. Assuming that you want to merge <code>DisplayPort-1</code> and <code>HDMI-A-0</code>, type <code>xrandr --setmonitor BigScreen auto "DisplayPort-1","HDMI-A-0"</code>. The order of the monitors in the command determines the order of how they are arranged. In this example, the monitor <code>DisplayPort-1</code> would be left, and <code>HDMI-A-0</code> would be right. To undo the changes, type <code>xrandr --delmonitor BigScreen</code>. This works only on X11, and not on Wayland. It also doesn't work with every desktop environment, for example, it does not work with KDE Plasma. Generally speaking, it works better if the desktop environment is less sophisticated. == Screen Capturing == * OBS * [https://git.dec05eba.com/gpu-screen-recorder-gtk/about/ gpu-screen-recorder] (Nvidia) * [https://github.com/matanui159/ReplaySorcery ReplaySorcery] (AMD) b5155024fcba3a4a67bedee1f70a9946cc24343a 1581 1580 2023-02-28T17:04:12Z Aragorn 3 /* Screen Capturing */ wikitext text/x-wiki Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. == Edit System files as root (with elevated permissions) == You can either use the [[terminal]], or use a file manager like Nemo. == Watching the temperature == You can use <code>lm_sensors</code>. Before running it for the first time, run <code>sudo sensors-detect</code>. After that, type <code>sensors</code> to see your temperatures. If you want to monitor them for a longer time, type <code>watch sensors</code>. == Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc) == Settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows once, and change stuff there. You can also boot a VM (with KVM) and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings should be kept in Linux. == Audio stuff == === Noise Cancelling === You can use [https://github.com/wwmm/easyeffects EasyEffects] or [https://github.com/noisetorch/NoiseTorch NoiseTorch]. === Equalizer and more === EasyEffects also has various other audio processing options, like crystalizer, noise gate, equalizer, filter, and much more. NoiseTorch can only cancel noise, but also has the option to tweak how aggressive it cancels noise. === Patching Audio === If you want to have a patchbay to route your audio to various destinations, [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/rncbc/qpwgraph qpwgraph] or [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/helvum Helvum] might be what you're looking for. == Make the game look good == === Downsampling === You can use [[Gamescope]]. === Post Processing === You can use [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) ==Using GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long as it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try again to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code><nowiki>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</nowiki></code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. #Follow the instructions in the readme. == Using Checksums == When downloading a file, you might have seen something like <code>sha512: 497907d020870e564b814bb6c4f7eef2f3abdf5d0159ccbd96501a26cef155a8d771a420a16c9348525fa4ce7de3c137ad5ff15a013c84f327edbdea6495d86b easyanticheat_x64.so</code> This is a checksum, or more precise: An <code>sha512</code> checksum for the file <code>easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. This number is for verifying that you have the correct file, and not something that is manipulated or inaccurately transmitted. '''Usage''': Download file, open [[terminal]], and <code>cd Downloads</code>. Then you execute <code>sha512sum easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. The number you see there, should be ''exactly'' the same. Btw: <code>sha512</code> is better than <code>sha256</code>, and ''especially'' better than <code>md5</code>. <code>md5</code> is trash, don't use it. == Game Streaming == You can use [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == RGB == You can use [https://gitlab.com/CalcProgrammer1/OpenRGB OpenRGB]. == Razer control driver == For razer hardware, you can use this driver: https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer == Logitech control software == Solaar is a Linux device manager for Logitech devices. You can do stuff like changing DPI, or button mappings, etc. https://github.com/pwr-Solaar/Solaar == Suspend/resume of applications (games, an others) == You can use [https://github.com/Merrit/nyrna nyrna]. Unortunately it doesn't (yet) "survive" reboots. == Test whether you use X11 or Wayland == Open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. If it says <code>wayland</code>, you use wayland. == Disable swapping for a game == You can do it like [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/u02y88/psa_disable_swap_for_games_and_dont_submit_bogus/ this]. == Simultaneously play two different games on the same device == https://www.reddit.com/r/tuxedocomputers/comments/ucdvj7/finally_did_it_two_different_users_playing/ == Merge two monitors into one (to have one wide screen that spans both monitors) == Type <code>xrandr</code> into the [[terminal]]. You will see a list of your monitors. Pick the monitors that you want to merge. Assuming that you want to merge <code>DisplayPort-1</code> and <code>HDMI-A-0</code>, type <code>xrandr --setmonitor BigScreen auto "DisplayPort-1","HDMI-A-0"</code>. The order of the monitors in the command determines the order of how they are arranged. In this example, the monitor <code>DisplayPort-1</code> would be left, and <code>HDMI-A-0</code> would be right. To undo the changes, type <code>xrandr --delmonitor BigScreen</code>. This works only on X11, and not on Wayland. It also doesn't work with every desktop environment, for example, it does not work with KDE Plasma. Generally speaking, it works better if the desktop environment is less sophisticated. == Screen Capturing == * OBS * [https://git.dec05eba.com/gpu-screen-recorder-gtk/about/ gpu-screen-recorder] (Nvidia) * [https://github.com/matanui159/ReplaySorcery ReplaySorcery] (AMD) *Goverlay 46da64dfe19b86c7f2fd35dbf94d965b805fbdf5 0 32 1582 1302 2023-02-28T19:04:42Z Repossessed-magazine 243 Added Lutris to the automation section. wikitext text/x-wiki [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use a DE with X11]], then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadows, animations, transparency, blur, or other effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. You can verify that composition is disabled, by looking at your desktop effects. For example, you should not see shadows. They either vanish, or get pitch black. ==Disabling composition for your games== Disabling composition will dramatically improve performance, input lag, and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: ===Gnome=== This is the default DE on Pop!_OS, Nobara Official, and Nobara Gnome. You don't have to do anything. Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing Windows does), which is almost as good as disabling compositon. Disabling composition in Gnome is not possible. ===KDE=== This is the default DE on Nobara KDE. There are many options to disable composition: * You can use [https://store.kde.org/p/1502826/ Autocomposer]. This should make it unnecessary to do anything of the following. *For Lutris: **To disable it for a single game: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System Options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. **To disable it for all games: Click <code>...</code> in the top right corner -> <code>Preferences</code> -> <code>Global Options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code> *You can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code> before launching a game. The same combination re-enables it. *If you want to use a terminal command (for example for automation, launch options for Steam, [[Gamemode]] etc): ** disable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor suspend</code> ** enable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor resume</code> *You can also disable it completely with <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>Display and Monitor</code> -> <code>Compositor</code> -> <code>Enable compositor on startup</code>. ===Xfce=== *Disable composition with <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Xfwm#Configuration</ref> *Enable it again with <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> === Mate === * Disable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/MATE#Disabling_compositing</ref> * Enable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager true</code> ===Cinnamon === {{Needs work|Problem=There are (old) reports that Cinnamon does not always automatically disable composition for full screen windows. Is this still the case, or is this resolved?}} * As of Cinnamon 5.4, there's an option to disable composition for fullscreen applications, essentially referring to unredirection. However, it is disabled by default, forcing composition on all apps, making it not ideal. To enable it: <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>General</code> -> <code>Disable compositing on fullscreen applications</code> *Disabling composition completely might lead to better input lag. You can do that by checking: <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>General</code> -> <code>Disable compositing</code>. However, this might lead to visual degradation in desktop mode (no effects, no shadows, no transparency, no window previews, more tearing), but is still recommended if you want to reduce latency. ===Pantheon=== Unfortunately it appears to not support the option to disable composition.<ref>https://elementaryos.stackexchange.com/questions/4483/how-can-i-disable-composite-and-effects-in-elementary-os</ref> ==Automation== For DEs that support disabling/enabling the compositor with a terminal command, you can automate it. In the following <code><disable></code> and <code><enable></code> are to be replaced with the respective command to disable or enable the compositor. ===Gamemode=== The easiest way is to automate it with [[gamemode]]. You can edit <code>gamemode.ini</code> and set <syntaxhighlight lang="ini"> [custom] start=<disable> end=<enable> </syntaxhighlight> === Lutris === * To automate this for a single game: Right click a game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System Options</code> and put the disable composition command in the <code>Pre-launch</code> box and the enable composition command in the <code>Post-exit</code> script box. * To automate this for all games: Click the hamburger menu -> <code>Preferences</code> -> <code>Global Options</code> and do the things mentioned in the previous method. ===Steam=== Set the launch command <code><disable>; %command%; <enable></code>. For example <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false; %command%; xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> to disable composition on Xfce<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensiveLinux/comments/6b3cs5/comment/dhjw7z7/?context=3</ref>. ==References and notes== <references /> 3e652a9aaae49cd0e682635be42f9eb728e43e8c 1765 1582 2023-04-03T15:55:52Z 193.181.34.10 0 /* Cinnamon */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use a DE with X11]], then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadows, animations, transparency, blur, or other effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. You can verify that composition is disabled, by looking at your desktop effects. For example, you should not see shadows. They either vanish, or get pitch black. ==Disabling composition for your games== Disabling composition will dramatically improve performance, input lag, and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: ===Gnome=== This is the default DE on Pop!_OS, Nobara Official, and Nobara Gnome. You don't have to do anything. Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing Windows does), which is almost as good as disabling compositon. Disabling composition in Gnome is not possible. ===KDE=== This is the default DE on Nobara KDE. There are many options to disable composition: * You can use [https://store.kde.org/p/1502826/ Autocomposer]. This should make it unnecessary to do anything of the following. *For Lutris: **To disable it for a single game: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System Options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. **To disable it for all games: Click <code>...</code> in the top right corner -> <code>Preferences</code> -> <code>Global Options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code> *You can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code> before launching a game. The same combination re-enables it. *If you want to use a terminal command (for example for automation, launch options for Steam, [[Gamemode]] etc): ** disable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor suspend</code> ** enable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor resume</code> *You can also disable it completely with <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>Display and Monitor</code> -> <code>Compositor</code> -> <code>Enable compositor on startup</code>. ===Xfce=== *Disable composition with <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Xfwm#Configuration</ref> *Enable it again with <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> === Mate === * Disable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/MATE#Disabling_compositing</ref> * Enable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager true</code> ===Cinnamon === {{Needs work|Problem=There are (old) reports that Cinnamon does not always automatically disable composition for full screen windows. Is this still the case, or is this resolved?}} * As of Cinnamon 5.4, there's an option to disable composition for fullscreen applications, essentially referring to unredirection. However, it is disabled by default, forcing composition on all apps, making it not ideal. To enable it: <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>General</code> -> <code>Disable compositing on fullscreen applications</code> *Disabling composition completely might lead to better input lag. You can do that by checking: <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>General</code> -> <code>Disable compositing</code>. However, this might lead to visual degradation in desktop mode (no effects, no shadows, no transparency, no window previews, more tearing), but is still recommended if you want to reduce latency. Linux mint does not seem to support disabling it anymore. ===Pantheon=== Unfortunately it appears to not support the option to disable composition.<ref>https://elementaryos.stackexchange.com/questions/4483/how-can-i-disable-composite-and-effects-in-elementary-os</ref> ==Automation== For DEs that support disabling/enabling the compositor with a terminal command, you can automate it. In the following <code><disable></code> and <code><enable></code> are to be replaced with the respective command to disable or enable the compositor. ===Gamemode=== The easiest way is to automate it with [[gamemode]]. You can edit <code>gamemode.ini</code> and set <syntaxhighlight lang="ini"> [custom] start=<disable> end=<enable> </syntaxhighlight> === Lutris === * To automate this for a single game: Right click a game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System Options</code> and put the disable composition command in the <code>Pre-launch</code> box and the enable composition command in the <code>Post-exit</code> script box. * To automate this for all games: Click the hamburger menu -> <code>Preferences</code> -> <code>Global Options</code> and do the things mentioned in the previous method. ===Steam=== Set the launch command <code><disable>; %command%; <enable></code>. For example <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false; %command%; xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> to disable composition on Xfce<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensiveLinux/comments/6b3cs5/comment/dhjw7z7/?context=3</ref>. ==References and notes== <references /> 5c2e66e9f54d8118ad7ee5623458c5b64965b16f 0 25 1612 1334 2023-03-11T01:46:18Z Aragorn 3 /* Debian, Ubuntu and Derivatives such as Pop!_OS */ wikitext text/x-wiki Heroic is an open-source game launcher that primarily supports launching games from the Epic Games Store by leveraging Legendary CLI tool. Heroic aims to be an easy-to-use game launcher with features like a per-game Wine prefix with the ability to easily switch between Wine versions. Heroic Games Launcher is built upon Electron and uses Legendary to interact with Epic Games Services. ==1. Installation== Before installing Heroic it is recommended that you have a working installation of '''Wine''' and '''winetricks''' on your system. All installation methods for Heroic are listed on their [https://github.com/Heroic-Games-Launcher/HeroicGamesLauncher#linux GitHub] You can find a suitable installation file for your distro at their GitHub Releases section [https://github.com/Heroic-Games-Launcher/HeroicGamesLauncher/releases here] === Arch, Manjaro, Garuda, and other Arch based distributions === Install it from the [https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/heroic-games-launcher-bin/ AUR], for example using <code>Pamac</code>: * [https://wiki.manjaro.org/index.php/Arch_User_Repository#Using_GUI_Pamac Enable AUR support] * Search Heroic and install it Alternatively you can use an ''AUR helper'' of your choice, for example <code>paru</code>, or <code>yay</code>: * <code>paru -S heroic-games-launcher-bin</code> * <code>yay -S heroic-games-launcher-bin</code> ===Debian, Ubuntu and Derivatives such as Pop!_OS=== Download the <code>heroic_x.x.x_amd64.deb</code> from the GitHub Releases section. If your OS supports this, you can simply double click the downloaded <code>.deb</code> file to begin the installation. Otherwise, you can install it via dpkg by bringing up a [[terminal]] and running the following command sudo dpkg -i ''/path/to/''heroic_x.x.x_amd64.deb <small>Note: <code>amd64</code> here refers to system architecture which this package supports. Make sure that your system is compatible with the program you are trying to install.</small> === Using AppImage === Download the <code>heroic-x.x.x.AppImage</code> from the GitHub Releases section. Make sure you have <code>curl</code> and <code>gawk</code> installed, normally it comes installed in most distros. Make AppImage executable by changing its file properties. [[File:Make Executable.png|none|thumb|Marking file as executable]] '''Or''' You can do the same using terminal chmod u+x heroic-x.x.x.AppImage Now you can run the Heroic AppImage. === Using Flatpak === Heroic can be installed via Flatpak with app stores such as Discover and Pop!_Shop. == 2. Installing and importing games == Installing games is as easy as going to the '''library''' and selecting a game that you want to play. If you have already downloaded the game and you just want to import it then press on '''Import Game''' otherwise press '''Install''' to start installation in the specified folder. [[File:Heroic install popup.png|none|thumb|Game installation popup]] == 3. See also == [https://github.com/Heroic-Games-Launcher/HeroicGamesLauncher Heroic Games Launcher Github] [https://github.com/derrod/legendary Legendary Github] [https://github.com/CommandMC/EpicLinux/wiki EpicLinux Wiki] <references /> 3f5dc1b1408aec60e76b6f71c10b04f1f613539b 0 66 1658 1157 2023-03-19T00:26:49Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki == Tools == Tools which can enhance the visuals of a game. *[[Reshade]] - Can be used for most Windows games (OpenGL, D3D8 to D3D12, Vulkan (Not currently functional in Wine)). *[https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] - vkBasalt can be used for Vulkan games, including those that run with DXVK / VKD3D translation layers. *[https://github.com/kevinlekiller/kwin-effect-shaders kwin-effect-shaders] - Can be used on any application (including games), requires KDE Plasma. *[[Gamescope]] - for up- or downsampling 5da4ec486dd6b33a498a3331175a7021c4349b45 1768 1658 2023-04-04T12:55:29Z Kevincs 21 wikitext text/x-wiki == Tools == Tools which can enhance the visuals of a game. *[[Reshade]] - Can be used for most Windows games (OpenGL, D3D8 to D3D12, Vulkan (Not currently functional in Wine)). *[https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] - vkBasalt can be used for Vulkan games, including those that run with DXVK / VKD3D translation layers. *[[Gamescope]] - for up- or downsampling 0e84b3d97a83839b470fc150e40218c3a9f379f6 0 44 1682 1454 2023-03-22T09:03:48Z FableTLC 10 /* Bugs & Workarounds */ wikitext text/x-wiki Steam runs natively on Linux. You can probably just install it from your App store. Usually you want to use ''Steam (Runtime)''. Only use ''Steam (native)'' if you know why you want to use it. If you use the Flatpak version, you will also need to use the Flatpak version of other software that you want to use with it, like MangoHud. == Enable Steam Play for all games == In order to run games that have no Linux version, and that are not explicitly whitelisted by Valve, go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. It's usually a good idea to use [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] instead of Proton Experimental. It has lots of benefits like improved game compatibility, raw mouse input, additional codecs for cutscenes, and much more. However it can be unstable. So if you have stability issues, try something else, for example an older version. Installation instructions are [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom#installation= here]. If you want the latest features, you have to update it manually, though. == ProtonUp-Qt == You can use [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] to make the installation and update process of [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] simple: * 1. Download the [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] AppImage * 2. Mark the AppImage as executable * 3. Double-click the AppImage to run ProtonUp-Qt Alternatively, you can install it from [https://flathub.org/apps/details/net.davidotek.pupgui2 Flathub]. == Launch Options == You may find something like <code>-screen-width 1280 -screen-height 720 -screen-fullscreen 0</code> on protondb. These are ''launch options''. To use them, you right click on the game, and in the <code>general</code> tab, there is a field called <code>launch options</code>. You paste them (for example <code>%command% -screen-height 1920 -screen-width 1080 -screen-fullscreen</code>) in there. <code>%command%</code> is the command to start the game. Some launch options go before this command (commands to execute programs, for example <code>gamemoderun</code> or <code>mangohud</code>), and some go behind it (flags that are passed to the game itself, typically stuff that starts with a <code>-</code>). == Steam Tinker Launch == [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch Steam Tinker Launch] is a swiss army knife tool that allows easy customization of multiple options for Steam games. It includes helpers for custom commands, Vortex, Mod Organizer 2, Proton GE, Proton/DXVK/wine options, winetricks, ReShade + easy selection for shaders, FSR, debugging, side-by-side VR automation, SteamGridDB, SpecialK, Proton KillSwitch, Gamescope, GameMode, and more. You can find a more comprehensive list of features in the [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch/wiki wiki] (dropdownlist on the right). You can find instructions on how to install it [https://github.com/sonic2kk/steamtinkerlaunch#how-do-i-install-it here]. == File Locations == === Steam Folder === If you use the Steam Flatpak, your Steam folder is <code>~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/data/Steam/</code> If you use the "normal" package, your Steam folder is in<code>~/.local/share/Steam/</code> === Games and Save Files === Your games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/common/<game_name></code>. Your save games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/compatdata/<some_number>/pfx/drive_c/<windows_path></code>. In order to know which number is correct, you can just use the search functionality of your file manager (probably <code>ctrl</code> + <code>f</code>) to search for the game name, or type <code>find <steam_folder>/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/ | grep -i "<game_name>"</code> in the [[terminal]]. You have to substitute ''<steam_folder>'' and ''<game_name>'' with the actual thing, of course. == Bugs & Workarounds == - if the friends list is open & in the background, the Steam client drops to less than 1 FPS -> disable animated avatars in the friends list settings baff4c21fbcbaa756e22e2b26bc7e3099238e809 1690 1682 2023-03-22T17:04:23Z FableTLC 10 /* ProtonUp-Qt */ wikitext text/x-wiki Steam runs natively on Linux. You can probably just install it from your App store. Usually you want to use ''Steam (Runtime)''. Only use ''Steam (native)'' if you know why you want to use it. If you use the Flatpak version, you will also need to use the Flatpak version of other software that you want to use with it, like MangoHud. == Enable Steam Play for all games == In order to run games that have no Linux version, and that are not explicitly whitelisted by Valve, go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. It's usually a good idea to use [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] instead of Proton Experimental. It has lots of benefits like improved game compatibility, raw mouse input, additional codecs for cutscenes, and much more. However it can be unstable. So if you have stability issues, try something else, for example an older version. Installation instructions are [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom#installation= here]. If you want the latest features, you have to update it manually, though. == ProtonUp-Qt == You can use [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] to make the installation and update process of [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] simple: * 1. Download the [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] AppImage * 2. Mark the AppImage as executable * 3. Double-click the AppImage to run ProtonUp-Qt Alternatively, you can install it from [https://flathub.org/apps/details/net.davidotek.pupgui2 Flathub]. == Launch Options == You may find something like <code>-screen-width 1280 -screen-height 720 -screen-fullscreen 0</code> on protondb. These are ''launch options''. To use them, you right click on the game, and in the <code>general</code> tab, there is a field called <code>launch options</code>. You paste them (for example <code>%command% -screen-height 1920 -screen-width 1080 -screen-fullscreen</code>) in there. <code>%command%</code> is the command to start the game. Some launch options go before this command (commands to execute programs, for example <code>gamemoderun</code> or <code>mangohud</code>), and some go behind it (flags that are passed to the game itself, typically stuff that starts with a <code>-</code>). == Steam Tinker Launch == [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch Steam Tinker Launch] is a swiss army knife tool that allows easy customization of multiple options for Steam games. It includes helpers for custom commands, Vortex, Mod Organizer 2, Proton GE, Proton/DXVK/wine options, winetricks, ReShade + easy selection for shaders, FSR, debugging, side-by-side VR automation, SteamGridDB, SpecialK, Proton KillSwitch, Gamescope, GameMode, and more. You can find a more comprehensive list of features in the [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch/wiki wiki] (dropdownlist on the right). You can find instructions on how to install it [https://github.com/sonic2kk/steamtinkerlaunch#how-do-i-install-it here]. == File Locations == === Steam Folder === If you use the Steam Flatpak, your Steam folder is <code>~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/data/Steam/</code> If you use the "normal" package, your Steam folder is in<code>~/.local/share/Steam/</code> === Games and Save Files === Your games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/common/<game_name></code>. Your save games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/compatdata/<some_number>/pfx/drive_c/<windows_path></code>. In order to know which number is correct, you can just use the search functionality of your file manager (probably <code>ctrl</code> + <code>f</code>) to search for the game name, or type <code>find <steam_folder>/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/ | grep -i "<game_name>"</code> in the [[terminal]]. You have to substitute ''<steam_folder>'' and ''<game_name>'' with the actual thing, of course. == Bugs & Workarounds == - if the friends list is open & in the background, the Steam client drops to less than 1 FPS * -> disable animated avatars in the friends list settings d4dcee147bb8ca534675dd9f00161b0b70e5d383 0 63 1744 1094 2023-03-31T16:38:16Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] creates a virtual desktop for your game. This can be beneficial if your game doesn't play nicely with your desktop, for example if it doesn't catch your mouse, or if it breaks when loosing focus. You can use Gamescope for downsampling. For example, use <code>gamescope -f -w 3840 -h 2160 --</code> as command prefix, to downscale from 4k. The same can be achieved in Lutris, by enabling Gamescope, and setting <code>3840x2160</code> as resolution. You can also use Gamescope for upsampling with [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], by specifying the <code>-U</code> option, for example with <code>gamescope -U --fsr-sharpness 4 --</code> as command prefix. 4 is an example value, replace it by something between 0 (max) and 20 (min). This also works for native games. Type <code>gamescope --help</code> in the [[terminal]] to see all options. === Setup === Run <code>sudo setcap 'CAP_SYS_NICE=eip' $(which gamescope)</code> to get a smooth gaming experience.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/w4u69f/my_gamescope_was_too_nice_and_yours_is_too/</ref> === Troubleshooting === You may experience stuttering and lags. Try the following flags: <code>--rt -r <your_monitor_refresh_rate> --immediate-flips</code> Replace <code><your_monitor_refresh_rate></code> with a number, for example 144 if you have a 144hz monitor. == References and notes == 086d711f61b5d0feb21dd5a8164fad6a31798eb1 1745 1744 2023-03-31T16:40:21Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] creates a virtual desktop for your game. This can be beneficial if your game doesn't play nicely with your desktop, for example if it doesn't catch your mouse, or if it breaks when loosing focus. You can use Gamescope for downsampling. For example, use <code>gamescope -f -w 3840 -h 2160 --</code> as command prefix, to downscale from 4k. The same can be achieved in Lutris, by enabling Gamescope, and setting <code>3840x2160</code> as resolution. You can also use Gamescope for upsampling with [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], by specifying the <code>-U</code> option, for example with <code>gamescope -U --fsr-sharpness 4 --</code> as command prefix. 4 is an example value, replace it by something between 0 (max) and 20 (min). This also works for native games. Type <code>gamescope --help</code> in the [[terminal]] to see all options. === Setup === Run <code>sudo setcap 'CAP_SYS_NICE=eip' $(which gamescope)</code> to get a smooth gaming experience.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/w4u69f/my_gamescope_was_too_nice_and_yours_is_too/</ref> === Troubleshooting === You may experience stuttering and lags. Try the following flags: <code>--rt -r <desired_framerate> --immediate-flips</code> Replace <code><desired_framerate></code> with a number, for example 144. == References and notes == dcc959c35e0c269731ddfed0f6880cc2a357b792 1746 1745 2023-03-31T16:40:42Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki [https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] creates a virtual desktop for your game. This can be beneficial if your game doesn't play nicely with your desktop, for example if it doesn't catch your mouse, or if it breaks when loosing focus. You can use Gamescope for downsampling. For example, use <code>gamescope -f -w 3840 -h 2160 --</code> as command prefix, to downscale from 4k. The same can be achieved in Lutris, by enabling Gamescope, and setting <code>3840x2160</code> as resolution. You can also use Gamescope for upsampling with [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], by specifying the <code>-U</code> option, for example with <code>gamescope -U --fsr-sharpness 4 --</code> as command prefix. 4 is an example value, replace it by something between 0 (max) and 20 (min). This also works for native games. Type <code>gamescope --help</code> in the [[terminal]] to see all options. === Setup === Run <code>sudo setcap 'CAP_SYS_NICE=eip' $(which gamescope)</code> to get a smooth gaming experience.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/w4u69f/my_gamescope_was_too_nice_and_yours_is_too/</ref> === Troubleshooting === You may experience stuttering and lags. Try the following flags: <code>--rt -r <desired_framerate> --immediate-flips</code> Replace <code><desired_framerate></code> with a number, for example <code>144</code>. == References and notes == 662200799e602704cdeac37344113123a041d517 0 50 1902 1274 2023-04-23T22:16:26Z Kkiot 582 Window Manager: add Hyprland (a popular choice on Wayland). Added proper capitalization. wikitext text/x-wiki You might see some terms you are not familiar with. Here is a collection of some that might help you. {| class="wikitable" |+ !Term !Abbreviation !Explanation |- |Linux | |Has two meaning. It's either just the Linux kernel, or it's an operating system that uses the Linux kernel. Most of the time when you read ''Linux'', it means the whole system. |- |Distribution |Distro |The "type" of Linux you are using. Examples: Nobara, Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, Debian, Arch, ... |- |Desktop Environment |DE |How your Linux looks like. Think of the difference between Windows 7, 10, and 11. Unlike on Windows, this can be changed without reinstalling your system. Examples: KDE Plasma, or Gnome. |- |Window Manager |WM |Arranges your windows at the place you want them to be. Examples: KWin, Mutter, Qtile, awesome, Sway and Hyprland. |- |[[Compositor]] | |Makes visual effects, but costs performance. |- |Package manager | |Essential part of your distro, has the purpose of downloading, installing, and removing packages. Examples: apt, or pacman. |- |Package | |Program, part of a program, or library |- |Library | |Collection of stuff that programs use to function. Typically has the ending ''.so''. (on windows this would be ''.dll'') |- |[[Terminal]] | |Black window with text. Essentially a different way to operate your system. |- |Display Manager |DM |Starts your DE. Examples: sddm, or gdm. |- |Shell | |The "environment" you have in the terminal. Examples: zsh, fish, or bash. |- |Display Server | |Draws stuff on the screen. Can be either x.org, or wayland. |- |Kernel | |The "heart" of your system. If a program wants specific resources (reading/writing a file, or getting processing time for example), it asks the kernel, and the kernel delivers them. Linux is actually just the kernel, but most people refer to the whole system (the distribution) when saying "Linux". Examples: linux, linux-lts, linux-zen, linux-tkg-pds, linux-tkg-bmq, xanmod, ... |- |Wine | |Compatibility layer to run Windows programs on Linux. |- |GNU | |GNU stands for ''GNU is not UNIX''. Yes, it uses ''GNU'' to explain what ''GNU'' means. And it's probably part of your Linux system. That's why some people refer to ''Linux'' as ''GNU/Linux''. They argue, that Linux is just the Kernel, and GNU is what makes it an operating system. However, most people use ''Linux'' to refer to the whole OS. |} 0588130ed7654dba6ff9c65ce7c25f83b17d9380 1903 1902 2023-04-23T22:17:02Z Kkiot 582 Add Package abbreviation (pkg). wikitext text/x-wiki You might see some terms you are not familiar with. Here is a collection of some that might help you. {| class="wikitable" |+ !Term !Abbreviation !Explanation |- |Linux | |Has two meaning. It's either just the Linux kernel, or it's an operating system that uses the Linux kernel. Most of the time when you read ''Linux'', it means the whole system. |- |Distribution |Distro |The "type" of Linux you are using. Examples: Nobara, Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, Debian, Arch, ... |- |Desktop Environment |DE |How your Linux looks like. Think of the difference between Windows 7, 10, and 11. Unlike on Windows, this can be changed without reinstalling your system. Examples: KDE Plasma, or Gnome. |- |Window Manager |WM |Arranges your windows at the place you want them to be. Examples: KWin, Mutter, Qtile, awesome, Sway and Hyprland. |- |[[Compositor]] | |Makes visual effects, but costs performance. |- |Package manager | |Essential part of your distro, has the purpose of downloading, installing, and removing packages. Examples: apt, or pacman. |- |Package |Pkg |Program, part of a program, or library |- |Library | |Collection of stuff that programs use to function. Typically has the ending ''.so''. (on windows this would be ''.dll'') |- |[[Terminal]] | |Black window with text. Essentially a different way to operate your system. |- |Display Manager |DM |Starts your DE. Examples: sddm, or gdm. |- |Shell | |The "environment" you have in the terminal. Examples: zsh, fish, or bash. |- |Display Server | |Draws stuff on the screen. Can be either x.org, or wayland. |- |Kernel | |The "heart" of your system. If a program wants specific resources (reading/writing a file, or getting processing time for example), it asks the kernel, and the kernel delivers them. Linux is actually just the kernel, but most people refer to the whole system (the distribution) when saying "Linux". Examples: linux, linux-lts, linux-zen, linux-tkg-pds, linux-tkg-bmq, xanmod, ... |- |Wine | |Compatibility layer to run Windows programs on Linux. |- |GNU | |GNU stands for ''GNU is not UNIX''. Yes, it uses ''GNU'' to explain what ''GNU'' means. And it's probably part of your Linux system. That's why some people refer to ''Linux'' as ''GNU/Linux''. They argue, that Linux is just the Kernel, and GNU is what makes it an operating system. However, most people use ''Linux'' to refer to the whole OS. |} 29a0b3f2421f6acd1bd898f74530fd842ce4211d 1 549 1904 2023-04-23T22:21:29Z Kkiot 582 Create Talk:Cheatsheet. Need discussion on capitalizing terms and their abbreviations. wikitext text/x-wiki == Capitalization == It would be preferred to not capitalize terms and abbreviations; it could lead to confusion about how it's written. Should we make all terms and abbr.s lowercase? --[[User:Kkiot|Kkiot]] ([[User talk:Kkiot|talk]]) 00:21, 24 April 2023 (CEST) 0371434cbbc90f94ba633f283af67f7347094377 2 550 1905 2023-04-23T22:25:16Z Kkiot 582 Created page with "Hello! I use <s>Arch b-</s> Look at my other MediaWikies! * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/User:KKIOT Arch Linux wiki] * wip..." wikitext text/x-wiki Hello! I use <s>Arch b-</s> Look at my other MediaWikies! * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/User:KKIOT Arch Linux wiki] * wip... 7df742c929f36050315dea7c44d223a1253f465b 1912 1905 2023-04-24T00:01:20Z Kkiot 582 wikitext text/x-wiki Hello! I use <s>Arch b-</s> Look at my other MediaWikies! * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/User:Kkiot Arch Linux wiki] * wip... 038b6cdfa6f0ed1784584e709a96898564576a04 0 50 1906 1903 2023-04-23T22:25:51Z Kkiot 582 Add Library abbr. (lib). wikitext text/x-wiki You might see some terms you are not familiar with. Here is a collection of some that might help you. {| class="wikitable" |+ !Term !Abbreviation !Explanation |- |Linux | |Has two meaning. It's either just the Linux kernel, or it's an operating system that uses the Linux kernel. Most of the time when you read ''Linux'', it means the whole system. |- |Distribution |Distro |The "type" of Linux you are using. Examples: Nobara, Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, Debian, Arch, ... |- |Desktop Environment |DE |How your Linux looks like. Think of the difference between Windows 7, 10, and 11. Unlike on Windows, this can be changed without reinstalling your system. Examples: KDE Plasma, or Gnome. |- |Window Manager |WM |Arranges your windows at the place you want them to be. Examples: KWin, Mutter, Qtile, awesome, Sway and Hyprland. |- |[[Compositor]] | |Makes visual effects, but costs performance. |- |Package manager | |Essential part of your distro, has the purpose of downloading, installing, and removing packages. Examples: apt, or pacman. |- |Package |Pkg |Program, part of a program, or library |- |Library |Lib |Collection of stuff that programs use to function. Typically has the ending ''.so''. (on windows this would be ''.dll'') |- |[[Terminal]] | |Black window with text. Essentially a different way to operate your system. |- |Display Manager |DM |Starts your DE. Examples: sddm, or gdm. |- |Shell | |The "environment" you have in the terminal. Examples: zsh, fish, or bash. |- |Display Server | |Draws stuff on the screen. Can be either x.org, or wayland. |- |Kernel | |The "heart" of your system. If a program wants specific resources (reading/writing a file, or getting processing time for example), it asks the kernel, and the kernel delivers them. Linux is actually just the kernel, but most people refer to the whole system (the distribution) when saying "Linux". Examples: linux, linux-lts, linux-zen, linux-tkg-pds, linux-tkg-bmq, xanmod, ... |- |Wine | |Compatibility layer to run Windows programs on Linux. |- |GNU | |GNU stands for ''GNU is not UNIX''. Yes, it uses ''GNU'' to explain what ''GNU'' means. And it's probably part of your Linux system. That's why some people refer to ''Linux'' as ''GNU/Linux''. They argue, that Linux is just the Kernel, and GNU is what makes it an operating system. However, most people use ''Linux'' to refer to the whole OS. |} 0fbc7cb909a54be5391e712a991c8e4c4f4f0aaa 1907 1906 2023-04-23T22:26:18Z Kkiot 582 Add Shell abbr. (sh). wikitext text/x-wiki You might see some terms you are not familiar with. Here is a collection of some that might help you. {| class="wikitable" |+ !Term !Abbreviation !Explanation |- |Linux | |Has two meaning. It's either just the Linux kernel, or it's an operating system that uses the Linux kernel. Most of the time when you read ''Linux'', it means the whole system. |- |Distribution |Distro |The "type" of Linux you are using. Examples: Nobara, Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, Debian, Arch, ... |- |Desktop Environment |DE |How your Linux looks like. Think of the difference between Windows 7, 10, and 11. Unlike on Windows, this can be changed without reinstalling your system. Examples: KDE Plasma, or Gnome. |- |Window Manager |WM |Arranges your windows at the place you want them to be. Examples: KWin, Mutter, Qtile, awesome, Sway and Hyprland. |- |[[Compositor]] | |Makes visual effects, but costs performance. |- |Package manager | |Essential part of your distro, has the purpose of downloading, installing, and removing packages. Examples: apt, or pacman. |- |Package |Pkg |Program, part of a program, or library |- |Library |Lib |Collection of stuff that programs use to function. Typically has the ending ''.so''. (on windows this would be ''.dll'') |- |[[Terminal]] | |Black window with text. Essentially a different way to operate your system. |- |Display Manager |DM |Starts your DE. Examples: sddm, or gdm. |- |Shell |sh |The "environment" you have in the terminal. Examples: zsh, fish, or bash. |- |Display Server | |Draws stuff on the screen. Can be either x.org, or wayland. |- |Kernel | |The "heart" of your system. If a program wants specific resources (reading/writing a file, or getting processing time for example), it asks the kernel, and the kernel delivers them. Linux is actually just the kernel, but most people refer to the whole system (the distribution) when saying "Linux". Examples: linux, linux-lts, linux-zen, linux-tkg-pds, linux-tkg-bmq, xanmod, ... |- |Wine | |Compatibility layer to run Windows programs on Linux. |- |GNU | |GNU stands for ''GNU is not UNIX''. Yes, it uses ''GNU'' to explain what ''GNU'' means. And it's probably part of your Linux system. That's why some people refer to ''Linux'' as ''GNU/Linux''. They argue, that Linux is just the Kernel, and GNU is what makes it an operating system. However, most people use ''Linux'' to refer to the whole OS. |} 530079385399bba8c4e9c4be7afa9b1c19b9e041 1908 1907 2023-04-23T22:27:19Z Kkiot 582 Capitalize the display servers. wikitext text/x-wiki You might see some terms you are not familiar with. Here is a collection of some that might help you. {| class="wikitable" |+ !Term !Abbreviation !Explanation |- |Linux | |Has two meaning. It's either just the Linux kernel, or it's an operating system that uses the Linux kernel. Most of the time when you read ''Linux'', it means the whole system. |- |Distribution |Distro |The "type" of Linux you are using. Examples: Nobara, Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, Debian, Arch, ... |- |Desktop Environment |DE |How your Linux looks like. Think of the difference between Windows 7, 10, and 11. Unlike on Windows, this can be changed without reinstalling your system. Examples: KDE Plasma, or Gnome. |- |Window Manager |WM |Arranges your windows at the place you want them to be. Examples: KWin, Mutter, Qtile, awesome, Sway and Hyprland. |- |[[Compositor]] | |Makes visual effects, but costs performance. |- |Package manager | |Essential part of your distro, has the purpose of downloading, installing, and removing packages. Examples: apt, or pacman. |- |Package |Pkg |Program, part of a program, or library |- |Library |Lib |Collection of stuff that programs use to function. Typically has the ending ''.so''. (on windows this would be ''.dll'') |- |[[Terminal]] | |Black window with text. Essentially a different way to operate your system. |- |Display Manager |DM |Starts your DE. Examples: sddm, or gdm. |- |Shell |sh |The "environment" you have in the terminal. Examples: zsh, fish, or bash. |- |Display Server | |Draws stuff on the screen. Can be either X.Org, or Wayland. |- |Kernel | |The "heart" of your system. If a program wants specific resources (reading/writing a file, or getting processing time for example), it asks the kernel, and the kernel delivers them. Linux is actually just the kernel, but most people refer to the whole system (the distribution) when saying "Linux". Examples: linux, linux-lts, linux-zen, linux-tkg-pds, linux-tkg-bmq, xanmod, ... |- |Wine | |Compatibility layer to run Windows programs on Linux. |- |GNU | |GNU stands for ''GNU is not UNIX''. Yes, it uses ''GNU'' to explain what ''GNU'' means. And it's probably part of your Linux system. That's why some people refer to ''Linux'' as ''GNU/Linux''. They argue, that Linux is just the Kernel, and GNU is what makes it an operating system. However, most people use ''Linux'' to refer to the whole OS. |} a501ee51f768cf60c4bf9ade86b09a1072676a85 1927 1908 2023-04-25T06:30:08Z Kkiot 582 Distinguish X11 and Wayland "compositors". wikitext text/x-wiki You might see some terms you are not familiar with. Here is a collection of some that might help you. {| class="wikitable" |+ !Term !Abbreviation !Explanation |- |Linux | |Has two meaning. It's either just the Linux kernel, or it's an operating system that uses the Linux kernel. Most of the time when you read ''Linux'', it means the whole system. |- |Distribution |Distro |The "type" of Linux you are using. Examples: Nobara, Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, Debian, Arch, ... |- |Desktop Environment |DE |How your Linux looks like. Think of the difference between Windows 7, 10, and 11. Unlike on Windows, this can be changed without reinstalling your system. Examples: KDE Plasma, or Gnome. |- |Window Manager |WM |Arranges your windows at the place you want them to be. Examples: KWin, Mutter, Qtile, awesome. |- |[[Compositor (X11)]] | |Makes visual effects, but costs performance. |- |[[Compositor (Wayland)]] | |Combines the functions of a window manager and compositing. Basically the equivalent of X11 window managers. Examples: KWin, Mutter, Qtile, Sway, river and Hyprland. |- |Package manager | |Essential part of your distro, has the purpose of downloading, installing, and removing packages. Examples: apt, or pacman. |- |Package |Pkg |Program, part of a program, or library |- |Library |Lib |Collection of stuff that programs use to function. Typically has the ending ''.so''. (on windows this would be ''.dll'') |- |[[Terminal]] | |Black window with text. Essentially a different way to operate your system. |- |Display Manager |DM |Starts your DE. Examples: sddm, or gdm. |- |Shell |sh |The "environment" you have in the terminal. Examples: zsh, fish, or bash. |- |Display Server | |Draws stuff on the screen. Can be either X.Org, or Wayland. |- |Kernel | |The "heart" of your system. If a program wants specific resources (reading/writing a file, or getting processing time for example), it asks the kernel, and the kernel delivers them. Linux is actually just the kernel, but most people refer to the whole system (the distribution) when saying "Linux". Examples: linux, linux-lts, linux-zen, linux-tkg-pds, linux-tkg-bmq, xanmod, ... |- |Wine | |Compatibility layer to run Windows programs on Linux. |- |GNU | |GNU stands for ''GNU is not UNIX''. Yes, it uses ''GNU'' to explain what ''GNU'' means. And it's probably part of your Linux system. That's why some people refer to ''Linux'' as ''GNU/Linux''. They argue, that Linux is just the Kernel, and GNU is what makes it an operating system. However, most people use ''Linux'' to refer to the whole OS. |} 16670a365ffd00dc1a0e90d49ed754c3954bde30 1928 1927 2023-04-25T06:30:47Z Kkiot 582 X11 compositor: add input lag concerns. wikitext text/x-wiki You might see some terms you are not familiar with. Here is a collection of some that might help you. {| class="wikitable" |+ !Term !Abbreviation !Explanation |- |Linux | |Has two meaning. It's either just the Linux kernel, or it's an operating system that uses the Linux kernel. Most of the time when you read ''Linux'', it means the whole system. |- |Distribution |Distro |The "type" of Linux you are using. Examples: Nobara, Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, Debian, Arch, ... |- |Desktop Environment |DE |How your Linux looks like. Think of the difference between Windows 7, 10, and 11. Unlike on Windows, this can be changed without reinstalling your system. Examples: KDE Plasma, or Gnome. |- |Window Manager |WM |Arranges your windows at the place you want them to be. Examples: KWin, Mutter, Qtile, awesome. |- |[[Compositor (X11)]] | |Makes visual effects, but costs performance, and adds input lag. |- |[[Compositor (Wayland)]] | |Combines the functions of a window manager and compositing. Basically the equivalent of X11 window managers. Examples: KWin, Mutter, Qtile, Sway, river and Hyprland. |- |Package manager | |Essential part of your distro, has the purpose of downloading, installing, and removing packages. Examples: apt, or pacman. |- |Package |Pkg |Program, part of a program, or library |- |Library |Lib |Collection of stuff that programs use to function. Typically has the ending ''.so''. (on windows this would be ''.dll'') |- |[[Terminal]] | |Black window with text. Essentially a different way to operate your system. |- |Display Manager |DM |Starts your DE. Examples: sddm, or gdm. |- |Shell |sh |The "environment" you have in the terminal. Examples: zsh, fish, or bash. |- |Display Server | |Draws stuff on the screen. Can be either X.Org, or Wayland. |- |Kernel | |The "heart" of your system. If a program wants specific resources (reading/writing a file, or getting processing time for example), it asks the kernel, and the kernel delivers them. Linux is actually just the kernel, but most people refer to the whole system (the distribution) when saying "Linux". Examples: linux, linux-lts, linux-zen, linux-tkg-pds, linux-tkg-bmq, xanmod, ... |- |Wine | |Compatibility layer to run Windows programs on Linux. |- |GNU | |GNU stands for ''GNU is not UNIX''. Yes, it uses ''GNU'' to explain what ''GNU'' means. And it's probably part of your Linux system. That's why some people refer to ''Linux'' as ''GNU/Linux''. They argue, that Linux is just the Kernel, and GNU is what makes it an operating system. However, most people use ''Linux'' to refer to the whole OS. |} 7150e499548787489e1da8bd48a1f5273f4b6532 1929 1928 2023-04-25T06:37:25Z Kkiot 582 Interjection for just a moment. wikitext text/x-wiki You might see some terms you are not familiar with. Here is a collection of some that might help you. {| class="wikitable" |+ !Term !Abbreviation !Explanation |- |Linux | |Has two meaning. It's either just the Linux kernel, or it's an operating system that uses the Linux kernel. Most of the time when you read ''Linux'', it means the whole system. |- |Distribution |Distro |The "type" of Linux you are using. Examples: Nobara, Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, Debian, Arch, ... |- |Desktop Environment |DE |How your Linux looks like. Think of the difference between Windows 7, 10, and 11. Unlike on Windows, this can be changed without reinstalling your system. Examples: KDE Plasma, or Gnome. |- |Window Manager |WM |Arranges your windows at the place you want them to be. Examples: KWin, Mutter, Qtile, awesome. |- |[[Compositor (X11)]] | |Makes visual effects, but costs performance, and adds input lag. |- |[[Compositor (Wayland)]] | |Combines the functions of a window manager and compositing. Basically the equivalent of X11 window managers. Examples: KWin, Mutter, Qtile, Sway, river and Hyprland. |- |Package manager | |Essential part of your distro, has the purpose of downloading, installing, and removing packages. Examples: apt, or pacman. |- |Package |Pkg |Program, part of a program, or library |- |Library |Lib |Collection of stuff that programs use to function. Typically has the ending ''.so''. (on windows this would be ''.dll'') |- |[[Terminal]] | |Black window with text. Essentially a different way to operate your system. |- |Display Manager |DM |Starts your DE. Examples: sddm, or gdm. |- |Shell |sh |The "environment" you have in the terminal. Examples: zsh, fish, or bash. |- |Display Server | |Draws stuff on the screen. Can be either X.Org, or Wayland. |- |Kernel | |The "heart" of your system. If a program wants specific resources (reading/writing a file, or getting processing time for example), it asks the kernel, and the kernel delivers them. Linux is actually just the kernel, but most people refer to the whole system (the distribution) when saying "Linux". Examples: linux, linux-lts, linux-zen, linux-tkg-pds, linux-tkg-bmq, xanmod, ... |- |Wine | |Compatibility layer to run Windows programs on Linux. |- |GNU | |GNU stands for ''GNU is not UNIX''. Yes, it uses ''GNU'' to explain what ''GNU'' means. And it's probably part of your Linux system. That's why some people refer to ''Linux'' as ''GNU/Linux''. They argue, that Linux is just the Kernel, and GNU is what makes it an operating system. However, most people use ''Linux'' to refer to the whole OS, except one guy named [https://www.gnu.org/gnu/incorrect-quotation.en.html "rms"]. |} 10f0b7a60a1c70763c14e337e7c9586b211b654c 1 551 1909 2023-04-23T22:29:26Z Kkiot 582 Created Talk:Getting started (short version). Language. wikitext text/x-wiki == Profanity == Do we really need cursing on this page? --[[User:Kkiot|Kkiot]] ([[User talk:Kkiot|talk]]) 00:29, 24 April 2023 (CEST) 0a8dce692338d45bdefc311c1ddbe0a32f3bb9ab 0 4 1910 993 2023-04-23T22:37:47Z Kkiot 582 /* Firefox */ Mark Firefox section as outdated. wikitext text/x-wiki == Introduction == Hardware accelerated video makes it possible for the video card to decode/encode video, thus offloading the CPU and saving power. This article gives detail on enabling hardware video acceleration in browsers used in Linux. This article details them for Firefox and Chromium, but similar instructions apply to other browsers based on the above two. == Firefox == {{Needs work|Problem=Section outdated. NVIDIA users have been able to use hardware acceleration since a while: instructions are missing}} Firefox currently supports hardware acceleration on both x11 and Wayland. This is tested on Firefox 96 (nightly). The following settings need to be changed in <code>about:config</code>:<syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> media.ffmpeg.vaapi.enabled true gfx.webrender.all true media.ffvpx.enabled false </syntaxhighlight>In addition, while running X11, Firefox should be launched with variable <code>MOZ_X11_EGL=1</code> . Also, users should ensure that vaapi is available by installing/running <code>vainfo</code> in terminal. In cases where GPU only supports h.264 decode, its beneficial to install [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/h264ify/ h.264ify]. What works: # both 30fps/60fps or higher videos play smoothly at resolutions supported by GPU decoder. #CPU usage is significantly reduced while playing videos The problems: #The color of videos appears washed out. (0,0,0) is mapped to (16,16,16) and (255,255,255) to (235,235,235). [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1726186 Bug 1726186] (Fixed on Firefox 96+!) #Nvidia users out of luck (for now) ==Chromium == Chromium also supports hardware acceleration in x11 and Wayland. This too was tested in chromium-dev 97. To enable it, first set <code>chrome://flags/#ignore-gpu-blocklist</code> to <code>disabled</code>. Then launch chromium with the following flags:<syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> --use-gl=desktop --enable-features=VaapiVideoDecoder </syntaxhighlight>In theory, <code>--use-gl=desktop</code> should not be required in Wayland, but the wiki editor couldn't get it to work without it. Also h.264ify will be required as stated above. What works: #both 30fps/60fps or higher videos play smoothly at resolutions supported by GPU decoder, unless Vulkan backend is enabled through flags. However there is little reason to enable it for now #Videos are played color accurately The problems: #CPU usage reduction is minimal. I could not observe significant improvement in reduction of CPU load or improved battery life ( on different machine) despite confirming that hardware video acceleration was working while playing videos #Nvidia users out of luck again ===Google chrome and other flavors=== Same should work for google chrome (and other chromium-based browsers like Brave, Vivaldi, edge etc.) There is a config file for google chrome located at ''$HOME/.config/chrome-flags.conf'' (if file does not exist, create it), where you can put flags that chrome should start with by default (because starting browser with parameters sometimes can be hard/pain). {{Warning|Problem='''NEEDS SPECIFYING:''' Does this file work for other chromium based browsers and chromium itself?}} $HOME/.config/chrome-flags.conf: <pre> --enable-features=VaapiVideoDecoder --use-gl=desktop </pre> ===Nvidia GPUs=== For full GPU acceleration with Nvidia GPUs it's required to set 2 additional flags:<syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> --ignore-gpu-blocklist --enable-zero-copy </syntaxhighlight> ===Optimizing performance=== For better performance it is recommended to set 2 additional flags:<syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> --enable-gpu-rasterization --canvas-oop-rasterization </syntaxhighlight> ==Epiphany/Gnome Web== Based on GTKwebkit, it provides another option for users that may be not as powerful as chrome or Firefox, but still fairly usable for modern web. To enable hardware accelerated video, first install <code>gstreamer-vaapi</code> for AMD/Intel GPUs or <code>gst-plugins-bad</code> and <code>nvidia-utils</code> for Nvidia GPUs. Then [[Terminal|run]]:<syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> gsettings set org.gnome.Epiphany.web:/ hardware-acceleration-policy 'always' </syntaxhighlight>What works: #both 30fps/60fps or higher videos play smoothly at resolutions supported by gpu decoder #Videos are color accurate #Works for Nvidia users # Good reduction in CPU usage The problems: # Lack of extensions #No simple way to limit video codec to h.264, hence older GPUs will lack hardware video acceleration in most videos with codecs other than h.264 ==Alternatives== VLC and MPV both support proper hardware accelerated video in Linux. They can be set to launch when a video is played in a browser. This can be done in Firefox with [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/open-in-vlc/ Open in vlc] or [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/ff2mpv/ ff2mpv] extension or other similar extensions. Similarly for chromium, [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/play-with-mpv/hahklcmnfgffdlchjigehabfbiigleji Play with MPV] or [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/open-in-vlc-media-player/ihpiinojhnfhpdmmacgmpoonphhimkaj?hl=en Play with VLC] or similar. What works: #CPU utilization better than Firefox and chrome #Videos are played with accurate colors #Works for NVIDIA users The problems: #Many sites with DRM (such as most paid streaming services) and those using custom video players may not work. ==Further Reading == *[https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Hardware_video_acceleration Arch Wiki - Hardware Accelerated Video] - Resource on setting up hardware video acceleration and installing <code>vainfo</code> *[https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/List_of_applications/Internet#Web_browsers Arch Wiki - Web Browsers] - List of web browsers available in Linux 7811bbae20334f970bb1755918e3fa7eb5cd8a89 0 45 1911 1516 2023-04-23T22:40:47Z Kkiot 582 /* Less problematic Hardware */ Mark Less problematic Hardware as "needs work": Intel graphics? wikitext text/x-wiki Hardware compatibility with Linux is sometimes tricky. You can not buy just anything and expect it to work. Some manufacturers don't support Linux at all, and sometimes the support is not good. However, if you already own a desktop or laptop, it is probably going to work. Just try it with a live USB. This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware categories. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Regarding specific recommendations. Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a timestamp in the form YYYY-MM. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. If you buy wrong, you might end up with completely incompatible hardware. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. The important thing in the sticks is the chip. Manufacturers sometimes have the same model with different chips. Chips that often work, are Qualcomm Atheros, and [https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005511/wireless.html Intel]. === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. Recommendations: To be done. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. Recommendations: To be done. == Less problematic Hardware == {{Needs work|Problem=What about Intel graphics (especially Arc)?}} Your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is much lower. However, you might face some jank, some features might not work, and stuff might not be flawless. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. If you want to read more about it, you might find something in [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/tdmup7/unpopular_opinion_i_feel_like_the_whole_nvidia/ this reddit post]. AMD and Nvidia both work, and you'll ''probably'' be fine with either. However: * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), and Nvidia even released their kernel module, but they are no option for gaming (at least yet). **If you want long support, AMD is the way to go, as support is essentially never dropped. * Nvidia provides proprietary day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, due to not being FOSS. There might be some delayed features, or some bugs. But as said, you're ''probably'' going to be fine. If you're not, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s blame Nvidia]. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] and FSR 2, which works in a similar way. There are mods that translate DLSS 2 to FSR 2 for many games. **Don't fear to switch to Linux if you own an Nvidia GPU. Even though AMD might be the better option, many people are very happy with their Nvidia GPU. * If you buy a very old GPU, make sure that it has Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth, and even those often work. You might face problems if you have a device with two GPUs (should be solvable), or other special components (fingerprint reader, etc - might not be solvable). * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo **Slimbook * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: **Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15ACH6 | EU | around 800-1 000 € (multiple similar models available) | Available without OS | Out of the box full compatibility (WiFi since kernel 5.16, on older manual installation of driver<ref>https://github.com/lwfinger/rtw89</ref> needed) === Mainboards === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. ==== AMD ==== * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] === Mice/Keyboards === Generally all of them work, as long as you don't expect the specific configuration software to work. This can mean that you can't control RGB, DPI, or makro buttons. A workaround for unsupported models can be to boot Windows once to change the settings (if you don't need to change them all the time). You can also start a VM, pass through the device, and change settings there. ==== Models with native support ==== {{Needs work|Problem=It is not clear how good these tools are, and if they are actually a good recommendation. Maybe it would be possible to rate them for usability}} However, some models have native support: * Logitech: [https://pwr-solaar.github.io/Solaar/devices Solaar] * Razer: [https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer OpenRazer]. * Roccat: [https://github.com/X3n0m0rph59/eruption Eruption], [https://sourceforge.net/projects/roccat/files/roccat-tools/ roccat-tools]([https://aur.archlinux.org/pkgbase/roccat-tools aur], [https://launchpad.net/~berfenger/+archive/ubuntu/roccat ppa]) *ASUS: [https://github.com/kyokenn/rogdrv rogdrv] *Various models: [https://github.com/libratbag/libratbag libratbag] ==Hardware with RGB support== Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. Recommendations: *To be done ==Generally unproblematic hardware categories== *Monitors *Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs ==Unknown categories== {{Needs work|Problem=I'm not sure whether these categories are unproblematic or not. Personally I never had issues, and I don't see many people writing about problems in forums}} ===Bluetooth Headphones=== ====Noise Cancelling==== *Over Ear **Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03<!-- Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). --> ====Non Noise Cancelling==== *Headsets **Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03 ===USB Digital/Audio converter=== *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio ===USB microphones=== *Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03 ==References== * * <references /> 5bdd2be99ebde40d5cec9791fb9d9c74692730fa 0 2 1913 1893 2023-04-25T05:01:52Z Kkiot 582 /* Recommendations */ Completely changed Gentoo recommendation; now is so-so, and remains Questionable. Not perfectly unbiased tough! wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **You don't need to worry about this. All of them are fine. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from Gnome. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. Windows 10 and 11 look a lot like default KDE. But if you don't like that, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. It also has a lot of nice-to-have features that make your life easier |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |Gnome |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing Gnome often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on Gnome, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |Not good for gaming. | | | |} === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a ''&quot;stable&quot;'' distribution because ''&quot;stable&quot;'' usually means ''&quot;old&quot;''. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. '''Doesn't support dual booting with Windows.''' |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable, for example [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here]. |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base system and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you don't configure your system enough, it will probably be worse than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn.Contrary to popular belief, installing Arch is not too hard if you follow carefully the installation guide; it's even simpler with the provided archinstall script, although ''it's not the recommended way''. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the friendly wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |Gentoo |Gentoo Linux is a source-based distribution; it means it is ''the'' best when it comes to performance, as it allows you to compile all programs you install customized for your own setup! BUT, it makes it a double-edged sword! The performance gains are not only barely present; it also means it will take quite longer to install and update software! Thankfully, you don't have to compile huge software like web browsers (or even the kernel, though you will lose the benefits). Adding to that, it is notorious for being hard to install, although it's as hard or even easier to install than Arch Linux as long as you follow the installation guide. It will take extremely long though: count more than two hours of setting things up! Do note that, just like Arch, if you don't configure much (including compiler flags!!), you will probably end up with no better, or worse, than other distros, considering you also rarely get grand performance gains! |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |- |AmogOS |It might have a funny name, but it's not a mature distribution. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |LFS | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. But generally, you would open your software store (or whatever it is called), and search for the program you want to install, click ''"update"'', or whatever else. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> cf9dcbbda2ba8452af6f63dd7a064f8f4ca883d0 1914 1913 2023-04-25T05:03:26Z Kkiot 582 /* Recommendations */ Reworded Gentoo. wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **You don't need to worry about this. All of them are fine. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from Gnome. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. Windows 10 and 11 look a lot like default KDE. But if you don't like that, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. It also has a lot of nice-to-have features that make your life easier |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |Gnome |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing Gnome often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on Gnome, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |Not good for gaming. | | | |} === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a ''&quot;stable&quot;'' distribution because ''&quot;stable&quot;'' usually means ''&quot;old&quot;''. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. '''Doesn't support dual booting with Windows.''' |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable, for example [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here]. |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base system and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you don't configure your system enough, it will probably be worse than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn.Contrary to popular belief, installing Arch is not too hard if you follow carefully the installation guide; it's even simpler with the provided archinstall script, although ''it's not the recommended way''. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the friendly wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |Gentoo |Gentoo Linux is a source-based distribution; it means it is ''the'' best when it comes to performance, as it allows you to compile all programs specifically configured for your own setup! BUT, it makes it a double-edged sword! The performance gains are not only barely present; it also means it will take quite longer to install and update software! Thankfully, you don't have to compile huge software like web browsers (or even the kernel, though you will lose the benefits). Adding to that, it is notorious for being hard to install, although it's as hard or even easier to install than Arch Linux as long as you follow the installation guide. It will take extremely long though: count more than two hours of setting things up! Do note that, just like Arch, if you don't configure much (including compiler flags!!), you will probably end up with no better, or worse, than other distros, considering you also rarely get grand performance gains! |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |- |AmogOS |It might have a funny name, but it's not a mature distribution. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |LFS | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. But generally, you would open your software store (or whatever it is called), and search for the program you want to install, click ''"update"'', or whatever else. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> d161801fb001a63d6dfcf3c014ba6e50f697b3bd 1915 1914 2023-04-25T05:04:00Z Kkiot 582 /* Recommendations */ Arch Linux: fix missing space. wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **You don't need to worry about this. All of them are fine. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from Gnome. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. Windows 10 and 11 look a lot like default KDE. But if you don't like that, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. It also has a lot of nice-to-have features that make your life easier |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |Gnome |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing Gnome often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on Gnome, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |Not good for gaming. | | | |} === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a ''&quot;stable&quot;'' distribution because ''&quot;stable&quot;'' usually means ''&quot;old&quot;''. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://system76.com/pop Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. '''Doesn't support dual booting with Windows.''' |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://getfedora.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/home/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable, for example [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here]. |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base system and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you don't configure your system enough, it will probably be worse than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. Contrary to popular belief, installing Arch is not too hard if you follow carefully the installation guide; it's even simpler with the provided archinstall script, although ''it's not the recommended way''. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the friendly wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |Gentoo |Gentoo Linux is a source-based distribution; it means it is ''the'' best when it comes to performance, as it allows you to compile all programs specifically configured for your own setup! BUT, it makes it a double-edged sword! The performance gains are not only barely present; it also means it will take quite longer to install and update software! Thankfully, you don't have to compile huge software like web browsers (or even the kernel, though you will lose the benefits). Adding to that, it is notorious for being hard to install, although it's as hard or even easier to install than Arch Linux as long as you follow the installation guide. It will take extremely long though: count more than two hours of setting things up! Do note that, just like Arch, if you don't configure much (including compiler flags!!), you will probably end up with no better, or worse, than other distros, considering you also rarely get grand performance gains! |- |Debian |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |- |AmogOS |It might have a funny name, but it's not a mature distribution. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |LFS | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. But generally, you would open your software store (or whatever it is called), and search for the program you want to install, click ''"update"'', or whatever else. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 3dc6c1aaa6799f6e0d2cd119b994e96ccba63bc5 1916 1915 2023-04-25T05:14:39Z Kkiot 582 /* Recommendations */ Added and fixed distros links wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **You don't need to worry about this. All of them are fine. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from Gnome. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. Windows 10 and 11 look a lot like default KDE. But if you don't like that, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. It also has a lot of nice-to-have features that make your life easier |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |Gnome |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing Gnome often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on Gnome, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |Not good for gaming. | | | |} === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a ''&quot;stable&quot;'' distribution because ''&quot;stable&quot;'' usually means ''&quot;old&quot;''. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://pop.system76.com/ Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. '''Doesn't support dual booting with Windows.''' |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://fedoraproject.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable, for example [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here]. |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base system and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you don't configure your system enough, it will probably be worse than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. Contrary to popular belief, installing Arch is not too hard if you follow carefully the installation guide; it's even simpler with the provided archinstall script, although ''it's not the recommended way''. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the friendly wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |[https://www.gentoo.org/ Gentoo] |Gentoo Linux is a source-based distribution; it means it is ''the'' best when it comes to performance, as it allows you to compile all programs specifically configured for your own setup! BUT, it makes it a double-edged sword! The performance gains are not only barely present; it also means it will take quite longer to install and update software! Thankfully, you don't have to compile huge software like web browsers (or even the kernel, though you will lose the benefits). Adding to that, it is notorious for being hard to install, although it's as hard or even easier to install than Arch Linux as long as you follow the installation guide. It will take extremely long though: count more than two hours of setting things up! Do note that, just like Arch, if you don't configure much (including compiler flags!!), you will probably end up with no better, or worse, than other distros, considering you also rarely get grand performance gains! |- |[https://www.debian.org/ Debian] |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |- |AmogOS |It might have a funny name, but it's not a mature distribution. |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |LFS | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. But generally, you would open your software store (or whatever it is called), and search for the program you want to install, click ''"update"'', or whatever else. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> f029f169b69812f4ae2a4ead2a4edeb1b128da5f 1917 1916 2023-04-25T05:15:25Z Kkiot 582 /* Recommendations */ Remove AmogOS; dead distro. wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **You don't need to worry about this. All of them are fine. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from Gnome. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. Windows 10 and 11 look a lot like default KDE. But if you don't like that, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. It also has a lot of nice-to-have features that make your life easier |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |Gnome |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing Gnome often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on Gnome, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |Not good for gaming. | | | |} === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a ''&quot;stable&quot;'' distribution because ''&quot;stable&quot;'' usually means ''&quot;old&quot;''. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://pop.system76.com/ Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. '''Doesn't support dual booting with Windows.''' |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://fedoraproject.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable, for example [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here]. |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base system and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you don't configure your system enough, it will probably be worse than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. Contrary to popular belief, installing Arch is not too hard if you follow carefully the installation guide; it's even simpler with the provided archinstall script, although ''it's not the recommended way''. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the friendly wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |[https://www.gentoo.org/ Gentoo] |Gentoo Linux is a source-based distribution; it means it is ''the'' best when it comes to performance, as it allows you to compile all programs specifically configured for your own setup! BUT, it makes it a double-edged sword! The performance gains are not only barely present; it also means it will take quite longer to install and update software! Thankfully, you don't have to compile huge software like web browsers (or even the kernel, though you will lose the benefits). Adding to that, it is notorious for being hard to install, although it's as hard or even easier to install than Arch Linux as long as you follow the installation guide. It will take extremely long though: count more than two hours of setting things up! Do note that, just like Arch, if you don't configure much (including compiler flags!!), you will probably end up with no better, or worse, than other distros, considering you also rarely get grand performance gains! |- |[https://www.debian.org/ Debian] |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |LFS | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. But generally, you would open your software store (or whatever it is called), and search for the program you want to install, click ''"update"'', or whatever else. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 729c6204052e86307aedb496dda4f5f2cdfa4f1e 1918 1917 2023-04-25T05:17:05Z Kkiot 582 /* Desktop Environments */ Pantheon: clarify why it's bad. wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **You don't need to worry about this. All of them are fine. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from Gnome. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. Windows 10 and 11 look a lot like default KDE. But if you don't like that, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. It also has a lot of nice-to-have features that make your life easier |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |Gnome |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing Gnome often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on Gnome, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |You cannot disable the compositor on X11, which makes it bad for gaming. | | | |} === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a ''&quot;stable&quot;'' distribution because ''&quot;stable&quot;'' usually means ''&quot;old&quot;''. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://pop.system76.com/ Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. '''Doesn't support dual booting with Windows.''' |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://fedoraproject.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable, for example [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here]. |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base system and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you don't configure your system enough, it will probably be worse than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. Contrary to popular belief, installing Arch is not too hard if you follow carefully the installation guide; it's even simpler with the provided archinstall script, although ''it's not the recommended way''. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the friendly wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |[https://www.gentoo.org/ Gentoo] |Gentoo Linux is a source-based distribution; it means it is ''the'' best when it comes to performance, as it allows you to compile all programs specifically configured for your own setup! BUT, it makes it a double-edged sword! The performance gains are not only barely present; it also means it will take quite longer to install and update software! Thankfully, you don't have to compile huge software like web browsers (or even the kernel, though you will lose the benefits). Adding to that, it is notorious for being hard to install, although it's as hard or even easier to install than Arch Linux as long as you follow the installation guide. It will take extremely long though: count more than two hours of setting things up! Do note that, just like Arch, if you don't configure much (including compiler flags!!), you will probably end up with no better, or worse, than other distros, considering you also rarely get grand performance gains! |- |[https://www.debian.org/ Debian] |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |LFS | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. But generally, you would open your software store (or whatever it is called), and search for the program you want to install, click ''"update"'', or whatever else. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 70349efd51d64a2cf45ae17e11a357f16dea2c4c 1919 1918 2023-04-25T05:20:12Z Kkiot 582 /* Recommendations */ Gentoo: change performance claims: more like "not massive". wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **You don't need to worry about this. All of them are fine. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from Gnome. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. Windows 10 and 11 look a lot like default KDE. But if you don't like that, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. It also has a lot of nice-to-have features that make your life easier |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |Gnome |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing Gnome often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on Gnome, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |You cannot disable the compositor on X11, which makes it bad for gaming. | | | |} === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a ''&quot;stable&quot;'' distribution because ''&quot;stable&quot;'' usually means ''&quot;old&quot;''. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://pop.system76.com/ Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. '''Doesn't support dual booting with Windows.''' |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://fedoraproject.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable, for example [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here]. |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base system and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you don't configure your system enough, it will probably be worse than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. Contrary to popular belief, installing Arch is not too hard if you follow carefully the installation guide; it's even simpler with the provided archinstall script, although ''it's not the recommended way''. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the friendly wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |[https://www.gentoo.org/ Gentoo] |Gentoo Linux is a source-based distribution; it means it is ''the'' best when it comes to performance, as it allows you to compile all programs specifically configured for your own setup! BUT, it makes it a double-edged sword! Not only are the performance gains not massive; it also means it will take quite longer to install and update software! Thankfully, you don't have to compile huge software like web browsers (or even the kernel, though you will lose the benefits). Adding to that, it is notorious for being hard to install, although it's as hard or even easier to install than Arch Linux as long as you follow the installation guide. It will take extremely long though: count more than two hours of setting things up! Do note that, just like Arch, if you don't configure much (including compiler flags!!), you will probably end up with no better, or worse, than other distros, considering you also rarely get grand performance gains! |- |[https://www.debian.org/ Debian] |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |LFS | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. But generally, you would open your software store (or whatever it is called), and search for the program you want to install, click ''"update"'', or whatever else. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> a53d320312298c7dd3d35d482347c8af22f28a05 1920 1919 2023-04-25T05:25:57Z Kkiot 582 /* Recommendations */ Gentoo: joined the metaver- uh, is a "metadistro". Added fact that it comes with nothing (like Arch). wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **You don't need to worry about this. All of them are fine. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from Gnome. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. Windows 10 and 11 look a lot like default KDE. But if you don't like that, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. It also has a lot of nice-to-have features that make your life easier |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |Gnome |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing Gnome often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on Gnome, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |You cannot disable the compositor on X11, which makes it bad for gaming. | | | |} === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a ''&quot;stable&quot;'' distribution because ''&quot;stable&quot;'' usually means ''&quot;old&quot;''. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://pop.system76.com/ Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. '''Doesn't support dual booting with Windows.''' |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://fedoraproject.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable, for example [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here]. |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base system and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you don't configure your system enough, it will probably be worse than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. Contrary to popular belief, installing Arch is not too hard if you follow carefully the installation guide; it's even simpler with the provided archinstall script, although ''it's not the recommended way''. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the friendly wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |[https://www.gentoo.org/ Gentoo] |Gentoo Linux is a source-based ''meta''distribution; it means it comes raw and with nothing, just like Arch, but is also ''the'' best when it comes to performance, as it allows you to compile all programs specifically configured for your own setup! BUT, it makes it a double-edged sword! Not only are the performance gains not massive; it also means it will take quite longer to install and update software! Thankfully, you don't have to compile huge software like web browsers (or even the kernel, though you will lose the benefits). Adding to that, it is notorious for being hard to install, although it's as hard or even easier to install than Arch Linux as long as you follow the installation guide. It will take extremely long though: count more than two hours of setting things up! Do note that, just like Arch, if you don't configure much (including compiler flags!!), you will probably end up with no better, or worse, than other distros, considering you also rarely get grand performance gains! |- |[https://www.debian.org/ Debian] |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |LFS | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. But generally, you would open your software store (or whatever it is called), and search for the program you want to install, click ''"update"'', or whatever else. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> f9b62a2f1858fc99f885496bfa3e627673bc6d58 1921 1920 2023-04-25T05:27:03Z Kkiot 582 /* Recommendations */ Arch Linux: add time spent to install warning. wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **You don't need to worry about this. All of them are fine. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from Gnome. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. Windows 10 and 11 look a lot like default KDE. But if you don't like that, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. It also has a lot of nice-to-have features that make your life easier |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |Gnome |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing Gnome often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on Gnome, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |You cannot disable the compositor on X11, which makes it bad for gaming. | | | |} === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a ''&quot;stable&quot;'' distribution because ''&quot;stable&quot;'' usually means ''&quot;old&quot;''. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://pop.system76.com/ Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. '''Doesn't support dual booting with Windows.''' |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://fedoraproject.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable, for example [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here]. |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base system and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you don't configure your system enough, it will probably be worse than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. Contrary to popular belief, installing Arch is not too hard if you follow carefully the installation guide; it's even simpler with the provided archinstall script, although ''it's not the recommended way''. It will take long though. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the friendly wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |[https://www.gentoo.org/ Gentoo] |Gentoo Linux is a source-based ''meta''distribution; it means it comes raw and with nothing, just like Arch, but is also ''the'' best when it comes to performance, as it allows you to compile all programs specifically configured for your own setup! BUT, it makes it a double-edged sword! Not only are the performance gains not massive; it also means it will take quite longer to install and update software! Thankfully, you don't have to compile huge software like web browsers (or even the kernel, though you will lose the benefits). Adding to that, it is notorious for being hard to install, although it's as hard or even easier to install than Arch Linux as long as you follow the installation guide. It will take extremely long though: count more than two hours of setting things up! Do note that, just like Arch, if you don't configure much (including compiler flags!!), you will probably end up with no better, or worse, than other distros, considering you also rarely get grand performance gains! |- |[https://www.debian.org/ Debian] |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |LFS | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. But generally, you would open your software store (or whatever it is called), and search for the program you want to install, click ''"update"'', or whatever else. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> ea407809bb4b31830f2f45d69facd490555d4bfd 1922 1921 2023-04-25T05:38:15Z Kkiot 582 /* Recommendations */ Gentoo: add ARM and other architectures support. wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **You don't need to worry about this. All of them are fine. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from Gnome. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. Windows 10 and 11 look a lot like default KDE. But if you don't like that, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. It also has a lot of nice-to-have features that make your life easier |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |Gnome |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing Gnome often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on Gnome, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |You cannot disable the compositor on X11, which makes it bad for gaming. | | | |} === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a ''&quot;stable&quot;'' distribution because ''&quot;stable&quot;'' usually means ''&quot;old&quot;''. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://pop.system76.com/ Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. '''Doesn't support dual booting with Windows.''' |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://fedoraproject.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable, for example [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here]. |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base system and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you don't configure your system enough, it will probably be worse than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. Contrary to popular belief, installing Arch is not too hard if you follow carefully the installation guide; it's even simpler with the provided archinstall script, although ''it's not the recommended way''. It will take long though. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the friendly wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |[https://www.gentoo.org/ Gentoo] |Gentoo Linux is a source-based ''meta''distribution; it means it comes raw and with nothing, just like Arch, but is also ''the'' best when it comes to performance, as it allows you to compile all programs specifically configured for your own setup! BUT, it makes it a double-edged sword! Not only are the performance gains not massive; it also means it will take quite longer to install and update software! Thankfully, you don't have to compile huge software like web browsers (or even the kernel, though you will lose the benefits). Adding to that, it is notorious for being hard to install, although it's as hard or even easier to install than Arch Linux as long as you follow the installation guide. It will take extremely long though: count more than two hours of setting things up! Gentoo also has the benefits of supporting nearly every architecture there is, including ARM. Do note that, just like Arch, if you don't configure much (including compiler flags!!), you will probably end up with no better, or worse, than other distros, considering you also rarely get grand performance gains! |- |[https://www.debian.org/ Debian] |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |LFS | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. But generally, you would open your software store (or whatever it is called), and search for the program you want to install, click ''"update"'', or whatever else. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 60658d2ed4d8a13c99028634de38ec99112cd85d 1968 1922 2023-04-25T22:17:19Z Kkiot 582 /* Recommendations */ LFS: added full name. wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **You don't need to worry about this. All of them are fine. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from Gnome. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. Windows 10 and 11 look a lot like default KDE. But if you don't like that, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. It also has a lot of nice-to-have features that make your life easier |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |Gnome |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing Gnome often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on Gnome, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |You cannot disable the compositor on X11, which makes it bad for gaming. | | | |} === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a ''&quot;stable&quot;'' distribution because ''&quot;stable&quot;'' usually means ''&quot;old&quot;''. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://pop.system76.com/ Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. '''Doesn't support dual booting with Windows.''' |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://fedoraproject.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable, for example [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here]. |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base system and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you don't configure your system enough, it will probably be worse than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. Contrary to popular belief, installing Arch is not too hard if you follow carefully the installation guide; it's even simpler with the provided archinstall script, although ''it's not the recommended way''. It will take long though. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the friendly wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |[https://www.gentoo.org/ Gentoo] |Gentoo Linux is a source-based ''meta''distribution; it means it comes raw and with nothing, just like Arch, but is also ''the'' best when it comes to performance, as it allows you to compile all programs specifically configured for your own setup! BUT, it makes it a double-edged sword! Not only are the performance gains not massive; it also means it will take quite longer to install and update software! Thankfully, you don't have to compile huge software like web browsers (or even the kernel, though you will lose the benefits). Adding to that, it is notorious for being hard to install, although it's as hard or even easier to install than Arch Linux as long as you follow the installation guide. It will take extremely long though: count more than two hours of setting things up! Gentoo also has the benefits of supporting nearly every architecture there is, including ARM. Do note that, just like Arch, if you don't configure much (including compiler flags!!), you will probably end up with no better, or worse, than other distros, considering you also rarely get grand performance gains! |- |[https://www.debian.org/ Debian] |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |Linux From Scratch (LFS) | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. But generally, you would open your software store (or whatever it is called), and search for the program you want to install, click ''"update"'', or whatever else. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> b63b264b5b2dc1624a3c2a53362cafd83a62bc03 1969 1968 2023-04-25T22:19:22Z Kkiot 582 /* Recommendations */ Arch Linux: made the archinstall warning a quote. wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **You don't need to worry about this. All of them are fine. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from Gnome. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. Windows 10 and 11 look a lot like default KDE. But if you don't like that, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. It also has a lot of nice-to-have features that make your life easier |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |Gnome |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing Gnome often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on Gnome, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |You cannot disable the compositor on X11, which makes it bad for gaming. | | | |} === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a ''&quot;stable&quot;'' distribution because ''&quot;stable&quot;'' usually means ''&quot;old&quot;''. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://pop.system76.com/ Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. '''Doesn't support dual booting with Windows.''' |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://fedoraproject.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable, for example [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here]. |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base system and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you don't configure your system enough, it will probably be worse than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. Contrary to popular belief, installing Arch is not too hard if you follow carefully the installation guide; it's even simpler with the provided archinstall script, although "''it's not the recommended way''". It will take long though. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the friendly wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |[https://www.gentoo.org/ Gentoo] |Gentoo Linux is a source-based ''meta''distribution; it means it comes raw and with nothing, just like Arch, but is also ''the'' best when it comes to performance, as it allows you to compile all programs specifically configured for your own setup! BUT, it makes it a double-edged sword! Not only are the performance gains not massive; it also means it will take quite longer to install and update software! Thankfully, you don't have to compile huge software like web browsers (or even the kernel, though you will lose the benefits). Adding to that, it is notorious for being hard to install, although it's as hard or even easier to install than Arch Linux as long as you follow the installation guide. It will take extremely long though: count more than two hours of setting things up! Gentoo also has the benefits of supporting nearly every architecture there is, including ARM. Do note that, just like Arch, if you don't configure much (including compiler flags!!), you will probably end up with no better, or worse, than other distros, considering you also rarely get grand performance gains! |- |[https://www.debian.org/ Debian] |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |Linux From Scratch (LFS) | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. But generally, you would open your software store (or whatever it is called), and search for the program you want to install, click ''"update"'', or whatever else. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 7143bd06a5491e2142a89a79eb79e61b32ee0fb2 1973 1969 2023-04-28T19:22:11Z Kkiot 582 /* Recommendations */ Manjaro: move below Arch and Gentoo; due to criticism wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **You don't need to worry about this. All of them are fine. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from Gnome. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. Windows 10 and 11 look a lot like default KDE. But if you don't like that, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. It also has a lot of nice-to-have features that make your life easier |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |Gnome |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing Gnome often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on Gnome, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |You cannot disable the compositor on X11, which makes it bad for gaming. | | | |} === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a ''&quot;stable&quot;'' distribution because ''&quot;stable&quot;'' usually means ''&quot;old&quot;''. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://pop.system76.com/ Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. '''Doesn't support dual booting with Windows.''' |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://fedoraproject.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base system and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you don't configure your system enough, it will probably be worse than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. Contrary to popular belief, installing Arch is not too hard if you follow carefully the installation guide; it's even simpler with the provided archinstall script, although "''it's not the recommended way''". It will take long though. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the friendly wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |[https://www.gentoo.org/ Gentoo] |Gentoo Linux is a source-based ''meta''distribution; it means it comes raw and with nothing, just like Arch, but is also ''the'' best when it comes to performance, as it allows you to compile all programs specifically configured for your own setup! BUT, it makes it a double-edged sword! Not only are the performance gains not massive; it also means it will take quite longer to install and update software! Thankfully, you don't have to compile huge software like web browsers (or even the kernel, though you will lose the benefits). Adding to that, it is notorious for being hard to install, although it's as hard or even easier to install than Arch Linux as long as you follow the installation guide. It will take extremely long though: count more than two hours of setting things up! Gentoo also has the benefits of supporting nearly every architecture there is, including ARM. Do note that, just like Arch, if you don't configure much (including compiler flags!!), you will probably end up with no better, or worse, than other distros, considering you also rarely get grand performance gains! |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable, for example [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here]. |- |[https://www.debian.org/ Debian] |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |Linux From Scratch (LFS) | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. But generally, you would open your software store (or whatever it is called), and search for the program you want to install, click ''"update"'', or whatever else. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 79e23c02be3db4959527b4dce5c9e4d47609ee38 1976 1973 2023-04-28T19:37:17Z Kkiot 582 /* Recommendations */ Manjaro: list relevant issues from https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **You don't need to worry about this. All of them are fine. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from Gnome. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. Windows 10 and 11 look a lot like default KDE. But if you don't like that, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. It also has a lot of nice-to-have features that make your life easier |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |Gnome |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing Gnome often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on Gnome, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |You cannot disable the compositor on X11, which makes it bad for gaming. | | | |} === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a ''&quot;stable&quot;'' distribution because ''&quot;stable&quot;'' usually means ''&quot;old&quot;''. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://pop.system76.com/ Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. '''Doesn't support dual booting with Windows.''' |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://fedoraproject.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base system and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you don't configure your system enough, it will probably be worse than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. Contrary to popular belief, installing Arch is not too hard if you follow carefully the installation guide; it's even simpler with the provided archinstall script, although "''it's not the recommended way''". It will take long though. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the friendly wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |[https://www.gentoo.org/ Gentoo] |Gentoo Linux is a source-based ''meta''distribution; it means it comes raw and with nothing, just like Arch, but is also ''the'' best when it comes to performance, as it allows you to compile all programs specifically configured for your own setup! BUT, it makes it a double-edged sword! Not only are the performance gains not massive; it also means it will take quite longer to install and update software! Thankfully, you don't have to compile huge software like web browsers (or even the kernel, though you will lose the benefits). Adding to that, it is notorious for being hard to install, although it's as hard or even easier to install than Arch Linux as long as you follow the installation guide. It will take extremely long though: count more than two hours of setting things up! Gentoo also has the benefits of supporting nearly every architecture there is, including ARM. Do note that, just like Arch, if you don't configure much (including compiler flags!!), you will probably end up with no better, or worse, than other distros, considering you also rarely get grand performance gains! |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable. Such issues are listed [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here], and include: * compatibility issues with Arch User Repository (AUR) packages; * development team rushed Asahi Linux (Linux on Apple Silicon) support, shipping potentially broken kernels to Manjaro users; * its package manager took down the AUR twice: first time for all users, second time for Manjaro users; * development team forgot to renew SSL certificates five times in the past; |- |[https://www.debian.org/ Debian] |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |Linux From Scratch (LFS) | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. But generally, you would open your software store (or whatever it is called), and search for the program you want to install, click ''"update"'', or whatever else. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> d07b3ac6560e9213edc972b73735644beffc04b9 1977 1976 2023-04-28T19:39:09Z Kkiot 582 /* Recommendations */ Manjaro: add EndeavourOS and Arch recommendations. wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **You don't need to worry about this. All of them are fine. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from Gnome. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. Windows 10 and 11 look a lot like default KDE. But if you don't like that, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. It also has a lot of nice-to-have features that make your life easier |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |Gnome |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing Gnome often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on Gnome, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |You cannot disable the compositor on X11, which makes it bad for gaming. | | | |} === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a ''&quot;stable&quot;'' distribution because ''&quot;stable&quot;'' usually means ''&quot;old&quot;''. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://pop.system76.com/ Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. '''Doesn't support dual booting with Windows.''' |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://fedoraproject.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base system and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you don't configure your system enough, it will probably be worse than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. Contrary to popular belief, installing Arch is not too hard if you follow carefully the installation guide; it's even simpler with the provided archinstall script, although "''it's not the recommended way''". It will take long though. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the friendly wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |[https://www.gentoo.org/ Gentoo] |Gentoo Linux is a source-based ''meta''distribution; it means it comes raw and with nothing, just like Arch, but is also ''the'' best when it comes to performance, as it allows you to compile all programs specifically configured for your own setup! BUT, it makes it a double-edged sword! Not only are the performance gains not massive; it also means it will take quite longer to install and update software! Thankfully, you don't have to compile huge software like web browsers (or even the kernel, though you will lose the benefits). Adding to that, it is notorious for being hard to install, although it's as hard or even easier to install than Arch Linux as long as you follow the installation guide. It will take extremely long though: count more than two hours of setting things up! Gentoo also has the benefits of supporting nearly every architecture there is, including ARM. Do note that, just like Arch, if you don't configure much (including compiler flags!!), you will probably end up with no better, or worse, than other distros, considering you also rarely get grand performance gains! |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable. Such issues are listed [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here], and include: * compatibility issues with Arch User Repository (AUR) packages; * development team rushed Asahi Linux (Linux on Apple Silicon) support, shipping potentially broken kernels to Manjaro users; * its package manager took down the AUR twice: first time for all users, second time for Manjaro users; * development team forgot to renew SSL certificates five times in the past; You should instead consider EndeavourOS, or Arch Linux using archinstall, if you want an installer-driven experience. |- |[https://www.debian.org/ Debian] |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |Linux From Scratch (LFS) | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. But generally, you would open your software store (or whatever it is called), and search for the program you want to install, click ''"update"'', or whatever else. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> d222f16cc0ea8904184c7086fa747fcee52914d2 1978 1977 2023-04-28T19:56:41Z Kkiot 582 /* Window Managers */ New section; add basic information. More to come ~~very~~ soon! wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **You don't need to worry about this. All of them are fine. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from Gnome. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. Windows 10 and 11 look a lot like default KDE. But if you don't like that, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. It also has a lot of nice-to-have features that make your life easier |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |Gnome |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing Gnome often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on Gnome, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |You cannot disable the compositor on X11, which makes it bad for gaming. | | | |} === Window Managers === Window managers (short ''WM'') are the cool guys that arrange your different windows on the screen. There are three types of window managers: * Stacking window manager: windows can stack on top of each other, like pieces of paper on a desk and just like on default Windows and macOS; also known as floating window managers. * Tiling window manager: “tiles” the windows so that none of them overlap and are visible at all times. * Dynamic window manager: can have both stacking and floating windows. Desktop environments come with their own. For example: * GNOME comes with Mutter; * KDE, with Kwin. These are stacking window managers. You can however pick your own window manager, whether you are already on a desktop environment or not. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a ''&quot;stable&quot;'' distribution because ''&quot;stable&quot;'' usually means ''&quot;old&quot;''. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://pop.system76.com/ Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. '''Doesn't support dual booting with Windows.''' |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://fedoraproject.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base system and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you don't configure your system enough, it will probably be worse than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. Contrary to popular belief, installing Arch is not too hard if you follow carefully the installation guide; it's even simpler with the provided archinstall script, although "''it's not the recommended way''". It will take long though. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the friendly wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |[https://www.gentoo.org/ Gentoo] |Gentoo Linux is a source-based ''meta''distribution; it means it comes raw and with nothing, just like Arch, but is also ''the'' best when it comes to performance, as it allows you to compile all programs specifically configured for your own setup! BUT, it makes it a double-edged sword! Not only are the performance gains not massive; it also means it will take quite longer to install and update software! Thankfully, you don't have to compile huge software like web browsers (or even the kernel, though you will lose the benefits). Adding to that, it is notorious for being hard to install, although it's as hard or even easier to install than Arch Linux as long as you follow the installation guide. It will take extremely long though: count more than two hours of setting things up! Gentoo also has the benefits of supporting nearly every architecture there is, including ARM. Do note that, just like Arch, if you don't configure much (including compiler flags!!), you will probably end up with no better, or worse, than other distros, considering you also rarely get grand performance gains! |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable. Such issues are listed [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here], and include: * compatibility issues with Arch User Repository (AUR) packages; * development team rushed Asahi Linux (Linux on Apple Silicon) support, shipping potentially broken kernels to Manjaro users; * its package manager took down the AUR twice: first time for all users, second time for Manjaro users; * development team forgot to renew SSL certificates five times in the past; You should instead consider EndeavourOS, or Arch Linux using archinstall, if you want an installer-driven experience. |- |[https://www.debian.org/ Debian] |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |Linux From Scratch (LFS) | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. But generally, you would open your software store (or whatever it is called), and search for the program you want to install, click ''"update"'', or whatever else. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 04ff2f462ce0db64fa4248f4a44da35fd2f28b4e 1979 1978 2023-04-28T19:58:46Z Kkiot 582 /* Window Managers */ Change WM picking sentence to exclamative. wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **You don't need to worry about this. All of them are fine. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from Gnome. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. Windows 10 and 11 look a lot like default KDE. But if you don't like that, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. It also has a lot of nice-to-have features that make your life easier |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |Gnome |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing Gnome often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on Gnome, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |You cannot disable the compositor on X11, which makes it bad for gaming. | | | |} === Window Managers === Window managers (short ''WM'') are the cool guys that arrange your different windows on the screen. There are three types of window managers: * Stacking window manager: windows can stack on top of each other, like pieces of paper on a desk and just like on default Windows and macOS; also known as floating window managers. * Tiling window manager: “tiles” the windows so that none of them overlap and are visible at all times. * Dynamic window manager: can have both stacking and floating windows. Desktop environments come with their own. For example: * GNOME comes with Mutter; * KDE, with Kwin. These are stacking window managers. You can however pick your own window manager, whether you are already on a desktop environment or not! === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a ''&quot;stable&quot;'' distribution because ''&quot;stable&quot;'' usually means ''&quot;old&quot;''. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://pop.system76.com/ Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. '''Doesn't support dual booting with Windows.''' |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://fedoraproject.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base system and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you don't configure your system enough, it will probably be worse than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. Contrary to popular belief, installing Arch is not too hard if you follow carefully the installation guide; it's even simpler with the provided archinstall script, although "''it's not the recommended way''". It will take long though. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the friendly wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |[https://www.gentoo.org/ Gentoo] |Gentoo Linux is a source-based ''meta''distribution; it means it comes raw and with nothing, just like Arch, but is also ''the'' best when it comes to performance, as it allows you to compile all programs specifically configured for your own setup! BUT, it makes it a double-edged sword! Not only are the performance gains not massive; it also means it will take quite longer to install and update software! Thankfully, you don't have to compile huge software like web browsers (or even the kernel, though you will lose the benefits). Adding to that, it is notorious for being hard to install, although it's as hard or even easier to install than Arch Linux as long as you follow the installation guide. It will take extremely long though: count more than two hours of setting things up! Gentoo also has the benefits of supporting nearly every architecture there is, including ARM. Do note that, just like Arch, if you don't configure much (including compiler flags!!), you will probably end up with no better, or worse, than other distros, considering you also rarely get grand performance gains! |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable. Such issues are listed [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here], and include: * compatibility issues with Arch User Repository (AUR) packages; * development team rushed Asahi Linux (Linux on Apple Silicon) support, shipping potentially broken kernels to Manjaro users; * its package manager took down the AUR twice: first time for all users, second time for Manjaro users; * development team forgot to renew SSL certificates five times in the past; You should instead consider EndeavourOS, or Arch Linux using archinstall, if you want an installer-driven experience. |- |[https://www.debian.org/ Debian] |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |Linux From Scratch (LFS) | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. But generally, you would open your software store (or whatever it is called), and search for the program you want to install, click ''"update"'', or whatever else. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> abb523de1598cf0cadbc1dac8e3349c319d20f25 1980 1979 2023-04-28T20:08:27Z Kkiot 582 /* Window Managers */ Add WMs role in gaming. wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **You don't need to worry about this. All of them are fine. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from Gnome. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. Windows 10 and 11 look a lot like default KDE. But if you don't like that, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. It also has a lot of nice-to-have features that make your life easier |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |Gnome |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing Gnome often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on Gnome, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |You cannot disable the compositor on X11, which makes it bad for gaming. | | | |} === Window Managers === Window managers (short ''WM'') are the cool guys that arrange your different windows on the screen. There are three types of window managers: * Stacking window manager: windows can stack on top of each other, like pieces of paper on a desk and just like on default Windows and macOS; also known as floating window managers. * Tiling window manager: “tiles” the windows so that none of them overlap and are visible at all times. * Dynamic window manager: can have both stacking and floating windows. Desktop environments come with their own. For example: * GNOME comes with Mutter; * KDE, with Kwin. These are stacking window managers. You can however pick your own window manager, whether you are already on a desktop environment or not! Why would you want do so? Well, maybe you want to swap to a tiling window manager, which will give you: * more efficient use of screen space: not having to ALT+TAB through every hidden window; * more keyboard-centric actions (usually faster than with a mouse); * more performance and less pressure on system resources! They don't often play a major role in gaming, '''except when you choose the Wayland display server!''' In that case: they are better known as compositors, not to confuse with X11 compositors. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a ''&quot;stable&quot;'' distribution because ''&quot;stable&quot;'' usually means ''&quot;old&quot;''. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://pop.system76.com/ Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. '''Doesn't support dual booting with Windows.''' |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://fedoraproject.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base system and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you don't configure your system enough, it will probably be worse than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. Contrary to popular belief, installing Arch is not too hard if you follow carefully the installation guide; it's even simpler with the provided archinstall script, although "''it's not the recommended way''". It will take long though. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the friendly wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |[https://www.gentoo.org/ Gentoo] |Gentoo Linux is a source-based ''meta''distribution; it means it comes raw and with nothing, just like Arch, but is also ''the'' best when it comes to performance, as it allows you to compile all programs specifically configured for your own setup! BUT, it makes it a double-edged sword! Not only are the performance gains not massive; it also means it will take quite longer to install and update software! Thankfully, you don't have to compile huge software like web browsers (or even the kernel, though you will lose the benefits). Adding to that, it is notorious for being hard to install, although it's as hard or even easier to install than Arch Linux as long as you follow the installation guide. It will take extremely long though: count more than two hours of setting things up! Gentoo also has the benefits of supporting nearly every architecture there is, including ARM. Do note that, just like Arch, if you don't configure much (including compiler flags!!), you will probably end up with no better, or worse, than other distros, considering you also rarely get grand performance gains! |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable. Such issues are listed [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here], and include: * compatibility issues with Arch User Repository (AUR) packages; * development team rushed Asahi Linux (Linux on Apple Silicon) support, shipping potentially broken kernels to Manjaro users; * its package manager took down the AUR twice: first time for all users, second time for Manjaro users; * development team forgot to renew SSL certificates five times in the past; You should instead consider EndeavourOS, or Arch Linux using archinstall, if you want an installer-driven experience. |- |[https://www.debian.org/ Debian] |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |Linux From Scratch (LFS) | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. But generally, you would open your software store (or whatever it is called), and search for the program you want to install, click ''"update"'', or whatever else. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 0ab29280a3a334a4a18c6df03fadd3c1636a53f4 1981 1980 2023-04-28T20:24:47Z Kkiot 582 /* Window Managers */ Add *On desktop environments* sub-section. wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **You don't need to worry about this. All of them are fine. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from Gnome. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. Windows 10 and 11 look a lot like default KDE. But if you don't like that, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. It also has a lot of nice-to-have features that make your life easier |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |Gnome |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing Gnome often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on Gnome, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |You cannot disable the compositor on X11, which makes it bad for gaming. | | | |} === Window Managers === Window managers (short ''WM'') are the cool guys that arrange your different windows on the screen. There are three types of window managers: * Stacking window manager: windows can stack on top of each other, like pieces of paper on a desk and just like on default Windows and macOS; also known as floating window managers. * Tiling window manager: “tiles” the windows so that none of them overlap and are visible at all times. * Dynamic window manager: can have both stacking and floating windows. Desktop environments come with their own. For example: * GNOME comes with Mutter; * KDE, with Kwin. These are stacking window managers. You can however pick your own window manager, whether you are already on a desktop environment or not! Why would you want do so? Well, maybe you want to swap to a tiling window manager, which will give you: * more efficient use of screen space: not having to ALT+TAB through every hidden window; * more keyboard-centric actions (usually faster than with a mouse); * more performance and less pressure on system resources! They don't often play a major role in gaming, '''except when you choose the Wayland display server!''' In that case: they are better known as compositors, not to confuse with X11 compositors. ==== On desktop environments ==== First off: you may not have the cleanest experience. Window managers are usually built around their respective desktop environments. By changing the WM, you can end up with user interface discrepancies. But with some changes, plus obviously the functionality you're seeking out of a WM, you will feel right at home! Replacing the default window manager is non-trivial: '''it will be an hard task!''' Seek the instructions for your respective desktop environment. Here are some resources for [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/GNOME#Use_a_different_window_manager GNOME] and [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/KDE#Use_a_different_window_manager KDE]. This might still be too “unclean” for you, instead, you might want to go... === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a ''&quot;stable&quot;'' distribution because ''&quot;stable&quot;'' usually means ''&quot;old&quot;''. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://pop.system76.com/ Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. '''Doesn't support dual booting with Windows.''' |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://fedoraproject.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base system and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you don't configure your system enough, it will probably be worse than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. Contrary to popular belief, installing Arch is not too hard if you follow carefully the installation guide; it's even simpler with the provided archinstall script, although "''it's not the recommended way''". It will take long though. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the friendly wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |[https://www.gentoo.org/ Gentoo] |Gentoo Linux is a source-based ''meta''distribution; it means it comes raw and with nothing, just like Arch, but is also ''the'' best when it comes to performance, as it allows you to compile all programs specifically configured for your own setup! BUT, it makes it a double-edged sword! Not only are the performance gains not massive; it also means it will take quite longer to install and update software! Thankfully, you don't have to compile huge software like web browsers (or even the kernel, though you will lose the benefits). Adding to that, it is notorious for being hard to install, although it's as hard or even easier to install than Arch Linux as long as you follow the installation guide. It will take extremely long though: count more than two hours of setting things up! Gentoo also has the benefits of supporting nearly every architecture there is, including ARM. Do note that, just like Arch, if you don't configure much (including compiler flags!!), you will probably end up with no better, or worse, than other distros, considering you also rarely get grand performance gains! |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable. Such issues are listed [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here], and include: * compatibility issues with Arch User Repository (AUR) packages; * development team rushed Asahi Linux (Linux on Apple Silicon) support, shipping potentially broken kernels to Manjaro users; * its package manager took down the AUR twice: first time for all users, second time for Manjaro users; * development team forgot to renew SSL certificates five times in the past; You should instead consider EndeavourOS, or Arch Linux using archinstall, if you want an installer-driven experience. |- |[https://www.debian.org/ Debian] |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |Linux From Scratch (LFS) | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. But generally, you would open your software store (or whatever it is called), and search for the program you want to install, click ''"update"'', or whatever else. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 8113f6e3f4f8be3b169db7208169764508e83415 1982 1981 2023-04-28T20:35:18Z Kkiot 582 /* Window Managers */ Add *Outside desktop environments* subsection. wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **You don't need to worry about this. All of them are fine. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from Gnome. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. Windows 10 and 11 look a lot like default KDE. But if you don't like that, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. It also has a lot of nice-to-have features that make your life easier |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |Gnome |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing Gnome often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on Gnome, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |You cannot disable the compositor on X11, which makes it bad for gaming. | | | |} === Window Managers === Window managers (short ''WM'') are the cool guys that arrange your different windows on the screen. There are three types of window managers: * Stacking window manager: windows can stack on top of each other, like pieces of paper on a desk and just like on default Windows and macOS; also known as floating window managers. * Tiling window manager: “tiles” the windows so that none of them overlap and are visible at all times. * Dynamic window manager: can have both stacking and floating windows. Desktop environments come with their own. For example: * GNOME comes with Mutter; * KDE, with Kwin. These are stacking window managers. You can however pick your own window manager, whether you are already on a desktop environment or not! Why would you want do so? Well, maybe you want to swap to a tiling window manager, which will give you: * more efficient use of screen space: not having to ALT+TAB through every hidden window; * more keyboard-centric actions (usually faster than with a mouse); * more performance and less pressure on system resources! They don't often play a major role in gaming, '''except when you choose the Wayland display server!''' In that case: they are better known as compositors, not to confuse with X11 compositors. ==== On desktop environments ==== First off: you may not have the cleanest experience. Window managers are usually built around their respective desktop environments. By changing the WM, you can end up with user interface discrepancies; but with some changes, plus obviously the functionality you're seeking out of a WM, you will feel right at home! Replacing the default window manager is non-trivial: '''it will be an hard task!''' Seek the instructions for your respective desktop environment. Here are some resources for [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/GNOME#Use_a_different_window_manager GNOME] and [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/KDE#Use_a_different_window_manager KDE]. Instead, you might want to go... ==== Outside desktop environments ==== This allows for the cleanest experience. For this, you will need a Linux distribution that allows you to choose your own window manager. Either one with a predefined set, or either one which lets you install what you want: the latter will demand more time and effort. Just look at the recommendations section, later on. Don't worry about other applications like file managers and internet browsers: most major distributions will include these along with the window manager of your choice. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a ''&quot;stable&quot;'' distribution because ''&quot;stable&quot;'' usually means ''&quot;old&quot;''. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://pop.system76.com/ Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. '''Doesn't support dual booting with Windows.''' |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://fedoraproject.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base system and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you don't configure your system enough, it will probably be worse than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. Contrary to popular belief, installing Arch is not too hard if you follow carefully the installation guide; it's even simpler with the provided archinstall script, although "''it's not the recommended way''". It will take long though. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the friendly wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |[https://www.gentoo.org/ Gentoo] |Gentoo Linux is a source-based ''meta''distribution; it means it comes raw and with nothing, just like Arch, but is also ''the'' best when it comes to performance, as it allows you to compile all programs specifically configured for your own setup! BUT, it makes it a double-edged sword! Not only are the performance gains not massive; it also means it will take quite longer to install and update software! Thankfully, you don't have to compile huge software like web browsers (or even the kernel, though you will lose the benefits). Adding to that, it is notorious for being hard to install, although it's as hard or even easier to install than Arch Linux as long as you follow the installation guide. It will take extremely long though: count more than two hours of setting things up! Gentoo also has the benefits of supporting nearly every architecture there is, including ARM. Do note that, just like Arch, if you don't configure much (including compiler flags!!), you will probably end up with no better, or worse, than other distros, considering you also rarely get grand performance gains! |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable. Such issues are listed [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here], and include: * compatibility issues with Arch User Repository (AUR) packages; * development team rushed Asahi Linux (Linux on Apple Silicon) support, shipping potentially broken kernels to Manjaro users; * its package manager took down the AUR twice: first time for all users, second time for Manjaro users; * development team forgot to renew SSL certificates five times in the past; You should instead consider EndeavourOS, or Arch Linux using archinstall, if you want an installer-driven experience. |- |[https://www.debian.org/ Debian] |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |Linux From Scratch (LFS) | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. But generally, you would open your software store (or whatever it is called), and search for the program you want to install, click ''"update"'', or whatever else. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> c0d195831426e85b83358d6cda60a02edcdec63c 1983 1982 2023-04-28T20:58:31Z Kkiot 582 /* Recommendations */ Change global recommendation to Nobara; still an excellent choice, simply is Fedora with patches. One-man team doesn't matter here. wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **You don't need to worry about this. All of them are fine. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from Gnome. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. Windows 10 and 11 look a lot like default KDE. But if you don't like that, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. It also has a lot of nice-to-have features that make your life easier |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |Gnome |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing Gnome often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on Gnome, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |You cannot disable the compositor on X11, which makes it bad for gaming. | | | |} === Window Managers === Window managers (short ''WM'') are the cool guys that arrange your different windows on the screen. There are three types of window managers: * Stacking window manager: windows can stack on top of each other, like pieces of paper on a desk and just like on default Windows and macOS; also known as floating window managers. * Tiling window manager: “tiles” the windows so that none of them overlap and are visible at all times. * Dynamic window manager: can have both stacking and floating windows. Desktop environments come with their own. For example: * GNOME comes with Mutter; * KDE, with Kwin. These are stacking window managers. You can however pick your own window manager, whether you are already on a desktop environment or not! Why would you want do so? Well, maybe you want to swap to a tiling window manager, which will give you: * more efficient use of screen space: not having to ALT+TAB through every hidden window; * more keyboard-centric actions (usually faster than with a mouse); * more performance and less pressure on system resources! They don't often play a major role in gaming, '''except when you choose the Wayland display server!''' In that case: they are better known as compositors, not to confuse with X11 compositors. ==== On desktop environments ==== First off: you may not have the cleanest experience. Window managers are usually built around their respective desktop environments. By changing the WM, you can end up with user interface discrepancies; but with some changes, plus obviously the functionality you're seeking out of a WM, you will feel right at home! Replacing the default window manager is non-trivial: '''it will be an hard task!''' Seek the instructions for your respective desktop environment. Here are some resources for [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/GNOME#Use_a_different_window_manager GNOME] and [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/KDE#Use_a_different_window_manager KDE]. Instead, you might want to go... ==== Outside desktop environments ==== This allows for the cleanest experience. For this, you will need a Linux distribution that allows you to choose your own window manager. Either one with a predefined set, or either one which lets you install what you want: the latter will demand more time and effort. Just look at the recommendations section, later on. Don't worry about other applications like file managers and internet browsers: most major distributions will include these along with the window manager of your choice. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a ''&quot;stable&quot;'' distribution because ''&quot;stable&quot;'' usually means ''&quot;old&quot;''. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://pop.system76.com/ Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. '''Doesn't support dual booting with Windows.''' <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://fedoraproject.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base system and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you don't configure your system enough, it will probably be worse than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. Contrary to popular belief, installing Arch is not too hard if you follow carefully the installation guide; it's even simpler with the provided archinstall script, although "''it's not the recommended way''". It will take long though. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the friendly wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |[https://www.gentoo.org/ Gentoo] |Gentoo Linux is a source-based ''meta''distribution; it means it comes raw and with nothing, just like Arch, but is also ''the'' best when it comes to performance, as it allows you to compile all programs specifically configured for your own setup! BUT, it makes it a double-edged sword! Not only are the performance gains not massive; it also means it will take quite longer to install and update software! Thankfully, you don't have to compile huge software like web browsers (or even the kernel, though you will lose the benefits). Adding to that, it is notorious for being hard to install, although it's as hard or even easier to install than Arch Linux as long as you follow the installation guide. It will take extremely long though: count more than two hours of setting things up! Gentoo also has the benefits of supporting nearly every architecture there is, including ARM. Do note that, just like Arch, if you don't configure much (including compiler flags!!), you will probably end up with no better, or worse, than other distros, considering you also rarely get grand performance gains! |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable. Such issues are listed [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here], and include: * compatibility issues with Arch User Repository (AUR) packages; * development team rushed Asahi Linux (Linux on Apple Silicon) support, shipping potentially broken kernels to Manjaro users; * its package manager took down the AUR twice: first time for all users, second time for Manjaro users; * development team forgot to renew SSL certificates five times in the past; You should instead consider EndeavourOS, or Arch Linux using archinstall, if you want an installer-driven experience. |- |[https://www.debian.org/ Debian] |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |Linux From Scratch (LFS) | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. But generally, you would open your software store (or whatever it is called), and search for the program you want to install, click ''"update"'', or whatever else. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 179931fb3709f73d89908b90196bb9840274ef7f 1984 1983 2023-04-28T20:59:43Z Kkiot 582 /* Recommendations */ Nobara: remove egregious misinformation about dual-booting Windows. See: https://nobaraproject.org/docs/live-installer-troubleshooting/how-to-install-nobara-alongside-windows-on-the-same-drive/ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **You don't need to worry about this. All of them are fine. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from Gnome. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. Windows 10 and 11 look a lot like default KDE. But if you don't like that, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. It also has a lot of nice-to-have features that make your life easier |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |Gnome |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing Gnome often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on Gnome, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |You cannot disable the compositor on X11, which makes it bad for gaming. | | | |} === Window Managers === Window managers (short ''WM'') are the cool guys that arrange your different windows on the screen. There are three types of window managers: * Stacking window manager: windows can stack on top of each other, like pieces of paper on a desk and just like on default Windows and macOS; also known as floating window managers. * Tiling window manager: “tiles” the windows so that none of them overlap and are visible at all times. * Dynamic window manager: can have both stacking and floating windows. Desktop environments come with their own. For example: * GNOME comes with Mutter; * KDE, with Kwin. These are stacking window managers. You can however pick your own window manager, whether you are already on a desktop environment or not! Why would you want do so? Well, maybe you want to swap to a tiling window manager, which will give you: * more efficient use of screen space: not having to ALT+TAB through every hidden window; * more keyboard-centric actions (usually faster than with a mouse); * more performance and less pressure on system resources! They don't often play a major role in gaming, '''except when you choose the Wayland display server!''' In that case: they are better known as compositors, not to confuse with X11 compositors. ==== On desktop environments ==== First off: you may not have the cleanest experience. Window managers are usually built around their respective desktop environments. By changing the WM, you can end up with user interface discrepancies; but with some changes, plus obviously the functionality you're seeking out of a WM, you will feel right at home! Replacing the default window manager is non-trivial: '''it will be an hard task!''' Seek the instructions for your respective desktop environment. Here are some resources for [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/GNOME#Use_a_different_window_manager GNOME] and [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/KDE#Use_a_different_window_manager KDE]. Instead, you might want to go... ==== Outside desktop environments ==== This allows for the cleanest experience. For this, you will need a Linux distribution that allows you to choose your own window manager. Either one with a predefined set, or either one which lets you install what you want: the latter will demand more time and effort. Just look at the recommendations section, later on. Don't worry about other applications like file managers and internet browsers: most major distributions will include these along with the window manager of your choice. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a ''&quot;stable&quot;'' distribution because ''&quot;stable&quot;'' usually means ''&quot;old&quot;''. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- | [https://pop.system76.com/ Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://fedoraproject.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base system and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you don't configure your system enough, it will probably be worse than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. Contrary to popular belief, installing Arch is not too hard if you follow carefully the installation guide; it's even simpler with the provided archinstall script, although "''it's not the recommended way''". It will take long though. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the friendly wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |[https://www.gentoo.org/ Gentoo] |Gentoo Linux is a source-based ''meta''distribution; it means it comes raw and with nothing, just like Arch, but is also ''the'' best when it comes to performance, as it allows you to compile all programs specifically configured for your own setup! BUT, it makes it a double-edged sword! Not only are the performance gains not massive; it also means it will take quite longer to install and update software! Thankfully, you don't have to compile huge software like web browsers (or even the kernel, though you will lose the benefits). Adding to that, it is notorious for being hard to install, although it's as hard or even easier to install than Arch Linux as long as you follow the installation guide. It will take extremely long though: count more than two hours of setting things up! Gentoo also has the benefits of supporting nearly every architecture there is, including ARM. Do note that, just like Arch, if you don't configure much (including compiler flags!!), you will probably end up with no better, or worse, than other distros, considering you also rarely get grand performance gains! |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable. Such issues are listed [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here], and include: * compatibility issues with Arch User Repository (AUR) packages; * development team rushed Asahi Linux (Linux on Apple Silicon) support, shipping potentially broken kernels to Manjaro users; * its package manager took down the AUR twice: first time for all users, second time for Manjaro users; * development team forgot to renew SSL certificates five times in the past; You should instead consider EndeavourOS, or Arch Linux using archinstall, if you want an installer-driven experience. |- |[https://www.debian.org/ Debian] |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |Linux From Scratch (LFS) | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. But generally, you would open your software store (or whatever it is called), and search for the program you want to install, click ''"update"'', or whatever else. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 9001e02445eee69c3d1bd59f8d3e9ca6cd7344a7 1985 1984 2023-04-28T21:02:14Z Kkiot 582 /* Recommendations */ Nobara: moved to top; being the recommended distro. wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **You don't need to worry about this. All of them are fine. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from Gnome. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. Windows 10 and 11 look a lot like default KDE. But if you don't like that, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. It also has a lot of nice-to-have features that make your life easier |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |Gnome |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing Gnome often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on Gnome, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |You cannot disable the compositor on X11, which makes it bad for gaming. | | | |} === Window Managers === Window managers (short ''WM'') are the cool guys that arrange your different windows on the screen. There are three types of window managers: * Stacking window manager: windows can stack on top of each other, like pieces of paper on a desk and just like on default Windows and macOS; also known as floating window managers. * Tiling window manager: “tiles” the windows so that none of them overlap and are visible at all times. * Dynamic window manager: can have both stacking and floating windows. Desktop environments come with their own. For example: * GNOME comes with Mutter; * KDE, with Kwin. These are stacking window managers. You can however pick your own window manager, whether you are already on a desktop environment or not! Why would you want do so? Well, maybe you want to swap to a tiling window manager, which will give you: * more efficient use of screen space: not having to ALT+TAB through every hidden window; * more keyboard-centric actions (usually faster than with a mouse); * more performance and less pressure on system resources! They don't often play a major role in gaming, '''except when you choose the Wayland display server!''' In that case: they are better known as compositors, not to confuse with X11 compositors. ==== On desktop environments ==== First off: you may not have the cleanest experience. Window managers are usually built around their respective desktop environments. By changing the WM, you can end up with user interface discrepancies; but with some changes, plus obviously the functionality you're seeking out of a WM, you will feel right at home! Replacing the default window manager is non-trivial: '''it will be an hard task!''' Seek the instructions for your respective desktop environment. Here are some resources for [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/GNOME#Use_a_different_window_manager GNOME] and [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/KDE#Use_a_different_window_manager KDE]. Instead, you might want to go... ==== Outside desktop environments ==== This allows for the cleanest experience. For this, you will need a Linux distribution that allows you to choose your own window manager. Either one with a predefined set, or either one which lets you install what you want: the latter will demand more time and effort. Just look at the recommendations section, later on. Don't worry about other applications like file managers and internet browsers: most major distributions will include these along with the window manager of your choice. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a ''&quot;stable&quot;'' distribution because ''&quot;stable&quot;'' usually means ''&quot;old&quot;''. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://pop.system76.com/ Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://fedoraproject.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base system and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you don't configure your system enough, it will probably be worse than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. Contrary to popular belief, installing Arch is not too hard if you follow carefully the installation guide; it's even simpler with the provided archinstall script, although "''it's not the recommended way''". It will take long though. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the friendly wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |[https://www.gentoo.org/ Gentoo] |Gentoo Linux is a source-based ''meta''distribution; it means it comes raw and with nothing, just like Arch, but is also ''the'' best when it comes to performance, as it allows you to compile all programs specifically configured for your own setup! BUT, it makes it a double-edged sword! Not only are the performance gains not massive; it also means it will take quite longer to install and update software! Thankfully, you don't have to compile huge software like web browsers (or even the kernel, though you will lose the benefits). Adding to that, it is notorious for being hard to install, although it's as hard or even easier to install than Arch Linux as long as you follow the installation guide. It will take extremely long though: count more than two hours of setting things up! Gentoo also has the benefits of supporting nearly every architecture there is, including ARM. Do note that, just like Arch, if you don't configure much (including compiler flags!!), you will probably end up with no better, or worse, than other distros, considering you also rarely get grand performance gains! |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable. Such issues are listed [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here], and include: * compatibility issues with Arch User Repository (AUR) packages; * development team rushed Asahi Linux (Linux on Apple Silicon) support, shipping potentially broken kernels to Manjaro users; * its package manager took down the AUR twice: first time for all users, second time for Manjaro users; * development team forgot to renew SSL certificates five times in the past; You should instead consider EndeavourOS, or Arch Linux using archinstall, if you want an installer-driven experience. |- |[https://www.debian.org/ Debian] |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |Linux From Scratch (LFS) | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. But generally, you would open your software store (or whatever it is called), and search for the program you want to install, click ''"update"'', or whatever else. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. <references /> 627dbab9b17994efc9cf46dfa9d2c27f1aed75ed 1986 1985 2023-04-28T21:11:30Z Kkiot 582 Add heading /* References */. wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **You don't need to worry about this. All of them are fine. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and Gnome are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from Gnome. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. Windows 10 and 11 look a lot like default KDE. But if you don't like that, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. It also has a lot of nice-to-have features that make your life easier |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |Gnome |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing Gnome often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on Gnome, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |You cannot disable the compositor on X11, which makes it bad for gaming. | | | |} === Window Managers === Window managers (short ''WM'') are the cool guys that arrange your different windows on the screen. There are three types of window managers: * Stacking window manager: windows can stack on top of each other, like pieces of paper on a desk and just like on default Windows and macOS; also known as floating window managers. * Tiling window manager: “tiles” the windows so that none of them overlap and are visible at all times. * Dynamic window manager: can have both stacking and floating windows. Desktop environments come with their own. For example: * GNOME comes with Mutter; * KDE, with Kwin. These are stacking window managers. You can however pick your own window manager, whether you are already on a desktop environment or not! Why would you want do so? Well, maybe you want to swap to a tiling window manager, which will give you: * more efficient use of screen space: not having to ALT+TAB through every hidden window; * more keyboard-centric actions (usually faster than with a mouse); * more performance and less pressure on system resources! They don't often play a major role in gaming, '''except when you choose the Wayland display server!''' In that case: they are better known as compositors, not to confuse with X11 compositors. ==== On desktop environments ==== First off: you may not have the cleanest experience. Window managers are usually built around their respective desktop environments. By changing the WM, you can end up with user interface discrepancies; but with some changes, plus obviously the functionality you're seeking out of a WM, you will feel right at home! Replacing the default window manager is non-trivial: '''it will be an hard task!''' Seek the instructions for your respective desktop environment. Here are some resources for [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/GNOME#Use_a_different_window_manager GNOME] and [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/KDE#Use_a_different_window_manager KDE]. Instead, you might want to go... ==== Outside desktop environments ==== This allows for the cleanest experience. For this, you will need a Linux distribution that allows you to choose your own window manager. Either one with a predefined set, or either one which lets you install what you want: the latter will demand more time and effort. Just look at the recommendations section, later on. Don't worry about other applications like file managers and internet browsers: most major distributions will include these along with the window manager of your choice. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or Gnome. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a ''&quot;stable&quot;'' distribution because ''&quot;stable&quot;'' usually means ''&quot;old&quot;''. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://pop.system76.com/ Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://fedoraproject.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with Gnome, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base system and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you don't configure your system enough, it will probably be worse than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. Contrary to popular belief, installing Arch is not too hard if you follow carefully the installation guide; it's even simpler with the provided archinstall script, although "''it's not the recommended way''". It will take long though. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the friendly wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |[https://www.gentoo.org/ Gentoo] |Gentoo Linux is a source-based ''meta''distribution; it means it comes raw and with nothing, just like Arch, but is also ''the'' best when it comes to performance, as it allows you to compile all programs specifically configured for your own setup! BUT, it makes it a double-edged sword! Not only are the performance gains not massive; it also means it will take quite longer to install and update software! Thankfully, you don't have to compile huge software like web browsers (or even the kernel, though you will lose the benefits). Adding to that, it is notorious for being hard to install, although it's as hard or even easier to install than Arch Linux as long as you follow the installation guide. It will take extremely long though: count more than two hours of setting things up! Gentoo also has the benefits of supporting nearly every architecture there is, including ARM. Do note that, just like Arch, if you don't configure much (including compiler flags!!), you will probably end up with no better, or worse, than other distros, considering you also rarely get grand performance gains! |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable. Such issues are listed [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here], and include: * compatibility issues with Arch User Repository (AUR) packages; * development team rushed Asahi Linux (Linux on Apple Silicon) support, shipping potentially broken kernels to Manjaro users; * its package manager took down the AUR twice: first time for all users, second time for Manjaro users; * development team forgot to renew SSL certificates five times in the past; You should instead consider EndeavourOS, or Arch Linux using archinstall, if you want an installer-driven experience. |- |[https://www.debian.org/ Debian] |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |Linux From Scratch (LFS) | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. But generally, you would open your software store (or whatever it is called), and search for the program you want to install, click ''"update"'', or whatever else. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. == References == <references /> a83a15a902fb76fa4964d410e2d0ed701a5d56f5 1987 1986 2023-04-28T21:14:09Z Kkiot 582 Replace every "Gnome" with "GNOME"; proper capitalization of the name. wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **You don't need to worry about this. All of them are fine. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, GNOME, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and GNOME are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from GNOME. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. Windows 10 and 11 look a lot like default KDE. But if you don't like that, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. It also has a lot of nice-to-have features that make your life easier |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |GNOME |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing GNOME often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on GNOME, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |You cannot disable the compositor on X11, which makes it bad for gaming. | | | |} === Window Managers === Window managers (short ''WM'') are the cool guys that arrange your different windows on the screen. There are three types of window managers: * Stacking window manager: windows can stack on top of each other, like pieces of paper on a desk and just like on default Windows and macOS; also known as floating window managers. * Tiling window manager: “tiles” the windows so that none of them overlap and are visible at all times. * Dynamic window manager: can have both stacking and floating windows. Desktop environments come with their own. For example: * GNOME comes with Mutter; * KDE, with Kwin. These are stacking window managers. You can however pick your own window manager, whether you are already on a desktop environment or not! Why would you want do so? Well, maybe you want to swap to a tiling window manager, which will give you: * more efficient use of screen space: not having to ALT+TAB through every hidden window; * more keyboard-centric actions (usually faster than with a mouse); * more performance and less pressure on system resources! They don't often play a major role in gaming, '''except when you choose the Wayland display server!''' In that case: they are better known as compositors, not to confuse with X11 compositors. ==== On desktop environments ==== First off: you may not have the cleanest experience. Window managers are usually built around their respective desktop environments. By changing the WM, you can end up with user interface discrepancies; but with some changes, plus obviously the functionality you're seeking out of a WM, you will feel right at home! Replacing the default window manager is non-trivial: '''it will be an hard task!''' Seek the instructions for your respective desktop environment. Here are some resources for [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/GNOME#Use_a_different_window_manager GNOME] and [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/KDE#Use_a_different_window_manager KDE]. Instead, you might want to go... ==== Outside desktop environments ==== This allows for the cleanest experience. For this, you will need a Linux distribution that allows you to choose your own window manager. Either one with a predefined set, or either one which lets you install what you want: the latter will demand more time and effort. Just look at the recommendations section, later on. Don't worry about other applications like file managers and internet browsers: most major distributions will include these along with the window manager of your choice. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or GNOME. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a ''&quot;stable&quot;'' distribution because ''&quot;stable&quot;'' usually means ''&quot;old&quot;''. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://pop.system76.com/ Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://fedoraproject.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with GNOME, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base system and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you don't configure your system enough, it will probably be worse than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. Contrary to popular belief, installing Arch is not too hard if you follow carefully the installation guide; it's even simpler with the provided archinstall script, although "''it's not the recommended way''". It will take long though. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the friendly wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |[https://www.gentoo.org/ Gentoo] |Gentoo Linux is a source-based ''meta''distribution; it means it comes raw and with nothing, just like Arch, but is also ''the'' best when it comes to performance, as it allows you to compile all programs specifically configured for your own setup! BUT, it makes it a double-edged sword! Not only are the performance gains not massive; it also means it will take quite longer to install and update software! Thankfully, you don't have to compile huge software like web browsers (or even the kernel, though you will lose the benefits). Adding to that, it is notorious for being hard to install, although it's as hard or even easier to install than Arch Linux as long as you follow the installation guide. It will take extremely long though: count more than two hours of setting things up! Gentoo also has the benefits of supporting nearly every architecture there is, including ARM. Do note that, just like Arch, if you don't configure much (including compiler flags!!), you will probably end up with no better, or worse, than other distros, considering you also rarely get grand performance gains! |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable. Such issues are listed [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here], and include: * compatibility issues with Arch User Repository (AUR) packages; * development team rushed Asahi Linux (Linux on Apple Silicon) support, shipping potentially broken kernels to Manjaro users; * its package manager took down the AUR twice: first time for all users, second time for Manjaro users; * development team forgot to renew SSL certificates five times in the past; You should instead consider EndeavourOS, or Arch Linux using archinstall, if you want an installer-driven experience. |- |[https://www.debian.org/ Debian] |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |Linux From Scratch (LFS) | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. But generally, you would open your software store (or whatever it is called), and search for the program you want to install, click ''"update"'', or whatever else. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. == References == <references /> 0e52c103549055aa9450d20c6318d44cbed07b04 0 32 1923 1765 2023-04-25T05:51:00Z Kkiot 582 Kkiot moved page [[Compositor]] to [[Compositor (X11)]]: Ambiguity between X11 compositors and Wayland compositors. wikitext text/x-wiki [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use a DE with X11]], then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadows, animations, transparency, blur, or other effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. You can verify that composition is disabled, by looking at your desktop effects. For example, you should not see shadows. They either vanish, or get pitch black. ==Disabling composition for your games== Disabling composition will dramatically improve performance, input lag, and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: ===Gnome=== This is the default DE on Pop!_OS, Nobara Official, and Nobara Gnome. You don't have to do anything. Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing Windows does), which is almost as good as disabling compositon. Disabling composition in Gnome is not possible. ===KDE=== This is the default DE on Nobara KDE. There are many options to disable composition: * You can use [https://store.kde.org/p/1502826/ Autocomposer]. This should make it unnecessary to do anything of the following. *For Lutris: **To disable it for a single game: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System Options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. **To disable it for all games: Click <code>...</code> in the top right corner -> <code>Preferences</code> -> <code>Global Options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code> *You can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code> before launching a game. The same combination re-enables it. *If you want to use a terminal command (for example for automation, launch options for Steam, [[Gamemode]] etc): ** disable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor suspend</code> ** enable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor resume</code> *You can also disable it completely with <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>Display and Monitor</code> -> <code>Compositor</code> -> <code>Enable compositor on startup</code>. ===Xfce=== *Disable composition with <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Xfwm#Configuration</ref> *Enable it again with <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> === Mate === * Disable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/MATE#Disabling_compositing</ref> * Enable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager true</code> ===Cinnamon === {{Needs work|Problem=There are (old) reports that Cinnamon does not always automatically disable composition for full screen windows. Is this still the case, or is this resolved?}} * As of Cinnamon 5.4, there's an option to disable composition for fullscreen applications, essentially referring to unredirection. However, it is disabled by default, forcing composition on all apps, making it not ideal. To enable it: <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>General</code> -> <code>Disable compositing on fullscreen applications</code> *Disabling composition completely might lead to better input lag. You can do that by checking: <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>General</code> -> <code>Disable compositing</code>. However, this might lead to visual degradation in desktop mode (no effects, no shadows, no transparency, no window previews, more tearing), but is still recommended if you want to reduce latency. Linux mint does not seem to support disabling it anymore. ===Pantheon=== Unfortunately it appears to not support the option to disable composition.<ref>https://elementaryos.stackexchange.com/questions/4483/how-can-i-disable-composite-and-effects-in-elementary-os</ref> ==Automation== For DEs that support disabling/enabling the compositor with a terminal command, you can automate it. In the following <code><disable></code> and <code><enable></code> are to be replaced with the respective command to disable or enable the compositor. ===Gamemode=== The easiest way is to automate it with [[gamemode]]. You can edit <code>gamemode.ini</code> and set <syntaxhighlight lang="ini"> [custom] start=<disable> end=<enable> </syntaxhighlight> === Lutris === * To automate this for a single game: Right click a game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System Options</code> and put the disable composition command in the <code>Pre-launch</code> box and the enable composition command in the <code>Post-exit</code> script box. * To automate this for all games: Click the hamburger menu -> <code>Preferences</code> -> <code>Global Options</code> and do the things mentioned in the previous method. ===Steam=== Set the launch command <code><disable>; %command%; <enable></code>. For example <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false; %command%; xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> to disable composition on Xfce<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensiveLinux/comments/6b3cs5/comment/dhjw7z7/?context=3</ref>. ==References and notes== <references /> 5c2e66e9f54d8118ad7ee5623458c5b64965b16f 0 552 1924 2023-04-25T05:51:00Z Kkiot 582 Kkiot moved page [[Compositor]] to [[Compositor (X11)]]: Ambiguity between X11 compositors and Wayland compositors. wikitext text/x-wiki #REDIRECT [[Compositor (X11)]] 05e98d561c555717276cfa326a53e5fd8aa28c11 0 1 1925 1600 2023-04-25T05:56:00Z Kkiot 582 Add spam bot invasion warning. Sad. wikitext text/x-wiki {{Warning|Problem=There are strange pages scattered around the wiki with little to no relation to Linux and Linux gaming. These are scam pages created by spam bots! Do NOT click on any of their links!!}} This wiki is a "[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/index/ fork]" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. === Tweaking === *[[Troubleshooting]] - What to do if your game just won't work. *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies. *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. *[[Dual GPU]] - How to get the game running on the correct GPU. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Monitoring & Stresstesting]] - How to test that your tweaked system is still stable === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Visual Enhancement]] - Enhancing the visuals of a game. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! *[[Graphical tools]] - Programs that no one tells you about, but that you might like if you don't want to use the terminal == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[http://www.gamersonlinux.com/ GamersOnLinux] - Linux gaming community forum *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[https://happypenguin.altervista.org/index.php Happy Penguin - The Linux Game Tome] *[http://www.gamingonlinux.info/ Gaming On Linux] - another database *[http://www.lebottindesjeuxlinux.tuxfamily.org/en/home-en/ The Linux Game Book] - French and English database *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.zoom-platform.com/ Zoom Platform] - DRM-free retro games. *[https://gamejolt.com/games?os=linux GameJolt] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[https://linuxgamenews.com/ Linux Game News] *[https://playingtux.com/?lang=en Playing Tux] *[https://www.linux-games.com/ Linux-Games] *[https://linuxgameconsortium.com/ Linux Game Consortium] *[https://www.linuxgamingportal.com/ Linux Gaming Portal] *[https://www.codingcommanders.com/linux-gaming/ Coding Commanders - Linux Game Blog] *[https://zerker.ca/home/tag/linuxunix.html Zerk Zone - Retro Linux Games] Historical Linux Gaming Sites *[https://web.archive.org/web/20210419173711/https://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] (2012-2021) *[https://linuxgamingnews.org/ Linux Gaming News] (2009-2018) *[http://linuxgames.me/ Linux Games] (2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20191213112019/https://www.liflg.org/ linux installers for linux gamers] (2004-2019; moved to GitHub) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160505015216/http://ubuntugames.org/ Ubuntu Games] (2012-2016; Portuguese) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160604150745/http://www.lgdb.org/games Linux Game Database] (2010-2019) *[http://icculus.org/lgfaq/ Linux Gamers' FAQ] (last updated 2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20090302095738/http://www.linuxgamingworld.com/ Linux Gaming World] (2006-2009) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140217234002/http://www.linux-gamers.net/ linuXgamers.net] (2003-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20150726203906/http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] (1998-2015) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140214112327/http://www.tuxgames.com/ Tux Games] (2000-2014) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20130402151010/http://happypenguin.org/ The Linux Game Tome] (1995-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040109114819/http://www.linuxgaming.net:80/index.php LinuxGaming] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040925062326/http://www.tuxgamer.com:80/ Tux Gamer] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080119000310/http://lgdc.sunsite.dk/ Linux Game Development Centre] (2000-2002) Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a distribution agnostic package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. *[https://github.com/mikeroyal/Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide/blob/main/README.md Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide] - in depth tutorial on how to configure Ubuntu. Also contains a gaming section, that might also be relevant for other distributions. *[https://indiegamereviewer.com/category/platforms/linux/ Inde Game Reviewer - Linux] == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. 7901f7145144afcaab91299024efe8613c9f2a92 1926 1925 2023-04-25T05:57:19Z Kkiot 582 Added emphasis on warning. wikitext text/x-wiki {{Warning|Problem='''WARNING''': There are strange pages scattered around the wiki with little to no relation to Linux and Linux gaming. These are scam pages created by spam bots! '''Do NOT click on any of their links!!'''}} This wiki is a "[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/index/ fork]" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. === Tweaking === *[[Troubleshooting]] - What to do if your game just won't work. *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies. *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. *[[Dual GPU]] - How to get the game running on the correct GPU. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Monitoring & Stresstesting]] - How to test that your tweaked system is still stable === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Visual Enhancement]] - Enhancing the visuals of a game. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! *[[Graphical tools]] - Programs that no one tells you about, but that you might like if you don't want to use the terminal == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[http://www.gamersonlinux.com/ GamersOnLinux] - Linux gaming community forum *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[https://happypenguin.altervista.org/index.php Happy Penguin - The Linux Game Tome] *[http://www.gamingonlinux.info/ Gaming On Linux] - another database *[http://www.lebottindesjeuxlinux.tuxfamily.org/en/home-en/ The Linux Game Book] - French and English database *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.zoom-platform.com/ Zoom Platform] - DRM-free retro games. *[https://gamejolt.com/games?os=linux GameJolt] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[https://linuxgamenews.com/ Linux Game News] *[https://playingtux.com/?lang=en Playing Tux] *[https://www.linux-games.com/ Linux-Games] *[https://linuxgameconsortium.com/ Linux Game Consortium] *[https://www.linuxgamingportal.com/ Linux Gaming Portal] *[https://www.codingcommanders.com/linux-gaming/ Coding Commanders - Linux Game Blog] *[https://zerker.ca/home/tag/linuxunix.html Zerk Zone - Retro Linux Games] Historical Linux Gaming Sites *[https://web.archive.org/web/20210419173711/https://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] (2012-2021) *[https://linuxgamingnews.org/ Linux Gaming News] (2009-2018) *[http://linuxgames.me/ Linux Games] (2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20191213112019/https://www.liflg.org/ linux installers for linux gamers] (2004-2019; moved to GitHub) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160505015216/http://ubuntugames.org/ Ubuntu Games] (2012-2016; Portuguese) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160604150745/http://www.lgdb.org/games Linux Game Database] (2010-2019) *[http://icculus.org/lgfaq/ Linux Gamers' FAQ] (last updated 2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20090302095738/http://www.linuxgamingworld.com/ Linux Gaming World] (2006-2009) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140217234002/http://www.linux-gamers.net/ linuXgamers.net] (2003-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20150726203906/http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] (1998-2015) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140214112327/http://www.tuxgames.com/ Tux Games] (2000-2014) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20130402151010/http://happypenguin.org/ The Linux Game Tome] (1995-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040109114819/http://www.linuxgaming.net:80/index.php LinuxGaming] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040925062326/http://www.tuxgamer.com:80/ Tux Gamer] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080119000310/http://lgdc.sunsite.dk/ Linux Game Development Centre] (2000-2002) Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a distribution agnostic package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. *[https://github.com/mikeroyal/Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide/blob/main/README.md Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide] - in depth tutorial on how to configure Ubuntu. Also contains a gaming section, that might also be relevant for other distributions. *[https://indiegamereviewer.com/category/platforms/linux/ Inde Game Reviewer - Linux] == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. 9f88135ed41febb40ba49e92ec494d08a0044f68 1947 1926 2023-04-25T18:21:32Z 69.30.250.82 0 Fixed grammar wikitext text/x-wiki {{Warning|Problem='''WARNING''': I want Mari from OMORI to kidnap me and rape me and force me to call her big sis.}} This wiki is a "[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/index/ fork]" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. === Tweaking === *[[Troubleshooting]] - What to do if your game just won't work. *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies. *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. *[[Dual GPU]] - How to get the game running on the correct GPU. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Monitoring & Stresstesting]] - How to test that your tweaked system is still stable === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Visual Enhancement]] - Enhancing the visuals of a game. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! *[[Graphical tools]] - Programs that no one tells you about, but that you might like if you don't want to use the terminal == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[http://www.gamersonlinux.com/ GamersOnLinux] - Linux gaming community forum *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[https://happypenguin.altervista.org/index.php Happy Penguin - The Linux Game Tome] *[http://www.gamingonlinux.info/ Gaming On Linux] - another database *[http://www.lebottindesjeuxlinux.tuxfamily.org/en/home-en/ The Linux Game Book] - French and English database *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.zoom-platform.com/ Zoom Platform] - DRM-free retro games. *[https://gamejolt.com/games?os=linux GameJolt] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[https://linuxgamenews.com/ Linux Game News] *[https://playingtux.com/?lang=en Playing Tux] *[https://www.linux-games.com/ Linux-Games] *[https://linuxgameconsortium.com/ Linux Game Consortium] *[https://www.linuxgamingportal.com/ Linux Gaming Portal] *[https://www.codingcommanders.com/linux-gaming/ Coding Commanders - Linux Game Blog] *[https://zerker.ca/home/tag/linuxunix.html Zerk Zone - Retro Linux Games] Historical Linux Gaming Sites *[https://web.archive.org/web/20210419173711/https://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] (2012-2021) *[https://linuxgamingnews.org/ Linux Gaming News] (2009-2018) *[http://linuxgames.me/ Linux Games] (2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20191213112019/https://www.liflg.org/ linux installers for linux gamers] (2004-2019; moved to GitHub) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160505015216/http://ubuntugames.org/ Ubuntu Games] (2012-2016; Portuguese) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160604150745/http://www.lgdb.org/games Linux Game Database] (2010-2019) *[http://icculus.org/lgfaq/ Linux Gamers' FAQ] (last updated 2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20090302095738/http://www.linuxgamingworld.com/ Linux Gaming World] (2006-2009) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140217234002/http://www.linux-gamers.net/ linuXgamers.net] (2003-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20150726203906/http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] (1998-2015) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140214112327/http://www.tuxgames.com/ Tux Games] (2000-2014) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20130402151010/http://happypenguin.org/ The Linux Game Tome] (1995-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040109114819/http://www.linuxgaming.net:80/index.php LinuxGaming] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040925062326/http://www.tuxgamer.com:80/ Tux Gamer] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080119000310/http://lgdc.sunsite.dk/ Linux Game Development Centre] (2000-2002) Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a distribution agnostic package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. *[https://github.com/mikeroyal/Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide/blob/main/README.md Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide] - in depth tutorial on how to configure Ubuntu. Also contains a gaming section, that might also be relevant for other distributions. *[https://indiegamereviewer.com/category/platforms/linux/ Inde Game Reviewer - Linux] == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. b683fe322b1e66ec998256fdfc302ee60f2fcc51 1948 1947 2023-04-25T18:40:34Z Kkiot 582 Lol? Undo revision 1947 by [[Special:Contributions/69.30.250.82|69.30.250.82]] ([[User talk:69.30.250.82|talk]]) wikitext text/x-wiki {{Warning|Problem='''WARNING''': There are strange pages scattered around the wiki with little to no relation to Linux and Linux gaming. These are scam pages created by spam bots! '''Do NOT click on any of their links!!'''}} This wiki is a "[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/index/ fork]" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. === Tweaking === *[[Troubleshooting]] - What to do if your game just won't work. *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies. *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. *[[Dual GPU]] - How to get the game running on the correct GPU. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Monitoring & Stresstesting]] - How to test that your tweaked system is still stable === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Visual Enhancement]] - Enhancing the visuals of a game. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! *[[Graphical tools]] - Programs that no one tells you about, but that you might like if you don't want to use the terminal == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[http://www.gamersonlinux.com/ GamersOnLinux] - Linux gaming community forum *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[https://happypenguin.altervista.org/index.php Happy Penguin - The Linux Game Tome] *[http://www.gamingonlinux.info/ Gaming On Linux] - another database *[http://www.lebottindesjeuxlinux.tuxfamily.org/en/home-en/ The Linux Game Book] - French and English database *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.zoom-platform.com/ Zoom Platform] - DRM-free retro games. *[https://gamejolt.com/games?os=linux GameJolt] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[https://linuxgamenews.com/ Linux Game News] *[https://playingtux.com/?lang=en Playing Tux] *[https://www.linux-games.com/ Linux-Games] *[https://linuxgameconsortium.com/ Linux Game Consortium] *[https://www.linuxgamingportal.com/ Linux Gaming Portal] *[https://www.codingcommanders.com/linux-gaming/ Coding Commanders - Linux Game Blog] *[https://zerker.ca/home/tag/linuxunix.html Zerk Zone - Retro Linux Games] Historical Linux Gaming Sites *[https://web.archive.org/web/20210419173711/https://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] (2012-2021) *[https://linuxgamingnews.org/ Linux Gaming News] (2009-2018) *[http://linuxgames.me/ Linux Games] (2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20191213112019/https://www.liflg.org/ linux installers for linux gamers] (2004-2019; moved to GitHub) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160505015216/http://ubuntugames.org/ Ubuntu Games] (2012-2016; Portuguese) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160604150745/http://www.lgdb.org/games Linux Game Database] (2010-2019) *[http://icculus.org/lgfaq/ Linux Gamers' FAQ] (last updated 2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20090302095738/http://www.linuxgamingworld.com/ Linux Gaming World] (2006-2009) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140217234002/http://www.linux-gamers.net/ linuXgamers.net] (2003-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20150726203906/http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] (1998-2015) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140214112327/http://www.tuxgames.com/ Tux Games] (2000-2014) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20130402151010/http://happypenguin.org/ The Linux Game Tome] (1995-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040109114819/http://www.linuxgaming.net:80/index.php LinuxGaming] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040925062326/http://www.tuxgamer.com:80/ Tux Gamer] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080119000310/http://lgdc.sunsite.dk/ Linux Game Development Centre] (2000-2002) Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a distribution agnostic package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. *[https://github.com/mikeroyal/Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide/blob/main/README.md Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide] - in depth tutorial on how to configure Ubuntu. Also contains a gaming section, that might also be relevant for other distributions. *[https://indiegamereviewer.com/category/platforms/linux/ Inde Game Reviewer - Linux] == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. 9f88135ed41febb40ba49e92ec494d08a0044f68 1963 1948 2023-04-25T19:36:35Z Slouchy 1 wikitext text/x-wiki {{Warning|Problem='''WARNING''': There are strange pages scattered around the wiki with little to no relation to Linux and Linux gaming. These are scam pages created by spam bots! '''Do NOT click on any of their links!!''' UPDATE: Wiki currently has blocked account creation and only registered users are able to edit content. This is temporary until more spam countermeasures are in place.}} This wiki is a "[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/index/ fork]" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. === Tweaking === *[[Troubleshooting]] - What to do if your game just won't work. *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies. *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. *[[Dual GPU]] - How to get the game running on the correct GPU. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Monitoring & Stresstesting]] - How to test that your tweaked system is still stable === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Visual Enhancement]] - Enhancing the visuals of a game. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! *[[Graphical tools]] - Programs that no one tells you about, but that you might like if you don't want to use the terminal == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[http://www.gamersonlinux.com/ GamersOnLinux] - Linux gaming community forum *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[https://happypenguin.altervista.org/index.php Happy Penguin - The Linux Game Tome] *[http://www.gamingonlinux.info/ Gaming On Linux] - another database *[http://www.lebottindesjeuxlinux.tuxfamily.org/en/home-en/ The Linux Game Book] - French and English database *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.zoom-platform.com/ Zoom Platform] - DRM-free retro games. *[https://gamejolt.com/games?os=linux GameJolt] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[https://linuxgamenews.com/ Linux Game News] *[https://playingtux.com/?lang=en Playing Tux] *[https://www.linux-games.com/ Linux-Games] *[https://linuxgameconsortium.com/ Linux Game Consortium] *[https://www.linuxgamingportal.com/ Linux Gaming Portal] *[https://www.codingcommanders.com/linux-gaming/ Coding Commanders - Linux Game Blog] *[https://zerker.ca/home/tag/linuxunix.html Zerk Zone - Retro Linux Games] Historical Linux Gaming Sites *[https://web.archive.org/web/20210419173711/https://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] (2012-2021) *[https://linuxgamingnews.org/ Linux Gaming News] (2009-2018) *[http://linuxgames.me/ Linux Games] (2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20191213112019/https://www.liflg.org/ linux installers for linux gamers] (2004-2019; moved to GitHub) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160505015216/http://ubuntugames.org/ Ubuntu Games] (2012-2016; Portuguese) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160604150745/http://www.lgdb.org/games Linux Game Database] (2010-2019) *[http://icculus.org/lgfaq/ Linux Gamers' FAQ] (last updated 2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20090302095738/http://www.linuxgamingworld.com/ Linux Gaming World] (2006-2009) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140217234002/http://www.linux-gamers.net/ linuXgamers.net] (2003-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20150726203906/http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] (1998-2015) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140214112327/http://www.tuxgames.com/ Tux Games] (2000-2014) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20130402151010/http://happypenguin.org/ The Linux Game Tome] (1995-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040109114819/http://www.linuxgaming.net:80/index.php LinuxGaming] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040925062326/http://www.tuxgamer.com:80/ Tux Gamer] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080119000310/http://lgdc.sunsite.dk/ Linux Game Development Centre] (2000-2002) Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a distribution agnostic package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. *[https://github.com/mikeroyal/Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide/blob/main/README.md Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide] - in depth tutorial on how to configure Ubuntu. Also contains a gaming section, that might also be relevant for other distributions. *[https://indiegamereviewer.com/category/platforms/linux/ Inde Game Reviewer - Linux] == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. 95baf06515f0903650f94470a948e21c805be23c 1970 1963 2023-04-25T22:24:08Z Kkiot 582 Remove scam pages warning: they have been taken care of. wikitext text/x-wiki {{Warning|Problem='''WARNING''': Wiki currently has blocked account creation and only registered users are able to edit content. This is temporary until more spam countermeasures are in place.}} This wiki is a "[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/index/ fork]" from [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming] wiki with the intention to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. Please feel free to contribute, this wiki needs it to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. === Tweaking === *[[Troubleshooting]] - What to do if your game just won't work. *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies. *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. *[[Dual GPU]] - How to get the game running on the correct GPU. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Monitoring & Stresstesting]] - How to test that your tweaked system is still stable === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Visual Enhancement]] - Enhancing the visuals of a game. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! *[[Graphical tools]] - Programs that no one tells you about, but that you might like if you don't want to use the terminal == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[http://www.gamersonlinux.com/ GamersOnLinux] - Linux gaming community forum *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[https://happypenguin.altervista.org/index.php Happy Penguin - The Linux Game Tome] *[http://www.gamingonlinux.info/ Gaming On Linux] - another database *[http://www.lebottindesjeuxlinux.tuxfamily.org/en/home-en/ The Linux Game Book] - French and English database *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.zoom-platform.com/ Zoom Platform] - DRM-free retro games. *[https://gamejolt.com/games?os=linux GameJolt] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[https://linuxgamenews.com/ Linux Game News] *[https://playingtux.com/?lang=en Playing Tux] *[https://www.linux-games.com/ Linux-Games] *[https://linuxgameconsortium.com/ Linux Game Consortium] *[https://www.linuxgamingportal.com/ Linux Gaming Portal] *[https://www.codingcommanders.com/linux-gaming/ Coding Commanders - Linux Game Blog] *[https://zerker.ca/home/tag/linuxunix.html Zerk Zone - Retro Linux Games] Historical Linux Gaming Sites *[https://web.archive.org/web/20210419173711/https://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] (2012-2021) *[https://linuxgamingnews.org/ Linux Gaming News] (2009-2018) *[http://linuxgames.me/ Linux Games] (2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20191213112019/https://www.liflg.org/ linux installers for linux gamers] (2004-2019; moved to GitHub) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160505015216/http://ubuntugames.org/ Ubuntu Games] (2012-2016; Portuguese) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160604150745/http://www.lgdb.org/games Linux Game Database] (2010-2019) *[http://icculus.org/lgfaq/ Linux Gamers' FAQ] (last updated 2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20090302095738/http://www.linuxgamingworld.com/ Linux Gaming World] (2006-2009) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140217234002/http://www.linux-gamers.net/ linuXgamers.net] (2003-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20150726203906/http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] (1998-2015) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140214112327/http://www.tuxgames.com/ Tux Games] (2000-2014) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20130402151010/http://happypenguin.org/ The Linux Game Tome] (1995-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040109114819/http://www.linuxgaming.net:80/index.php LinuxGaming] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040925062326/http://www.tuxgamer.com:80/ Tux Gamer] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080119000310/http://lgdc.sunsite.dk/ Linux Game Development Centre] (2000-2002) Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a distribution agnostic package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. *[https://github.com/mikeroyal/Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide/blob/main/README.md Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide] - in depth tutorial on how to configure Ubuntu. Also contains a gaming section, that might also be relevant for other distributions. *[https://indiegamereviewer.com/category/platforms/linux/ Inde Game Reviewer - Linux] == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. 048e9a81d863c69106191b34c7c1e5ab1576d0b2 1988 1970 2023-04-28T21:21:08Z Kkiot 582 Changed welcome paragraph; more welcoming and informative, less technical now. wikitext text/x-wiki {{Warning|Problem='''WARNING''': Wiki currently has blocked account creation and only registered users are able to edit content. This is temporary until more spam countermeasures are in place.}} Welcome to the Linux Gaming wiki! We seek to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. We were previously located at the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/index/ Linux Gaming subreddit wiki]. Feel free to contribute! We need it for this wiki to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. === Tweaking === *[[Troubleshooting]] - What to do if your game just won't work. *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies. *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. *[[Dual GPU]] - How to get the game running on the correct GPU. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Monitoring & Stresstesting]] - How to test that your tweaked system is still stable === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Visual Enhancement]] - Enhancing the visuals of a game. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! *[[Graphical tools]] - Programs that no one tells you about, but that you might like if you don't want to use the terminal == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[http://www.gamersonlinux.com/ GamersOnLinux] - Linux gaming community forum *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[https://happypenguin.altervista.org/index.php Happy Penguin - The Linux Game Tome] *[http://www.gamingonlinux.info/ Gaming On Linux] - another database *[http://www.lebottindesjeuxlinux.tuxfamily.org/en/home-en/ The Linux Game Book] - French and English database *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.zoom-platform.com/ Zoom Platform] - DRM-free retro games. *[https://gamejolt.com/games?os=linux GameJolt] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[https://linuxgamenews.com/ Linux Game News] *[https://playingtux.com/?lang=en Playing Tux] *[https://www.linux-games.com/ Linux-Games] *[https://linuxgameconsortium.com/ Linux Game Consortium] *[https://www.linuxgamingportal.com/ Linux Gaming Portal] *[https://www.codingcommanders.com/linux-gaming/ Coding Commanders - Linux Game Blog] *[https://zerker.ca/home/tag/linuxunix.html Zerk Zone - Retro Linux Games] Historical Linux Gaming Sites *[https://web.archive.org/web/20210419173711/https://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] (2012-2021) *[https://linuxgamingnews.org/ Linux Gaming News] (2009-2018) *[http://linuxgames.me/ Linux Games] (2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20191213112019/https://www.liflg.org/ linux installers for linux gamers] (2004-2019; moved to GitHub) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160505015216/http://ubuntugames.org/ Ubuntu Games] (2012-2016; Portuguese) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160604150745/http://www.lgdb.org/games Linux Game Database] (2010-2019) *[http://icculus.org/lgfaq/ Linux Gamers' FAQ] (last updated 2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20090302095738/http://www.linuxgamingworld.com/ Linux Gaming World] (2006-2009) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140217234002/http://www.linux-gamers.net/ linuXgamers.net] (2003-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20150726203906/http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] (1998-2015) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140214112327/http://www.tuxgames.com/ Tux Games] (2000-2014) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20130402151010/http://happypenguin.org/ The Linux Game Tome] (1995-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040109114819/http://www.linuxgaming.net:80/index.php LinuxGaming] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040925062326/http://www.tuxgamer.com:80/ Tux Gamer] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080119000310/http://lgdc.sunsite.dk/ Linux Game Development Centre] (2000-2002) Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a distribution agnostic package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. *[https://github.com/mikeroyal/Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide/blob/main/README.md Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide] - in depth tutorial on how to configure Ubuntu. Also contains a gaming section, that might also be relevant for other distributions. *[https://indiegamereviewer.com/category/platforms/linux/ Inde Game Reviewer - Linux] == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. 501c84b9f702c0b1cf9435973b8ddee55ad03fde 0 5 1934 1900 2023-04-25T13:43:38Z Aragorn 3 /* Only AMD */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use GNOME (the default on Nobara Official, Nobara GNOME, and Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]], it's not necessary on Wayland. **You do have to do this on Nobara KDE! *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS (if you chose the NVIDIA ISO for NVIDIA graphics cards). **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Read the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. Old drivers can be a problem if they are too old. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. *If you have two GPUs (for example an integrated and a dedicated one), use the one with more performance. ''TODO: How?'' ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell require legacy drivers. *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms="true"</code> in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. **Alternatively, you can also use the CLI, as described [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Custom_TDP_Limit here]. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (one of the gaming optimized kernels, or just any kernel above 5.16), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>[https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg-pds]</code>, <code>[https://xanmod.org/ Xanmod]</code>, or <code>[https://liquorix.net/ Liquorix]</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> and <code>Liquorix</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. ***They should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. If you don't, you end up with an insecure system! **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people also recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler). Currently there are no scientific tests, so you have to see yourself what works best for you. You can get both from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though; on a six-core processor, this will take something in the magnitude of half an hour. However, you can use Modprobed-db to only compile kernel modules you need; this will significantly cut down the time needed to compile the kernel. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **Note that for many games, the following is not needed with Nvidia driver 520 (or higher) and DXVK 2.0 (or higher) thanks to VK_EXT_graphics_pipeline_library, Intel and AMD driver support is coming soon. However, there are still games that can profit from it, and it might lead to slightly better frame times<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18AYlKq05ew</ref>. <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE, ''until version 7-44'', is compatible. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (if you named the folder <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code>, you also need to manually type <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code> in the field). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *The following tweaks<ref>https://github.com/CryoByte33/steam-deck-utilities/blob/main/docs/tweak-explanation.md</ref> can improve gaming performance, but might not be optimal for other workloads/normal desktop usage. However, it is possible to set/reset these settings with [[gamemode]], as described in [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/11lslhs/tutorial_how_to_use_memory_tweaks_from/ this tutorial]. **Use Transparent Hugepages: <code>echo always | sudo tee /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/enabled</code> ***With shared memory: <code>echo advise | sudo tee /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/shmem_enabled</code> **Use Compaction Proactiveness: <code>echo 0 | sudo tee /proc/sys/vm/compaction_proactiveness</code> **Disable Hugepage Defragmentation: <code>echo 0 | sudo tee /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/khugepaged/defrag</code> **Lower Page Lock Unfairness: <code>echo 1 | sudo tee /proc/sys/vm/page_lock_unfairness</code> *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page] and [https://github.com/AdelKS/LinuxGamingGuide this collection of tweaks]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. In case it is reducing performance and you use VKD3D, try adding <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=no_upload_hvv</code><ref name=":3" />. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=gpl</code>: Should lead to a behavior similar to shader caching on Windows. Games that don't stutter on Windows, should also not stutter on Linux. Currently, it also disables shader caching, so load times will be high. Is still new, and might not work correctly. You need at least mesa 23 for it to work. ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (GNOME and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. Disabling composition should lead to slightly less input lag.<ref name=":2" /> KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. GNOME is also valid, but adds a small amount of input lag.<ref name=":2">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section ''(Test needed to know how good it works!)''. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid GNOME X11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync or enable tearing updates. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. KDE plasma 5.27 or higher will be required for tearing updates on Wayland and your game will also need to be run in fullscreen mode for it to work. Wine doesn't yet support tearing on Wayland. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on (unless tearing updates are enabled), regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> GNOME will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. *Sometimes a game has both, a Linux native, and a Windows version. They don't always run equally well. If you have problems, it might be worth a shot to try the other one. *If you use Arch or an Arch based distribution, and you own a very new AMD GPU, it might be worth it to install <code>linux-firmware-git</code>, and <code>mesa-git</code> from the AUR (for example by using an AUR helper like <code>paru</code>). You might also consider to install a release candidate of the Linux kernel, for example by using <code>linux-rc</code> from the AUR, or by compiling <code>linux-tkg</code> and selecting a release candidate (to be detected by the <code>rc</code>, as in <code>v6.2-'''rc'''4</code>). *On Nvidia, you might need the [[Environment variables|environment variable]] <code>PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1</code> for DLSS. *You might need the [[Environment variables|environment variable]] <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=dxr</code> for ray tracing. *If you're using VKD3D, and enabling Resizable BAR leads to lower performance, you might want to try <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=no_upload_hvv</code><ref name=":3">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/119hwmt/this_setting_may_help_vkd3d_games_that_have/</ref>. *If you're using KDE Plasma, you might get performance problems because of Baloo file indexing. You can disable it as described [https://community.kde.org/Baloo/Configuration here]. ==References and notes == <references /> c27d66ef0c90f3922dfb2da8da833521cef29e2d 0 53 1971 995 2023-04-26T22:30:27Z Thatsareddituser 583 /* Direct3D */ Clarify more the paragraf. Removed old stuff and broken links. wikitext text/x-wiki So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exe) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. Wine will create a windows environment, with c drive, task manager and everything else. == Games == For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For Epic games and GOG you can use [[Heroic]] (or Lutris). For other programs, [[Bottles]] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb] for Steam games, and [https://appdb.winehq.org winehq appdb] for compatibility with all other games. While it is possible to use the existing game library on an NTFS drive, it is not recommended due to compatibility issues. It might work, but you could run into weird problems. == Other Software == You can find all kinds of programs in the wine [https://appdb.winehq.org/ AppDB]. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. But usually you will not need it if you don't want to spend money. ==Manually running wine== You typically would not want to do this, this is just for educational purpose. First, let's install Wine.<pre>sudo apt install wine</pre>On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you would open a terminal and type (credit to [[U/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running):<pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> ==Direct3D== Direct3D is a propietary graphics API used by Windows to draw elements on the screen using your GPU. It's only Windows speciffic, so it's the biggest bottle neck of gaming on Linux. Cross-platform and open source alternatives are OpenGl and Vulkan, so the main idea is translate Direct3D instructions to Vulkan/OpenGL, wich is Linux avaliable. These are the common D3D translators for linux: [https://fdossena.com/?p=wined3d/index.frag WineD3D]: The oldest one. Translates DirectX 1-11 to OpenGL. Slow but sometimes the only solution if your GPU is not [https://vulkan.gpuinfo.org/ Vulkan capable]. [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D9, D3D11, D3D10. [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK] used to be separated, but the docs are here [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[U/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan since DirectX12 "architecture" and functionality is different from older versions and it's low level (devs could fine tune stuff on your hardware more) like Vulkan Proton and [[Lutris]] both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. a547397a4494de71e2413a56aecd56a598282ee4 1972 1971 2023-04-26T22:31:01Z Thatsareddituser 583 /* Direct3D */ Typo wikitext text/x-wiki So you can't find a Linux version of that software you want to install? Our last step is to try [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Wine is a compatibility layer that tries to translate Window Binaries (.exe) calls into Linux calls. Sometimes this works really well, and other times nothing happens at all. Wine will create a windows environment, with c drive, task manager and everything else. == Games == For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For Epic games and GOG you can use [[Heroic]] (or Lutris). For other programs, [[Bottles]] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb] for Steam games, and [https://appdb.winehq.org winehq appdb] for compatibility with all other games. While it is possible to use the existing game library on an NTFS drive, it is not recommended due to compatibility issues. It might work, but you could run into weird problems. == Other Software == You can find all kinds of programs in the wine [https://appdb.winehq.org/ AppDB]. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wine Here's an in-depth guide of wine stuff] but again, google and find how stuff works and it works. If you don't understand, please ask! The community is usually happy to help! There are also other programs that try to help you with Wine, like [https://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux]. There is also a paid for solution called [https://www.codeweavers.com/ Crossover] made by CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers are the same minds behind Valve's Proton so you should expect a pretty good product in general. They have a [https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility search feature that you should also use]. But usually you will not need it if you don't want to spend money. ==Manually running wine== You typically would not want to do this, this is just for educational purpose. First, let's install Wine.<pre>sudo apt install wine</pre>On some systems, installing Wine allows you to double click an .exe and it will try to run just like in Windows, but if not, you would open a terminal and type (credit to [[U/whyhahm|/u/whyhahm]] for suggesting <code>cd</code> to directory before running):<pre>cd /path/to/program; wine file.exe</pre> ==Direct3D== Direct3D is a propietary graphics API used by Windows to draw elements on the screen using your GPU. It's only Windows speciffic, so it's the biggest bottle neck of gaming on Linux. Cross-platform and open source alternatives are OpenGl and Vulkan, so the main idea is translate Direct3D instructions to Vulkan/OpenGL, which is Linux avaliable. These are the common D3D translators for linux: [https://fdossena.com/?p=wined3d/index.frag WineD3D]: The oldest one. Translates DirectX 1-11 to OpenGL. Slow but sometimes the only solution if your GPU is not [https://vulkan.gpuinfo.org/ Vulkan capable]. [https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk DXVK]: Vulkan-based D3D9, D3D11, D3D10. [https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk D9VK] used to be separated, but the docs are here [https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone Gallium Nine]: Gallium Nine allows to run any Direct3D 9 application with nearly no CPU overhead, which provides a smoother gaming experience and increased FPS. Gallium Nine requires you to be using the Mesa3D driver though, so Nvidia users are out of luck. (Thanks to [[U/MicroToast|/u/MicroToast]] for the clarification) [https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ VKD3D] (and its currently more active [https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/vkd3d-proton -proton fork]): Translates D3D12 to Vulkan since DirectX12 "architecture" and functionality is different from older versions and it's low level (devs could fine tune stuff on your hardware more) like Vulkan Proton and [[Lutris]] both have support for automatically using these technologies, so you don't have to worry about what to do in order to take advantage of them. 3d99ac8fe6287621bfe14c672d60e90ae93b16ed 1 65 1974 1125 2023-04-28T19:29:46Z Kkiot 582 /* Manjaro bad? */ Moved it below Arch and Gentoo; Move to anti-recommendations? wikitext text/x-wiki = Deepin spyware?= The accusations from 2014 of Depin being a spyware has been debunked. Depin is completely safe, it was just some light telemetry that has been removed since then. Thus, it is now safe to use. [[User:Linuxed|Linuxed]] ([[User talk:Linuxed|talk]]) 06:04, 25 August 2022 (CEST) See this (2021): https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm [[User:Aragorn|Aragorn]] ([[User talk:Aragorn|talk]]) 14:00, 05 September 2022 (CEST) = Manjaro bad? = Manjaro is often accused of beeing unreliable. However when asking, I've not found anyone who actually used the system who experienced one of the problems (namely AUR breakage). It seems to be an issue that occurs less often. Considering that other distributions also have issues, I would say that it's not an important problem. Regarding the certificate: As far as I know, it only affected the website, and is thus not a problem with the system. [[User:Aragorn|Aragorn]] ([[User talk:Aragorn|talk]]) 14:00, 05 September 2022 (CEST) == Moved it below Arch and Gentoo == Yep. Manjaro definitely has a bad record. This shouldn't matter too much to the user, except when it comes to AUR: the AUR assumes the user has an up-to-date Arch install, not two-weeks-delayed. https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ and https://github.com/arindas/manjarno justify it enough. === Move to anti-recommendations? === EndeavourOS (and even archinstall) pretty much fill Manjaro's functionnality. Better use that instead; I'm considering moving Manjaro to the anti-recommendations. --[[User:Kkiot|Kkiot]] ([[User talk:Kkiot|talk]]) 21:29, 28 April 2023 (CEST) = Arch to be recommended? = EndeavourOS doesn't only add an installier, but it also adds a community that is much more friendly. Arch is just not the best choice for new users, if they don't actually want to go through the installation process (without script). Garuda adds ChaoticAUR, which makes installing linux-tkg easier (which is good for performance), and comes with zen by default (which is the next best choice). So I added a "questionable choices" section for Arch, Debian, Gentoo, etc., to show that they are not actually bad, but you should know why you choose them. [[User:Aragorn|Aragorn]] ([[User talk:Aragorn|talk]]) 14:00, 05 September 2022 (CEST) fbc3f977b87ae0929aa72300da81766734267bf5 1975 1974 2023-04-28T19:30:42Z Kkiot 582 /* Manjaro bad? */ wikitext text/x-wiki = Deepin spyware?= The accusations from 2014 of Depin being a spyware has been debunked. Depin is completely safe, it was just some light telemetry that has been removed since then. Thus, it is now safe to use. [[User:Linuxed|Linuxed]] ([[User talk:Linuxed|talk]]) 06:04, 25 August 2022 (CEST) See this (2021): https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm [[User:Aragorn|Aragorn]] ([[User talk:Aragorn|talk]]) 14:00, 05 September 2022 (CEST) = Manjaro bad? = Manjaro is often accused of beeing unreliable. However when asking, I've not found anyone who actually used the system who experienced one of the problems (namely AUR breakage). It seems to be an issue that occurs less often. Considering that other distributions also have issues, I would say that it's not an important problem. Regarding the certificate: As far as I know, it only affected the website, and is thus not a problem with the system. [[User:Aragorn|Aragorn]] ([[User talk:Aragorn|talk]]) 14:00, 05 September 2022 (CEST) === Moved below Arch and Gentoo === Yep. Manjaro definitely has a bad record. This shouldn't matter too much to the user, except when it comes to AUR: the AUR assumes the user has an up-to-date Arch install, not two-weeks-delayed. https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ and https://github.com/arindas/manjarno justify it enough. --[[User:Kkiot|Kkiot]] ([[User talk:Kkiot|talk]]) 21:30, 28 April 2023 (CEST) == Move to anti-recommendations? == EndeavourOS (and even archinstall) pretty much fill Manjaro's functionnality. Better use that instead; I'm considering moving Manjaro to the anti-recommendations. --[[User:Kkiot|Kkiot]] ([[User talk:Kkiot|talk]]) 21:29, 28 April 2023 (CEST) = Arch to be recommended? = EndeavourOS doesn't only add an installier, but it also adds a community that is much more friendly. Arch is just not the best choice for new users, if they don't actually want to go through the installation process (without script). Garuda adds ChaoticAUR, which makes installing linux-tkg easier (which is good for performance), and comes with zen by default (which is the next best choice). So I added a "questionable choices" section for Arch, Debian, Gentoo, etc., to show that they are not actually bad, but you should know why you choose them. [[User:Aragorn|Aragorn]] ([[User talk:Aragorn|talk]]) 14:00, 05 September 2022 (CEST) 8bb3da4055c9d8206ba5192f17555cf30fefc14e 0 1 1989 1988 2023-04-28T21:22:35Z Kkiot 582 Changed "warning" to "information"; nothing to be warned about! wikitext text/x-wiki {{Warning|Problem='''Information''': Wiki currently has blocked account creation and only registered users are able to edit content. This is temporary until more spam countermeasures are in place.}} Welcome to the Linux Gaming wiki! We seek to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. We were previously located at the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/index/ Linux Gaming subreddit wiki]. Feel free to contribute! We need it for this wiki to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. === Tweaking === *[[Troubleshooting]] - What to do if your game just won't work. *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies. *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. *[[Dual GPU]] - How to get the game running on the correct GPU. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Monitoring & Stresstesting]] - How to test that your tweaked system is still stable === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Visual Enhancement]] - Enhancing the visuals of a game. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! *[[Graphical tools]] - Programs that no one tells you about, but that you might like if you don't want to use the terminal == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[http://www.gamersonlinux.com/ GamersOnLinux] - Linux gaming community forum *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[https://happypenguin.altervista.org/index.php Happy Penguin - The Linux Game Tome] *[http://www.gamingonlinux.info/ Gaming On Linux] - another database *[http://www.lebottindesjeuxlinux.tuxfamily.org/en/home-en/ The Linux Game Book] - French and English database *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.zoom-platform.com/ Zoom Platform] - DRM-free retro games. *[https://gamejolt.com/games?os=linux GameJolt] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[https://linuxgamenews.com/ Linux Game News] *[https://playingtux.com/?lang=en Playing Tux] *[https://www.linux-games.com/ Linux-Games] *[https://linuxgameconsortium.com/ Linux Game Consortium] *[https://www.linuxgamingportal.com/ Linux Gaming Portal] *[https://www.codingcommanders.com/linux-gaming/ Coding Commanders - Linux Game Blog] *[https://zerker.ca/home/tag/linuxunix.html Zerk Zone - Retro Linux Games] Historical Linux Gaming Sites *[https://web.archive.org/web/20210419173711/https://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] (2012-2021) *[https://linuxgamingnews.org/ Linux Gaming News] (2009-2018) *[http://linuxgames.me/ Linux Games] (2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20191213112019/https://www.liflg.org/ linux installers for linux gamers] (2004-2019; moved to GitHub) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160505015216/http://ubuntugames.org/ Ubuntu Games] (2012-2016; Portuguese) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160604150745/http://www.lgdb.org/games Linux Game Database] (2010-2019) *[http://icculus.org/lgfaq/ Linux Gamers' FAQ] (last updated 2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20090302095738/http://www.linuxgamingworld.com/ Linux Gaming World] (2006-2009) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140217234002/http://www.linux-gamers.net/ linuXgamers.net] (2003-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20150726203906/http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] (1998-2015) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140214112327/http://www.tuxgames.com/ Tux Games] (2000-2014) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20130402151010/http://happypenguin.org/ The Linux Game Tome] (1995-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040109114819/http://www.linuxgaming.net:80/index.php LinuxGaming] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040925062326/http://www.tuxgamer.com:80/ Tux Gamer] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080119000310/http://lgdc.sunsite.dk/ Linux Game Development Centre] (2000-2002) Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a distribution agnostic package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. *[https://github.com/mikeroyal/Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide/blob/main/README.md Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide] - in depth tutorial on how to configure Ubuntu. Also contains a gaming section, that might also be relevant for other distributions. *[https://indiegamereviewer.com/category/platforms/linux/ Inde Game Reviewer - Linux] == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. 8bb98f7084a7c9735e08cea9631adc9251bcedb1 2005 1989 2023-05-12T00:22:51Z Slouchy 1 Page creation and editing restored for registered users wikitext text/x-wiki {{Warning|Problem='''Information''': Wiki account creation is restored with hCaptcha to prevent further spam. If this ends up not being efficient enough, more countermeasures will be used (such as E-mail verification). New page creation and existing page editing is limited to registered users only.}} Welcome to the Linux Gaming wiki! We seek to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. We were previously located at the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/index/ Linux Gaming subreddit wiki]. Feel free to contribute! We need it for this wiki to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. === Tweaking === *[[Troubleshooting]] - What to do if your game just won't work. *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies. *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. *[[Dual GPU]] - How to get the game running on the correct GPU. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Monitoring & Stresstesting]] - How to test that your tweaked system is still stable === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Visual Enhancement]] - Enhancing the visuals of a game. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! *[[Graphical tools]] - Programs that no one tells you about, but that you might like if you don't want to use the terminal == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[http://www.gamersonlinux.com/ GamersOnLinux] - Linux gaming community forum *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[https://happypenguin.altervista.org/index.php Happy Penguin - The Linux Game Tome] *[http://www.gamingonlinux.info/ Gaming On Linux] - another database *[http://www.lebottindesjeuxlinux.tuxfamily.org/en/home-en/ The Linux Game Book] - French and English database *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.zoom-platform.com/ Zoom Platform] - DRM-free retro games. *[https://gamejolt.com/games?os=linux GameJolt] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[https://linuxgamenews.com/ Linux Game News] *[https://playingtux.com/?lang=en Playing Tux] *[https://www.linux-games.com/ Linux-Games] *[https://linuxgameconsortium.com/ Linux Game Consortium] *[https://www.linuxgamingportal.com/ Linux Gaming Portal] *[https://www.codingcommanders.com/linux-gaming/ Coding Commanders - Linux Game Blog] *[https://zerker.ca/home/tag/linuxunix.html Zerk Zone - Retro Linux Games] Historical Linux Gaming Sites *[https://web.archive.org/web/20210419173711/https://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] (2012-2021) *[https://linuxgamingnews.org/ Linux Gaming News] (2009-2018) *[http://linuxgames.me/ Linux Games] (2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20191213112019/https://www.liflg.org/ linux installers for linux gamers] (2004-2019; moved to GitHub) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160505015216/http://ubuntugames.org/ Ubuntu Games] (2012-2016; Portuguese) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160604150745/http://www.lgdb.org/games Linux Game Database] (2010-2019) *[http://icculus.org/lgfaq/ Linux Gamers' FAQ] (last updated 2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20090302095738/http://www.linuxgamingworld.com/ Linux Gaming World] (2006-2009) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140217234002/http://www.linux-gamers.net/ linuXgamers.net] (2003-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20150726203906/http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] (1998-2015) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140214112327/http://www.tuxgames.com/ Tux Games] (2000-2014) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20130402151010/http://happypenguin.org/ The Linux Game Tome] (1995-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040109114819/http://www.linuxgaming.net:80/index.php LinuxGaming] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040925062326/http://www.tuxgamer.com:80/ Tux Gamer] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080119000310/http://lgdc.sunsite.dk/ Linux Game Development Centre] (2000-2002) Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a distribution agnostic package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. *[https://github.com/mikeroyal/Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide/blob/main/README.md Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide] - in depth tutorial on how to configure Ubuntu. Also contains a gaming section, that might also be relevant for other distributions. *[https://indiegamereviewer.com/category/platforms/linux/ Inde Game Reviewer - Linux] == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. 0a7f778b4757310722208b322429c0ca3238f8a6 0 2 1990 1987 2023-04-28T21:59:07Z Kkiot 582 /* Recommendations */ Anti-recommend: AtlasOS; gaining major traction (outside of Linux), needs a warning for everyone due to massive security concerns. wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **You don't need to worry about this. All of them are fine. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, GNOME, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and GNOME are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from GNOME. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. Windows 10 and 11 look a lot like default KDE. But if you don't like that, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. It also has a lot of nice-to-have features that make your life easier |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |GNOME |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing GNOME often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on GNOME, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |You cannot disable the compositor on X11, which makes it bad for gaming. | | | |} === Window Managers === Window managers (short ''WM'') are the cool guys that arrange your different windows on the screen. There are three types of window managers: * Stacking window manager: windows can stack on top of each other, like pieces of paper on a desk and just like on default Windows and macOS; also known as floating window managers. * Tiling window manager: “tiles” the windows so that none of them overlap and are visible at all times. * Dynamic window manager: can have both stacking and floating windows. Desktop environments come with their own. For example: * GNOME comes with Mutter; * KDE, with Kwin. These are stacking window managers. You can however pick your own window manager, whether you are already on a desktop environment or not! Why would you want do so? Well, maybe you want to swap to a tiling window manager, which will give you: * more efficient use of screen space: not having to ALT+TAB through every hidden window; * more keyboard-centric actions (usually faster than with a mouse); * more performance and less pressure on system resources! They don't often play a major role in gaming, '''except when you choose the Wayland display server!''' In that case: they are better known as compositors, not to confuse with X11 compositors. ==== On desktop environments ==== First off: you may not have the cleanest experience. Window managers are usually built around their respective desktop environments. By changing the WM, you can end up with user interface discrepancies; but with some changes, plus obviously the functionality you're seeking out of a WM, you will feel right at home! Replacing the default window manager is non-trivial: '''it will be an hard task!''' Seek the instructions for your respective desktop environment. Here are some resources for [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/GNOME#Use_a_different_window_manager GNOME] and [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/KDE#Use_a_different_window_manager KDE]. Instead, you might want to go... ==== Outside desktop environments ==== This allows for the cleanest experience. For this, you will need a Linux distribution that allows you to choose your own window manager. Either one with a predefined set, or either one which lets you install what you want: the latter will demand more time and effort. Just look at the recommendations section, later on. Don't worry about other applications like file managers and internet browsers: most major distributions will include these along with the window manager of your choice. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or GNOME. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a ''&quot;stable&quot;'' distribution because ''&quot;stable&quot;'' usually means ''&quot;old&quot;''. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://pop.system76.com/ Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://fedoraproject.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with GNOME, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base system and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you don't configure your system enough, it will probably be worse than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. Contrary to popular belief, installing Arch is not too hard if you follow carefully the installation guide; it's even simpler with the provided archinstall script, although "''it's not the recommended way''". It will take long though. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the friendly wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |[https://www.gentoo.org/ Gentoo] |Gentoo Linux is a source-based ''meta''distribution; it means it comes raw and with nothing, just like Arch, but is also ''the'' best when it comes to performance, as it allows you to compile all programs specifically configured for your own setup! BUT, it makes it a double-edged sword! Not only are the performance gains not massive; it also means it will take quite longer to install and update software! Thankfully, you don't have to compile huge software like web browsers (or even the kernel, though you will lose the benefits). Adding to that, it is notorious for being hard to install, although it's as hard or even easier to install than Arch Linux as long as you follow the installation guide. It will take extremely long though: count more than two hours of setting things up! Gentoo also has the benefits of supporting nearly every architecture there is, including ARM. Do note that, just like Arch, if you don't configure much (including compiler flags!!), you will probably end up with no better, or worse, than other distros, considering you also rarely get grand performance gains! |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable. Such issues are listed [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here], and include: * compatibility issues with Arch User Repository (AUR) packages; * development team rushed Asahi Linux (Linux on Apple Silicon) support, shipping potentially broken kernels to Manjaro users; * its package manager took down the AUR twice: first time for all users, second time for Manjaro users; * development team forgot to renew SSL certificates five times in the past; You should instead consider EndeavourOS, or Arch Linux using archinstall, if you want an installer-driven experience. |- |[https://www.debian.org/ Debian] |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |AtlasOS |Not a Linux distribution, but still needs a warning in case you have it in mind. You may have already heard of it (especially by [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dc7CIkZcWYE&t=912s LTT]). AtlasOS is a modified version of Windoze. Although it does make good changes for gaming to it, it is '''extremely insecure'''<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctONKQByx-M Watch this video before using Atlas OS Windows] by [https://www.youtube.com/@BrodieRobertson Brodie Robertson]</ref>: * there are '''zero updates''', including '''security updates''' for security vulnerabilities; * User Account Control (UAC) is '''fully disabled by default'''; this is (was) your first barrier to security! '''Every program will run with administrator rights!!!''' * '''Windoof Defender is disabled''': you have no built-in anti-malware software. Third-party antivirus programs do work; * disables by default microprocessor vulnerabilities mitigations (e.g. Spectre or Meltdown); not ''too'' risky, but has '''low gains on modern CPUs'''; * myriads of other issues, such as Windows features not working (e.g. ; We're here for Linux Gaming™, but '''only''' use this Windaube “distro” if you '''SOLELY''' game on it: '''never any''' browsing or anything else! Don't even think about vising sketchy websites for ethical/unethical purposes! |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |Linux From Scratch (LFS) | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. But generally, you would open your software store (or whatever it is called), and search for the program you want to install, click ''"update"'', or whatever else. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. == References == <references /> 39f60accf8736d4d442975754cff0fcb60d3a3ac 1991 1990 2023-04-28T22:00:44Z Kkiot 582 /* Recommendations */ AtlasOS: fix borked exempli gratia. wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **You don't need to worry about this. All of them are fine. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, GNOME, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and GNOME are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from GNOME. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. Windows 10 and 11 look a lot like default KDE. But if you don't like that, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. It also has a lot of nice-to-have features that make your life easier |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |GNOME |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing GNOME often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on GNOME, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |You cannot disable the compositor on X11, which makes it bad for gaming. | | | |} === Window Managers === Window managers (short ''WM'') are the cool guys that arrange your different windows on the screen. There are three types of window managers: * Stacking window manager: windows can stack on top of each other, like pieces of paper on a desk and just like on default Windows and macOS; also known as floating window managers. * Tiling window manager: “tiles” the windows so that none of them overlap and are visible at all times. * Dynamic window manager: can have both stacking and floating windows. Desktop environments come with their own. For example: * GNOME comes with Mutter; * KDE, with Kwin. These are stacking window managers. You can however pick your own window manager, whether you are already on a desktop environment or not! Why would you want do so? Well, maybe you want to swap to a tiling window manager, which will give you: * more efficient use of screen space: not having to ALT+TAB through every hidden window; * more keyboard-centric actions (usually faster than with a mouse); * more performance and less pressure on system resources! They don't often play a major role in gaming, '''except when you choose the Wayland display server!''' In that case: they are better known as compositors, not to confuse with X11 compositors. ==== On desktop environments ==== First off: you may not have the cleanest experience. Window managers are usually built around their respective desktop environments. By changing the WM, you can end up with user interface discrepancies; but with some changes, plus obviously the functionality you're seeking out of a WM, you will feel right at home! Replacing the default window manager is non-trivial: '''it will be an hard task!''' Seek the instructions for your respective desktop environment. Here are some resources for [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/GNOME#Use_a_different_window_manager GNOME] and [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/KDE#Use_a_different_window_manager KDE]. Instead, you might want to go... ==== Outside desktop environments ==== This allows for the cleanest experience. For this, you will need a Linux distribution that allows you to choose your own window manager. Either one with a predefined set, or either one which lets you install what you want: the latter will demand more time and effort. Just look at the recommendations section, later on. Don't worry about other applications like file managers and internet browsers: most major distributions will include these along with the window manager of your choice. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or GNOME. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a ''&quot;stable&quot;'' distribution because ''&quot;stable&quot;'' usually means ''&quot;old&quot;''. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://pop.system76.com/ Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://fedoraproject.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with GNOME, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base system and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you don't configure your system enough, it will probably be worse than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. Contrary to popular belief, installing Arch is not too hard if you follow carefully the installation guide; it's even simpler with the provided archinstall script, although "''it's not the recommended way''". It will take long though. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the friendly wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |[https://www.gentoo.org/ Gentoo] |Gentoo Linux is a source-based ''meta''distribution; it means it comes raw and with nothing, just like Arch, but is also ''the'' best when it comes to performance, as it allows you to compile all programs specifically configured for your own setup! BUT, it makes it a double-edged sword! Not only are the performance gains not massive; it also means it will take quite longer to install and update software! Thankfully, you don't have to compile huge software like web browsers (or even the kernel, though you will lose the benefits). Adding to that, it is notorious for being hard to install, although it's as hard or even easier to install than Arch Linux as long as you follow the installation guide. It will take extremely long though: count more than two hours of setting things up! Gentoo also has the benefits of supporting nearly every architecture there is, including ARM. Do note that, just like Arch, if you don't configure much (including compiler flags!!), you will probably end up with no better, or worse, than other distros, considering you also rarely get grand performance gains! |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable. Such issues are listed [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here], and include: * compatibility issues with Arch User Repository (AUR) packages; * development team rushed Asahi Linux (Linux on Apple Silicon) support, shipping potentially broken kernels to Manjaro users; * its package manager took down the AUR twice: first time for all users, second time for Manjaro users; * development team forgot to renew SSL certificates five times in the past; You should instead consider EndeavourOS, or Arch Linux using archinstall, if you want an installer-driven experience. |- |[https://www.debian.org/ Debian] |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |AtlasOS |Not a Linux distribution, but still needs a warning in case you have it in mind. You may have already heard of it (especially by [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dc7CIkZcWYE&t=912s LTT]). AtlasOS is a modified version of Windoze. Although it does make good changes for gaming to it, it is '''extremely insecure'''<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctONKQByx-M Watch this video before using Atlas OS Windows] by [https://www.youtube.com/@BrodieRobertson Brodie Robertson]</ref>: * there are '''zero updates''', including '''security updates''' for security vulnerabilities; * User Account Control (UAC) is '''fully disabled by default'''; this is (was) your first barrier to security! '''Every program will run with administrator rights!!!''' * '''Windoof Defender is disabled''': you have no built-in anti-malware software. Third-party antivirus programs do work; * disables by default microprocessor vulnerabilities mitigations (e.g. Spectre or Meltdown); not ''too'' risky, but has '''low gains on modern CPUs'''; * myriads of other issues, such as Windows features not working; We're here for Linux Gaming™, but '''only''' use this Windaube “distro” if you '''SOLELY''' game on it: '''never any''' browsing or anything else! Don't even think about vising sketchy websites for ethical/unethical purposes! |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |Linux From Scratch (LFS) | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. But generally, you would open your software store (or whatever it is called), and search for the program you want to install, click ''"update"'', or whatever else. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. == References == <references /> 34062415448eeb7a9e1fec11d793ed5f4288b965 1992 1991 2023-04-28T22:01:56Z Kkiot 582 /* Recommendations */ AtlasOS: emphasize condition for using it. wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **You don't need to worry about this. All of them are fine. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, GNOME, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and GNOME are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from GNOME. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. Windows 10 and 11 look a lot like default KDE. But if you don't like that, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. It also has a lot of nice-to-have features that make your life easier |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |GNOME |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing GNOME often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on GNOME, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |You cannot disable the compositor on X11, which makes it bad for gaming. | | | |} === Window Managers === Window managers (short ''WM'') are the cool guys that arrange your different windows on the screen. There are three types of window managers: * Stacking window manager: windows can stack on top of each other, like pieces of paper on a desk and just like on default Windows and macOS; also known as floating window managers. * Tiling window manager: “tiles” the windows so that none of them overlap and are visible at all times. * Dynamic window manager: can have both stacking and floating windows. Desktop environments come with their own. For example: * GNOME comes with Mutter; * KDE, with Kwin. These are stacking window managers. You can however pick your own window manager, whether you are already on a desktop environment or not! Why would you want do so? Well, maybe you want to swap to a tiling window manager, which will give you: * more efficient use of screen space: not having to ALT+TAB through every hidden window; * more keyboard-centric actions (usually faster than with a mouse); * more performance and less pressure on system resources! They don't often play a major role in gaming, '''except when you choose the Wayland display server!''' In that case: they are better known as compositors, not to confuse with X11 compositors. ==== On desktop environments ==== First off: you may not have the cleanest experience. Window managers are usually built around their respective desktop environments. By changing the WM, you can end up with user interface discrepancies; but with some changes, plus obviously the functionality you're seeking out of a WM, you will feel right at home! Replacing the default window manager is non-trivial: '''it will be an hard task!''' Seek the instructions for your respective desktop environment. Here are some resources for [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/GNOME#Use_a_different_window_manager GNOME] and [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/KDE#Use_a_different_window_manager KDE]. Instead, you might want to go... ==== Outside desktop environments ==== This allows for the cleanest experience. For this, you will need a Linux distribution that allows you to choose your own window manager. Either one with a predefined set, or either one which lets you install what you want: the latter will demand more time and effort. Just look at the recommendations section, later on. Don't worry about other applications like file managers and internet browsers: most major distributions will include these along with the window manager of your choice. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or GNOME. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a ''&quot;stable&quot;'' distribution because ''&quot;stable&quot;'' usually means ''&quot;old&quot;''. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://pop.system76.com/ Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://fedoraproject.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with GNOME, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base system and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you don't configure your system enough, it will probably be worse than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. Contrary to popular belief, installing Arch is not too hard if you follow carefully the installation guide; it's even simpler with the provided archinstall script, although "''it's not the recommended way''". It will take long though. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the friendly wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |[https://www.gentoo.org/ Gentoo] |Gentoo Linux is a source-based ''meta''distribution; it means it comes raw and with nothing, just like Arch, but is also ''the'' best when it comes to performance, as it allows you to compile all programs specifically configured for your own setup! BUT, it makes it a double-edged sword! Not only are the performance gains not massive; it also means it will take quite longer to install and update software! Thankfully, you don't have to compile huge software like web browsers (or even the kernel, though you will lose the benefits). Adding to that, it is notorious for being hard to install, although it's as hard or even easier to install than Arch Linux as long as you follow the installation guide. It will take extremely long though: count more than two hours of setting things up! Gentoo also has the benefits of supporting nearly every architecture there is, including ARM. Do note that, just like Arch, if you don't configure much (including compiler flags!!), you will probably end up with no better, or worse, than other distros, considering you also rarely get grand performance gains! |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable. Such issues are listed [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here], and include: * compatibility issues with Arch User Repository (AUR) packages; * development team rushed Asahi Linux (Linux on Apple Silicon) support, shipping potentially broken kernels to Manjaro users; * its package manager took down the AUR twice: first time for all users, second time for Manjaro users; * development team forgot to renew SSL certificates five times in the past; You should instead consider EndeavourOS, or Arch Linux using archinstall, if you want an installer-driven experience. |- |[https://www.debian.org/ Debian] |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |AtlasOS |Not a Linux distribution, but still needs a warning in case you have it in mind. You may have already heard of it (especially by [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dc7CIkZcWYE&t=912s LTT]). AtlasOS is a modified version of Windoze. Although it does make good changes for gaming to it, it is '''extremely insecure'''<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctONKQByx-M Watch this video before using Atlas OS Windows] by [https://www.youtube.com/@BrodieRobertson Brodie Robertson]</ref>: * there are '''zero updates''', including '''security updates''' for security vulnerabilities; * User Account Control (UAC) is '''fully disabled by default'''; this is (was) your first barrier to security! '''Every program will run with administrator rights!!!''' * '''Windoof Defender is disabled''': you have no built-in anti-malware software. Third-party antivirus programs do work; * disables by default microprocessor vulnerabilities mitigations (e.g. Spectre or Meltdown); not ''too'' risky, but has '''low gains on modern CPUs'''; * myriads of other issues, such as Windows features not working; We're here for Linux Gaming™, but '''only''' use this Windaube “distro” '''IF''' you '''SOLELY''' game on it: '''never any''' browsing or anything else! Don't even think about vising sketchy websites for ethical/unethical purposes! |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |Linux From Scratch (LFS) | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. But generally, you would open your software store (or whatever it is called), and search for the program you want to install, click ''"update"'', or whatever else. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. == References == <references /> 64ec6c454d090dfaa6c149bb21170eefe5e2249b 1993 1992 2023-04-28T22:08:42Z Kkiot 582 /* Recommendations */ AtlasOS: remove "myriads of issues": derogatory. Replace by "other Windows features" like restore points. wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **You don't need to worry about this. All of them are fine. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, GNOME, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and GNOME are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from GNOME. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. Windows 10 and 11 look a lot like default KDE. But if you don't like that, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. It also has a lot of nice-to-have features that make your life easier |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |GNOME |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing GNOME often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on GNOME, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |You cannot disable the compositor on X11, which makes it bad for gaming. | | | |} === Window Managers === Window managers (short ''WM'') are the cool guys that arrange your different windows on the screen. There are three types of window managers: * Stacking window manager: windows can stack on top of each other, like pieces of paper on a desk and just like on default Windows and macOS; also known as floating window managers. * Tiling window manager: “tiles” the windows so that none of them overlap and are visible at all times. * Dynamic window manager: can have both stacking and floating windows. Desktop environments come with their own. For example: * GNOME comes with Mutter; * KDE, with Kwin. These are stacking window managers. You can however pick your own window manager, whether you are already on a desktop environment or not! Why would you want do so? Well, maybe you want to swap to a tiling window manager, which will give you: * more efficient use of screen space: not having to ALT+TAB through every hidden window; * more keyboard-centric actions (usually faster than with a mouse); * more performance and less pressure on system resources! They don't often play a major role in gaming, '''except when you choose the Wayland display server!''' In that case: they are better known as compositors, not to confuse with X11 compositors. ==== On desktop environments ==== First off: you may not have the cleanest experience. Window managers are usually built around their respective desktop environments. By changing the WM, you can end up with user interface discrepancies; but with some changes, plus obviously the functionality you're seeking out of a WM, you will feel right at home! Replacing the default window manager is non-trivial: '''it will be an hard task!''' Seek the instructions for your respective desktop environment. Here are some resources for [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/GNOME#Use_a_different_window_manager GNOME] and [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/KDE#Use_a_different_window_manager KDE]. Instead, you might want to go... ==== Outside desktop environments ==== This allows for the cleanest experience. For this, you will need a Linux distribution that allows you to choose your own window manager. Either one with a predefined set, or either one which lets you install what you want: the latter will demand more time and effort. Just look at the recommendations section, later on. Don't worry about other applications like file managers and internet browsers: most major distributions will include these along with the window manager of your choice. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or GNOME. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a ''&quot;stable&quot;'' distribution because ''&quot;stable&quot;'' usually means ''&quot;old&quot;''. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://pop.system76.com/ Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://fedoraproject.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with GNOME, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base system and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you don't configure your system enough, it will probably be worse than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. Contrary to popular belief, installing Arch is not too hard if you follow carefully the installation guide; it's even simpler with the provided archinstall script, although "''it's not the recommended way''". It will take long though. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the friendly wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |[https://www.gentoo.org/ Gentoo] |Gentoo Linux is a source-based ''meta''distribution; it means it comes raw and with nothing, just like Arch, but is also ''the'' best when it comes to performance, as it allows you to compile all programs specifically configured for your own setup! BUT, it makes it a double-edged sword! Not only are the performance gains not massive; it also means it will take quite longer to install and update software! Thankfully, you don't have to compile huge software like web browsers (or even the kernel, though you will lose the benefits). Adding to that, it is notorious for being hard to install, although it's as hard or even easier to install than Arch Linux as long as you follow the installation guide. It will take extremely long though: count more than two hours of setting things up! Gentoo also has the benefits of supporting nearly every architecture there is, including ARM. Do note that, just like Arch, if you don't configure much (including compiler flags!!), you will probably end up with no better, or worse, than other distros, considering you also rarely get grand performance gains! |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable. Such issues are listed [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here], and include: * compatibility issues with Arch User Repository (AUR) packages; * development team rushed Asahi Linux (Linux on Apple Silicon) support, shipping potentially broken kernels to Manjaro users; * its package manager took down the AUR twice: first time for all users, second time for Manjaro users; * development team forgot to renew SSL certificates five times in the past; You should instead consider EndeavourOS, or Arch Linux using archinstall, if you want an installer-driven experience. |- |[https://www.debian.org/ Debian] |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |AtlasOS |Not a Linux distribution, but still needs a warning in case you have it in mind. You may have already heard of it (especially by [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dc7CIkZcWYE&t=912s LTT]). AtlasOS is a modified version of Windoze. Although it does make good changes for gaming to it, it is '''extremely insecure'''<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctONKQByx-M Watch this video before using Atlas OS Windows] by [https://www.youtube.com/@BrodieRobertson Brodie Robertson]</ref>: * there are '''zero updates''', including '''security updates''' for security vulnerabilities; * User Account Control (UAC) is '''fully disabled by default'''; this is (was) your first barrier to security! '''Every program will run with administrator rights!!!''' * '''Windoof Defender is disabled''': you have no built-in anti-malware software. Third-party antivirus programs do work; * disables by default microprocessor vulnerabilities mitigations (e.g. Spectre or Meltdown); not ''too'' risky, but has '''low gains on modern CPUs'''; * other Windows features not working, such as restore points; We're here for Linux Gaming™, but '''only''' use this Windaube “distro” '''IF''' you '''SOLELY''' game on it: '''never any''' browsing or anything else! Don't even think about vising sketchy websites for ethical/unethical purposes! |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |Linux From Scratch (LFS) | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. But generally, you would open your software store (or whatever it is called), and search for the program you want to install, click ''"update"'', or whatever else. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. == References == <references /> c4e37528fd9416a36d7ff9c2d5048be6122af70b 1994 1993 2023-04-28T22:09:18Z Kkiot 582 /* Recommendations */ Fix illogical semicolon. wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **You don't need to worry about this. All of them are fine. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, GNOME, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and GNOME are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from GNOME. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. Windows 10 and 11 look a lot like default KDE. But if you don't like that, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. It also has a lot of nice-to-have features that make your life easier |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |GNOME |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing GNOME often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on GNOME, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |You cannot disable the compositor on X11, which makes it bad for gaming. | | | |} === Window Managers === Window managers (short ''WM'') are the cool guys that arrange your different windows on the screen. There are three types of window managers: * Stacking window manager: windows can stack on top of each other, like pieces of paper on a desk and just like on default Windows and macOS; also known as floating window managers. * Tiling window manager: “tiles” the windows so that none of them overlap and are visible at all times. * Dynamic window manager: can have both stacking and floating windows. Desktop environments come with their own. For example: * GNOME comes with Mutter; * KDE, with Kwin. These are stacking window managers. You can however pick your own window manager, whether you are already on a desktop environment or not! Why would you want do so? Well, maybe you want to swap to a tiling window manager, which will give you: * more efficient use of screen space: not having to ALT+TAB through every hidden window; * more keyboard-centric actions (usually faster than with a mouse); * more performance and less pressure on system resources! They don't often play a major role in gaming, '''except when you choose the Wayland display server!''' In that case: they are better known as compositors, not to confuse with X11 compositors. ==== On desktop environments ==== First off: you may not have the cleanest experience. Window managers are usually built around their respective desktop environments. By changing the WM, you can end up with user interface discrepancies; but with some changes, plus obviously the functionality you're seeking out of a WM, you will feel right at home! Replacing the default window manager is non-trivial: '''it will be an hard task!''' Seek the instructions for your respective desktop environment. Here are some resources for [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/GNOME#Use_a_different_window_manager GNOME] and [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/KDE#Use_a_different_window_manager KDE]. Instead, you might want to go... ==== Outside desktop environments ==== This allows for the cleanest experience. For this, you will need a Linux distribution that allows you to choose your own window manager. Either one with a predefined set, or either one which lets you install what you want: the latter will demand more time and effort. Just look at the recommendations section, later on. Don't worry about other applications like file managers and internet browsers: most major distributions will include these along with the window manager of your choice. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or GNOME. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a ''&quot;stable&quot;'' distribution because ''&quot;stable&quot;'' usually means ''&quot;old&quot;''. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://pop.system76.com/ Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://fedoraproject.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with GNOME, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base system and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you don't configure your system enough, it will probably be worse than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. Contrary to popular belief, installing Arch is not too hard if you follow carefully the installation guide; it's even simpler with the provided archinstall script, although "''it's not the recommended way''". It will take long though. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the friendly wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |[https://www.gentoo.org/ Gentoo] |Gentoo Linux is a source-based ''meta''distribution; it means it comes raw and with nothing, just like Arch, but is also ''the'' best when it comes to performance, as it allows you to compile all programs specifically configured for your own setup! BUT, it makes it a double-edged sword! Not only are the performance gains not massive; it also means it will take quite longer to install and update software! Thankfully, you don't have to compile huge software like web browsers (or even the kernel, though you will lose the benefits). Adding to that, it is notorious for being hard to install, although it's as hard or even easier to install than Arch Linux as long as you follow the installation guide. It will take extremely long though: count more than two hours of setting things up! Gentoo also has the benefits of supporting nearly every architecture there is, including ARM. Do note that, just like Arch, if you don't configure much (including compiler flags!!), you will probably end up with no better, or worse, than other distros, considering you also rarely get grand performance gains! |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable. Such issues are listed [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here], and include: * compatibility issues with Arch User Repository (AUR) packages; * development team rushed Asahi Linux (Linux on Apple Silicon) support, shipping potentially broken kernels to Manjaro users; * its package manager took down the AUR twice: first time for all users, second time for Manjaro users; * development team forgot to renew SSL certificates five times in the past; You should instead consider EndeavourOS, or Arch Linux using archinstall, if you want an installer-driven experience. |- |[https://www.debian.org/ Debian] |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |AtlasOS |Not a Linux distribution, but still needs a warning in case you have it in mind. You may have already heard of it (especially by [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dc7CIkZcWYE&t=912s LTT]). AtlasOS is a modified version of Windoze. Although it does make good changes for gaming to it, it is '''extremely insecure'''<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctONKQByx-M Watch this video before using Atlas OS Windows] by [https://www.youtube.com/@BrodieRobertson Brodie Robertson]</ref>: * there are '''zero updates''', including '''security updates''' for security vulnerabilities; * User Account Control (UAC) is '''fully disabled by default'''; this is (was) your first barrier to security! '''Every program will run with administrator rights!!!''' * '''Windoof Defender is disabled''': you have no built-in anti-malware software. Third-party antivirus programs do work; * disables by default microprocessor vulnerabilities mitigations (e.g. Spectre or Meltdown); not ''too'' risky, but has '''low gains on modern CPUs'''; * other Windows features not working, such as restore points. We're here for Linux Gaming™, but '''only''' use this Windaube “distro” '''IF''' you '''SOLELY''' game on it: '''never any''' browsing or anything else! Don't even think about vising sketchy websites for ethical/unethical purposes! |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |Linux From Scratch (LFS) | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. But generally, you would open your software store (or whatever it is called), and search for the program you want to install, click ''"update"'', or whatever else. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. == References == <references /> b00e7ed3a03ea85255f4243f987a2e6685726297 1995 1994 2023-04-28T22:10:28Z Kkiot 582 /* Recommendations */ AtlasOS: fix annoying invisible line break. wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **You don't need to worry about this. All of them are fine. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, GNOME, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and GNOME are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from GNOME. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. Windows 10 and 11 look a lot like default KDE. But if you don't like that, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. It also has a lot of nice-to-have features that make your life easier |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |GNOME |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing GNOME often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on GNOME, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |You cannot disable the compositor on X11, which makes it bad for gaming. | | | |} === Window Managers === Window managers (short ''WM'') are the cool guys that arrange your different windows on the screen. There are three types of window managers: * Stacking window manager: windows can stack on top of each other, like pieces of paper on a desk and just like on default Windows and macOS; also known as floating window managers. * Tiling window manager: “tiles” the windows so that none of them overlap and are visible at all times. * Dynamic window manager: can have both stacking and floating windows. Desktop environments come with their own. For example: * GNOME comes with Mutter; * KDE, with Kwin. These are stacking window managers. You can however pick your own window manager, whether you are already on a desktop environment or not! Why would you want do so? Well, maybe you want to swap to a tiling window manager, which will give you: * more efficient use of screen space: not having to ALT+TAB through every hidden window; * more keyboard-centric actions (usually faster than with a mouse); * more performance and less pressure on system resources! They don't often play a major role in gaming, '''except when you choose the Wayland display server!''' In that case: they are better known as compositors, not to confuse with X11 compositors. ==== On desktop environments ==== First off: you may not have the cleanest experience. Window managers are usually built around their respective desktop environments. By changing the WM, you can end up with user interface discrepancies; but with some changes, plus obviously the functionality you're seeking out of a WM, you will feel right at home! Replacing the default window manager is non-trivial: '''it will be an hard task!''' Seek the instructions for your respective desktop environment. Here are some resources for [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/GNOME#Use_a_different_window_manager GNOME] and [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/KDE#Use_a_different_window_manager KDE]. Instead, you might want to go... ==== Outside desktop environments ==== This allows for the cleanest experience. For this, you will need a Linux distribution that allows you to choose your own window manager. Either one with a predefined set, or either one which lets you install what you want: the latter will demand more time and effort. Just look at the recommendations section, later on. Don't worry about other applications like file managers and internet browsers: most major distributions will include these along with the window manager of your choice. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or GNOME. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a ''&quot;stable&quot;'' distribution because ''&quot;stable&quot;'' usually means ''&quot;old&quot;''. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://pop.system76.com/ Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://fedoraproject.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with GNOME, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base system and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you don't configure your system enough, it will probably be worse than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. Contrary to popular belief, installing Arch is not too hard if you follow carefully the installation guide; it's even simpler with the provided archinstall script, although "''it's not the recommended way''". It will take long though. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the friendly wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |[https://www.gentoo.org/ Gentoo] |Gentoo Linux is a source-based ''meta''distribution; it means it comes raw and with nothing, just like Arch, but is also ''the'' best when it comes to performance, as it allows you to compile all programs specifically configured for your own setup! BUT, it makes it a double-edged sword! Not only are the performance gains not massive; it also means it will take quite longer to install and update software! Thankfully, you don't have to compile huge software like web browsers (or even the kernel, though you will lose the benefits). Adding to that, it is notorious for being hard to install, although it's as hard or even easier to install than Arch Linux as long as you follow the installation guide. It will take extremely long though: count more than two hours of setting things up! Gentoo also has the benefits of supporting nearly every architecture there is, including ARM. Do note that, just like Arch, if you don't configure much (including compiler flags!!), you will probably end up with no better, or worse, than other distros, considering you also rarely get grand performance gains! |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable. Such issues are listed [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here], and include: * compatibility issues with Arch User Repository (AUR) packages; * development team rushed Asahi Linux (Linux on Apple Silicon) support, shipping potentially broken kernels to Manjaro users; * its package manager took down the AUR twice: first time for all users, second time for Manjaro users; * development team forgot to renew SSL certificates five times in the past; You should instead consider EndeavourOS, or Arch Linux using archinstall, if you want an installer-driven experience. |- |[https://www.debian.org/ Debian] |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |AtlasOS |Not a Linux distribution, but still needs a warning in case you have it in mind. You may have already heard of it (especially by [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dc7CIkZcWYE&t=912s LTT]). AtlasOS is a modified version of Windoze. Although it does make good changes for gaming to it, it is '''extremely insecure'''<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctONKQByx-M Watch this video before using Atlas OS Windows] by [https://www.youtube.com/@BrodieRobertson Brodie Robertson]</ref>: * there are '''zero updates''', including '''security updates''' for security vulnerabilities; * User Account Control (UAC) is '''fully disabled by default'''; this is (was) your first barrier to security! '''Every program will run with administrator rights!!!''' * '''Windoof Defender is disabled''': you have no built-in anti-malware software. Third-party antivirus programs do work; * disables by default microprocessor vulnerabilities mitigations (e.g. Spectre or Meltdown); not ''too'' risky, but has '''low gains on modern CPUs'''; * other Windows features not working, such as restore points. We're here for Linux Gaming™, but '''only''' use this Windaube “distro” '''IF''' you '''SOLELY''' game on it: '''never any''' browsing or anything else! Don't even think about vising sketchy websites for ethical/unethical purposes! |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |Linux From Scratch (LFS) | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. But generally, you would open your software store (or whatever it is called), and search for the program you want to install, click ''"update"'', or whatever else. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. == References == <references /> d5eeb04d6db1657a91c9136d6e074bfe82f56381 1996 1995 2023-04-28T22:11:30Z Kkiot 582 /* Recommendations */ AtlasOS: nevermind, MediaWiki intelligently #$%!? it up even more. wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **You don't need to worry about this. All of them are fine. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, GNOME, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and GNOME are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from GNOME. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. Windows 10 and 11 look a lot like default KDE. But if you don't like that, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. It also has a lot of nice-to-have features that make your life easier |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |GNOME |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing GNOME often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on GNOME, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |You cannot disable the compositor on X11, which makes it bad for gaming. | | | |} === Window Managers === Window managers (short ''WM'') are the cool guys that arrange your different windows on the screen. There are three types of window managers: * Stacking window manager: windows can stack on top of each other, like pieces of paper on a desk and just like on default Windows and macOS; also known as floating window managers. * Tiling window manager: “tiles” the windows so that none of them overlap and are visible at all times. * Dynamic window manager: can have both stacking and floating windows. Desktop environments come with their own. For example: * GNOME comes with Mutter; * KDE, with Kwin. These are stacking window managers. You can however pick your own window manager, whether you are already on a desktop environment or not! Why would you want do so? Well, maybe you want to swap to a tiling window manager, which will give you: * more efficient use of screen space: not having to ALT+TAB through every hidden window; * more keyboard-centric actions (usually faster than with a mouse); * more performance and less pressure on system resources! They don't often play a major role in gaming, '''except when you choose the Wayland display server!''' In that case: they are better known as compositors, not to confuse with X11 compositors. ==== On desktop environments ==== First off: you may not have the cleanest experience. Window managers are usually built around their respective desktop environments. By changing the WM, you can end up with user interface discrepancies; but with some changes, plus obviously the functionality you're seeking out of a WM, you will feel right at home! Replacing the default window manager is non-trivial: '''it will be an hard task!''' Seek the instructions for your respective desktop environment. Here are some resources for [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/GNOME#Use_a_different_window_manager GNOME] and [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/KDE#Use_a_different_window_manager KDE]. Instead, you might want to go... ==== Outside desktop environments ==== This allows for the cleanest experience. For this, you will need a Linux distribution that allows you to choose your own window manager. Either one with a predefined set, or either one which lets you install what you want: the latter will demand more time and effort. Just look at the recommendations section, later on. Don't worry about other applications like file managers and internet browsers: most major distributions will include these along with the window manager of your choice. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or GNOME. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a ''&quot;stable&quot;'' distribution because ''&quot;stable&quot;'' usually means ''&quot;old&quot;''. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://pop.system76.com/ Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://fedoraproject.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with GNOME, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base system and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you don't configure your system enough, it will probably be worse than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. Contrary to popular belief, installing Arch is not too hard if you follow carefully the installation guide; it's even simpler with the provided archinstall script, although "''it's not the recommended way''". It will take long though. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the friendly wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |[https://www.gentoo.org/ Gentoo] |Gentoo Linux is a source-based ''meta''distribution; it means it comes raw and with nothing, just like Arch, but is also ''the'' best when it comes to performance, as it allows you to compile all programs specifically configured for your own setup! BUT, it makes it a double-edged sword! Not only are the performance gains not massive; it also means it will take quite longer to install and update software! Thankfully, you don't have to compile huge software like web browsers (or even the kernel, though you will lose the benefits). Adding to that, it is notorious for being hard to install, although it's as hard or even easier to install than Arch Linux as long as you follow the installation guide. It will take extremely long though: count more than two hours of setting things up! Gentoo also has the benefits of supporting nearly every architecture there is, including ARM. Do note that, just like Arch, if you don't configure much (including compiler flags!!), you will probably end up with no better, or worse, than other distros, considering you also rarely get grand performance gains! |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable. Such issues are listed [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here], and include: * compatibility issues with Arch User Repository (AUR) packages; * development team rushed Asahi Linux (Linux on Apple Silicon) support, shipping potentially broken kernels to Manjaro users; * its package manager took down the AUR twice: first time for all users, second time for Manjaro users; * development team forgot to renew SSL certificates five times in the past; You should instead consider EndeavourOS, or Arch Linux using archinstall, if you want an installer-driven experience. |- |[https://www.debian.org/ Debian] |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |AtlasOS |Not a Linux distribution, but still needs a warning in case you have it in mind. You may have already heard of it (especially by [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dc7CIkZcWYE&t=912s LTT]). AtlasOS is a modified version of Windoze. Although it does make good changes for gaming to it, it is '''extremely insecure'''<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctONKQByx-M Watch this video before using Atlas OS Windows] by [https://www.youtube.com/@BrodieRobertson Brodie Robertson]</ref>: * there are '''zero updates''', including '''security updates''' for security vulnerabilities; * User Account Control (UAC) is '''fully disabled by default'''; this is (was) your first barrier to security! '''Every program will run with administrator rights!!!''' * '''Windoof Defender is disabled''': you have no built-in anti-malware software. Third-party antivirus programs do work; * disables by default microprocessor vulnerabilities mitigations (e.g. Spectre or Meltdown); not ''too'' risky, but has '''low gains on modern CPUs'''; * other Windows features not working, such as restore points. We're here for Linux Gaming™, but '''only''' use this Windaube “distro” '''IF''' you '''SOLELY''' game on it: '''never any''' browsing or anything else! Don't even think about vising sketchy websites for ethical/unethical purposes! |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |Linux From Scratch (LFS) | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. But generally, you would open your software store (or whatever it is called), and search for the program you want to install, click ''"update"'', or whatever else. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. == References == <references /> bae4dfa0068ff95a13ef4ead2be248206db4f3de 1997 1996 2023-04-28T22:17:34Z Kkiot 582 /* Recommendations */ AtlasOS: fully remove condition for using. Requires to be offline at all times and not using sketchy software for safety; too inconvenient. wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **You don't need to worry about this. All of them are fine. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, GNOME, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and GNOME are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from GNOME. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. Windows 10 and 11 look a lot like default KDE. But if you don't like that, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. It also has a lot of nice-to-have features that make your life easier |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |GNOME |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing GNOME often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on GNOME, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |You cannot disable the compositor on X11, which makes it bad for gaming. | | | |} === Window Managers === Window managers (short ''WM'') are the cool guys that arrange your different windows on the screen. There are three types of window managers: * Stacking window manager: windows can stack on top of each other, like pieces of paper on a desk and just like on default Windows and macOS; also known as floating window managers. * Tiling window manager: “tiles” the windows so that none of them overlap and are visible at all times. * Dynamic window manager: can have both stacking and floating windows. Desktop environments come with their own. For example: * GNOME comes with Mutter; * KDE, with Kwin. These are stacking window managers. You can however pick your own window manager, whether you are already on a desktop environment or not! Why would you want do so? Well, maybe you want to swap to a tiling window manager, which will give you: * more efficient use of screen space: not having to ALT+TAB through every hidden window; * more keyboard-centric actions (usually faster than with a mouse); * more performance and less pressure on system resources! They don't often play a major role in gaming, '''except when you choose the Wayland display server!''' In that case: they are better known as compositors, not to confuse with X11 compositors. ==== On desktop environments ==== First off: you may not have the cleanest experience. Window managers are usually built around their respective desktop environments. By changing the WM, you can end up with user interface discrepancies; but with some changes, plus obviously the functionality you're seeking out of a WM, you will feel right at home! Replacing the default window manager is non-trivial: '''it will be an hard task!''' Seek the instructions for your respective desktop environment. Here are some resources for [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/GNOME#Use_a_different_window_manager GNOME] and [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/KDE#Use_a_different_window_manager KDE]. Instead, you might want to go... ==== Outside desktop environments ==== This allows for the cleanest experience. For this, you will need a Linux distribution that allows you to choose your own window manager. Either one with a predefined set, or either one which lets you install what you want: the latter will demand more time and effort. Just look at the recommendations section, later on. Don't worry about other applications like file managers and internet browsers: most major distributions will include these along with the window manager of your choice. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or GNOME. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a ''&quot;stable&quot;'' distribution because ''&quot;stable&quot;'' usually means ''&quot;old&quot;''. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://pop.system76.com/ Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://fedoraproject.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with GNOME, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base system and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you don't configure your system enough, it will probably be worse than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. Contrary to popular belief, installing Arch is not too hard if you follow carefully the installation guide; it's even simpler with the provided archinstall script, although "''it's not the recommended way''". It will take long though. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the friendly wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |[https://www.gentoo.org/ Gentoo] |Gentoo Linux is a source-based ''meta''distribution; it means it comes raw and with nothing, just like Arch, but is also ''the'' best when it comes to performance, as it allows you to compile all programs specifically configured for your own setup! BUT, it makes it a double-edged sword! Not only are the performance gains not massive; it also means it will take quite longer to install and update software! Thankfully, you don't have to compile huge software like web browsers (or even the kernel, though you will lose the benefits). Adding to that, it is notorious for being hard to install, although it's as hard or even easier to install than Arch Linux as long as you follow the installation guide. It will take extremely long though: count more than two hours of setting things up! Gentoo also has the benefits of supporting nearly every architecture there is, including ARM. Do note that, just like Arch, if you don't configure much (including compiler flags!!), you will probably end up with no better, or worse, than other distros, considering you also rarely get grand performance gains! |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable. Such issues are listed [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here], and include: * compatibility issues with Arch User Repository (AUR) packages; * development team rushed Asahi Linux (Linux on Apple Silicon) support, shipping potentially broken kernels to Manjaro users; * its package manager took down the AUR twice: first time for all users, second time for Manjaro users; * development team forgot to renew SSL certificates five times in the past; You should instead consider EndeavourOS, or Arch Linux using archinstall, if you want an installer-driven experience. |- |[https://www.debian.org/ Debian] |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |AtlasOS |Not a Linux distribution, but still needs a warning in case you have it in mind. You may have already heard of it (especially by [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dc7CIkZcWYE&t=912s LTT]). AtlasOS is a modified version of Windoze. Although it does make good changes for gaming to it, it is '''extremely insecure'''<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctONKQByx-M Watch this video before using Atlas OS Windows] by [https://www.youtube.com/@BrodieRobertson Brodie Robertson]</ref>: * there are '''zero updates''', including '''security updates''' for security vulnerabilities; * User Account Control (UAC) is '''fully disabled by default'''; this is (was) your first barrier to security! '''Every program will run with administrator rights!!!''' * '''Windoof Defender is disabled''': you have no built-in anti-malware software. Third-party antivirus programs do work; * disables by default microprocessor vulnerabilities mitigations (e.g. Spectre or Meltdown); not ''too'' risky, but has '''low gains on modern CPUs'''; * other Windows features not working, such as restore points. |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |Linux From Scratch (LFS) | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. But generally, you would open your software store (or whatever it is called), and search for the program you want to install, click ''"update"'', or whatever else. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. == References == <references /> 2432955c41fbb0f7fe33b7162d95955ec228b7a9 1998 1997 2023-04-28T22:31:26Z Kkiot 582 /* Recommendations */ AtlasOS: expand "[distro] Linux" to "[distro] GNU/Linux" for less ambiguity wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **You don't need to worry about this. All of them are fine. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, GNOME, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and GNOME are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from GNOME. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. Windows 10 and 11 look a lot like default KDE. But if you don't like that, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. It also has a lot of nice-to-have features that make your life easier |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |GNOME |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing GNOME often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on GNOME, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |You cannot disable the compositor on X11, which makes it bad for gaming. | | | |} === Window Managers === Window managers (short ''WM'') are the cool guys that arrange your different windows on the screen. There are three types of window managers: * Stacking window manager: windows can stack on top of each other, like pieces of paper on a desk and just like on default Windows and macOS; also known as floating window managers. * Tiling window manager: “tiles” the windows so that none of them overlap and are visible at all times. * Dynamic window manager: can have both stacking and floating windows. Desktop environments come with their own. For example: * GNOME comes with Mutter; * KDE, with Kwin. These are stacking window managers. You can however pick your own window manager, whether you are already on a desktop environment or not! Why would you want do so? Well, maybe you want to swap to a tiling window manager, which will give you: * more efficient use of screen space: not having to ALT+TAB through every hidden window; * more keyboard-centric actions (usually faster than with a mouse); * more performance and less pressure on system resources! They don't often play a major role in gaming, '''except when you choose the Wayland display server!''' In that case: they are better known as compositors, not to confuse with X11 compositors. ==== On desktop environments ==== First off: you may not have the cleanest experience. Window managers are usually built around their respective desktop environments. By changing the WM, you can end up with user interface discrepancies; but with some changes, plus obviously the functionality you're seeking out of a WM, you will feel right at home! Replacing the default window manager is non-trivial: '''it will be an hard task!''' Seek the instructions for your respective desktop environment. Here are some resources for [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/GNOME#Use_a_different_window_manager GNOME] and [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/KDE#Use_a_different_window_manager KDE]. Instead, you might want to go... ==== Outside desktop environments ==== This allows for the cleanest experience. For this, you will need a Linux distribution that allows you to choose your own window manager. Either one with a predefined set, or either one which lets you install what you want: the latter will demand more time and effort. Just look at the recommendations section, later on. Don't worry about other applications like file managers and internet browsers: most major distributions will include these along with the window manager of your choice. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or GNOME. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a ''&quot;stable&quot;'' distribution because ''&quot;stable&quot;'' usually means ''&quot;old&quot;''. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://pop.system76.com/ Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://fedoraproject.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with GNOME, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base system and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you don't configure your system enough, it will probably be worse than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. Contrary to popular belief, installing Arch is not too hard if you follow carefully the installation guide; it's even simpler with the provided archinstall script, although "''it's not the recommended way''". It will take long though. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the friendly wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |[https://www.gentoo.org/ Gentoo] |Gentoo Linux is a source-based ''meta''distribution; it means it comes raw and with nothing, just like Arch, but is also ''the'' best when it comes to performance, as it allows you to compile all programs specifically configured for your own setup! BUT, it makes it a double-edged sword! Not only are the performance gains not massive; it also means it will take quite longer to install and update software! Thankfully, you don't have to compile huge software like web browsers (or even the kernel, though you will lose the benefits). Adding to that, it is notorious for being hard to install, although it's as hard or even easier to install than Arch Linux as long as you follow the installation guide. It will take extremely long though: count more than two hours of setting things up! Gentoo also has the benefits of supporting nearly every architecture there is, including ARM. Do note that, just like Arch, if you don't configure much (including compiler flags!!), you will probably end up with no better, or worse, than other distros, considering you also rarely get grand performance gains! |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable. Such issues are listed [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here], and include: * compatibility issues with Arch User Repository (AUR) packages; * development team rushed Asahi Linux (Linux on Apple Silicon) support, shipping potentially broken kernels to Manjaro users; * its package manager took down the AUR twice: first time for all users, second time for Manjaro users; * development team forgot to renew SSL certificates five times in the past; You should instead consider EndeavourOS, or Arch Linux using archinstall, if you want an installer-driven experience. |- |[https://www.debian.org/ Debian] |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |AtlasOS |Not a GNU/Linux distribution, but still needs a warning in case you have it in mind. You may have already heard of it (especially by [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dc7CIkZcWYE&t=912s LTT]). AtlasOS is a modified version of Windoze. Although it does make good changes for gaming to it, it is '''extremely insecure'''<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctONKQByx-M Watch this video before using Atlas OS Windows] by [https://www.youtube.com/@BrodieRobertson Brodie Robertson]</ref>: * there are '''zero updates''', including '''security updates''' for security vulnerabilities; * User Account Control (UAC) is '''fully disabled by default'''; this is (was) your first barrier to security! '''Every program will run with administrator rights!!!''' * '''Windoof Defender is disabled''': you have no built-in anti-malware software. Third-party antivirus programs do work; * disables by default microprocessor vulnerabilities mitigations (e.g. Spectre or Meltdown); not ''too'' risky, but has '''low gains on modern CPUs'''; * other Windows features not working, such as restore points. |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |Linux From Scratch (LFS) | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. But generally, you would open your software store (or whatever it is called), and search for the program you want to install, click ''"update"'', or whatever else. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. == References == <references /> f8b6fecdc9ce954175939828fbc94728a5672d2b 1999 1998 2023-05-01T15:53:14Z Kkiot 582 /* Recommendations */ AtlasOS: remove Windows features warning; some have been fixed. wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **You don't need to worry about this. All of them are fine. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, GNOME, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and GNOME are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from GNOME. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. Windows 10 and 11 look a lot like default KDE. But if you don't like that, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. It also has a lot of nice-to-have features that make your life easier |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |GNOME |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing GNOME often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on GNOME, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |You cannot disable the compositor on X11, which makes it bad for gaming. | | | |} === Window Managers === Window managers (short ''WM'') are the cool guys that arrange your different windows on the screen. There are three types of window managers: * Stacking window manager: windows can stack on top of each other, like pieces of paper on a desk and just like on default Windows and macOS; also known as floating window managers. * Tiling window manager: “tiles” the windows so that none of them overlap and are visible at all times. * Dynamic window manager: can have both stacking and floating windows. Desktop environments come with their own. For example: * GNOME comes with Mutter; * KDE, with Kwin. These are stacking window managers. You can however pick your own window manager, whether you are already on a desktop environment or not! Why would you want do so? Well, maybe you want to swap to a tiling window manager, which will give you: * more efficient use of screen space: not having to ALT+TAB through every hidden window; * more keyboard-centric actions (usually faster than with a mouse); * more performance and less pressure on system resources! They don't often play a major role in gaming, '''except when you choose the Wayland display server!''' In that case: they are better known as compositors, not to confuse with X11 compositors. ==== On desktop environments ==== First off: you may not have the cleanest experience. Window managers are usually built around their respective desktop environments. By changing the WM, you can end up with user interface discrepancies; but with some changes, plus obviously the functionality you're seeking out of a WM, you will feel right at home! Replacing the default window manager is non-trivial: '''it will be an hard task!''' Seek the instructions for your respective desktop environment. Here are some resources for [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/GNOME#Use_a_different_window_manager GNOME] and [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/KDE#Use_a_different_window_manager KDE]. Instead, you might want to go... ==== Outside desktop environments ==== This allows for the cleanest experience. For this, you will need a Linux distribution that allows you to choose your own window manager. Either one with a predefined set, or either one which lets you install what you want: the latter will demand more time and effort. Just look at the recommendations section, later on. Don't worry about other applications like file managers and internet browsers: most major distributions will include these along with the window manager of your choice. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or GNOME. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a ''&quot;stable&quot;'' distribution because ''&quot;stable&quot;'' usually means ''&quot;old&quot;''. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://pop.system76.com/ Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://fedoraproject.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with GNOME, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base system and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you don't configure your system enough, it will probably be worse than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. Contrary to popular belief, installing Arch is not too hard if you follow carefully the installation guide; it's even simpler with the provided archinstall script, although "''it's not the recommended way''". It will take long though. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the friendly wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |[https://www.gentoo.org/ Gentoo] |Gentoo Linux is a source-based ''meta''distribution; it means it comes raw and with nothing, just like Arch, but is also ''the'' best when it comes to performance, as it allows you to compile all programs specifically configured for your own setup! BUT, it makes it a double-edged sword! Not only are the performance gains not massive; it also means it will take quite longer to install and update software! Thankfully, you don't have to compile huge software like web browsers (or even the kernel, though you will lose the benefits). Adding to that, it is notorious for being hard to install, although it's as hard or even easier to install than Arch Linux as long as you follow the installation guide. It will take extremely long though: count more than two hours of setting things up! Gentoo also has the benefits of supporting nearly every architecture there is, including ARM. Do note that, just like Arch, if you don't configure much (including compiler flags!!), you will probably end up with no better, or worse, than other distros, considering you also rarely get grand performance gains! |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable. Such issues are listed [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here], and include: * compatibility issues with Arch User Repository (AUR) packages; * development team rushed Asahi Linux (Linux on Apple Silicon) support, shipping potentially broken kernels to Manjaro users; * its package manager took down the AUR twice: first time for all users, second time for Manjaro users; * development team forgot to renew SSL certificates five times in the past; You should instead consider EndeavourOS, or Arch Linux using archinstall, if you want an installer-driven experience. |- |[https://www.debian.org/ Debian] |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |AtlasOS |Not a GNU/Linux distribution, but still needs a warning in case you have it in mind. You may have already heard of it (especially by [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dc7CIkZcWYE&t=912s LTT]). AtlasOS is a modified version of Windoze. Although it does make good changes for gaming to it, it is '''extremely insecure'''<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctONKQByx-M Watch this video before using Atlas OS Windows] by [https://www.youtube.com/@BrodieRobertson Brodie Robertson]</ref>: * there are '''zero updates''', including '''security updates''' for security vulnerabilities; * User Account Control (UAC) is '''fully disabled by default'''; this is (was) your first barrier to security! '''Every program will run with administrator rights!!!''' * '''Windoof Defender is disabled''': you have no built-in anti-malware software. Third-party antivirus programs do work; * disables by default microprocessor vulnerabilities mitigations (e.g. Spectre or Meltdown); not ''too'' risky, but has '''low gains on modern CPUs'''; |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |Linux From Scratch (LFS) | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. But generally, you would open your software store (or whatever it is called), and search for the program you want to install, click ''"update"'', or whatever else. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. == References == <references /> 0164385d3a18feb13ffa3f19e5aabaa576b6c303 2000 1999 2023-05-01T15:57:24Z Kkiot 582 /* Recommendations */ Nobara: glorify Glorious Eggroll ( add "works at RH") wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **You don't need to worry about this. All of them are fine. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, GNOME, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and GNOME are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from GNOME. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. Windows 10 and 11 look a lot like default KDE. But if you don't like that, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. It also has a lot of nice-to-have features that make your life easier |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |GNOME |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing GNOME often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on GNOME, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |You cannot disable the compositor on X11, which makes it bad for gaming. | | | |} === Window Managers === Window managers (short ''WM'') are the cool guys that arrange your different windows on the screen. There are three types of window managers: * Stacking window manager: windows can stack on top of each other, like pieces of paper on a desk and just like on default Windows and macOS; also known as floating window managers. * Tiling window manager: “tiles” the windows so that none of them overlap and are visible at all times. * Dynamic window manager: can have both stacking and floating windows. Desktop environments come with their own. For example: * GNOME comes with Mutter; * KDE, with Kwin. These are stacking window managers. You can however pick your own window manager, whether you are already on a desktop environment or not! Why would you want do so? Well, maybe you want to swap to a tiling window manager, which will give you: * more efficient use of screen space: not having to ALT+TAB through every hidden window; * more keyboard-centric actions (usually faster than with a mouse); * more performance and less pressure on system resources! They don't often play a major role in gaming, '''except when you choose the Wayland display server!''' In that case: they are better known as compositors, not to confuse with X11 compositors. ==== On desktop environments ==== First off: you may not have the cleanest experience. Window managers are usually built around their respective desktop environments. By changing the WM, you can end up with user interface discrepancies; but with some changes, plus obviously the functionality you're seeking out of a WM, you will feel right at home! Replacing the default window manager is non-trivial: '''it will be an hard task!''' Seek the instructions for your respective desktop environment. Here are some resources for [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/GNOME#Use_a_different_window_manager GNOME] and [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/KDE#Use_a_different_window_manager KDE]. Instead, you might want to go... ==== Outside desktop environments ==== This allows for the cleanest experience. For this, you will need a Linux distribution that allows you to choose your own window manager. Either one with a predefined set, or either one which lets you install what you want: the latter will demand more time and effort. Just look at the recommendations section, later on. Don't worry about other applications like file managers and internet browsers: most major distributions will include these along with the window manager of your choice. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or GNOME. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a ''&quot;stable&quot;'' distribution because ''&quot;stable&quot;'' usually means ''&quot;old&quot;''. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, Red Hat employee best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://pop.system76.com/ Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://fedoraproject.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with GNOME, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base system and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you don't configure your system enough, it will probably be worse than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. Contrary to popular belief, installing Arch is not too hard if you follow carefully the installation guide; it's even simpler with the provided archinstall script, although "''it's not the recommended way''". It will take long though. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the friendly wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. |- |[https://www.gentoo.org/ Gentoo] |Gentoo Linux is a source-based ''meta''distribution; it means it comes raw and with nothing, just like Arch, but is also ''the'' best when it comes to performance, as it allows you to compile all programs specifically configured for your own setup! BUT, it makes it a double-edged sword! Not only are the performance gains not massive; it also means it will take quite longer to install and update software! Thankfully, you don't have to compile huge software like web browsers (or even the kernel, though you will lose the benefits). Adding to that, it is notorious for being hard to install, although it's as hard or even easier to install than Arch Linux as long as you follow the installation guide. It will take extremely long though: count more than two hours of setting things up! Gentoo also has the benefits of supporting nearly every architecture there is, including ARM. Do note that, just like Arch, if you don't configure much (including compiler flags!!), you will probably end up with no better, or worse, than other distros, considering you also rarely get grand performance gains! |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable. Such issues are listed [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here], and include: * compatibility issues with Arch User Repository (AUR) packages; * development team rushed Asahi Linux (Linux on Apple Silicon) support, shipping potentially broken kernels to Manjaro users; * its package manager took down the AUR twice: first time for all users, second time for Manjaro users; * development team forgot to renew SSL certificates five times in the past; You should instead consider EndeavourOS, or Arch Linux using archinstall, if you want an installer-driven experience. |- |[https://www.debian.org/ Debian] |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |AtlasOS |Not a GNU/Linux distribution, but still needs a warning in case you have it in mind. You may have already heard of it (especially by [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dc7CIkZcWYE&t=912s LTT]). AtlasOS is a modified version of Windoze. Although it does make good changes for gaming to it, it is '''extremely insecure'''<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctONKQByx-M Watch this video before using Atlas OS Windows] by [https://www.youtube.com/@BrodieRobertson Brodie Robertson]</ref>: * there are '''zero updates''', including '''security updates''' for security vulnerabilities; * User Account Control (UAC) is '''fully disabled by default'''; this is (was) your first barrier to security! '''Every program will run with administrator rights!!!''' * '''Windoof Defender is disabled''': you have no built-in anti-malware software. Third-party antivirus programs do work; * disables by default microprocessor vulnerabilities mitigations (e.g. Spectre or Meltdown); not ''too'' risky, but has '''low gains on modern CPUs'''; |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |Linux From Scratch (LFS) | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. But generally, you would open your software store (or whatever it is called), and search for the program you want to install, click ''"update"'', or whatever else. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. == References == <references /> f107978143ea82bc4c3cdd06ba2d0e8f5a425b79 2001 2000 2023-05-01T16:04:05Z Kkiot 582 /* Recommendations */ Use Arch BTW Linux. wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **You don't need to worry about this. All of them are fine. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, GNOME, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and GNOME are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from GNOME. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. Windows 10 and 11 look a lot like default KDE. But if you don't like that, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. It also has a lot of nice-to-have features that make your life easier |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |GNOME |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing GNOME often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on GNOME, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |You cannot disable the compositor on X11, which makes it bad for gaming. | | | |} === Window Managers === Window managers (short ''WM'') are the cool guys that arrange your different windows on the screen. There are three types of window managers: * Stacking window manager: windows can stack on top of each other, like pieces of paper on a desk and just like on default Windows and macOS; also known as floating window managers. * Tiling window manager: “tiles” the windows so that none of them overlap and are visible at all times. * Dynamic window manager: can have both stacking and floating windows. Desktop environments come with their own. For example: * GNOME comes with Mutter; * KDE, with Kwin. These are stacking window managers. You can however pick your own window manager, whether you are already on a desktop environment or not! Why would you want do so? Well, maybe you want to swap to a tiling window manager, which will give you: * more efficient use of screen space: not having to ALT+TAB through every hidden window; * more keyboard-centric actions (usually faster than with a mouse); * more performance and less pressure on system resources! They don't often play a major role in gaming, '''except when you choose the Wayland display server!''' In that case: they are better known as compositors, not to confuse with X11 compositors. ==== On desktop environments ==== First off: you may not have the cleanest experience. Window managers are usually built around their respective desktop environments. By changing the WM, you can end up with user interface discrepancies; but with some changes, plus obviously the functionality you're seeking out of a WM, you will feel right at home! Replacing the default window manager is non-trivial: '''it will be an hard task!''' Seek the instructions for your respective desktop environment. Here are some resources for [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/GNOME#Use_a_different_window_manager GNOME] and [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/KDE#Use_a_different_window_manager KDE]. Instead, you might want to go... ==== Outside desktop environments ==== This allows for the cleanest experience. For this, you will need a Linux distribution that allows you to choose your own window manager. Either one with a predefined set, or either one which lets you install what you want: the latter will demand more time and effort. Just look at the recommendations section, later on. Don't worry about other applications like file managers and internet browsers: most major distributions will include these along with the window manager of your choice. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or GNOME. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a ''&quot;stable&quot;'' distribution because ''&quot;stable&quot;'' usually means ''&quot;old&quot;''. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, Red Hat employee best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://pop.system76.com/ Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://fedoraproject.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with GNOME, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base system and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you don't configure your system enough, it will probably be worse than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. Contrary to popular belief, installing Arch is not too hard if you follow carefully the installation guide; it's even simpler with the provided archinstall script, although "''it's not the recommended way''". It will take long though. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the friendly wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. Make sure to tell everyone [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/btw-i-use-arch you use Arch btw]. |- |[https://www.gentoo.org/ Gentoo] |Gentoo Linux is a source-based ''meta''distribution; it means it comes raw and with nothing, just like Arch, but is also ''the'' best when it comes to performance, as it allows you to compile all programs specifically configured for your own setup! BUT, it makes it a double-edged sword! Not only are the performance gains not massive; it also means it will take quite longer to install and update software! Thankfully, you don't have to compile huge software like web browsers (or even the kernel, though you will lose the benefits). Adding to that, it is notorious for being hard to install, although it's as hard or even easier to install than Arch Linux as long as you follow the installation guide. It will take extremely long though: count more than two hours of setting things up! Gentoo also has the benefits of supporting nearly every architecture there is, including ARM. Do note that, just like Arch, if you don't configure much (including compiler flags!!), you will probably end up with no better, or worse, than other distros, considering you also rarely get grand performance gains! |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable. Such issues are listed [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here], and include: * compatibility issues with Arch User Repository (AUR) packages; * development team rushed Asahi Linux (Linux on Apple Silicon) support, shipping potentially broken kernels to Manjaro users; * its package manager took down the AUR twice: first time for all users, second time for Manjaro users; * development team forgot to renew SSL certificates five times in the past; You should instead consider EndeavourOS, or Arch Linux using archinstall, if you want an installer-driven experience. |- |[https://www.debian.org/ Debian] |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |AtlasOS |Not a GNU/Linux distribution, but still needs a warning in case you have it in mind. You may have already heard of it (especially by [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dc7CIkZcWYE&t=912s LTT]). AtlasOS is a modified version of Windoze. Although it does make good changes for gaming to it, it is '''extremely insecure'''<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctONKQByx-M Watch this video before using Atlas OS Windows] by [https://www.youtube.com/@BrodieRobertson Brodie Robertson]</ref>: * there are '''zero updates''', including '''security updates''' for security vulnerabilities; * User Account Control (UAC) is '''fully disabled by default'''; this is (was) your first barrier to security! '''Every program will run with administrator rights!!!''' * '''Windoof Defender is disabled''': you have no built-in anti-malware software. Third-party antivirus programs do work; * disables by default microprocessor vulnerabilities mitigations (e.g. Spectre or Meltdown); not ''too'' risky, but has '''low gains on modern CPUs'''; |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |Linux From Scratch (LFS) | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. But generally, you would open your software store (or whatever it is called), and search for the program you want to install, click ''"update"'', or whatever else. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. == References == <references /> d3530ea8a01884097d23d0273f59094fc5b769ce 0 32 2002 1923 2023-05-01T17:11:03Z Aragorn 3 /* Gamemode */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use a DE with X11]], then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadows, animations, transparency, blur, or other effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. You can verify that composition is disabled, by looking at your desktop effects. For example, you should not see shadows. They either vanish, or get pitch black. ==Disabling composition for your games== Disabling composition will dramatically improve performance, input lag, and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: ===Gnome=== This is the default DE on Pop!_OS, Nobara Official, and Nobara Gnome. You don't have to do anything. Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing Windows does), which is almost as good as disabling compositon. Disabling composition in Gnome is not possible. ===KDE=== This is the default DE on Nobara KDE. There are many options to disable composition: * You can use [https://store.kde.org/p/1502826/ Autocomposer]. This should make it unnecessary to do anything of the following. *For Lutris: **To disable it for a single game: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System Options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. **To disable it for all games: Click <code>...</code> in the top right corner -> <code>Preferences</code> -> <code>Global Options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code> *You can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code> before launching a game. The same combination re-enables it. *If you want to use a terminal command (for example for automation, launch options for Steam, [[Gamemode]] etc): ** disable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor suspend</code> ** enable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor resume</code> *You can also disable it completely with <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>Display and Monitor</code> -> <code>Compositor</code> -> <code>Enable compositor on startup</code>. ===Xfce=== *Disable composition with <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Xfwm#Configuration</ref> *Enable it again with <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> === Mate === * Disable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/MATE#Disabling_compositing</ref> * Enable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager true</code> ===Cinnamon === {{Needs work|Problem=There are (old) reports that Cinnamon does not always automatically disable composition for full screen windows. Is this still the case, or is this resolved?}} * As of Cinnamon 5.4, there's an option to disable composition for fullscreen applications, essentially referring to unredirection. However, it is disabled by default, forcing composition on all apps, making it not ideal. To enable it: <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>General</code> -> <code>Disable compositing on fullscreen applications</code> *Disabling composition completely might lead to better input lag. You can do that by checking: <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>General</code> -> <code>Disable compositing</code>. However, this might lead to visual degradation in desktop mode (no effects, no shadows, no transparency, no window previews, more tearing), but is still recommended if you want to reduce latency. Linux mint does not seem to support disabling it anymore. ===Pantheon=== Unfortunately it appears to not support the option to disable composition.<ref>https://elementaryos.stackexchange.com/questions/4483/how-can-i-disable-composite-and-effects-in-elementary-os</ref> ==Automation== For DEs that support disabling/enabling the compositor with a terminal command, you can automate it. In the following <code><disable></code> and <code><enable></code> are to be replaced with the respective command to disable or enable the compositor. ===Gamemode=== The easiest way is to automate it with [[gamemode]]. 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You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use GNOME (the default on Nobara Official, Nobara GNOME, and Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]], it's not necessary on Wayland. **You do have to do this on Nobara KDE! *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS (if you chose the NVIDIA ISO for NVIDIA graphics cards). **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Read the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. Old drivers can be a problem if they are too old. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. *If you have two GPUs (for example an integrated and a dedicated one), use the one with more performance. ''TODO: How?'' ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell require legacy drivers. *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms="true"</code> in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. **Alternatively, you can also use the CLI, as described [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Custom_TDP_Limit here]. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (one of the gaming optimized kernels, or just any kernel above 5.16), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>[https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg-pds]</code>, <code>[https://xanmod.org/ Xanmod]</code>, or <code>[https://liquorix.net/ Liquorix]</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> and <code>Liquorix</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. ***They should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. If you don't, you end up with an insecure system! **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people also recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler). Currently there are no scientific tests, so you have to see yourself what works best for you. You can get both from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though; on a six-core processor, this will take something in the magnitude of half an hour. However, you can use Modprobed-db to only compile kernel modules you need; this will significantly cut down the time needed to compile the kernel. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **Note that for many games, the following is not needed with Nvidia driver 520 (or higher) and DXVK 2.0 (or higher) thanks to VK_EXT_graphics_pipeline_library, Intel and AMD driver support is coming soon. However, there are still games that can profit from it, and it might lead to slightly better frame times<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18AYlKq05ew</ref>. <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE, ''until version 7-44'', is compatible. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (if you named the folder <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code>, you also need to manually type <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code> in the field). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *The following tweaks<ref>https://github.com/CryoByte33/steam-deck-utilities/blob/main/docs/tweak-explanation.md</ref> can improve gaming performance, but might not be optimal for other workloads/normal desktop usage. However, it is possible to set/reset these settings with [[gamemode]], as described in [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/11lslhs/tutorial_how_to_use_memory_tweaks_from/ this tutorial]. **Use Transparent Hugepages: <code>echo always | sudo tee /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/enabled</code> ***With shared memory: <code>echo advise | sudo tee /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/shmem_enabled</code> **Use Compaction Proactiveness: <code>echo 0 | sudo tee /proc/sys/vm/compaction_proactiveness</code> **Disable Hugepage Defragmentation: <code>echo 0 | sudo tee /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/khugepaged/defrag</code> **Lower Page Lock Unfairness: <code>echo 1 | sudo tee /proc/sys/vm/page_lock_unfairness</code> *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page] and [https://github.com/AdelKS/LinuxGamingGuide this collection of tweaks]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. In case it is reducing performance and you use VKD3D, try adding <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=no_upload_hvv</code><ref name=":3" />. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=gpl</code>: Should lead to a behavior similar to shader caching on Windows. Games that don't stutter on Windows, should also not stutter on Linux. Currently, it also disables shader caching, so load times will be high. Is still new, and might not work correctly. You need at least mesa 23 for it to work. ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (GNOME and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. Disabling composition should lead to slightly less input lag.<ref name=":2" /> KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. GNOME is also valid, but adds a small amount of input lag.<ref name=":2">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section ''(Test needed to know how good it works!)''. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid GNOME X11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === The following only holds for games that use Wayland. If a game runs via X-Wayland (as of 05/23 that is all games that run via wine, assuming that you don't know ''exactly'' what you're doing), it will add additional overhead that will reduce performance, and add input lag. The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync or enable tearing updates. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. KDE plasma 5.27 or higher will be required for tearing updates on Wayland and your game will also need to be run in fullscreen mode for it to work. Wine doesn't yet support tearing on Wayland. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on (unless tearing updates are enabled), regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> GNOME will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. *Sometimes a game has both, a Linux native, and a Windows version. They don't always run equally well. If you have problems, it might be worth a shot to try the other one. *If you use Arch or an Arch based distribution, and you own a very new AMD GPU, it might be worth it to install <code>linux-firmware-git</code>, and <code>mesa-git</code> from the AUR (for example by using an AUR helper like <code>paru</code>). You might also consider to install a release candidate of the Linux kernel, for example by using <code>linux-rc</code> from the AUR, or by compiling <code>linux-tkg</code> and selecting a release candidate (to be detected by the <code>rc</code>, as in <code>v6.2-'''rc'''4</code>). *On Nvidia, you might need the [[Environment variables|environment variable]] <code>PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1</code> for DLSS. *You might need the [[Environment variables|environment variable]] <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=dxr</code> for ray tracing. *If you're using VKD3D, and enabling Resizable BAR leads to lower performance, you might want to try <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=no_upload_hvv</code><ref name=":3">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/119hwmt/this_setting_may_help_vkd3d_games_that_have/</ref>. *If you're using KDE Plasma, you might get performance problems because of Baloo file indexing. You can disable it as described [https://community.kde.org/Baloo/Configuration here]. ==References and notes == <references /> 0bd9d9c7cedf9578e4b48580d0a65457721175e8 2059 2058 2023-05-19T15:55:33Z Aragorn 3 /* Wayland */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use GNOME (the default on Nobara Official, Nobara GNOME, and Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]], it's not necessary on Wayland. **You do have to do this on Nobara KDE! *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS (if you chose the NVIDIA ISO for NVIDIA graphics cards). **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Read the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. Old drivers can be a problem if they are too old. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. *If you have two GPUs (for example an integrated and a dedicated one), use the one with more performance. ''TODO: How?'' ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell require legacy drivers. *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms="true"</code> in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. **Alternatively, you can also use the CLI, as described [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Custom_TDP_Limit here]. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (one of the gaming optimized kernels, or just any kernel above 5.16), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>[https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg-pds]</code>, <code>[https://xanmod.org/ Xanmod]</code>, or <code>[https://liquorix.net/ Liquorix]</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> and <code>Liquorix</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. ***They should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. If you don't, you end up with an insecure system! **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people also recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler). Currently there are no scientific tests, so you have to see yourself what works best for you. You can get both from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though; on a six-core processor, this will take something in the magnitude of half an hour. However, you can use Modprobed-db to only compile kernel modules you need; this will significantly cut down the time needed to compile the kernel. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **Note that for many games, the following is not needed with Nvidia driver 520 (or higher) and DXVK 2.0 (or higher) thanks to VK_EXT_graphics_pipeline_library, Intel and AMD driver support is coming soon. However, there are still games that can profit from it, and it might lead to slightly better frame times<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18AYlKq05ew</ref>. <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE, ''until version 7-44'', is compatible. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (if you named the folder <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code>, you also need to manually type <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code> in the field). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *The following tweaks<ref>https://github.com/CryoByte33/steam-deck-utilities/blob/main/docs/tweak-explanation.md</ref> can improve gaming performance, but might not be optimal for other workloads/normal desktop usage. However, it is possible to set/reset these settings with [[gamemode]], as described in [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/11lslhs/tutorial_how_to_use_memory_tweaks_from/ this tutorial]. **Use Transparent Hugepages: <code>echo always | sudo tee /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/enabled</code> ***With shared memory: <code>echo advise | sudo tee /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/shmem_enabled</code> **Use Compaction Proactiveness: <code>echo 0 | sudo tee /proc/sys/vm/compaction_proactiveness</code> **Disable Hugepage Defragmentation: <code>echo 0 | sudo tee /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/khugepaged/defrag</code> **Lower Page Lock Unfairness: <code>echo 1 | sudo tee /proc/sys/vm/page_lock_unfairness</code> *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page] and [https://github.com/AdelKS/LinuxGamingGuide this collection of tweaks]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. In case it is reducing performance and you use VKD3D, try adding <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=no_upload_hvv</code><ref name=":3" />. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=gpl</code>: Should lead to a behavior similar to shader caching on Windows. Games that don't stutter on Windows, should also not stutter on Linux. Currently, it also disables shader caching, so load times will be high. Is still new, and might not work correctly. You need at least mesa 23 for it to work. ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (GNOME and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. Disabling composition should lead to slightly less input lag.<ref name=":2" /> KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. GNOME is also valid, but adds a small amount of input lag.<ref name=":2">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section ''(Test needed to know how good it works!)''. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid GNOME X11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === {{Warning|Problem=The following only holds for games that use Wayland. If a game runs via X-Wayland (as of 05/23 that is all games that run via wine, assuming that you don't know exactly what you're doing), it will add additional overhead that will reduce performance, and add input lag.}} The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync or enable tearing updates. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. KDE plasma 5.27 or higher will be required for tearing updates on Wayland and your game will also need to be run in fullscreen mode for it to work. Wine doesn't yet support tearing on Wayland. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on (unless tearing updates are enabled), regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> GNOME will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. *Sometimes a game has both, a Linux native, and a Windows version. They don't always run equally well. If you have problems, it might be worth a shot to try the other one. *If you use Arch or an Arch based distribution, and you own a very new AMD GPU, it might be worth it to install <code>linux-firmware-git</code>, and <code>mesa-git</code> from the AUR (for example by using an AUR helper like <code>paru</code>). You might also consider to install a release candidate of the Linux kernel, for example by using <code>linux-rc</code> from the AUR, or by compiling <code>linux-tkg</code> and selecting a release candidate (to be detected by the <code>rc</code>, as in <code>v6.2-'''rc'''4</code>). *On Nvidia, you might need the [[Environment variables|environment variable]] <code>PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1</code> for DLSS. *You might need the [[Environment variables|environment variable]] <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=dxr</code> for ray tracing. *If you're using VKD3D, and enabling Resizable BAR leads to lower performance, you might want to try <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=no_upload_hvv</code><ref name=":3">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/119hwmt/this_setting_may_help_vkd3d_games_that_have/</ref>. *If you're using KDE Plasma, you might get performance problems because of Baloo file indexing. You can disable it as described [https://community.kde.org/Baloo/Configuration here]. ==References and notes == <references /> 3da78a535ca50e9c615ca16d89fe64e204e42a28 2060 2059 2023-05-20T22:16:23Z Aragorn 3 /* Nvidia */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use GNOME (the default on Nobara Official, Nobara GNOME, and Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]], it's not necessary on Wayland. **You do have to do this on Nobara KDE! *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS (if you chose the NVIDIA ISO for NVIDIA graphics cards). **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Read the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. Old drivers can be a problem if they are too old. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. *If you have two GPUs (for example an integrated and a dedicated one), use the one with more performance. ''TODO: How?'' ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== Use X11. You loose 10 to 15% FPS on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/13mpggs/comment/jkwms6q/?context=3</ref>. The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell require legacy drivers. *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms="true"</code> in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. **Alternatively, you can also use the CLI, as described [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Custom_TDP_Limit here]. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Don't use Flatpak to run your game. You loose up to 20% FPS if the game is CPU bound<ref>https://github.com/flatpak/flatpak/issues/4187</ref>. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (one of the gaming optimized kernels, or just any kernel above 5.16), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>[https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg-pds]</code>, <code>[https://xanmod.org/ Xanmod]</code>, or <code>[https://liquorix.net/ Liquorix]</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> and <code>Liquorix</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. ***They should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. If you don't, you end up with an insecure system! **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people also recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler). Currently there are no scientific tests, so you have to see yourself what works best for you. You can get both from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though; on a six-core processor, this will take something in the magnitude of half an hour. However, you can use Modprobed-db to only compile kernel modules you need; this will significantly cut down the time needed to compile the kernel. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **Note that for many games, the following is not needed with Nvidia driver 520 (or higher) and DXVK 2.0 (or higher) thanks to VK_EXT_graphics_pipeline_library, Intel and AMD driver support is coming soon. However, there are still games that can profit from it, and it might lead to slightly better frame times<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18AYlKq05ew</ref>. <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE, ''until version 7-44'', is compatible. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (if you named the folder <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code>, you also need to manually type <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code> in the field). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *The following tweaks<ref>https://github.com/CryoByte33/steam-deck-utilities/blob/main/docs/tweak-explanation.md</ref> can improve gaming performance, but might not be optimal for other workloads/normal desktop usage. However, it is possible to set/reset these settings with [[gamemode]], as described in [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/11lslhs/tutorial_how_to_use_memory_tweaks_from/ this tutorial]. **Use Transparent Hugepages: <code>echo always | sudo tee /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/enabled</code> ***With shared memory: <code>echo advise | sudo tee /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/shmem_enabled</code> **Use Compaction Proactiveness: <code>echo 0 | sudo tee /proc/sys/vm/compaction_proactiveness</code> **Disable Hugepage Defragmentation: <code>echo 0 | sudo tee /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/khugepaged/defrag</code> **Lower Page Lock Unfairness: <code>echo 1 | sudo tee /proc/sys/vm/page_lock_unfairness</code> *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page] and [https://github.com/AdelKS/LinuxGamingGuide this collection of tweaks]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. In case it is reducing performance and you use VKD3D, try adding <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=no_upload_hvv</code><ref name=":3" />. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=gpl</code>: Should lead to a behavior similar to shader caching on Windows. Games that don't stutter on Windows, should also not stutter on Linux. Currently, it also disables shader caching, so load times will be high. Is still new, and might not work correctly. You need at least mesa 23 for it to work. ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (GNOME and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. Disabling composition should lead to slightly less input lag.<ref name=":2" /> KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. GNOME is also valid, but adds a small amount of input lag.<ref name=":2">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section ''(Test needed to know how good it works!)''. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid GNOME X11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === {{Warning|Problem=The following only holds for games that use Wayland. If a game runs via X-Wayland (as of 05/23 that is all games that run via wine, assuming that you don't know exactly what you're doing), it will add additional overhead that will reduce performance, and add input lag.}} The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync or enable tearing updates. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. KDE plasma 5.27 or higher will be required for tearing updates on Wayland and your game will also need to be run in fullscreen mode for it to work. Wine doesn't yet support tearing on Wayland. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on (unless tearing updates are enabled), regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> GNOME will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. *Sometimes a game has both, a Linux native, and a Windows version. They don't always run equally well. If you have problems, it might be worth a shot to try the other one. *If you use Arch or an Arch based distribution, and you own a very new AMD GPU, it might be worth it to install <code>linux-firmware-git</code>, and <code>mesa-git</code> from the AUR (for example by using an AUR helper like <code>paru</code>). You might also consider to install a release candidate of the Linux kernel, for example by using <code>linux-rc</code> from the AUR, or by compiling <code>linux-tkg</code> and selecting a release candidate (to be detected by the <code>rc</code>, as in <code>v6.2-'''rc'''4</code>). *On Nvidia, you might need the [[Environment variables|environment variable]] <code>PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1</code> for DLSS. *You might need the [[Environment variables|environment variable]] <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=dxr</code> for ray tracing. *If you're using VKD3D, and enabling Resizable BAR leads to lower performance, you might want to try <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=no_upload_hvv</code><ref name=":3">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/119hwmt/this_setting_may_help_vkd3d_games_that_have/</ref>. *If you're using KDE Plasma, you might get performance problems because of Baloo file indexing. You can disable it as described [https://community.kde.org/Baloo/Configuration here]. *Try Wayland if you use X11, try X11 if you use Wayland. There are cases where this multiplies FPS<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/review/wayland-nv-amd-2023</ref>. ==References and notes == <references /> 0198c42851bda27dc4b2fc5decdcd6179e940614 2061 2060 2023-05-20T22:21:36Z Aragorn 3 /* Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use GNOME (the default on Nobara Official, Nobara GNOME, and Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]], it's not necessary on Wayland. **You do have to do this on Nobara KDE! *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS (if you chose the NVIDIA ISO for NVIDIA graphics cards). **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Read the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. Old drivers can be a problem if they are too old. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. *If you have two GPUs (for example an integrated and a dedicated one), use the one with more performance. ''TODO: How?'' ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== Use X11. You loose around 16% FPS on Wayland<ref name=":4">https://www.phoronix.com/review/wayland-nv-amd-2023/5</ref>. The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell require legacy drivers. *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms="true"</code> in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. **Alternatively, you can also use the CLI, as described [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Custom_TDP_Limit here]. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Don't use Flatpak to run your game. You loose up to 20% FPS if the game is CPU bound<ref>https://github.com/flatpak/flatpak/issues/4187</ref>. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (one of the gaming optimized kernels, or just any kernel above 5.16), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>[https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg-pds]</code>, <code>[https://xanmod.org/ Xanmod]</code>, or <code>[https://liquorix.net/ Liquorix]</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> and <code>Liquorix</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. ***They should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. If you don't, you end up with an insecure system! **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people also recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler). Currently there are no scientific tests, so you have to see yourself what works best for you. You can get both from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though; on a six-core processor, this will take something in the magnitude of half an hour. However, you can use Modprobed-db to only compile kernel modules you need; this will significantly cut down the time needed to compile the kernel. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **Note that for many games, the following is not needed with Nvidia driver 520 (or higher) and DXVK 2.0 (or higher) thanks to VK_EXT_graphics_pipeline_library, Intel and AMD driver support is coming soon. However, there are still games that can profit from it, and it might lead to slightly better frame times<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18AYlKq05ew</ref>. <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE, ''until version 7-44'', is compatible. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (if you named the folder <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code>, you also need to manually type <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code> in the field). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *The following tweaks<ref>https://github.com/CryoByte33/steam-deck-utilities/blob/main/docs/tweak-explanation.md</ref> can improve gaming performance, but might not be optimal for other workloads/normal desktop usage. However, it is possible to set/reset these settings with [[gamemode]], as described in [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/11lslhs/tutorial_how_to_use_memory_tweaks_from/ this tutorial]. **Use Transparent Hugepages: <code>echo always | sudo tee /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/enabled</code> ***With shared memory: <code>echo advise | sudo tee /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/shmem_enabled</code> **Use Compaction Proactiveness: <code>echo 0 | sudo tee /proc/sys/vm/compaction_proactiveness</code> **Disable Hugepage Defragmentation: <code>echo 0 | sudo tee /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/khugepaged/defrag</code> **Lower Page Lock Unfairness: <code>echo 1 | sudo tee /proc/sys/vm/page_lock_unfairness</code> *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page] and [https://github.com/AdelKS/LinuxGamingGuide this collection of tweaks]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. In case it is reducing performance and you use VKD3D, try adding <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=no_upload_hvv</code><ref name=":3" />. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=gpl</code>: Should lead to a behavior similar to shader caching on Windows. Games that don't stutter on Windows, should also not stutter on Linux. Currently, it also disables shader caching, so load times will be high. Is still new, and might not work correctly. You need at least mesa 23 for it to work. ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (GNOME and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. Disabling composition should lead to slightly less input lag.<ref name=":2" /> KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. GNOME is also valid, but adds a small amount of input lag.<ref name=":2">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section ''(Test needed to know how good it works!)''. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid GNOME X11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === Wayland on Nvidia gives you a performance hit of about 16%<ref name=":4" />. The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync or enable tearing updates. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. KDE plasma 5.27 or higher will be required for tearing updates on Wayland and your game will also need to be run in fullscreen mode for it to work. Wine doesn't yet support tearing on Wayland. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on (unless tearing updates are enabled), regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> GNOME will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. *Sometimes a game has both, a Linux native, and a Windows version. They don't always run equally well. If you have problems, it might be worth a shot to try the other one. *If you use Arch or an Arch based distribution, and you own a very new AMD GPU, it might be worth it to install <code>linux-firmware-git</code>, and <code>mesa-git</code> from the AUR (for example by using an AUR helper like <code>paru</code>). You might also consider to install a release candidate of the Linux kernel, for example by using <code>linux-rc</code> from the AUR, or by compiling <code>linux-tkg</code> and selecting a release candidate (to be detected by the <code>rc</code>, as in <code>v6.2-'''rc'''4</code>). *On Nvidia, you might need the [[Environment variables|environment variable]] <code>PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1</code> for DLSS. *You might need the [[Environment variables|environment variable]] <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=dxr</code> for ray tracing. *If you're using VKD3D, and enabling Resizable BAR leads to lower performance, you might want to try <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=no_upload_hvv</code><ref name=":3">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/119hwmt/this_setting_may_help_vkd3d_games_that_have/</ref>. *If you're using KDE Plasma, you might get performance problems because of Baloo file indexing. You can disable it as described [https://community.kde.org/Baloo/Configuration here]. *Try Wayland if you use X11, try X11 if you use Wayland. There are cases where this multiplies FPS<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/review/wayland-nv-amd-2023</ref>. ==References and notes == <references /> f2776f4fbad55f78c8967eedb85b687c99482d2d 2 606 2062 2023-05-21T02:11:20Z WindyWard008 665 Created page with "If you're in the market place for an auto transportation solution, it's vital to perform your study as well as locate the very best provider for the task. There are several auto transportation companies around, so it can be difficult to choose which one is right for you." wikitext text/x-wiki If you're in the market place for an auto transportation solution, it's vital to perform your study as well as locate the very best provider for the task. 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It is actually critical to know if you require an expert resume, a manager resume, or some other specific style for the brand new job you are actually aiming toward, . da0199070efb43b9539e9a3ddbf3cda0cfd72074 0 2 2066 2001 2023-05-28T12:54:52Z Kkiot 582 /* Recommendations */ Anti-recommend: remove AtlasOS; fixed the majority of its issues and important features are coming back soon. wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **You don't need to worry about this. All of them are fine. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, GNOME, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and GNOME are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from GNOME. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. Windows 10 and 11 look a lot like default KDE. But if you don't like that, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. It also has a lot of nice-to-have features that make your life easier |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |GNOME |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing GNOME often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on GNOME, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |You cannot disable the compositor on X11, which makes it bad for gaming. | | | |} === Window Managers === Window managers (short ''WM'') are the cool guys that arrange your different windows on the screen. There are three types of window managers: * Stacking window manager: windows can stack on top of each other, like pieces of paper on a desk and just like on default Windows and macOS; also known as floating window managers. * Tiling window manager: “tiles” the windows so that none of them overlap and are visible at all times. * Dynamic window manager: can have both stacking and floating windows. Desktop environments come with their own. For example: * GNOME comes with Mutter; * KDE, with Kwin. These are stacking window managers. You can however pick your own window manager, whether you are already on a desktop environment or not! Why would you want do so? Well, maybe you want to swap to a tiling window manager, which will give you: * more efficient use of screen space: not having to ALT+TAB through every hidden window; * more keyboard-centric actions (usually faster than with a mouse); * more performance and less pressure on system resources! They don't often play a major role in gaming, '''except when you choose the Wayland display server!''' In that case: they are better known as compositors, not to confuse with X11 compositors. ==== On desktop environments ==== First off: you may not have the cleanest experience. Window managers are usually built around their respective desktop environments. By changing the WM, you can end up with user interface discrepancies; but with some changes, plus obviously the functionality you're seeking out of a WM, you will feel right at home! Replacing the default window manager is non-trivial: '''it will be an hard task!''' Seek the instructions for your respective desktop environment. Here are some resources for [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/GNOME#Use_a_different_window_manager GNOME] and [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/KDE#Use_a_different_window_manager KDE]. Instead, you might want to go... ==== Outside desktop environments ==== This allows for the cleanest experience. For this, you will need a Linux distribution that allows you to choose your own window manager. Either one with a predefined set, or either one which lets you install what you want: the latter will demand more time and effort. Just look at the recommendations section, later on. Don't worry about other applications like file managers and internet browsers: most major distributions will include these along with the window manager of your choice. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or GNOME. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a ''&quot;stable&quot;'' distribution because ''&quot;stable&quot;'' usually means ''&quot;old&quot;''. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, Red Hat employee best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://pop.system76.com/ Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://fedoraproject.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with GNOME, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base system and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you don't configure your system enough, it will probably be worse than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. Contrary to popular belief, installing Arch is not too hard if you follow carefully the installation guide; it's even simpler with the provided archinstall script, although "''it's not the recommended way''". It will take long though. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the friendly wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. Make sure to tell everyone [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/btw-i-use-arch you use Arch btw]. |- |[https://www.gentoo.org/ Gentoo] |Gentoo Linux is a source-based ''meta''distribution; it means it comes raw and with nothing, just like Arch, but is also ''the'' best when it comes to performance, as it allows you to compile all programs specifically configured for your own setup! BUT, it makes it a double-edged sword! Not only are the performance gains not massive; it also means it will take quite longer to install and update software! Thankfully, you don't have to compile huge software like web browsers (or even the kernel, though you will lose the benefits). Adding to that, it is notorious for being hard to install, although it's as hard or even easier to install than Arch Linux as long as you follow the installation guide. It will take extremely long though: count more than two hours of setting things up! Gentoo also has the benefits of supporting nearly every architecture there is, including ARM. Do note that, just like Arch, if you don't configure much (including compiler flags!!), you will probably end up with no better, or worse, than other distros, considering you also rarely get grand performance gains! |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable. Such issues are listed [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here], and include: * compatibility issues with Arch User Repository (AUR) packages; * development team rushed Asahi Linux (Linux on Apple Silicon) support, shipping potentially broken kernels to Manjaro users; * its package manager took down the AUR twice: first time for all users, second time for Manjaro users; * development team forgot to renew SSL certificates five times in the past; You should instead consider EndeavourOS, or Arch Linux using archinstall, if you want an installer-driven experience. |- |[https://www.debian.org/ Debian] |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |Linux From Scratch (LFS) | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. But generally, you would open your software store (or whatever it is called), and search for the program you want to install, click ''"update"'', or whatever else. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. == References == <references /> c81eb0e40225a314c2606372766900b2d9f9366c 2080 2066 2023-05-29T14:28:01Z Kkiot 582 /* Desktop Environments */ GNOME: add warning about Wayland VRR; not coming anytime soon. wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **You don't need to worry about this. All of them are fine. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, GNOME, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and GNOME are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from GNOME. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. Windows 10 and 11 look a lot like default KDE. But if you don't like that, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. It also has a lot of nice-to-have features that make your life easier |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |GNOME |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing GNOME often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. There is currently no support for Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) on Wayland. It might not come anytime soon: last discussion dates back to end of April<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/mutter/-/merge_requests/1154#note_1732344</ref>. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on GNOME, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |You cannot disable the compositor on X11, which makes it bad for gaming. | | | |} === Window Managers === Window managers (short ''WM'') are the cool guys that arrange your different windows on the screen. There are three types of window managers: * Stacking window manager: windows can stack on top of each other, like pieces of paper on a desk and just like on default Windows and macOS; also known as floating window managers. * Tiling window manager: “tiles” the windows so that none of them overlap and are visible at all times. * Dynamic window manager: can have both stacking and floating windows. Desktop environments come with their own. For example: * GNOME comes with Mutter; * KDE, with Kwin. These are stacking window managers. You can however pick your own window manager, whether you are already on a desktop environment or not! Why would you want do so? Well, maybe you want to swap to a tiling window manager, which will give you: * more efficient use of screen space: not having to ALT+TAB through every hidden window; * more keyboard-centric actions (usually faster than with a mouse); * more performance and less pressure on system resources! They don't often play a major role in gaming, '''except when you choose the Wayland display server!''' In that case: they are better known as compositors, not to confuse with X11 compositors. ==== On desktop environments ==== First off: you may not have the cleanest experience. Window managers are usually built around their respective desktop environments. By changing the WM, you can end up with user interface discrepancies; but with some changes, plus obviously the functionality you're seeking out of a WM, you will feel right at home! Replacing the default window manager is non-trivial: '''it will be an hard task!''' Seek the instructions for your respective desktop environment. Here are some resources for [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/GNOME#Use_a_different_window_manager GNOME] and [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/KDE#Use_a_different_window_manager KDE]. Instead, you might want to go... ==== Outside desktop environments ==== This allows for the cleanest experience. For this, you will need a Linux distribution that allows you to choose your own window manager. Either one with a predefined set, or either one which lets you install what you want: the latter will demand more time and effort. Just look at the recommendations section, later on. Don't worry about other applications like file managers and internet browsers: most major distributions will include these along with the window manager of your choice. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or GNOME. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a ''&quot;stable&quot;'' distribution because ''&quot;stable&quot;'' usually means ''&quot;old&quot;''. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, Red Hat employee best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://pop.system76.com/ Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://fedoraproject.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with GNOME, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base system and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you don't configure your system enough, it will probably be worse than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. Contrary to popular belief, installing Arch is not too hard if you follow carefully the installation guide; it's even simpler with the provided archinstall script, although "''it's not the recommended way''". It will take long though. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the friendly wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. Make sure to tell everyone [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/btw-i-use-arch you use Arch btw]. |- |[https://www.gentoo.org/ Gentoo] |Gentoo Linux is a source-based ''meta''distribution; it means it comes raw and with nothing, just like Arch, but is also ''the'' best when it comes to performance, as it allows you to compile all programs specifically configured for your own setup! BUT, it makes it a double-edged sword! Not only are the performance gains not massive; it also means it will take quite longer to install and update software! Thankfully, you don't have to compile huge software like web browsers (or even the kernel, though you will lose the benefits). Adding to that, it is notorious for being hard to install, although it's as hard or even easier to install than Arch Linux as long as you follow the installation guide. It will take extremely long though: count more than two hours of setting things up! Gentoo also has the benefits of supporting nearly every architecture there is, including ARM. Do note that, just like Arch, if you don't configure much (including compiler flags!!), you will probably end up with no better, or worse, than other distros, considering you also rarely get grand performance gains! |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable. Such issues are listed [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here], and include: * compatibility issues with Arch User Repository (AUR) packages; * development team rushed Asahi Linux (Linux on Apple Silicon) support, shipping potentially broken kernels to Manjaro users; * its package manager took down the AUR twice: first time for all users, second time for Manjaro users; * development team forgot to renew SSL certificates five times in the past; You should instead consider EndeavourOS, or Arch Linux using archinstall, if you want an installer-driven experience. |- |[https://www.debian.org/ Debian] |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |Linux From Scratch (LFS) | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. But generally, you would open your software store (or whatever it is called), and search for the program you want to install, click ''"update"'', or whatever else. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. == References == <references /> 0d4fbfba9c81454d830dbea4a0178133cfe69f1c 2081 2080 2023-05-29T14:28:38Z Kkiot 582 /* Desktop Environments */ GNOME: emphasize VRR warn. wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **You don't need to worry about this. All of them are fine. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, GNOME, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and GNOME are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from GNOME. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. Windows 10 and 11 look a lot like default KDE. But if you don't like that, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. It also has a lot of nice-to-have features that make your life easier |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |GNOME |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing GNOME often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. There is currently '''no support for Variable Refresh Rate''' (VRR) on Wayland. It might not come anytime soon: last discussion dates back to end of April<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/mutter/-/merge_requests/1154#note_1732344</ref>. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on GNOME, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |You cannot disable the compositor on X11, which makes it bad for gaming. | | | |} === Window Managers === Window managers (short ''WM'') are the cool guys that arrange your different windows on the screen. There are three types of window managers: * Stacking window manager: windows can stack on top of each other, like pieces of paper on a desk and just like on default Windows and macOS; also known as floating window managers. * Tiling window manager: “tiles” the windows so that none of them overlap and are visible at all times. * Dynamic window manager: can have both stacking and floating windows. Desktop environments come with their own. For example: * GNOME comes with Mutter; * KDE, with Kwin. These are stacking window managers. You can however pick your own window manager, whether you are already on a desktop environment or not! Why would you want do so? Well, maybe you want to swap to a tiling window manager, which will give you: * more efficient use of screen space: not having to ALT+TAB through every hidden window; * more keyboard-centric actions (usually faster than with a mouse); * more performance and less pressure on system resources! They don't often play a major role in gaming, '''except when you choose the Wayland display server!''' In that case: they are better known as compositors, not to confuse with X11 compositors. ==== On desktop environments ==== First off: you may not have the cleanest experience. Window managers are usually built around their respective desktop environments. By changing the WM, you can end up with user interface discrepancies; but with some changes, plus obviously the functionality you're seeking out of a WM, you will feel right at home! Replacing the default window manager is non-trivial: '''it will be an hard task!''' Seek the instructions for your respective desktop environment. Here are some resources for [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/GNOME#Use_a_different_window_manager GNOME] and [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/KDE#Use_a_different_window_manager KDE]. Instead, you might want to go... ==== Outside desktop environments ==== This allows for the cleanest experience. For this, you will need a Linux distribution that allows you to choose your own window manager. Either one with a predefined set, or either one which lets you install what you want: the latter will demand more time and effort. Just look at the recommendations section, later on. Don't worry about other applications like file managers and internet browsers: most major distributions will include these along with the window manager of your choice. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or GNOME. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a ''&quot;stable&quot;'' distribution because ''&quot;stable&quot;'' usually means ''&quot;old&quot;''. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, Red Hat employee best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://pop.system76.com/ Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://fedoraproject.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with GNOME, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base system and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you don't configure your system enough, it will probably be worse than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. Contrary to popular belief, installing Arch is not too hard if you follow carefully the installation guide; it's even simpler with the provided archinstall script, although "''it's not the recommended way''". It will take long though. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the friendly wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. Make sure to tell everyone [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/btw-i-use-arch you use Arch btw]. |- |[https://www.gentoo.org/ Gentoo] |Gentoo Linux is a source-based ''meta''distribution; it means it comes raw and with nothing, just like Arch, but is also ''the'' best when it comes to performance, as it allows you to compile all programs specifically configured for your own setup! BUT, it makes it a double-edged sword! Not only are the performance gains not massive; it also means it will take quite longer to install and update software! Thankfully, you don't have to compile huge software like web browsers (or even the kernel, though you will lose the benefits). Adding to that, it is notorious for being hard to install, although it's as hard or even easier to install than Arch Linux as long as you follow the installation guide. It will take extremely long though: count more than two hours of setting things up! Gentoo also has the benefits of supporting nearly every architecture there is, including ARM. Do note that, just like Arch, if you don't configure much (including compiler flags!!), you will probably end up with no better, or worse, than other distros, considering you also rarely get grand performance gains! |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable. Such issues are listed [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here], and include: * compatibility issues with Arch User Repository (AUR) packages; * development team rushed Asahi Linux (Linux on Apple Silicon) support, shipping potentially broken kernels to Manjaro users; * its package manager took down the AUR twice: first time for all users, second time for Manjaro users; * development team forgot to renew SSL certificates five times in the past; You should instead consider EndeavourOS, or Arch Linux using archinstall, if you want an installer-driven experience. |- |[https://www.debian.org/ Debian] |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |Linux From Scratch (LFS) | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. But generally, you would open your software store (or whatever it is called), and search for the program you want to install, click ''"update"'', or whatever else. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. 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If this ends up not being efficient enough, more countermeasures will be used (such as E-mail verification). New page creation and existing page editing is limited to registered users only.}} Welcome to the Linux Gaming wiki! We seek to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. We were previously located at the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/index/ Linux Gaming subreddit wiki]. Feel free to contribute! We need it for this wiki to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. === Tweaking === *[[Troubleshooting]] - What to do if your game just won't work. *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies. *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. *[[Dual GPU]] - How to get the game running on the correct GPU. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Monitoring & Stresstesting]] - How to test that your tweaked system is still stable === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Visual Enhancement]] - Enhancing the visuals of a game. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! *[[Graphical tools]] - Programs that no one tells you about, but that you might like if you don't want to use the terminal == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[http://www.gamersonlinux.com/ GamersOnLinux] - Linux gaming community forum *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[https://happypenguin.altervista.org/index.php Happy Penguin - The Linux Game Tome] *[http://www.gamingonlinux.info/ Gaming On Linux] - another database *[http://www.lebottindesjeuxlinux.tuxfamily.org/en/home-en/ The Linux Game Book] - French and English database *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.zoom-platform.com/ Zoom Platform] - DRM-free retro games. *[https://gamejolt.com/games?os=linux GameJolt] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[https://linuxgamenews.com/ Linux Game News] *[https://playingtux.com/?lang=en Playing Tux] *[https://www.linux-games.com/ Linux-Games] *[https://linuxgameconsortium.com/ Linux Game Consortium] *[https://www.linuxgamingportal.com/ Linux Gaming Portal] *[https://www.codingcommanders.com/linux-gaming/ Coding Commanders - Linux Game Blog] *[https://zerker.ca/home/tag/linuxunix.html Zerk Zone - Retro Linux Games] *[https://web.archive.org/web/19990302090332/http://www.spinne.com:80/x/games/ X11 Games] Historical Linux Gaming Sites *[https://web.archive.org/web/20210419173711/https://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] (2012-2021) *[https://linuxgamingnews.org/ Linux Gaming News] (2009-2018) *[http://linuxgames.me/ Linux Games] (2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20191213112019/https://www.liflg.org/ linux installers for linux gamers] (2004-2019; moved to GitHub) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160505015216/http://ubuntugames.org/ Ubuntu Games] (2012-2016; Portuguese) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160604150745/http://www.lgdb.org/games Linux Game Database] (2010-2019) *[http://icculus.org/lgfaq/ Linux Gamers' FAQ] (last updated 2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20090302095738/http://www.linuxgamingworld.com/ Linux Gaming World] (2006-2009) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140217234002/http://www.linux-gamers.net/ linuXgamers.net] (2003-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20150726203906/http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] (1998-2015) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140214112327/http://www.tuxgames.com/ Tux Games] (2000-2014) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20130402151010/http://happypenguin.org/ The Linux Game Tome] (1995-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040109114819/http://www.linuxgaming.net:80/index.php LinuxGaming] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040925062326/http://www.tuxgamer.com:80/ Tux Gamer] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080119000310/http://lgdc.sunsite.dk/ Linux Game Development Centre] (2000-2002) Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a distribution agnostic package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. *[https://github.com/mikeroyal/Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide/blob/main/README.md Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide] - in depth tutorial on how to configure Ubuntu. Also contains a gaming section, that might also be relevant for other distributions. *[https://indiegamereviewer.com/category/platforms/linux/ Inde Game Reviewer - Linux] == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. 0660ad20eaf2006390eddac59d04cc0d3fb39282 2134 2133 2023-07-06T02:42:13Z Technopeasant 984 /* External Links */ *[https://web.archive.org/web/19990302090332/http://www.spinne.com:80/x/games/ X11 Games] (1997-1998) wikitext text/x-wiki {{Warning|Problem='''Information''': Wiki account creation is restored with hCaptcha to prevent further spam. If this ends up not being efficient enough, more countermeasures will be used (such as E-mail verification). New page creation and existing page editing is limited to registered users only.}} Welcome to the Linux Gaming wiki! We seek to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. We were previously located at the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/index/ Linux Gaming subreddit wiki]. Feel free to contribute! We need it for this wiki to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. === Tweaking === *[[Troubleshooting]] - What to do if your game just won't work. *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies. *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. *[[Dual GPU]] - How to get the game running on the correct GPU. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Monitoring & Stresstesting]] - How to test that your tweaked system is still stable === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Visual Enhancement]] - Enhancing the visuals of a game. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! *[[Graphical tools]] - Programs that no one tells you about, but that you might like if you don't want to use the terminal == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[http://www.gamersonlinux.com/ GamersOnLinux] - Linux gaming community forum *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[https://happypenguin.altervista.org/index.php Happy Penguin - The Linux Game Tome] *[http://www.gamingonlinux.info/ Gaming On Linux] - another database *[http://www.lebottindesjeuxlinux.tuxfamily.org/en/home-en/ The Linux Game Book] - French and English database *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.zoom-platform.com/ Zoom Platform] - DRM-free retro games. *[https://gamejolt.com/games?os=linux GameJolt] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[https://linuxgamenews.com/ Linux Game News] *[https://playingtux.com/?lang=en Playing Tux] *[https://www.linux-games.com/ Linux-Games] *[https://linuxgameconsortium.com/ Linux Game Consortium] *[https://www.linuxgamingportal.com/ Linux Gaming Portal] *[https://www.codingcommanders.com/linux-gaming/ Coding Commanders - Linux Game Blog] *[https://zerker.ca/home/tag/linuxunix.html Zerk Zone - Retro Linux Games] Historical Linux Gaming Sites *[https://web.archive.org/web/20210419173711/https://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] (2012-2021) *[https://linuxgamingnews.org/ Linux Gaming News] (2009-2018) *[http://linuxgames.me/ Linux Games] (2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20191213112019/https://www.liflg.org/ linux installers for linux gamers] (2004-2019; moved to GitHub) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160505015216/http://ubuntugames.org/ Ubuntu Games] (2012-2016; Portuguese) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160604150745/http://www.lgdb.org/games Linux Game Database] (2010-2019) *[http://icculus.org/lgfaq/ Linux Gamers' FAQ] (last updated 2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20090302095738/http://www.linuxgamingworld.com/ Linux Gaming World] (2006-2009) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140217234002/http://www.linux-gamers.net/ linuXgamers.net] (2003-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20150726203906/http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] (1998-2015) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140214112327/http://www.tuxgames.com/ Tux Games] (2000-2014) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20130402151010/http://happypenguin.org/ The Linux Game Tome] (1995-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040109114819/http://www.linuxgaming.net:80/index.php LinuxGaming] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040925062326/http://www.tuxgamer.com:80/ Tux Gamer] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080119000310/http://lgdc.sunsite.dk/ Linux Game Development Centre] (2000-2002) *[https://web.archive.org/web/19990302090332/http://www.spinne.com:80/x/games/ X11 Games] (1997-1998) Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a distribution agnostic package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. *[https://github.com/mikeroyal/Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide/blob/main/README.md Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide] - in depth tutorial on how to configure Ubuntu. Also contains a gaming section, that might also be relevant for other distributions. *[https://indiegamereviewer.com/category/platforms/linux/ Inde Game Reviewer - Linux] == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. b455bc23cb0819cfa8ae2f6b7fc69cd2c4a0001d 2136 2134 2023-07-13T22:25:11Z Aragorn 3 /* Other */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{Warning|Problem='''Information''': Wiki account creation is restored with hCaptcha to prevent further spam. If this ends up not being efficient enough, more countermeasures will be used (such as E-mail verification). New page creation and existing page editing is limited to registered users only.}} Welcome to the Linux Gaming wiki! We seek to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. We were previously located at the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/index/ Linux Gaming subreddit wiki]. Feel free to contribute! We need it for this wiki to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. === Tweaking === *[[Troubleshooting]] - What to do if your game just won't work. *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies. *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. *[[Dual GPU]] - How to get the game running on the correct GPU. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Monitoring & Stresstesting]] - How to test that your tweaked system is still stable === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Visual Enhancement]] - Enhancing the visuals of a game. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! *[[Window Manager]] - The thing that you use to move windows around on your screen *[[Graphical tools]] - Programs that no one tells you about, but that you might like if you don't want to use the terminal == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[http://www.gamersonlinux.com/ GamersOnLinux] - Linux gaming community forum *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[https://happypenguin.altervista.org/index.php Happy Penguin - The Linux Game Tome] *[http://www.gamingonlinux.info/ Gaming On Linux] - another database *[http://www.lebottindesjeuxlinux.tuxfamily.org/en/home-en/ The Linux Game Book] - French and English database *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.zoom-platform.com/ Zoom Platform] - DRM-free retro games. *[https://gamejolt.com/games?os=linux GameJolt] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[https://linuxgamenews.com/ Linux Game News] *[https://playingtux.com/?lang=en Playing Tux] *[https://www.linux-games.com/ Linux-Games] *[https://linuxgameconsortium.com/ Linux Game Consortium] *[https://www.linuxgamingportal.com/ Linux Gaming Portal] *[https://www.codingcommanders.com/linux-gaming/ Coding Commanders - Linux Game Blog] *[https://zerker.ca/home/tag/linuxunix.html Zerk Zone - Retro Linux Games] Historical Linux Gaming Sites *[https://web.archive.org/web/20210419173711/https://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] (2012-2021) *[https://linuxgamingnews.org/ Linux Gaming News] (2009-2018) *[http://linuxgames.me/ Linux Games] (2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20191213112019/https://www.liflg.org/ linux installers for linux gamers] (2004-2019; moved to GitHub) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160505015216/http://ubuntugames.org/ Ubuntu Games] (2012-2016; Portuguese) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160604150745/http://www.lgdb.org/games Linux Game Database] (2010-2019) *[http://icculus.org/lgfaq/ Linux Gamers' FAQ] (last updated 2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20090302095738/http://www.linuxgamingworld.com/ Linux Gaming World] (2006-2009) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140217234002/http://www.linux-gamers.net/ linuXgamers.net] (2003-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20150726203906/http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] (1998-2015) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140214112327/http://www.tuxgames.com/ Tux Games] (2000-2014) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20130402151010/http://happypenguin.org/ The Linux Game Tome] (1995-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040109114819/http://www.linuxgaming.net:80/index.php LinuxGaming] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040925062326/http://www.tuxgamer.com:80/ Tux Gamer] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080119000310/http://lgdc.sunsite.dk/ Linux Game Development Centre] (2000-2002) *[https://web.archive.org/web/19990302090332/http://www.spinne.com:80/x/games/ X11 Games] (1997-1998) Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a distribution agnostic package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. *[https://github.com/mikeroyal/Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide/blob/main/README.md Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide] - in depth tutorial on how to configure Ubuntu. Also contains a gaming section, that might also be relevant for other distributions. *[https://indiegamereviewer.com/category/platforms/linux/ Inde Game Reviewer - Linux] == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. d5c50e1ee034c28a7a678a0e4c25f481d9b294b3 0 2 2135 2081 2023-07-13T22:23:19Z Aragorn 3 /* Recommendations */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **You don't need to worry about this. All of them are fine. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, GNOME, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and GNOME are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from GNOME. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. Windows 10 and 11 look a lot like default KDE. But if you don't like that, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. It also has a lot of nice-to-have features that make your life easier |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |GNOME |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing GNOME often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. There is currently '''no support for Variable Refresh Rate''' (VRR) on Wayland. It might not come anytime soon: last discussion dates back to end of April<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/mutter/-/merge_requests/1154#note_1732344</ref>. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on GNOME, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |You cannot disable the compositor on X11, which makes it bad for gaming. | | | |} === Window Managers === Window managers (short ''WM'') are the cool guys that arrange your different windows on the screen. There are three types of window managers: * Stacking window manager: windows can stack on top of each other, like pieces of paper on a desk and just like on default Windows and macOS; also known as floating window managers. * Tiling window manager: “tiles” the windows so that none of them overlap and are visible at all times. * Dynamic window manager: can have both stacking and floating windows. Desktop environments come with their own. For example: * GNOME comes with Mutter; * KDE, with Kwin. These are stacking window managers. You can however pick your own window manager, whether you are already on a desktop environment or not! Why would you want do so? Well, maybe you want to swap to a tiling window manager, which will give you: * more efficient use of screen space: not having to ALT+TAB through every hidden window; * more keyboard-centric actions (usually faster than with a mouse); * more performance and less pressure on system resources! They don't often play a major role in gaming, '''except when you choose the Wayland display server!''' In that case: they are better known as compositors, not to confuse with X11 compositors. ==== On desktop environments ==== First off: you may not have the cleanest experience. Window managers are usually built around their respective desktop environments. By changing the WM, you can end up with user interface discrepancies; but with some changes, plus obviously the functionality you're seeking out of a WM, you will feel right at home! Replacing the default window manager is non-trivial: '''it will be an hard task!''' Seek the instructions for your respective desktop environment. Here are some resources for [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/GNOME#Use_a_different_window_manager GNOME] and [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/KDE#Use_a_different_window_manager KDE]. Instead, you might want to go... ==== Outside desktop environments ==== This allows for the cleanest experience. For this, you will need a Linux distribution that allows you to choose your own window manager. Either one with a predefined set, or either one which lets you install what you want: the latter will demand more time and effort. Just look at the recommendations section, later on. Don't worry about other applications like file managers and internet browsers: most major distributions will include these along with the window manager of your choice. === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or GNOME. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a ''&quot;stable&quot;'' distribution because ''&quot;stable&quot;'' usually means ''&quot;old&quot;''. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, Red Hat employee best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://pop.system76.com/ Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://fedoraproject.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with GNOME, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base system and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you don't configure your system enough, it will probably be worse than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. Contrary to popular belief, installing Arch is not too hard if you follow carefully the installation guide; it's even simpler with the provided archinstall script, although "''it's not the recommended way''". It will take long though. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the friendly wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. Make sure to tell everyone [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/btw-i-use-arch you use Arch btw]. |- |[https://www.gentoo.org/ Gentoo] |Gentoo Linux is a source-based ''meta''distribution; it means it comes raw and with nothing, just like Arch, but is also ''the'' best when it comes to performance, as it allows you to compile all programs specifically configured for your own setup! BUT, it makes it a double-edged sword! Not only are the performance gains not massive; it also means it will take quite longer to install and update software! Thankfully, you don't have to compile huge software like web browsers (or even the kernel, though you will lose the benefits). Adding to that, it is notorious for being hard to install, although it's as hard or even easier to install than Arch Linux as long as you follow the installation guide. It will take extremely long though: count more than two hours of setting things up! Gentoo also has the benefits of supporting nearly every architecture there is, including ARM. Do note that, just like Arch, if you don't configure much (including compiler flags!!), you will probably end up with no better, or worse, than other distros, considering you also rarely get grand performance gains! |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable. Such issues are listed [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here], and include: * compatibility issues with Arch User Repository (AUR) packages; * development team rushed Asahi Linux (Linux on Apple Silicon) support, shipping potentially broken kernels to Manjaro users; * its package manager took down the AUR twice: first time for all users, second time for Manjaro users; * development team forgot to renew SSL certificates five times in the past; You should instead consider EndeavourOS, or Arch Linux using archinstall, if you want an installer-driven experience. |- |[https://www.debian.org/ Debian] |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |HoloISO |Unofficial Desktop-Version of SteamOS 3, as it's available on the Steam Deck. This might sound like a good idea, but it appears to be abandoned, is not easy to install, and doesn't work properly. |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |Linux From Scratch (LFS) | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. But generally, you would open your software store (or whatever it is called), and search for the program you want to install, click ''"update"'', or whatever else. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. == References == <references /> 9d3ca0d88d8e59e54404b0d8e3c575343df2b5e2 2138 2135 2023-07-13T22:31:02Z Aragorn 3 Move section on window managers, as it's not important for most new users wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **You don't need to worry about this. All of them are fine. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, GNOME, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and GNOME are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from GNOME. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. Windows 10 and 11 look a lot like default KDE. But if you don't like that, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. It also has a lot of nice-to-have features that make your life easier |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |GNOME |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing GNOME often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. There is currently '''no support for Variable Refresh Rate''' (VRR) on Wayland. It might not come anytime soon: last discussion dates back to end of April<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/mutter/-/merge_requests/1154#note_1732344</ref>. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on GNOME, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |You cannot disable the compositor on X11, which makes it bad for gaming. | | | |} === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or GNOME. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a ''&quot;stable&quot;'' distribution because ''&quot;stable&quot;'' usually means ''&quot;old&quot;''. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, Red Hat employee best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://pop.system76.com/ Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://fedoraproject.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with GNOME, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base system and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you don't configure your system enough, it will probably be worse than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. Contrary to popular belief, installing Arch is not too hard if you follow carefully the installation guide; it's even simpler with the provided archinstall script, although "''it's not the recommended way''". It will take long though. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the friendly wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. Make sure to tell everyone [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/btw-i-use-arch you use Arch btw]. |- |[https://www.gentoo.org/ Gentoo] |Gentoo Linux is a source-based ''meta''distribution; it means it comes raw and with nothing, just like Arch, but is also ''the'' best when it comes to performance, as it allows you to compile all programs specifically configured for your own setup! BUT, it makes it a double-edged sword! Not only are the performance gains not massive; it also means it will take quite longer to install and update software! Thankfully, you don't have to compile huge software like web browsers (or even the kernel, though you will lose the benefits). Adding to that, it is notorious for being hard to install, although it's as hard or even easier to install than Arch Linux as long as you follow the installation guide. It will take extremely long though: count more than two hours of setting things up! Gentoo also has the benefits of supporting nearly every architecture there is, including ARM. Do note that, just like Arch, if you don't configure much (including compiler flags!!), you will probably end up with no better, or worse, than other distros, considering you also rarely get grand performance gains! |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable. Such issues are listed [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here], and include: * compatibility issues with Arch User Repository (AUR) packages; * development team rushed Asahi Linux (Linux on Apple Silicon) support, shipping potentially broken kernels to Manjaro users; * its package manager took down the AUR twice: first time for all users, second time for Manjaro users; * development team forgot to renew SSL certificates five times in the past; You should instead consider EndeavourOS, or Arch Linux using archinstall, if you want an installer-driven experience. |- |[https://www.debian.org/ Debian] |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |HoloISO |Unofficial Desktop-Version of SteamOS 3, as it's available on the Steam Deck. This might sound like a good idea, but it appears to be abandoned, is not easy to install, and doesn't work properly. |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |Linux From Scratch (LFS) | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. === Window Managers === If you really want, you can also use a specific window manager. If you ever saw ''really cool'' looking images of Linux desktops, that's ''probably'' a standalone window manager. This is not something you have to do, and if you don't want to spend '''''a lot''''' of time on customization, just skip this. However, if you really want to dive deep, [[Window Manager|click here]]. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. But generally, you would open your software store (or whatever it is called), and search for the program you want to install, click ''"update"'', or whatever else. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. == References == <references /> 2ed095cd626340f9a30e73fb97d8c0f909e47f4c 0 674 2137 2023-07-13T22:28:33Z Aragorn 3 Move section on window managers, as it's not important for most new users wikitext text/x-wiki Window managers (short ''WM'') are the cool guys that arrange your different windows on the screen. There are three types of window managers: *Stacking window manager: windows can stack on top of each other, like pieces of paper on a desk and just like on default Windows and macOS; also known as floating window managers. *Tiling window manager: “tiles” the windows so that none of them overlap and are visible at all times. *Dynamic window manager: can have both stacking and floating windows. Desktop environments come with their own. For example: *GNOME comes with Mutter; *KDE, with Kwin. These are stacking window managers. You can however pick your own window manager, whether you are already on a desktop environment or not! Why would you want do so? Well, maybe you want to swap to a tiling window manager, which will give you: *more efficient use of screen space: not having to ALT+TAB through every hidden window; *more keyboard-centric actions (usually faster than with a mouse); *more performance and less pressure on system resources! They don't often play a major role in gaming, '''except when you choose the Wayland display server!''' In that case: they are better known as compositors, not to confuse with X11 compositors. ====On desktop environments==== First off: you may not have the cleanest experience. Window managers are usually built around their respective desktop environments. By changing the WM, you can end up with user interface discrepancies; but with some changes, plus obviously the functionality you're seeking out of a WM, you will feel right at home! Replacing the default window manager is non-trivial: '''it will be an hard task!''' Seek the instructions for your respective desktop environment. Here are some resources for [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/GNOME#Use_a_different_window_manager GNOME] and [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/KDE#Use_a_different_window_manager KDE]. Instead, you might want to go... ====Outside desktop environments==== This allows for the cleanest experience. For this, you will need a Linux distribution that allows you to choose your own window manager. Either one with a predefined set, or either one which lets you install what you want: the latter will demand more time and effort. Just look at the recommendations section, later on. Don't worry about other applications like file managers and internet browsers: most major distributions will include these along with the window manager of your choice. bbf535e83201a85278d7923980cd3b0b0d05cb3d 2139 2137 2023-07-13T22:34:36Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Window managers (short ''WM'') are the cool guys that arrange your different windows on the screen. There are three types of window managers: *Stacking window manager: windows can stack on top of each other, like pieces of paper on a desk and just like on default Windows and macOS; also known as floating window managers. *Tiling window manager: “tiles” the windows so that none of them overlap and are visible at all times. *Dynamic window manager: can have both stacking and floating windows. Desktop environments come with their own. For example: *GNOME comes with Mutter; *KDE, with Kwin. These are stacking window managers. You can however pick your own window manager, whether you are already on a desktop environment or not! Why would you want do so? Well, maybe you want to swap to a tiling window manager, which will give you: *more efficient use of screen space: not having to ALT+TAB through every hidden window; *more keyboard-centric actions (usually faster than with a mouse); *more performance and less pressure on system resources! They don't often play a major role in gaming, '''except when you choose the Wayland display server!''' In that case: they are better known as compositors, not to confuse with X11 compositors. ====On desktop environments==== First off: you may not have the cleanest experience. Window managers are usually built around their respective desktop environments. By changing the WM, you can end up with user interface discrepancies; but with some changes, plus obviously the functionality you're seeking out of a WM, you will feel right at home! Replacing the default window manager is non-trivial: '''it will be an hard task!''' Seek the instructions for your respective desktop environment. Here are some resources for [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/GNOME#Use_a_different_window_manager GNOME] and [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/KDE#Use_a_different_window_manager KDE]. Instead, you might want to go... ====Outside desktop environments==== This allows for the cleanest experience. For this, you will need a Linux distribution that allows you to choose your own window manager. Either one with a predefined set, or either one which lets you install what you want: the latter will demand more time and effort. Just look at the recommendations section, later on. Don't worry about other applications like file managers and internet browsers: most major distributions will include these along with the window manager of your choice. == Important Note == Not all programs are optimized to be run in a standalone window manager. This can result in unusable programs. Even though these problems can be fixed, you still need to know how. On top of that, they don't come with any programs preinstalled. You need to know what you want to use. If you do not use a common desktop environment, this might seriously harm your experience. If you just want something that works, go with KDE or Gnome. If you also want customization, use KDE. 8275c06e22141b75d61a30c843294e73e6c218e8 0 674 2140 2139 2023-07-13T22:38:03Z Aragorn 3 /* Important Note */ wikitext text/x-wiki Window managers (short ''WM'') are the cool guys that arrange your different windows on the screen. There are three types of window managers: *Stacking window manager: windows can stack on top of each other, like pieces of paper on a desk and just like on default Windows and macOS; also known as floating window managers. *Tiling window manager: “tiles” the windows so that none of them overlap and are visible at all times. *Dynamic window manager: can have both stacking and floating windows. Desktop environments come with their own. For example: *GNOME comes with Mutter; *KDE, with Kwin. These are stacking window managers. You can however pick your own window manager, whether you are already on a desktop environment or not! Why would you want do so? Well, maybe you want to swap to a tiling window manager, which will give you: *more efficient use of screen space: not having to ALT+TAB through every hidden window; *more keyboard-centric actions (usually faster than with a mouse); *more performance and less pressure on system resources! They don't often play a major role in gaming, '''except when you choose the Wayland display server!''' In that case: they are better known as compositors, not to confuse with X11 compositors. ====On desktop environments==== First off: you may not have the cleanest experience. Window managers are usually built around their respective desktop environments. By changing the WM, you can end up with user interface discrepancies; but with some changes, plus obviously the functionality you're seeking out of a WM, you will feel right at home! Replacing the default window manager is non-trivial: '''it will be an hard task!''' Seek the instructions for your respective desktop environment. Here are some resources for [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/GNOME#Use_a_different_window_manager GNOME] and [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/KDE#Use_a_different_window_manager KDE]. Instead, you might want to go... ====Outside desktop environments==== This allows for the cleanest experience. For this, you will need a Linux distribution that allows you to choose your own window manager. Either one with a predefined set, or either one which lets you install what you want: the latter will demand more time and effort. Just look at the recommendations section, later on. Don't worry about other applications like file managers and internet browsers: most major distributions will include these along with the window manager of your choice. == Important Note == Not all programs are optimized to be run in a standalone window manager. This can result in unusable programs. Even though these problems can be fixed, you still need to know how. On top of that, they don't come with any programs preinstalled. You need to know what you want to use. If you do not use a common desktop environment, this might seriously harm your experience. If you just want something that works, use a [[Desktop Environment|desktop environment]], for example KDE or Gnome. 87ac86f0948438bdbd32c986bbe75b4f7444f68b 2147 2140 2023-07-28T23:28:29Z Kkiot 582 Remove confusing sentence as article got moved. wikitext text/x-wiki Window managers (short ''WM'') are the cool guys that arrange your different windows on the screen. There are three types of window managers: *Stacking window manager: windows can stack on top of each other, like pieces of paper on a desk and just like on default Windows and macOS; also known as floating window managers. *Tiling window manager: “tiles” the windows so that none of them overlap and are visible at all times. *Dynamic window manager: can have both stacking and floating windows. Desktop environments come with their own. For example: *GNOME comes with Mutter; *KDE, with Kwin. These are stacking window managers. You can however pick your own window manager, whether you are already on a desktop environment or not! Why would you want do so? Well, maybe you want to swap to a tiling window manager, which will give you: *more efficient use of screen space: not having to ALT+TAB through every hidden window; *more keyboard-centric actions (usually faster than with a mouse); *more performance and less pressure on system resources! They don't often play a major role in gaming, '''except when you choose the Wayland display server!''' In that case: they are better known as compositors, not to confuse with X11 compositors. ====On desktop environments==== First off: you may not have the cleanest experience. Window managers are usually built around their respective desktop environments. By changing the WM, you can end up with user interface discrepancies; but with some changes, plus obviously the functionality you're seeking out of a WM, you will feel right at home! Replacing the default window manager is non-trivial: '''it will be an hard task!''' Seek the instructions for your respective desktop environment. Here are some resources for [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/GNOME#Use_a_different_window_manager GNOME] and [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/KDE#Use_a_different_window_manager KDE]. Instead, you might want to go... ====Outside desktop environments==== This allows for the cleanest experience. For this, you will need a Linux distribution that allows you to choose your own window manager. Either one with a predefined set, or either one which lets you install what you want: the latter will demand more time and effort. Don't worry about other applications like file managers and internet browsers: most major distributions will include these along with the window manager of your choice. == Important Note == Not all programs are optimized to be run in a standalone window manager. This can result in unusable programs. Even though these problems can be fixed, you still need to know how. On top of that, they don't come with any programs preinstalled. You need to know what you want to use. If you do not use a common desktop environment, this might seriously harm your experience. If you just want something that works, use a [[Desktop Environment|desktop environment]], for example KDE or Gnome. 6bdfbc35a6e110fdf9874ff8a20925a94372e426 2148 2147 2023-07-28T23:29:40Z Kkiot 582 Make clear that out-of-DE apps can work standalone (replaced sentence). wikitext text/x-wiki Window managers (short ''WM'') are the cool guys that arrange your different windows on the screen. There are three types of window managers: *Stacking window manager: windows can stack on top of each other, like pieces of paper on a desk and just like on default Windows and macOS; also known as floating window managers. *Tiling window manager: “tiles” the windows so that none of them overlap and are visible at all times. *Dynamic window manager: can have both stacking and floating windows. Desktop environments come with their own. For example: *GNOME comes with Mutter; *KDE, with Kwin. These are stacking window managers. You can however pick your own window manager, whether you are already on a desktop environment or not! Why would you want do so? Well, maybe you want to swap to a tiling window manager, which will give you: *more efficient use of screen space: not having to ALT+TAB through every hidden window; *more keyboard-centric actions (usually faster than with a mouse); *more performance and less pressure on system resources! They don't often play a major role in gaming, '''except when you choose the Wayland display server!''' In that case: they are better known as compositors, not to confuse with X11 compositors. ====On desktop environments==== First off: you may not have the cleanest experience. Window managers are usually built around their respective desktop environments. By changing the WM, you can end up with user interface discrepancies; but with some changes, plus obviously the functionality you're seeking out of a WM, you will feel right at home! Replacing the default window manager is non-trivial: '''it will be an hard task!''' Seek the instructions for your respective desktop environment. Here are some resources for [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/GNOME#Use_a_different_window_manager GNOME] and [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/KDE#Use_a_different_window_manager KDE]. Instead, you might want to go... ====Outside desktop environments==== This allows for the cleanest experience. For this, you will need a Linux distribution that allows you to choose your own window manager. Either one with a predefined set, or either one which lets you install what you want: the latter will demand more time and effort. Don't worry about other applications like file managers and internet browsers: you can use any of them no matter which window manager you go with. == Important Note == Not all programs are optimized to be run in a standalone window manager. This can result in unusable programs. Even though these problems can be fixed, you still need to know how. On top of that, they don't come with any programs preinstalled. You need to know what you want to use. If you do not use a common desktop environment, this might seriously harm your experience. If you just want something that works, use a [[Desktop Environment|desktop environment]], for example KDE or Gnome. 0c14cf73019ebc8ff3fa71c970cb66f0d278b730 2149 2148 2023-07-28T23:32:18Z Kkiot 582 Merge /*Important Note*/ with Outside DEs third paragraph about program compatibility: better reading flow and no need for a whole separate section. wikitext text/x-wiki Window managers (short ''WM'') are the cool guys that arrange your different windows on the screen. There are three types of window managers: *Stacking window manager: windows can stack on top of each other, like pieces of paper on a desk and just like on default Windows and macOS; also known as floating window managers. *Tiling window manager: “tiles” the windows so that none of them overlap and are visible at all times. *Dynamic window manager: can have both stacking and floating windows. Desktop environments come with their own. For example: *GNOME comes with Mutter; *KDE, with Kwin. These are stacking window managers. You can however pick your own window manager, whether you are already on a desktop environment or not! Why would you want do so? Well, maybe you want to swap to a tiling window manager, which will give you: *more efficient use of screen space: not having to ALT+TAB through every hidden window; *more keyboard-centric actions (usually faster than with a mouse); *more performance and less pressure on system resources! They don't often play a major role in gaming, '''except when you choose the Wayland display server!''' In that case: they are better known as compositors, not to confuse with X11 compositors. ====On desktop environments==== First off: you may not have the cleanest experience. Window managers are usually built around their respective desktop environments. By changing the WM, you can end up with user interface discrepancies; but with some changes, plus obviously the functionality you're seeking out of a WM, you will feel right at home! Replacing the default window manager is non-trivial: '''it will be an hard task!''' Seek the instructions for your respective desktop environment. Here are some resources for [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/GNOME#Use_a_different_window_manager GNOME] and [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/KDE#Use_a_different_window_manager KDE]. Instead, you might want to go... ====Outside desktop environments==== This allows for the cleanest experience. For this, you will need a Linux distribution that allows you to choose your own window manager. Either one with a predefined set, or either one which lets you install what you want: the latter will demand more time and effort. About other applications like file managers and internet browsers: not all of them are optimized to be run in a standalone window manager. This can result in unusable programs. Even though these problems can be fixed, you still need to know how. On top of that, window managers don't come with any programs preinstalled. You need to know what you want to use. If you do not use a common desktop environment, this might seriously harm your experience. If you just want something that works, use a [[Desktop Environment|desktop environment]], for example KDE or Gnome. 83ef8e60a5dbc49bc0669fa51d77d56205ff93ad 0 2 2141 2138 2023-07-13T22:42:31Z Aragorn 3 /* Window Managers */ wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **You don't need to worry about this. All of them are fine. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, GNOME, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and GNOME are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from GNOME. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. Windows 10 and 11 look a lot like default KDE. But if you don't like that, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. It also has a lot of nice-to-have features that make your life easier |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |GNOME |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing GNOME often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. There is currently '''no support for Variable Refresh Rate''' (VRR) on Wayland. It might not come anytime soon: last discussion dates back to end of April<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/mutter/-/merge_requests/1154#note_1732344</ref>. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on GNOME, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |You cannot disable the compositor on X11, which makes it bad for gaming. | | | |} === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or GNOME. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a ''&quot;stable&quot;'' distribution because ''&quot;stable&quot;'' usually means ''&quot;old&quot;''. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, Red Hat employee best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://pop.system76.com/ Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://fedoraproject.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with GNOME, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base system and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you don't configure your system enough, it will probably be worse than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. Contrary to popular belief, installing Arch is not too hard if you follow carefully the installation guide; it's even simpler with the provided archinstall script, although "''it's not the recommended way''". It will take long though. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the friendly wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. Make sure to tell everyone [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/btw-i-use-arch you use Arch btw]. |- |[https://www.gentoo.org/ Gentoo] |Gentoo Linux is a source-based ''meta''distribution; it means it comes raw and with nothing, just like Arch, but is also ''the'' best when it comes to performance, as it allows you to compile all programs specifically configured for your own setup! BUT, it makes it a double-edged sword! Not only are the performance gains not massive; it also means it will take quite longer to install and update software! Thankfully, you don't have to compile huge software like web browsers (or even the kernel, though you will lose the benefits). Adding to that, it is notorious for being hard to install, although it's as hard or even easier to install than Arch Linux as long as you follow the installation guide. It will take extremely long though: count more than two hours of setting things up! Gentoo also has the benefits of supporting nearly every architecture there is, including ARM. Do note that, just like Arch, if you don't configure much (including compiler flags!!), you will probably end up with no better, or worse, than other distros, considering you also rarely get grand performance gains! |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable. Such issues are listed [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here], and include: * compatibility issues with Arch User Repository (AUR) packages; * development team rushed Asahi Linux (Linux on Apple Silicon) support, shipping potentially broken kernels to Manjaro users; * its package manager took down the AUR twice: first time for all users, second time for Manjaro users; * development team forgot to renew SSL certificates five times in the past; You should instead consider EndeavourOS, or Arch Linux using archinstall, if you want an installer-driven experience. |- |[https://www.debian.org/ Debian] |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |HoloISO |Unofficial Desktop-Version of SteamOS 3, as it's available on the Steam Deck. This might sound like a good idea, but it appears to be abandoned, is not easy to install, and doesn't work properly. |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |Linux From Scratch (LFS) | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. === Window Managers === Window managers have the job of moving windows. They do things like the title bar, and the border around windows. If you really want, you can choose which window manager you want to use. You can even choose, to not use a desktop environment, and just use a standalone window manager. If you ever saw ''really cool'' looking images of Linux desktops, that's ''probably'' a standalone window manager. This is not something you have to do, and if you don't want to spend '''''a lot''''' of time on customization, just skip this. However, if you really want to dive deep, [[Window Manager|click here]]. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. But generally, you would open your software store (or whatever it is called), and search for the program you want to install, click ''"update"'', or whatever else. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. == References == <references /> e89767b949150cc94382337065170243838b7a2a 2182 2141 2023-08-25T19:21:39Z Kkiot 582 /* Desktop Environments */ GNOME: remove Wayland VRR warning: Mutter possibly supports it now. wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **You don't need to worry about this. All of them are fine. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, GNOME, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and GNOME are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from GNOME. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. Windows 10 and 11 look a lot like default KDE. But if you don't like that, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. It also has a lot of nice-to-have features that make your life easier |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |GNOME |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara Official does this, for example). Customizing GNOME often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on GNOME, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |You cannot disable the compositor on X11, which makes it bad for gaming. | | | |} === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or GNOME. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a ''&quot;stable&quot;'' distribution because ''&quot;stable&quot;'' usually means ''&quot;old&quot;''. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (GNOME with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, Red Hat employee best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://pop.system76.com/ Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://fedoraproject.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with GNOME, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base system and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you don't configure your system enough, it will probably be worse than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. Contrary to popular belief, installing Arch is not too hard if you follow carefully the installation guide; it's even simpler with the provided archinstall script, although "''it's not the recommended way''". It will take long though. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the friendly wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. Make sure to tell everyone [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/btw-i-use-arch you use Arch btw]. |- |[https://www.gentoo.org/ Gentoo] |Gentoo Linux is a source-based ''meta''distribution; it means it comes raw and with nothing, just like Arch, but is also ''the'' best when it comes to performance, as it allows you to compile all programs specifically configured for your own setup! BUT, it makes it a double-edged sword! Not only are the performance gains not massive; it also means it will take quite longer to install and update software! Thankfully, you don't have to compile huge software like web browsers (or even the kernel, though you will lose the benefits). Adding to that, it is notorious for being hard to install, although it's as hard or even easier to install than Arch Linux as long as you follow the installation guide. It will take extremely long though: count more than two hours of setting things up! Gentoo also has the benefits of supporting nearly every architecture there is, including ARM. Do note that, just like Arch, if you don't configure much (including compiler flags!!), you will probably end up with no better, or worse, than other distros, considering you also rarely get grand performance gains! |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable. Such issues are listed [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here], and include: * compatibility issues with Arch User Repository (AUR) packages; * development team rushed Asahi Linux (Linux on Apple Silicon) support, shipping potentially broken kernels to Manjaro users; * its package manager took down the AUR twice: first time for all users, second time for Manjaro users; * development team forgot to renew SSL certificates five times in the past; You should instead consider EndeavourOS, or Arch Linux using archinstall, if you want an installer-driven experience. |- |[https://www.debian.org/ Debian] |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |HoloISO |Unofficial Desktop-Version of SteamOS 3, as it's available on the Steam Deck. This might sound like a good idea, but it appears to be abandoned, is not easy to install, and doesn't work properly. |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |Linux From Scratch (LFS) | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. === Window Managers === Window managers have the job of moving windows. They do things like the title bar, and the border around windows. If you really want, you can choose which window manager you want to use. You can even choose, to not use a desktop environment, and just use a standalone window manager. If you ever saw ''really cool'' looking images of Linux desktops, that's ''probably'' a standalone window manager. This is not something you have to do, and if you don't want to spend '''''a lot''''' of time on customization, just skip this. However, if you really want to dive deep, [[Window Manager|click here]]. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. But generally, you would open your software store (or whatever it is called), and search for the program you want to install, click ''"update"'', or whatever else. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. == References == <references /> b62f91ef47d520892ed2736ce115847611b4a583 0 34 2142 1356 2023-07-13T22:55:06Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki It is recommended to read the [[Getting started with Linux|long version]], but you should be fine if you just do the following:<ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect, ''especially'' if you consider yourself a power user. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. Your knowledge of regedit and powershell is useless, you will not be able to troubleshoot issues the way you're used to, and your favorite software to do something might not be available. Think of it like being dropped back to level 1 in an MMO. It's like that. There will be issues, and you will have no clue what to do. Imagine installing Windows and your performance being bad. You obviously would install the GPU drivers. Now imagine you would use Windows for the first time, and you have to figure out what the fuck is wrong. Be prepared for this. It will happen, and it will happen more than once. The good thing is, that you will learn everything much faster than someone who has no previous knowledge. But keep in mind that you have years of experience with Windows, and absolutely no knowledge of how to use Linux. Don't expect to know how to do everything, and be prepared to put time and effort into learning stuff. You will probably think that Linux is more complicated than Windows, just keep going, and you'll get to the point where you'll think the opposite. But it will take time. <li>Don't immediately remove Windows, try dual booting, or try installing Linux on a laptop first. Give yourself some time to adapt. The beginning will probably not be easy. It's always good to have a fallback if things don't work as expected. You can remove Windows later, if you're sure that you don't need a backup solution. </li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have [[Hardware Recommendations|supported hardware]]. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle, or without bugs. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working on Steam. You can find other games on [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org]. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use [https://nobaraproject.org/download-nobara/ Nobara]. It will make less problems, and gives you better performance than most other distributions. *Use the Official or Gnome version if you are confused with lots of options, and you want something easy that just works. * Use the KDE Plasma version if you want many options, customization, a little bit less input lag, and you can live with that it's a little bit more complicated. <li>Depending on your computer, it might be necessary to disable ''"secure boot"''. That might sound scary, but fear not. Your system doesn't get insecure if you disable it. Secure boot is a technique that secures that only systems signed by Microsoft can be booted. Since most Linux distributions are not made by Microsoft, they're also not signed by them. </li> <li>Use Steam for running games that are on Steam. Most games will work ''just like that'', after [[Steam#Enable Steam Play for all games|enabling Steam Play for all games]].</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other games. </li> <li><p>[[Compositor|Disable Composition]]: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it.</p></li> <li><p>If your performance is bad, read [[Improving performance|this article]].</p></li> <li><p>'''Don't go to a website and download stuff to install it'''. This is not how Linux works. Even if this is the ''"official"'' way. For example AMD will offer you to download their drivers from the website. Don't do it, this is bad, and '''it will probably break your system'''!</p></li> <li><p>If you use the terminal, Linux will usually not protect you from shooting yourself in the foot. Instead, it will deliver the bullet in the most efficient way possible. If Linux actually warns you that you might be doing something stupid, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when [[How to get answers|asking for help]].</p></li><li><p>You (almost) never download software or drivers in the browser. Doing this is a really bad idea, and should only be your last resort if everything else fails. Just look up your distribution + the software, and you should find a better solution. You shouldn't need to do this on Nobara, everything should already be ready.</p></li><li><p>If you don't like the look, it can easily be changed. Just install a different desktop environment. KDE Plasma would be a popular choice that looks a lot like Windows, is very customizable, and very comfortable to use. </p></li><li><p>Expect that you're going to reinstall your system a couple times while getting accustomed to it. Linux comes without training wheels, or double bottom. At the same time, it invites experimentation, and if you don't know what you're doing, this can lead to a broken system relatively quickly. So always back up your important data! But fear not, after you learned how your system works, it won't break that much anymore, and it will become easy to fix. Theoretically, you could use the same system for decades without problems. </p></li></ul> 409f252757a32d4770cf69d1acc021a41594bea5 0 15 2143 1540 2023-07-13T22:58:04Z Aragorn 3 /* Installing Windows games without an install script */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[File:Lutris icon.png|thumb|Lutris icon.]] '''Lutris''' is a Linux gaming app that primarily provides installers for games not available on Steam. It can also act as a single app for your whole game library. You can also install game launchers like the Origin Client, Battle.net, and the Epic Games Store. Lutris also lets you import game launchers from various sources, such as GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam. == Installing Lutris == You can typically install Lutris through your distribution's app store (e.g. GNOME Software, Discover, Pop Shop). For example, on Pop!_OS, go to the '''Pop Shop''' and search "Lutris". [[File:Pop Shop - Lutris.png|frameless|581x581px]] Then, click install. See Lutris's [https://lutris.net/downloads download page] for more ways to install it. == Finding a game on Lutris == The most important feature of Lutris is that you can install games and launchers not found on Steam using '''install scripts'''. If you want to use an install script, click the '''+''' button on the top left, then click "Search for install script on the Lutris website". [[File:Lutris Add Button.png|frameless|448x448px]] [[File:SearchTheLutrisWebsiteForInstallers.png|frameless|450x450px]] Then, search for the game you want to install and select the game from the search results. If possible, search for the game itself, not for the launcher. For example, if you want to install Overwatch, search for ''"Overwatch"''. Don't search for ''"BattleNet"''. The game specific installer might have optimizations that make the game work better. [[File:SearchingForosuLutris.png|frameless|347x347px]] A new window will appear with option(s) , so pick what seems most standard. If your first choice doesn't work, you could try the other ones. You don't have to use the Lutris client to find install scripts - you can [https://lutris.net/games look up install scripts] on Lutris's website. === Installation === Typically, when installing a game, Lutris will ask if you want to download certain files. [[File:Lutrisinstalls.png|none|thumb|384x384px|Installing Overwatch on Lutris.]] Review the files to make sure everything looks okay, and then just press '''continue'''. Don't worry about the individual download buttons. === Install games that you own on GOG, Humble Bundle, and Steam === Login to these stores by navigating to their tab in '''Sources''', and logging in to them by clicking the '''Connect''' icon. [[File:Lutrislogin.png|frameless]] After logging in, Lutris should display the games you own from that store. You can also enable the Epic Games Store as a source, but using [[Heroic|the Heroic Games launcher]] or just installing the Epic Games Store itself through Lutris are probably easier options. == Configuration Options == You might want to [[Improving performance|improve the performance]] of your games with stuff like: *Esync * Fsync * [[Gamemode]] * [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution]] You can also improve visuals with: *[https://github.com/Plagman/gamescope Gamescope] for downscaling *[https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or [[reshade]] Or you might want to try: * [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/wine-ge-custom/releases Wine-GE], instead of using Lutris's WINE == Installing Windows games without an install script == '''This is NOT what you would usually do when installing a game! Only do the following if there is no install script!''' Note: [[Bottles]] might be the easier option to install games (or other software) that don't have an install script. *Click the plus on the top left * Select a name and select Wine as runner. * Select Game options, and select the executable ** Select the new folder as Wine prefix ** Select the prefix architecture (if you're not sure select 64-bit) *** Create a new folder where you want to install your game (for example <code>~/Games/MyNewGame</code>) * Select Runner options ** Select the Wine version (try different ones, including the ones from tkg and GE) * Click Save * Start your game ** Click through the installer * Right click the game in Lutris, click Configure ** Select Game options and modify the executable to be the actual game executable. (This could be <code>~/Games/MyNewGame/drive_c/Program Files(x86)/CoolGame/bin/CoolGame.exe</code>) * Start your game. **It will probably work, but if it's not, see the ''troubleshooting'' section. == Troubleshooting == This [https://piped.kavin.rocks/watch?v=oFB-Ly8RcOw video guide] explains how to install a game with a Lutris install script in more depth. If you encounter an issue installing your game, look up the game's name on the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/ Linux Gaming subreddit] to see if anyone's had the same issue and solved it. You should also check whether the game currently runs on Linux. === General approach: === (if the above does not work) Main article: [[Troubleshooting]] * Close Lutris, open a [[terminal]], type <code>lutris</code> and press enter. Lutris will now open, but you will see more information in the terminal. It might be necessary to force quit Lutris (for example with your system monitor, htop, btop, etc.). * Try running the game with different presets like other Wine version, with/without DXVK, with/without Esync, Fsync, Windowed (virtual desktop), etc. * Right click your game, go to Runner options, and set ''Output debugging info'' to ''Enabled''. * Start your game and pay close attention to the output in the terminal ** Try to understand the problem ** For example, you can use Winetricks to install missing dependencies === Winetricks === [[Winetricks]] is an easy way to do various stuff with Wine, including but not limited to installing libraries and other dependencies for your games. ==FAQ== ====What are runners?==== ''Runners'' are "methods" to run your programs. '''Linux''' is for native Linux games. '''Steam''' is for Steam games - though, using Steam itself to run those games is easier. '''Wine''' is what you want to use for every other Windows game. Other runners are available, these are mainly emulators for various consoles, or DOS (DosBox) ==== Where are save games? ==== <code>~/Games/MyGame/drive_c/<the_path_that_it_would_be_on_windows></code> ==See also== [https://lutris.net/ Lutris website] [[Category:Popular apps]] 8822ef3f3966408df9f2f1c945fdb56dca40062d 0 24 2144 197 2023-07-26T03:04:38Z Ahmouse 1071 Reworded a large portion wikitext text/x-wiki '''Anti-cheat software''' are tools designed to prevent cheating in games. Anti-cheat software typically prevents games from running on Linux, since these anti-cheats don't have Linux support integrated. With the recent addition of Linux support to the most popular anti-cheat software, many games have started supporting Linux as well. == Games with anti-cheat == You can see which games that use anti-cheat have enabled Linux support [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ here]. == Linux support == The most popular anti-cheat software are '''Easy Anti-Cheat''' , '''BattleEye''', and '''VAC'''. Both Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye have support for Linux via Proton, while VAC supports Linux natively. === Easy Anti-Cheat === Easy Anti-Cheat added Linux Proton support in late 2021 with the then-latest version of the ''Epic Online Services'' Easy Anti-Cheat software development kit (SDK). Some games, however, [https://archive.is/kQ9Yy don't use the ''Epic Online Services'' version of Easy Anti-Cheat], meaning they must perform a large upgrade of their Easy Anti-Cheat SDK before they can add Linux support via Proton. As the older Easy Anti-Cheat SDK becomes obsolete though, game developers will have to upgrade to the newer SDK, allowing them to easily add Linux support. === BattleEye === BattleEye Proton support became supported in late 2021. Developers can enable Proton support for their game by emailing BattleEye developers. e02a4ea13b95c7e251ee092a8e6cb8b9f3e2663f 0 675 2145 2023-07-26T03:26:38Z Ahmouse 1071 Game-specific details for linux games wikitext text/x-wiki [Work in progress] This is a list of games that run on Linux, whether officially or unofficially. This does not aim to replace ProtonDB or the Lutris database, but will hopefully provide some insight into known issues, their workarounds, and other notes specific to a game. You can click on one of the games below to see the full details. If there is a game you play often or know a lot about, feel free to add it or update the information if it's already listed here. Any information added here should be specific to Linux. One of the motivations for this is to provide a central place to find game-specific quirks, since databases such as ProtonDB tend to have the information scattered in deeply buried reviews. == List of Linux-supported games == {| ! Game ! SteamDB ! ProtonDB |- | Dead by Daylight | [https://steamdb.info/app/381210/ SteamDB] | [https://www.protondb.com/app/381210 ProtonDB] |} 50fcd17f4db975d72850a15a5c7e69fcaa549745 2146 2145 2023-07-26T03:29:47Z Ahmouse 1071 better wording wikitext text/x-wiki [Work in progress] This is a list of games that run on Linux, whether officially or unofficially. This isn't a replacement for ProtonDB or the Lutris database, but will hopefully provide some insight into known issues, their workarounds, and other notes specific to a game that is hard to find otherwise. You can click on one of the games below to see the full details. If there is a game you play often or know a lot about, feel free to add it to this list and create a page for the new game following the template (will be made soon). Any information added on a game's page should be specific to Linux. == List of Linux-supported games == {| ! Game ! SteamDB ! ProtonDB |- | Dead by Daylight | [https://steamdb.info/app/381210/ SteamDB] | [https://www.protondb.com/app/381210 ProtonDB] |} 641f0f8d2c0f832694d719bbe29ec16ed2911ede 0 40 2150 337 2023-08-03T16:37:23Z Morusbassanus 1095 The corectrl PPA contains bleeding edge mesa packages which reliably break Ubuntu systems and will likely affect most Ubuntu users. The corectrl wiki's Ubuntu installation instructions point this out and include these instructions to limit the PPA to only installing/upgrading the corectrl package to avoid this issue. Since this page includes steps to add the PPA, it should also provide the same warning and mitigation steps. wikitext text/x-wiki '''[https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ CoreCtrl]''' lets you set your AMD GPU and CPU to high performance mode when you play games. Please note: Controlling the GPU does '''not''' work for Nvidia hardware. == Installation == Search CoreCtrl in your respective app store: [[File:Screenshot 20220215 222453.png|frameless|581x581px]] If you don't see it there, and you're on a Ubuntu-based distribution like Pop!_OS, input the following in the terminal: <pre>sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ernstp/mesarc sudo apt-get update sudo apt install corectrl</pre> '''IMPORTANT:''' This PPA contains release candidate and development versions of other packages which may break your system. It is '''strongly recommended''' that you limit the PPA to only installing/upgrading the <code>corectrl</code> package to avoid such issues. According to the [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/#installation official installation instructions], create the file <code>/etc/apt/preferences.d/corectrl</code> with the following content: # Never prefer packages from the ernstp repository Package: * Pin: release o=LP-PPA-ernstp-mesarc Pin-Priority: 1 # Allow upgrading only corectrl from LP-PPA-ernstp-mesarc Package: corectrl Pin: release o=LP-PPA-ernstp-mesarc Pin-Priority: 500 For other distributions, look [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/ here] for installation instructions. == Usage == (Optional:) Create a profile for each game. Set your GPU to Performance mode: Fixed > High. [[File:GPU Settings 1.png|frameless]] [[File:GPU Settings 2.png|frameless]] Set your CPU to Performance scaling > Custom. Then, set your frequency governor > Performance. [[File:Cpu.png|frameless]] == Advanced Usage == You can do more with it, for example overclocking, or undervolting. You have to do the [https://gitlab.com/corectrl/corectrl/-/wikis/Setup setup] first. 6e5a41264ee58e5a5151a3ab5e2ed5084cbb569d 0 44 2151 1690 2023-08-04T13:56:02Z Aragorn 3 /* File Locations */ wikitext text/x-wiki Steam runs natively on Linux. You can probably just install it from your App store. Usually you want to use ''Steam (Runtime)''. Only use ''Steam (native)'' if you know why you want to use it. If you use the Flatpak version, you will also need to use the Flatpak version of other software that you want to use with it, like MangoHud. == Enable Steam Play for all games == In order to run games that have no Linux version, and that are not explicitly whitelisted by Valve, go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. It's usually a good idea to use [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] instead of Proton Experimental. It has lots of benefits like improved game compatibility, raw mouse input, additional codecs for cutscenes, and much more. However it can be unstable. So if you have stability issues, try something else, for example an older version. Installation instructions are [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom#installation= here]. If you want the latest features, you have to update it manually, though. == ProtonUp-Qt == You can use [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] to make the installation and update process of [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] simple: * 1. Download the [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] AppImage * 2. Mark the AppImage as executable * 3. Double-click the AppImage to run ProtonUp-Qt Alternatively, you can install it from [https://flathub.org/apps/details/net.davidotek.pupgui2 Flathub]. == Launch Options == You may find something like <code>-screen-width 1280 -screen-height 720 -screen-fullscreen 0</code> on protondb. These are ''launch options''. To use them, you right click on the game, and in the <code>general</code> tab, there is a field called <code>launch options</code>. You paste them (for example <code>%command% -screen-height 1920 -screen-width 1080 -screen-fullscreen</code>) in there. <code>%command%</code> is the command to start the game. Some launch options go before this command (commands to execute programs, for example <code>gamemoderun</code> or <code>mangohud</code>), and some go behind it (flags that are passed to the game itself, typically stuff that starts with a <code>-</code>). == Steam Tinker Launch == [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch Steam Tinker Launch] is a swiss army knife tool that allows easy customization of multiple options for Steam games. It includes helpers for custom commands, Vortex, Mod Organizer 2, Proton GE, Proton/DXVK/wine options, winetricks, ReShade + easy selection for shaders, FSR, debugging, side-by-side VR automation, SteamGridDB, SpecialK, Proton KillSwitch, Gamescope, GameMode, and more. You can find a more comprehensive list of features in the [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch/wiki wiki] (dropdownlist on the right). You can find instructions on how to install it [https://github.com/sonic2kk/steamtinkerlaunch#how-do-i-install-it here]. == File Locations == === Steam Folder === If you use the Steam Flatpak, your Steam folder is <code>~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/data/Steam/</code> If you use the "normal" package, your Steam folder is in<code>~/.local/share/Steam/</code> === Games and Save Files === Your games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/common/<game_name></code>. Your save games and non-Steam games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/compatdata/<some_number>/pfx/drive_c/<windows_path></code>. In order to know which number is correct, you can just use the search functionality of your file manager (probably <code>ctrl</code> + <code>f</code>) to search for the game name, or type <code>find <steam_folder>/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/ | grep -i "<game_name>"</code> in the [[terminal]]. You have to substitute ''<steam_folder>'' and ''<game_name>'' with the actual thing, of course. == Bugs & Workarounds == - if the friends list is open & in the background, the Steam client drops to less than 1 FPS * -> disable animated avatars in the friends list settings 7323b8665bc311ffe83ea303bb03f72abf8878e2 2152 2151 2023-08-04T14:07:02Z Aragorn 3 /* Launch Options */ wikitext text/x-wiki Steam runs natively on Linux. You can probably just install it from your App store. Usually you want to use ''Steam (Runtime)''. Only use ''Steam (native)'' if you know why you want to use it. If you use the Flatpak version, you will also need to use the Flatpak version of other software that you want to use with it, like MangoHud. == Enable Steam Play for all games == In order to run games that have no Linux version, and that are not explicitly whitelisted by Valve, go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. It's usually a good idea to use [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] instead of Proton Experimental. It has lots of benefits like improved game compatibility, raw mouse input, additional codecs for cutscenes, and much more. However it can be unstable. So if you have stability issues, try something else, for example an older version. Installation instructions are [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom#installation= here]. If you want the latest features, you have to update it manually, though. == ProtonUp-Qt == You can use [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] to make the installation and update process of [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] simple: * 1. Download the [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] AppImage * 2. Mark the AppImage as executable * 3. Double-click the AppImage to run ProtonUp-Qt Alternatively, you can install it from [https://flathub.org/apps/details/net.davidotek.pupgui2 Flathub]. == Launch Options == You may find something like <code>-screen-width 1280 -screen-height 720 -screen-fullscreen 0</code> on protondb. These are ''launch options''. To use them, you right click on the game, and in the <code>general</code> tab, there is a field called <code>launch options</code>. You paste them (for example <code>%command% -screen-height 1920 -screen-width 1080 -screen-fullscreen</code>, or [[environment variables]] like <code>AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV</code>) in there. <code>%command%</code> is the command to start the game. Some launch options go before this command (commands to execute programs, for example <code>gamemoderun</code> or <code>mangohud</code>), and some go behind it (flags that are passed to the game itself, typically stuff that starts with a <code>-</code>). == Steam Tinker Launch == [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch Steam Tinker Launch] is a swiss army knife tool that allows easy customization of multiple options for Steam games. It includes helpers for custom commands, Vortex, Mod Organizer 2, Proton GE, Proton/DXVK/wine options, winetricks, ReShade + easy selection for shaders, FSR, debugging, side-by-side VR automation, SteamGridDB, SpecialK, Proton KillSwitch, Gamescope, GameMode, and more. You can find a more comprehensive list of features in the [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch/wiki wiki] (dropdownlist on the right). You can find instructions on how to install it [https://github.com/sonic2kk/steamtinkerlaunch#how-do-i-install-it here]. == File Locations == === Steam Folder === If you use the Steam Flatpak, your Steam folder is <code>~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/data/Steam/</code> If you use the "normal" package, your Steam folder is in<code>~/.local/share/Steam/</code> === Games and Save Files === Your games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/common/<game_name></code>. Your save games and non-Steam games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/compatdata/<some_number>/pfx/drive_c/<windows_path></code>. In order to know which number is correct, you can just use the search functionality of your file manager (probably <code>ctrl</code> + <code>f</code>) to search for the game name, or type <code>find <steam_folder>/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/ | grep -i "<game_name>"</code> in the [[terminal]]. You have to substitute ''<steam_folder>'' and ''<game_name>'' with the actual thing, of course. == Bugs & Workarounds == - if the friends list is open & in the background, the Steam client drops to less than 1 FPS * -> disable animated avatars in the friends list settings d06b2a22517fccb824e291353ee2693f007244e1 2153 2152 2023-08-04T14:07:36Z Aragorn 3 /* Launch Options */ wikitext text/x-wiki Steam runs natively on Linux. You can probably just install it from your App store. Usually you want to use ''Steam (Runtime)''. Only use ''Steam (native)'' if you know why you want to use it. If you use the Flatpak version, you will also need to use the Flatpak version of other software that you want to use with it, like MangoHud. == Enable Steam Play for all games == In order to run games that have no Linux version, and that are not explicitly whitelisted by Valve, go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. It's usually a good idea to use [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] instead of Proton Experimental. It has lots of benefits like improved game compatibility, raw mouse input, additional codecs for cutscenes, and much more. However it can be unstable. So if you have stability issues, try something else, for example an older version. Installation instructions are [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom#installation= here]. If you want the latest features, you have to update it manually, though. == ProtonUp-Qt == You can use [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] to make the installation and update process of [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] simple: * 1. Download the [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] AppImage * 2. Mark the AppImage as executable * 3. Double-click the AppImage to run ProtonUp-Qt Alternatively, you can install it from [https://flathub.org/apps/details/net.davidotek.pupgui2 Flathub]. == Launch Options == You may find something like <code>-screen-width 1280 -screen-height 720 -screen-fullscreen 0</code> on protondb. These are ''launch options''. To use them, you right click on the game, and in the <code>general</code> tab, there is a field called <code>launch options</code>. You paste them (for example <code>%command% -screen-height 1920 -screen-width 1080 -screen-fullscreen</code>) in there. <code>%command%</code> is the command to start the game. Some launch options go before this command (commands to execute programs, for example <code>gamemoderun</code> or <code>mangohud</code>, or [[environment variables]] like <code>AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV</code>), and some go behind it (flags that are passed to the game itself, typically stuff that starts with a <code>-</code>). == Steam Tinker Launch == [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch Steam Tinker Launch] is a swiss army knife tool that allows easy customization of multiple options for Steam games. It includes helpers for custom commands, Vortex, Mod Organizer 2, Proton GE, Proton/DXVK/wine options, winetricks, ReShade + easy selection for shaders, FSR, debugging, side-by-side VR automation, SteamGridDB, SpecialK, Proton KillSwitch, Gamescope, GameMode, and more. You can find a more comprehensive list of features in the [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch/wiki wiki] (dropdownlist on the right). You can find instructions on how to install it [https://github.com/sonic2kk/steamtinkerlaunch#how-do-i-install-it here]. == File Locations == === Steam Folder === If you use the Steam Flatpak, your Steam folder is <code>~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/data/Steam/</code> If you use the "normal" package, your Steam folder is in<code>~/.local/share/Steam/</code> === Games and Save Files === Your games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/common/<game_name></code>. Your save games and non-Steam games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/compatdata/<some_number>/pfx/drive_c/<windows_path></code>. In order to know which number is correct, you can just use the search functionality of your file manager (probably <code>ctrl</code> + <code>f</code>) to search for the game name, or type <code>find <steam_folder>/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/ | grep -i "<game_name>"</code> in the [[terminal]]. You have to substitute ''<steam_folder>'' and ''<game_name>'' with the actual thing, of course. == Bugs & Workarounds == - if the friends list is open & in the background, the Steam client drops to less than 1 FPS * -> disable animated avatars in the friends list settings 0df0ad030688f1c0642067b6b9dbafa4dc7d54cb 2154 2153 2023-08-04T14:08:10Z Aragorn 3 /* Launch Options */ wikitext text/x-wiki Steam runs natively on Linux. You can probably just install it from your App store. Usually you want to use ''Steam (Runtime)''. Only use ''Steam (native)'' if you know why you want to use it. If you use the Flatpak version, you will also need to use the Flatpak version of other software that you want to use with it, like MangoHud. == Enable Steam Play for all games == In order to run games that have no Linux version, and that are not explicitly whitelisted by Valve, go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. It's usually a good idea to use [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] instead of Proton Experimental. It has lots of benefits like improved game compatibility, raw mouse input, additional codecs for cutscenes, and much more. However it can be unstable. So if you have stability issues, try something else, for example an older version. Installation instructions are [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom#installation= here]. If you want the latest features, you have to update it manually, though. == ProtonUp-Qt == You can use [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] to make the installation and update process of [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] simple: * 1. Download the [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] AppImage * 2. Mark the AppImage as executable * 3. Double-click the AppImage to run ProtonUp-Qt Alternatively, you can install it from [https://flathub.org/apps/details/net.davidotek.pupgui2 Flathub]. == Launch Options == You may find something like <code>-screen-width 1280 -screen-height 720 -screen-fullscreen 0</code> on protondb. These are ''launch options''. To use them, you right click on the game, and in the <code>general</code> tab, there is a field called <code>launch options</code>. You paste them (for example <code>%command% -screen-height 1920 -screen-width 1080 -screen-fullscreen</code>) in there. <code>%command%</code> is the command to start the game. Some launch options go before this command (commands to execute programs, for example <code>gamemoderun</code> or <code>mangohud</code>, or [[environment variables]] like <code>AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV</code>), and some go behind it (flags that are passed to the game itself, typically stuff that starts with a <code>-</code>, for example <code>-fullscreen -dx12</code>). == Steam Tinker Launch == [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch Steam Tinker Launch] is a swiss army knife tool that allows easy customization of multiple options for Steam games. It includes helpers for custom commands, Vortex, Mod Organizer 2, Proton GE, Proton/DXVK/wine options, winetricks, ReShade + easy selection for shaders, FSR, debugging, side-by-side VR automation, SteamGridDB, SpecialK, Proton KillSwitch, Gamescope, GameMode, and more. You can find a more comprehensive list of features in the [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch/wiki wiki] (dropdownlist on the right). You can find instructions on how to install it [https://github.com/sonic2kk/steamtinkerlaunch#how-do-i-install-it here]. == File Locations == === Steam Folder === If you use the Steam Flatpak, your Steam folder is <code>~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/data/Steam/</code> If you use the "normal" package, your Steam folder is in<code>~/.local/share/Steam/</code> === Games and Save Files === Your games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/common/<game_name></code>. Your save games and non-Steam games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/compatdata/<some_number>/pfx/drive_c/<windows_path></code>. In order to know which number is correct, you can just use the search functionality of your file manager (probably <code>ctrl</code> + <code>f</code>) to search for the game name, or type <code>find <steam_folder>/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/ | grep -i "<game_name>"</code> in the [[terminal]]. You have to substitute ''<steam_folder>'' and ''<game_name>'' with the actual thing, of course. == Bugs & Workarounds == - if the friends list is open & in the background, the Steam client drops to less than 1 FPS * -> disable animated avatars in the friends list settings ad5f34b2e66df440e3582cc1a83bdcfa6714cd81 2155 2154 2023-08-04T14:10:45Z Aragorn 3 /* Launch Options */ wikitext text/x-wiki Steam runs natively on Linux. You can probably just install it from your App store. Usually you want to use ''Steam (Runtime)''. Only use ''Steam (native)'' if you know why you want to use it. If you use the Flatpak version, you will also need to use the Flatpak version of other software that you want to use with it, like MangoHud. == Enable Steam Play for all games == In order to run games that have no Linux version, and that are not explicitly whitelisted by Valve, go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. It's usually a good idea to use [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] instead of Proton Experimental. It has lots of benefits like improved game compatibility, raw mouse input, additional codecs for cutscenes, and much more. However it can be unstable. So if you have stability issues, try something else, for example an older version. Installation instructions are [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom#installation= here]. If you want the latest features, you have to update it manually, though. == ProtonUp-Qt == You can use [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] to make the installation and update process of [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] simple: * 1. Download the [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] AppImage * 2. Mark the AppImage as executable * 3. Double-click the AppImage to run ProtonUp-Qt Alternatively, you can install it from [https://flathub.org/apps/details/net.davidotek.pupgui2 Flathub]. == Launch Options == You may find something like <code>-screen-width 1280 -screen-height 720 -screen-fullscreen 0</code> on protondb. These are ''launch options''. To use them, you right click on the game, and in the <code>general</code> tab, there is a field called <code>launch options</code>. You paste them (for example <code>mangohud AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV %command% -fullscreen -dx12</code>) in there. <code>%command%</code> is the command to start the game. Some launch options go before this command (commands to execute programs, for example <code>gamemoderun</code> or <code>mangohud</code>, or [[environment variables]] like <code>AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV</code>), and some go behind it (flags that are passed to the game itself, typically stuff that starts with a <code>-</code>, for example <code>-fullscreen -dx12</code>). == Steam Tinker Launch == [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch Steam Tinker Launch] is a swiss army knife tool that allows easy customization of multiple options for Steam games. It includes helpers for custom commands, Vortex, Mod Organizer 2, Proton GE, Proton/DXVK/wine options, winetricks, ReShade + easy selection for shaders, FSR, debugging, side-by-side VR automation, SteamGridDB, SpecialK, Proton KillSwitch, Gamescope, GameMode, and more. You can find a more comprehensive list of features in the [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch/wiki wiki] (dropdownlist on the right). You can find instructions on how to install it [https://github.com/sonic2kk/steamtinkerlaunch#how-do-i-install-it here]. == File Locations == === Steam Folder === If you use the Steam Flatpak, your Steam folder is <code>~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/data/Steam/</code> If you use the "normal" package, your Steam folder is in<code>~/.local/share/Steam/</code> === Games and Save Files === Your games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/common/<game_name></code>. Your save games and non-Steam games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/compatdata/<some_number>/pfx/drive_c/<windows_path></code>. In order to know which number is correct, you can just use the search functionality of your file manager (probably <code>ctrl</code> + <code>f</code>) to search for the game name, or type <code>find <steam_folder>/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/ | grep -i "<game_name>"</code> in the [[terminal]]. You have to substitute ''<steam_folder>'' and ''<game_name>'' with the actual thing, of course. == Bugs & Workarounds == - if the friends list is open & in the background, the Steam client drops to less than 1 FPS * -> disable animated avatars in the friends list settings 37b8a2f82392ae62a85c3c0116f6ab35c7ecc11a 2156 2155 2023-08-04T14:11:24Z Aragorn 3 /* Launch Options */ wikitext text/x-wiki Steam runs natively on Linux. You can probably just install it from your App store. Usually you want to use ''Steam (Runtime)''. Only use ''Steam (native)'' if you know why you want to use it. If you use the Flatpak version, you will also need to use the Flatpak version of other software that you want to use with it, like MangoHud. == Enable Steam Play for all games == In order to run games that have no Linux version, and that are not explicitly whitelisted by Valve, go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. It's usually a good idea to use [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] instead of Proton Experimental. It has lots of benefits like improved game compatibility, raw mouse input, additional codecs for cutscenes, and much more. However it can be unstable. So if you have stability issues, try something else, for example an older version. Installation instructions are [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom#installation= here]. If you want the latest features, you have to update it manually, though. == ProtonUp-Qt == You can use [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] to make the installation and update process of [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] simple: * 1. Download the [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] AppImage * 2. Mark the AppImage as executable * 3. Double-click the AppImage to run ProtonUp-Qt Alternatively, you can install it from [https://flathub.org/apps/details/net.davidotek.pupgui2 Flathub]. == Launch Options == You may find something like <code>-screen-width 1280 -screen-height 720 -screen-fullscreen 0</code> on protondb. These are ''launch options''. To use them, you right click on the game, and in the <code>general</code> tab, there is a field called <code>launch options</code>. You paste them (for example <code>mangohud AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV %command% -fullscreen -dx12</code>) in there. <code>%command%</code> is the command to start the game. Some launch options go before this command (commands to execute programs, for example <code>gamemoderun</code> or <code>mangohud</code>, or [[environment variables]] like <code>AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV</code>), and some go behind it (flags that are passed to the game itself, typically stuff that starts with a <code>-</code>, for example <code>-fullscreen</code> or <code>-dx12</code>). == Steam Tinker Launch == [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch Steam Tinker Launch] is a swiss army knife tool that allows easy customization of multiple options for Steam games. It includes helpers for custom commands, Vortex, Mod Organizer 2, Proton GE, Proton/DXVK/wine options, winetricks, ReShade + easy selection for shaders, FSR, debugging, side-by-side VR automation, SteamGridDB, SpecialK, Proton KillSwitch, Gamescope, GameMode, and more. You can find a more comprehensive list of features in the [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch/wiki wiki] (dropdownlist on the right). You can find instructions on how to install it [https://github.com/sonic2kk/steamtinkerlaunch#how-do-i-install-it here]. == File Locations == === Steam Folder === If you use the Steam Flatpak, your Steam folder is <code>~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/data/Steam/</code> If you use the "normal" package, your Steam folder is in<code>~/.local/share/Steam/</code> === Games and Save Files === Your games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/common/<game_name></code>. Your save games and non-Steam games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/compatdata/<some_number>/pfx/drive_c/<windows_path></code>. In order to know which number is correct, you can just use the search functionality of your file manager (probably <code>ctrl</code> + <code>f</code>) to search for the game name, or type <code>find <steam_folder>/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/ | grep -i "<game_name>"</code> in the [[terminal]]. You have to substitute ''<steam_folder>'' and ''<game_name>'' with the actual thing, of course. == Bugs & Workarounds == - if the friends list is open & in the background, the Steam client drops to less than 1 FPS * -> disable animated avatars in the friends list settings 5ed5009cc9807b84a02c0acd3c4daf7925b2c722 2157 2156 2023-08-04T14:13:00Z Aragorn 3 /* Launch Options */ wikitext text/x-wiki Steam runs natively on Linux. You can probably just install it from your App store. Usually you want to use ''Steam (Runtime)''. Only use ''Steam (native)'' if you know why you want to use it. If you use the Flatpak version, you will also need to use the Flatpak version of other software that you want to use with it, like MangoHud. == Enable Steam Play for all games == In order to run games that have no Linux version, and that are not explicitly whitelisted by Valve, go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. It's usually a good idea to use [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] instead of Proton Experimental. It has lots of benefits like improved game compatibility, raw mouse input, additional codecs for cutscenes, and much more. However it can be unstable. So if you have stability issues, try something else, for example an older version. Installation instructions are [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom#installation= here]. If you want the latest features, you have to update it manually, though. == ProtonUp-Qt == You can use [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] to make the installation and update process of [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] simple: * 1. Download the [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] AppImage * 2. Mark the AppImage as executable * 3. Double-click the AppImage to run ProtonUp-Qt Alternatively, you can install it from [https://flathub.org/apps/details/net.davidotek.pupgui2 Flathub]. == Launch Options == You may find something like <code>-screen-width 1280 -screen-height 720 -screen-fullscreen 0</code> on protondb. These are ''launch options''. To use them, you right click on the game, and in the <code>general</code> tab, there is a field called <code>launch options</code>. You paste them (for example <code>mangohud AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV %command% -fullscreen -dx12</code>) in there. <code>%command%</code> is the command to start the game. Some launch options go before this command (commands to execute programs, for example <code>gamemoderun</code> or <code>mangohud</code>, or [[environment variables]] like <code>AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV</code>), and some go behind it (flags that are passed to the game itself, typically stuff that starts with a <code>-</code>, for example <code>-fullscreen</code> or <code>-dx12</code>). <code>%command%</code> should always be part of it. If you leave it out, you basically tell Steam not to launch your game. == Steam Tinker Launch == [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch Steam Tinker Launch] is a swiss army knife tool that allows easy customization of multiple options for Steam games. It includes helpers for custom commands, Vortex, Mod Organizer 2, Proton GE, Proton/DXVK/wine options, winetricks, ReShade + easy selection for shaders, FSR, debugging, side-by-side VR automation, SteamGridDB, SpecialK, Proton KillSwitch, Gamescope, GameMode, and more. You can find a more comprehensive list of features in the [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch/wiki wiki] (dropdownlist on the right). You can find instructions on how to install it [https://github.com/sonic2kk/steamtinkerlaunch#how-do-i-install-it here]. == File Locations == === Steam Folder === If you use the Steam Flatpak, your Steam folder is <code>~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/data/Steam/</code> If you use the "normal" package, your Steam folder is in<code>~/.local/share/Steam/</code> === Games and Save Files === Your games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/common/<game_name></code>. Your save games and non-Steam games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/compatdata/<some_number>/pfx/drive_c/<windows_path></code>. In order to know which number is correct, you can just use the search functionality of your file manager (probably <code>ctrl</code> + <code>f</code>) to search for the game name, or type <code>find <steam_folder>/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/ | grep -i "<game_name>"</code> in the [[terminal]]. You have to substitute ''<steam_folder>'' and ''<game_name>'' with the actual thing, of course. == Bugs & Workarounds == - if the friends list is open & in the background, the Steam client drops to less than 1 FPS * -> disable animated avatars in the friends list settings 15e01bdb960d54a822e7debd5306dafc9cdac0dd 2158 2157 2023-08-04T14:14:45Z Aragorn 3 /* Launch Options */ wikitext text/x-wiki Steam runs natively on Linux. You can probably just install it from your App store. Usually you want to use ''Steam (Runtime)''. Only use ''Steam (native)'' if you know why you want to use it. If you use the Flatpak version, you will also need to use the Flatpak version of other software that you want to use with it, like MangoHud. == Enable Steam Play for all games == In order to run games that have no Linux version, and that are not explicitly whitelisted by Valve, go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. It's usually a good idea to use [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] instead of Proton Experimental. It has lots of benefits like improved game compatibility, raw mouse input, additional codecs for cutscenes, and much more. However it can be unstable. So if you have stability issues, try something else, for example an older version. Installation instructions are [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom#installation= here]. If you want the latest features, you have to update it manually, though. == ProtonUp-Qt == You can use [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] to make the installation and update process of [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] simple: * 1. Download the [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] AppImage * 2. Mark the AppImage as executable * 3. Double-click the AppImage to run ProtonUp-Qt Alternatively, you can install it from [https://flathub.org/apps/details/net.davidotek.pupgui2 Flathub]. == Launch Options == You may find something like <code>-screen-width 1280 -screen-height 720 -screen-fullscreen 0</code> on protondb. These are ''launch options''. To use them, you right click on the game, and in the <code>general</code> tab, there is a field called <code>launch options</code>. You paste them (for example <code>mangohud AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV %command% -fullscreen -dx12</code>) in there. <code>%command%</code> is the command to start the game. Some launch options go before this command (commands to execute programs, for example <code>gamemoderun</code> or <code>mangohud</code>, or [[environment variables]] like <code>AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV</code>), and some go behind it (flags that are passed to the game itself, typically stuff that starts with a <code>-</code>, for example <code>-fullscreen</code> or <code>-dx12</code>). <code>%command%</code> should always be part of it (and occur exactly once). If you leave it out, you basically tell Steam not to launch your game. == Steam Tinker Launch == [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch Steam Tinker Launch] is a swiss army knife tool that allows easy customization of multiple options for Steam games. It includes helpers for custom commands, Vortex, Mod Organizer 2, Proton GE, Proton/DXVK/wine options, winetricks, ReShade + easy selection for shaders, FSR, debugging, side-by-side VR automation, SteamGridDB, SpecialK, Proton KillSwitch, Gamescope, GameMode, and more. You can find a more comprehensive list of features in the [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch/wiki wiki] (dropdownlist on the right). You can find instructions on how to install it [https://github.com/sonic2kk/steamtinkerlaunch#how-do-i-install-it here]. == File Locations == === Steam Folder === If you use the Steam Flatpak, your Steam folder is <code>~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/data/Steam/</code> If you use the "normal" package, your Steam folder is in<code>~/.local/share/Steam/</code> === Games and Save Files === Your games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/common/<game_name></code>. Your save games and non-Steam games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/compatdata/<some_number>/pfx/drive_c/<windows_path></code>. In order to know which number is correct, you can just use the search functionality of your file manager (probably <code>ctrl</code> + <code>f</code>) to search for the game name, or type <code>find <steam_folder>/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/ | grep -i "<game_name>"</code> in the [[terminal]]. You have to substitute ''<steam_folder>'' and ''<game_name>'' with the actual thing, of course. == Bugs & Workarounds == - if the friends list is open & in the background, the Steam client drops to less than 1 FPS * -> disable animated avatars in the friends list settings 485aec5b0467cc9400daa0456178a4786aff088a 2159 2158 2023-08-04T14:16:00Z Aragorn 3 /* Launch Options */ wikitext text/x-wiki Steam runs natively on Linux. You can probably just install it from your App store. Usually you want to use ''Steam (Runtime)''. Only use ''Steam (native)'' if you know why you want to use it. If you use the Flatpak version, you will also need to use the Flatpak version of other software that you want to use with it, like MangoHud. == Enable Steam Play for all games == In order to run games that have no Linux version, and that are not explicitly whitelisted by Valve, go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. It's usually a good idea to use [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] instead of Proton Experimental. It has lots of benefits like improved game compatibility, raw mouse input, additional codecs for cutscenes, and much more. However it can be unstable. So if you have stability issues, try something else, for example an older version. Installation instructions are [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom#installation= here]. If you want the latest features, you have to update it manually, though. == ProtonUp-Qt == You can use [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] to make the installation and update process of [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] simple: * 1. Download the [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] AppImage * 2. Mark the AppImage as executable * 3. Double-click the AppImage to run ProtonUp-Qt Alternatively, you can install it from [https://flathub.org/apps/details/net.davidotek.pupgui2 Flathub]. == Launch Options == You may find something like <code>-screen-width 1280 -screen-height 720 -screen-fullscreen 0</code> on protondb. These are ''launch options''. To use them, you right click on the game, and in the <code>general</code> tab, there is a field called <code>launch options</code>. You paste them (for example <code>mangohud AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV gamemoderun %command% -fullscreen -dx12</code>) in there. <code>%command%</code> is the command to start the game. Some launch options go before this command (commands to execute programs, for example <code>gamemoderun</code> or <code>mangohud</code>, or [[environment variables]] like <code>AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV</code>), and some go behind it (flags that are passed to the game itself, typically stuff that starts with a <code>-</code>, for example <code>-fullscreen</code> or <code>-dx12</code>). <code>%command%</code> should always be part of it (and occur exactly once). If you leave it out, you basically tell Steam not to launch your game. == Steam Tinker Launch == [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch Steam Tinker Launch] is a swiss army knife tool that allows easy customization of multiple options for Steam games. It includes helpers for custom commands, Vortex, Mod Organizer 2, Proton GE, Proton/DXVK/wine options, winetricks, ReShade + easy selection for shaders, FSR, debugging, side-by-side VR automation, SteamGridDB, SpecialK, Proton KillSwitch, Gamescope, GameMode, and more. You can find a more comprehensive list of features in the [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch/wiki wiki] (dropdownlist on the right). You can find instructions on how to install it [https://github.com/sonic2kk/steamtinkerlaunch#how-do-i-install-it here]. == File Locations == === Steam Folder === If you use the Steam Flatpak, your Steam folder is <code>~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/data/Steam/</code> If you use the "normal" package, your Steam folder is in<code>~/.local/share/Steam/</code> === Games and Save Files === Your games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/common/<game_name></code>. Your save games and non-Steam games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/compatdata/<some_number>/pfx/drive_c/<windows_path></code>. In order to know which number is correct, you can just use the search functionality of your file manager (probably <code>ctrl</code> + <code>f</code>) to search for the game name, or type <code>find <steam_folder>/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/ | grep -i "<game_name>"</code> in the [[terminal]]. You have to substitute ''<steam_folder>'' and ''<game_name>'' with the actual thing, of course. == Bugs & Workarounds == - if the friends list is open & in the background, the Steam client drops to less than 1 FPS * -> disable animated avatars in the friends list settings b32faa54306efc617eeecde989629abf86c92ea5 2160 2159 2023-08-04T14:23:50Z Aragorn 3 /* Launch Options */ wikitext text/x-wiki Steam runs natively on Linux. You can probably just install it from your App store. Usually you want to use ''Steam (Runtime)''. Only use ''Steam (native)'' if you know why you want to use it. If you use the Flatpak version, you will also need to use the Flatpak version of other software that you want to use with it, like MangoHud. == Enable Steam Play for all games == In order to run games that have no Linux version, and that are not explicitly whitelisted by Valve, go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. It's usually a good idea to use [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] instead of Proton Experimental. It has lots of benefits like improved game compatibility, raw mouse input, additional codecs for cutscenes, and much more. However it can be unstable. So if you have stability issues, try something else, for example an older version. Installation instructions are [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom#installation= here]. If you want the latest features, you have to update it manually, though. == ProtonUp-Qt == You can use [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] to make the installation and update process of [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] simple: * 1. Download the [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] AppImage * 2. Mark the AppImage as executable * 3. Double-click the AppImage to run ProtonUp-Qt Alternatively, you can install it from [https://flathub.org/apps/details/net.davidotek.pupgui2 Flathub]. == Launch Options == You may find something like <code>mangohud AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV gamemoderun %command% -fullscreen -dx12</code> on protondb. These are ''launch options''. To use them, you right click on the game, and in the <code>general</code> tab. There you can paste them into the <code>launch options</code> field. <code>%command%</code> is the command to start the game. Some launch options go before this command (commands to execute programs, for example <code>gamemoderun</code> or <code>mangohud</code>, or [[environment variables]] like <code>AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV</code>), and some go behind it (flags that are passed to the game itself, typically stuff that starts with a <code>-</code>, for example <code>-fullscreen</code> or <code>-dx12</code>). Note, that you call a program here, it needs to be installed. If it's not installed, your game won't start. If you installed Steam as Flatpak, you need to install the tools as Flatpak, too (and vice versa). If you use environment variables, you should think about what they do. For example, <code>AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV</code> won't do anything if you have an Nvidia GPU. <code>%command%</code> should always be part of the launch command and occur exactly once. If you leave it out, you basically tell Steam not to launch your game. == Steam Tinker Launch == [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch Steam Tinker Launch] is a swiss army knife tool that allows easy customization of multiple options for Steam games. It includes helpers for custom commands, Vortex, Mod Organizer 2, Proton GE, Proton/DXVK/wine options, winetricks, ReShade + easy selection for shaders, FSR, debugging, side-by-side VR automation, SteamGridDB, SpecialK, Proton KillSwitch, Gamescope, GameMode, and more. You can find a more comprehensive list of features in the [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch/wiki wiki] (dropdownlist on the right). You can find instructions on how to install it [https://github.com/sonic2kk/steamtinkerlaunch#how-do-i-install-it here]. == File Locations == === Steam Folder === If you use the Steam Flatpak, your Steam folder is <code>~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/data/Steam/</code> If you use the "normal" package, your Steam folder is in<code>~/.local/share/Steam/</code> === Games and Save Files === Your games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/common/<game_name></code>. Your save games and non-Steam games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/compatdata/<some_number>/pfx/drive_c/<windows_path></code>. In order to know which number is correct, you can just use the search functionality of your file manager (probably <code>ctrl</code> + <code>f</code>) to search for the game name, or type <code>find <steam_folder>/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/ | grep -i "<game_name>"</code> in the [[terminal]]. You have to substitute ''<steam_folder>'' and ''<game_name>'' with the actual thing, of course. == Bugs & Workarounds == - if the friends list is open & in the background, the Steam client drops to less than 1 FPS * -> disable animated avatars in the friends list settings 69f8480b7e203c0c4ab34980b504e47db69dba3b 2161 2160 2023-08-04T14:24:04Z Aragorn 3 /* Launch Options */ wikitext text/x-wiki Steam runs natively on Linux. You can probably just install it from your App store. Usually you want to use ''Steam (Runtime)''. Only use ''Steam (native)'' if you know why you want to use it. If you use the Flatpak version, you will also need to use the Flatpak version of other software that you want to use with it, like MangoHud. == Enable Steam Play for all games == In order to run games that have no Linux version, and that are not explicitly whitelisted by Valve, go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. It's usually a good idea to use [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] instead of Proton Experimental. It has lots of benefits like improved game compatibility, raw mouse input, additional codecs for cutscenes, and much more. However it can be unstable. So if you have stability issues, try something else, for example an older version. Installation instructions are [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom#installation= here]. If you want the latest features, you have to update it manually, though. == ProtonUp-Qt == You can use [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] to make the installation and update process of [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] simple: * 1. Download the [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] AppImage * 2. Mark the AppImage as executable * 3. Double-click the AppImage to run ProtonUp-Qt Alternatively, you can install it from [https://flathub.org/apps/details/net.davidotek.pupgui2 Flathub]. == Launch Options == You may find something like <code>mangohud AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV gamemoderun %command% -fullscreen -dx12</code> on protondb. These are ''launch options''. To use them, you right click on the game, and in the <code>general</code> tab. There you can paste them into the <code>launch options</code> field. <code>%command%</code> is the command to start the game. Some launch options go before this command (commands to execute programs, for example <code>gamemoderun</code> or <code>mangohud</code>, or [[environment variables]] like <code>AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV</code>), and some go behind it (flags that are passed to the game itself, typically stuff that starts with a <code>-</code>, for example <code>-fullscreen</code> or <code>-dx12</code>). Note, that if you call a program here, it needs to be installed. If it's not installed, your game won't start. If you installed Steam as Flatpak, you need to install the tools as Flatpak, too (and vice versa). If you use environment variables, you should think about what they do. For example, <code>AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV</code> won't do anything if you have an Nvidia GPU. <code>%command%</code> should always be part of the launch command and occur exactly once. If you leave it out, you basically tell Steam not to launch your game. == Steam Tinker Launch == [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch Steam Tinker Launch] is a swiss army knife tool that allows easy customization of multiple options for Steam games. It includes helpers for custom commands, Vortex, Mod Organizer 2, Proton GE, Proton/DXVK/wine options, winetricks, ReShade + easy selection for shaders, FSR, debugging, side-by-side VR automation, SteamGridDB, SpecialK, Proton KillSwitch, Gamescope, GameMode, and more. You can find a more comprehensive list of features in the [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch/wiki wiki] (dropdownlist on the right). You can find instructions on how to install it [https://github.com/sonic2kk/steamtinkerlaunch#how-do-i-install-it here]. == File Locations == === Steam Folder === If you use the Steam Flatpak, your Steam folder is <code>~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/data/Steam/</code> If you use the "normal" package, your Steam folder is in<code>~/.local/share/Steam/</code> === Games and Save Files === Your games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/common/<game_name></code>. Your save games and non-Steam games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/compatdata/<some_number>/pfx/drive_c/<windows_path></code>. In order to know which number is correct, you can just use the search functionality of your file manager (probably <code>ctrl</code> + <code>f</code>) to search for the game name, or type <code>find <steam_folder>/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/ | grep -i "<game_name>"</code> in the [[terminal]]. You have to substitute ''<steam_folder>'' and ''<game_name>'' with the actual thing, of course. == Bugs & Workarounds == - if the friends list is open & in the background, the Steam client drops to less than 1 FPS * -> disable animated avatars in the friends list settings 3222564819b0c443fe2061e2e1e35ef1e197c63f 2162 2161 2023-08-04T14:25:09Z Aragorn 3 /* Launch Options */ wikitext text/x-wiki Steam runs natively on Linux. You can probably just install it from your App store. Usually you want to use ''Steam (Runtime)''. Only use ''Steam (native)'' if you know why you want to use it. If you use the Flatpak version, you will also need to use the Flatpak version of other software that you want to use with it, like MangoHud. == Enable Steam Play for all games == In order to run games that have no Linux version, and that are not explicitly whitelisted by Valve, go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. It's usually a good idea to use [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] instead of Proton Experimental. It has lots of benefits like improved game compatibility, raw mouse input, additional codecs for cutscenes, and much more. However it can be unstable. So if you have stability issues, try something else, for example an older version. Installation instructions are [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom#installation= here]. If you want the latest features, you have to update it manually, though. == ProtonUp-Qt == You can use [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] to make the installation and update process of [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] simple: * 1. Download the [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] AppImage * 2. Mark the AppImage as executable * 3. Double-click the AppImage to run ProtonUp-Qt Alternatively, you can install it from [https://flathub.org/apps/details/net.davidotek.pupgui2 Flathub]. == Launch Options == You may find something like <code>mangohud AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV gamemoderun %command% -fullscreen -dx12</code> on protondb. These are ''launch options''. To use them, you right click on the game, and in the <code>general</code> tab. There you can paste them into the <code>launch options</code> field. <code>%command%</code> is the command to start the game. Some launch options go before this command (commands to execute programs, for example <code>gamemoderun</code> or <code>mangohud</code>, or [[environment variables]] like <code>AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV</code>), and some go behind it (flags that are passed to the game itself, typically stuff that starts with a <code>-</code>, for example <code>-fullscreen</code> or <code>-dx12</code>). Note, that if you call a program here, it needs to be installed. If it's not installed, your game won't start. If you installed Steam as Flatpak, you need to install the tools as Flatpak, too (and vice versa). If you use environment variables, it's a good idea to think about what they do. For example, <code>AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV</code> won't do anything if you have an Nvidia GPU. <code>%command%</code> should always be part of the launch command and occur exactly once. If you leave it out, you basically tell Steam not to launch your game. == Steam Tinker Launch == [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch Steam Tinker Launch] is a swiss army knife tool that allows easy customization of multiple options for Steam games. It includes helpers for custom commands, Vortex, Mod Organizer 2, Proton GE, Proton/DXVK/wine options, winetricks, ReShade + easy selection for shaders, FSR, debugging, side-by-side VR automation, SteamGridDB, SpecialK, Proton KillSwitch, Gamescope, GameMode, and more. You can find a more comprehensive list of features in the [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch/wiki wiki] (dropdownlist on the right). You can find instructions on how to install it [https://github.com/sonic2kk/steamtinkerlaunch#how-do-i-install-it here]. == File Locations == === Steam Folder === If you use the Steam Flatpak, your Steam folder is <code>~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/data/Steam/</code> If you use the "normal" package, your Steam folder is in<code>~/.local/share/Steam/</code> === Games and Save Files === Your games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/common/<game_name></code>. Your save games and non-Steam games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/compatdata/<some_number>/pfx/drive_c/<windows_path></code>. In order to know which number is correct, you can just use the search functionality of your file manager (probably <code>ctrl</code> + <code>f</code>) to search for the game name, or type <code>find <steam_folder>/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/ | grep -i "<game_name>"</code> in the [[terminal]]. You have to substitute ''<steam_folder>'' and ''<game_name>'' with the actual thing, of course. == Bugs & Workarounds == - if the friends list is open & in the background, the Steam client drops to less than 1 FPS * -> disable animated avatars in the friends list settings 7caa31608094c8676108b2ee422160950b5156bc 2163 2162 2023-08-04T14:26:42Z Aragorn 3 /* Launch Options */ wikitext text/x-wiki Steam runs natively on Linux. You can probably just install it from your App store. Usually you want to use ''Steam (Runtime)''. Only use ''Steam (native)'' if you know why you want to use it. If you use the Flatpak version, you will also need to use the Flatpak version of other software that you want to use with it, like MangoHud. == Enable Steam Play for all games == In order to run games that have no Linux version, and that are not explicitly whitelisted by Valve, go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. It's usually a good idea to use [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] instead of Proton Experimental. It has lots of benefits like improved game compatibility, raw mouse input, additional codecs for cutscenes, and much more. However it can be unstable. So if you have stability issues, try something else, for example an older version. Installation instructions are [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom#installation= here]. If you want the latest features, you have to update it manually, though. == ProtonUp-Qt == You can use [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] to make the installation and update process of [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] simple: * 1. Download the [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] AppImage * 2. Mark the AppImage as executable * 3. Double-click the AppImage to run ProtonUp-Qt Alternatively, you can install it from [https://flathub.org/apps/details/net.davidotek.pupgui2 Flathub]. == Launch Options == You may find something like <code>mangohud AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV gamemoderun %command% -fullscreen -dx12</code> on protondb. These are ''launch options''. To use them, you right click on the game, and go to the <code>general</code> tab. There you can paste them into the <code>launch options</code> field. <code>%command%</code> is the command to start the game. Some launch options go before this command (commands to execute programs, for example <code>gamemoderun</code> or <code>mangohud</code>, or [[environment variables]] like <code>AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV</code>), and some go behind it (flags that are passed to the game itself, typically stuff that starts with a <code>-</code>, for example <code>-fullscreen</code> or <code>-dx12</code>). Note, that if you call a program here, it needs to be installed. If it's not installed, your game won't start. If you installed Steam as Flatpak, you need to install the tools as Flatpak, too (and vice versa). If you use environment variables, it's a good idea to think about what they do. For example, <code>AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV</code> won't do anything if you have an Nvidia GPU. <code>%command%</code> should always be part of the launch command and occur exactly once. If you leave it out, you basically tell Steam not to launch your game. == Steam Tinker Launch == [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch Steam Tinker Launch] is a swiss army knife tool that allows easy customization of multiple options for Steam games. It includes helpers for custom commands, Vortex, Mod Organizer 2, Proton GE, Proton/DXVK/wine options, winetricks, ReShade + easy selection for shaders, FSR, debugging, side-by-side VR automation, SteamGridDB, SpecialK, Proton KillSwitch, Gamescope, GameMode, and more. You can find a more comprehensive list of features in the [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch/wiki wiki] (dropdownlist on the right). You can find instructions on how to install it [https://github.com/sonic2kk/steamtinkerlaunch#how-do-i-install-it here]. == File Locations == === Steam Folder === If you use the Steam Flatpak, your Steam folder is <code>~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/data/Steam/</code> If you use the "normal" package, your Steam folder is in<code>~/.local/share/Steam/</code> === Games and Save Files === Your games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/common/<game_name></code>. Your save games and non-Steam games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/compatdata/<some_number>/pfx/drive_c/<windows_path></code>. In order to know which number is correct, you can just use the search functionality of your file manager (probably <code>ctrl</code> + <code>f</code>) to search for the game name, or type <code>find <steam_folder>/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/ | grep -i "<game_name>"</code> in the [[terminal]]. You have to substitute ''<steam_folder>'' and ''<game_name>'' with the actual thing, of course. == Bugs & Workarounds == - if the friends list is open & in the background, the Steam client drops to less than 1 FPS * -> disable animated avatars in the friends list settings 0d87730fbae52187d0b0e3dd4661b3f7b1d6f19d 2164 2163 2023-08-04T14:28:16Z Aragorn 3 /* Launch Options */ wikitext text/x-wiki Steam runs natively on Linux. You can probably just install it from your App store. Usually you want to use ''Steam (Runtime)''. Only use ''Steam (native)'' if you know why you want to use it. If you use the Flatpak version, you will also need to use the Flatpak version of other software that you want to use with it, like MangoHud. == Enable Steam Play for all games == In order to run games that have no Linux version, and that are not explicitly whitelisted by Valve, go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. It's usually a good idea to use [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] instead of Proton Experimental. It has lots of benefits like improved game compatibility, raw mouse input, additional codecs for cutscenes, and much more. However it can be unstable. So if you have stability issues, try something else, for example an older version. Installation instructions are [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom#installation= here]. If you want the latest features, you have to update it manually, though. == ProtonUp-Qt == You can use [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] to make the installation and update process of [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] simple: * 1. Download the [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] AppImage * 2. Mark the AppImage as executable * 3. Double-click the AppImage to run ProtonUp-Qt Alternatively, you can install it from [https://flathub.org/apps/details/net.davidotek.pupgui2 Flathub]. == Launch Options == You may find something like <code>mangohud AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV gamemoderun %command% -fullscreen -dx12</code> on protondb. These are ''launch options''. To use them, you right click on the game, and go to the <code>general</code> tab. There you can paste them into the <code>launch options</code> field. <code>%command%</code> is the command to start the game. Some launch options go before this command (commands to execute programs, for example <code>gamemoderun</code> or <code>mangohud</code>, or [[environment variables]] like <code>AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV</code>), and some go behind it (flags that are passed to the game itself, typically stuff that starts with a <code>-</code>, for example <code>-fullscreen</code> or <code>-dx12</code>). === Troubleshooting === If you call a program here, it needs to be installed. If it's not installed, your game won't start. If you installed Steam as Flatpak, you need to install the tools as Flatpak, too (and vice versa). If you use environment variables, it's a good idea to think about what they do. For example, <code>AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV</code> won't do anything if you have an Nvidia GPU. <code>%command%</code> should always be part of the launch command and occur exactly once. If you leave it out, you basically tell Steam not to launch your game. == Steam Tinker Launch == [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch Steam Tinker Launch] is a swiss army knife tool that allows easy customization of multiple options for Steam games. It includes helpers for custom commands, Vortex, Mod Organizer 2, Proton GE, Proton/DXVK/wine options, winetricks, ReShade + easy selection for shaders, FSR, debugging, side-by-side VR automation, SteamGridDB, SpecialK, Proton KillSwitch, Gamescope, GameMode, and more. You can find a more comprehensive list of features in the [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch/wiki wiki] (dropdownlist on the right). You can find instructions on how to install it [https://github.com/sonic2kk/steamtinkerlaunch#how-do-i-install-it here]. == File Locations == === Steam Folder === If you use the Steam Flatpak, your Steam folder is <code>~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/data/Steam/</code> If you use the "normal" package, your Steam folder is in<code>~/.local/share/Steam/</code> === Games and Save Files === Your games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/common/<game_name></code>. Your save games and non-Steam games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/compatdata/<some_number>/pfx/drive_c/<windows_path></code>. In order to know which number is correct, you can just use the search functionality of your file manager (probably <code>ctrl</code> + <code>f</code>) to search for the game name, or type <code>find <steam_folder>/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/ | grep -i "<game_name>"</code> in the [[terminal]]. You have to substitute ''<steam_folder>'' and ''<game_name>'' with the actual thing, of course. == Bugs & Workarounds == - if the friends list is open & in the background, the Steam client drops to less than 1 FPS * -> disable animated avatars in the friends list settings b7614b1add959683458a3d01723cc6e2fd1e1372 2165 2164 2023-08-04T14:36:12Z Aragorn 3 /* Launch Options */ wikitext text/x-wiki Steam runs natively on Linux. You can probably just install it from your App store. Usually you want to use ''Steam (Runtime)''. Only use ''Steam (native)'' if you know why you want to use it. If you use the Flatpak version, you will also need to use the Flatpak version of other software that you want to use with it, like MangoHud. == Enable Steam Play for all games == In order to run games that have no Linux version, and that are not explicitly whitelisted by Valve, go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. It's usually a good idea to use [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] instead of Proton Experimental. It has lots of benefits like improved game compatibility, raw mouse input, additional codecs for cutscenes, and much more. However it can be unstable. So if you have stability issues, try something else, for example an older version. Installation instructions are [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom#installation= here]. If you want the latest features, you have to update it manually, though. == ProtonUp-Qt == You can use [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] to make the installation and update process of [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] simple: * 1. Download the [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] AppImage * 2. Mark the AppImage as executable * 3. Double-click the AppImage to run ProtonUp-Qt Alternatively, you can install it from [https://flathub.org/apps/details/net.davidotek.pupgui2 Flathub]. == Launch Options == You may find something like <code>mangohud AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV gamemoderun %command% -fullscreen -dx12</code> on protondb. These are ''launch options''. To use them, you right click on the game, and go to the <code>general</code> tab. There you can paste them into the <code>launch options</code> field. <code>%command%</code> is the command to start the game. Some launch options go before this command (commands to execute programs, for example <code>gamemoderun</code> or <code>mangohud</code>, or [[environment variables]] like <code>AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV</code>), and some go behind it (flags that are passed to the game itself, typically stuff that starts with a <code>-</code>, for example <code>-fullscreen</code> or <code>-dx12</code>). ====== Explanation of the command above ====== In the example above, you would tell <code>mangohud</code> to call <code>gamemoderun</code> with an environment variable <code>AMD_VULKAN_ICD</code> that specifies that the <code>RADV</code> driver is to be used. GameMode calls the game with <code>%command%</code>. The game is told to start in <code>-fullscreen</code> and to use <code>-dx12</code>. === Troubleshooting === If you call a program here, it needs to be installed. If it's not installed, your game won't start. If you installed Steam as Flatpak, you need to install the tools as Flatpak, too (and vice versa). If you use environment variables, it's a good idea to think about what they do. For example, <code>AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV</code> won't do anything if you have an Nvidia GPU. <code>%command%</code> should always be part of the launch command and occur exactly once. If you leave it out, you basically tell Steam not to launch your game. == Steam Tinker Launch == [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch Steam Tinker Launch] is a swiss army knife tool that allows easy customization of multiple options for Steam games. It includes helpers for custom commands, Vortex, Mod Organizer 2, Proton GE, Proton/DXVK/wine options, winetricks, ReShade + easy selection for shaders, FSR, debugging, side-by-side VR automation, SteamGridDB, SpecialK, Proton KillSwitch, Gamescope, GameMode, and more. You can find a more comprehensive list of features in the [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch/wiki wiki] (dropdownlist on the right). You can find instructions on how to install it [https://github.com/sonic2kk/steamtinkerlaunch#how-do-i-install-it here]. == File Locations == === Steam Folder === If you use the Steam Flatpak, your Steam folder is <code>~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/data/Steam/</code> If you use the "normal" package, your Steam folder is in<code>~/.local/share/Steam/</code> === Games and Save Files === Your games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/common/<game_name></code>. Your save games and non-Steam games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/compatdata/<some_number>/pfx/drive_c/<windows_path></code>. In order to know which number is correct, you can just use the search functionality of your file manager (probably <code>ctrl</code> + <code>f</code>) to search for the game name, or type <code>find <steam_folder>/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/ | grep -i "<game_name>"</code> in the [[terminal]]. You have to substitute ''<steam_folder>'' and ''<game_name>'' with the actual thing, of course. == Bugs & Workarounds == - if the friends list is open & in the background, the Steam client drops to less than 1 FPS * -> disable animated avatars in the friends list settings f5d4a6c4253e6eeff0e01f550759e3061639db20 2166 2165 2023-08-04T14:56:47Z Aragorn 3 /* Launch Options */ wikitext text/x-wiki Steam runs natively on Linux. You can probably just install it from your App store. Usually you want to use ''Steam (Runtime)''. Only use ''Steam (native)'' if you know why you want to use it. If you use the Flatpak version, you will also need to use the Flatpak version of other software that you want to use with it, like MangoHud. == Enable Steam Play for all games == In order to run games that have no Linux version, and that are not explicitly whitelisted by Valve, go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. It's usually a good idea to use [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] instead of Proton Experimental. It has lots of benefits like improved game compatibility, raw mouse input, additional codecs for cutscenes, and much more. However it can be unstable. So if you have stability issues, try something else, for example an older version. Installation instructions are [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom#installation= here]. If you want the latest features, you have to update it manually, though. == ProtonUp-Qt == You can use [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] to make the installation and update process of [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] simple: * 1. Download the [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] AppImage * 2. Mark the AppImage as executable * 3. Double-click the AppImage to run ProtonUp-Qt Alternatively, you can install it from [https://flathub.org/apps/details/net.davidotek.pupgui2 Flathub]. == Launch Options == You may find something like <code>mangohud AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV gamemoderun %command% -fullscreen -dx12</code> on protondb. These are ''launch options''. To use them, you right click on the game, and go to the <code>general</code> tab. There you can paste them into the <code>launch options</code> field. <code>%command%</code> is the command to start the game. Some launch options go before this command (commands to execute programs, for example <code>gamemoderun</code> or <code>mangohud</code>, or [[environment variables]] like <code>AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV</code>), and some go behind it (flags that are passed to the game itself, typically stuff that starts with a <code>-</code>, for example <code>-fullscreen</code> or <code>-dx12</code>). ====== Explanation of the command above ====== # <code>%command%</code> is replaced by something like <code>wine /path/to/game</code>, so the whole command looks like this: <code>mangohud AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV gamemoderun wine /path/to/game -fullscreen -dx12</code> # <code>mangohud</code> is started. This gives you a nice overlay that shows stuff like FPS and CPU utilization. MangoHud now runs the command <code>AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV gamemoderun wine /path/to/game -fullscreen -dx12</code>. # <code>AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV</code> is added to the [[Environment variables|environment]]. This means that every program that is called behind this, is able to read this. It's up to the program what it does with this information. # <code>gamemoderun</code> is started. GameMode will tell your system that it should execute the game with priority, so you get more performance. GameMode executes the command <code>wine /path/to/game -fullscreen -dx12</code>. # <code>wine</code> is started. It reads the environment variable <code>AMD_VULKAN_ICD</code> that specifies that the <code>RADV</code> driver is to be used, and executes <code>/path/to/game -fullscreen -dx12</code> using the RADV driver. # The game is started. It gets two flags: <code>-fullscreen</code> and <code>-dx12</code>. This tells it to start in fullscreen, and to use dx12. === Troubleshooting === If you call a program here, it needs to be installed. If it's not installed, your game won't start. If you installed Steam as Flatpak, you need to install the tools as Flatpak, too (and vice versa). If you use environment variables, it's a good idea to think about what they do. For example, <code>AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV</code> won't do anything if you have an Nvidia GPU. <code>%command%</code> should always be part of the launch command and occur exactly once. If you leave it out, you basically tell Steam not to launch your game. == Steam Tinker Launch == [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch Steam Tinker Launch] is a swiss army knife tool that allows easy customization of multiple options for Steam games. It includes helpers for custom commands, Vortex, Mod Organizer 2, Proton GE, Proton/DXVK/wine options, winetricks, ReShade + easy selection for shaders, FSR, debugging, side-by-side VR automation, SteamGridDB, SpecialK, Proton KillSwitch, Gamescope, GameMode, and more. You can find a more comprehensive list of features in the [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch/wiki wiki] (dropdownlist on the right). You can find instructions on how to install it [https://github.com/sonic2kk/steamtinkerlaunch#how-do-i-install-it here]. == File Locations == === Steam Folder === If you use the Steam Flatpak, your Steam folder is <code>~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/data/Steam/</code> If you use the "normal" package, your Steam folder is in<code>~/.local/share/Steam/</code> === Games and Save Files === Your games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/common/<game_name></code>. Your save games and non-Steam games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/compatdata/<some_number>/pfx/drive_c/<windows_path></code>. In order to know which number is correct, you can just use the search functionality of your file manager (probably <code>ctrl</code> + <code>f</code>) to search for the game name, or type <code>find <steam_folder>/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/ | grep -i "<game_name>"</code> in the [[terminal]]. You have to substitute ''<steam_folder>'' and ''<game_name>'' with the actual thing, of course. == Bugs & Workarounds == - if the friends list is open & in the background, the Steam client drops to less than 1 FPS * -> disable animated avatars in the friends list settings e0d7bb0376242698d59d22f183fe87d7fb8a7c78 2167 2166 2023-08-04T15:00:17Z Aragorn 3 /* Explanation of the command above */ wikitext text/x-wiki Steam runs natively on Linux. You can probably just install it from your App store. Usually you want to use ''Steam (Runtime)''. Only use ''Steam (native)'' if you know why you want to use it. If you use the Flatpak version, you will also need to use the Flatpak version of other software that you want to use with it, like MangoHud. == Enable Steam Play for all games == In order to run games that have no Linux version, and that are not explicitly whitelisted by Valve, go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. It's usually a good idea to use [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] instead of Proton Experimental. It has lots of benefits like improved game compatibility, raw mouse input, additional codecs for cutscenes, and much more. However it can be unstable. So if you have stability issues, try something else, for example an older version. Installation instructions are [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom#installation= here]. If you want the latest features, you have to update it manually, though. == ProtonUp-Qt == You can use [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] to make the installation and update process of [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] simple: * 1. Download the [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] AppImage * 2. Mark the AppImage as executable * 3. Double-click the AppImage to run ProtonUp-Qt Alternatively, you can install it from [https://flathub.org/apps/details/net.davidotek.pupgui2 Flathub]. == Launch Options == You may find something like <code>mangohud AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV gamemoderun %command% -fullscreen -dx12</code> on protondb. These are ''launch options''. To use them, you right click on the game, and go to the <code>general</code> tab. There you can paste them into the <code>launch options</code> field. <code>%command%</code> is the command to start the game. Some launch options go before this command (commands to execute programs, for example <code>gamemoderun</code> or <code>mangohud</code>, or [[environment variables]] like <code>AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV</code>), and some go behind it (flags that are passed to the game itself, typically stuff that starts with a <code>-</code>, for example <code>-fullscreen</code> or <code>-dx12</code>). ====== Explanation of the command above ====== # <code>%command%</code> is replaced by something like <code>wine /path/to/game</code>, so the whole command looks like this: <code>mangohud AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV gamemoderun wine /path/to/game -fullscreen -dx12</code> # <code>mangohud</code> is started. This gives you a nice overlay that shows stuff like FPS and CPU utilization. MangoHud now runs the command <code>AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV gamemoderun wine /path/to/game -fullscreen -dx12</code>. # <code>AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV</code> is added to the [[Environment variables|environment]]. This means that every program that is called behind this, is able to read this. It's up to the program what it does with this information. # <code>gamemoderun</code> is started. GameMode will tell your system that it should execute the game with priority, so you get more performance. GameMode executes the command <code>wine /path/to/game -fullscreen -dx12</code>. # <code>wine</code> is started. It looks whether or not <code>AMD_VULKAN_ICD</code> is set to any value, and whether or not that value is <code>RADV</code>. Since this is the case, it executes <code>/path/to/game -fullscreen -dx12</code> using the RADV driver. # The game is started. It gets two flags: <code>-fullscreen</code> and <code>-dx12</code>. This tells it to start in fullscreen, and to use dx12. === Troubleshooting === If you call a program here, it needs to be installed. If it's not installed, your game won't start. If you installed Steam as Flatpak, you need to install the tools as Flatpak, too (and vice versa). If you use environment variables, it's a good idea to think about what they do. For example, <code>AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV</code> won't do anything if you have an Nvidia GPU. <code>%command%</code> should always be part of the launch command and occur exactly once. If you leave it out, you basically tell Steam not to launch your game. == Steam Tinker Launch == [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch Steam Tinker Launch] is a swiss army knife tool that allows easy customization of multiple options for Steam games. It includes helpers for custom commands, Vortex, Mod Organizer 2, Proton GE, Proton/DXVK/wine options, winetricks, ReShade + easy selection for shaders, FSR, debugging, side-by-side VR automation, SteamGridDB, SpecialK, Proton KillSwitch, Gamescope, GameMode, and more. You can find a more comprehensive list of features in the [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch/wiki wiki] (dropdownlist on the right). You can find instructions on how to install it [https://github.com/sonic2kk/steamtinkerlaunch#how-do-i-install-it here]. == File Locations == === Steam Folder === If you use the Steam Flatpak, your Steam folder is <code>~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/data/Steam/</code> If you use the "normal" package, your Steam folder is in<code>~/.local/share/Steam/</code> === Games and Save Files === Your games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/common/<game_name></code>. Your save games and non-Steam games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/compatdata/<some_number>/pfx/drive_c/<windows_path></code>. In order to know which number is correct, you can just use the search functionality of your file manager (probably <code>ctrl</code> + <code>f</code>) to search for the game name, or type <code>find <steam_folder>/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/ | grep -i "<game_name>"</code> in the [[terminal]]. You have to substitute ''<steam_folder>'' and ''<game_name>'' with the actual thing, of course. == Bugs & Workarounds == - if the friends list is open & in the background, the Steam client drops to less than 1 FPS * -> disable animated avatars in the friends list settings 1197c2259e7cee2bb5948d83ab9859efd946a50e 2168 2167 2023-08-04T15:01:27Z Aragorn 3 /* Explanation of the command above */ wikitext text/x-wiki Steam runs natively on Linux. You can probably just install it from your App store. Usually you want to use ''Steam (Runtime)''. Only use ''Steam (native)'' if you know why you want to use it. If you use the Flatpak version, you will also need to use the Flatpak version of other software that you want to use with it, like MangoHud. == Enable Steam Play for all games == In order to run games that have no Linux version, and that are not explicitly whitelisted by Valve, go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. It's usually a good idea to use [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] instead of Proton Experimental. It has lots of benefits like improved game compatibility, raw mouse input, additional codecs for cutscenes, and much more. However it can be unstable. So if you have stability issues, try something else, for example an older version. Installation instructions are [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom#installation= here]. If you want the latest features, you have to update it manually, though. == ProtonUp-Qt == You can use [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] to make the installation and update process of [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] simple: * 1. Download the [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] AppImage * 2. Mark the AppImage as executable * 3. Double-click the AppImage to run ProtonUp-Qt Alternatively, you can install it from [https://flathub.org/apps/details/net.davidotek.pupgui2 Flathub]. == Launch Options == You may find something like <code>mangohud AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV gamemoderun %command% -fullscreen -dx12</code> on protondb. These are ''launch options''. To use them, you right click on the game, and go to the <code>general</code> tab. There you can paste them into the <code>launch options</code> field. <code>%command%</code> is the command to start the game. Some launch options go before this command (commands to execute programs, for example <code>gamemoderun</code> or <code>mangohud</code>, or [[environment variables]] like <code>AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV</code>), and some go behind it (flags that are passed to the game itself, typically stuff that starts with a <code>-</code>, for example <code>-fullscreen</code> or <code>-dx12</code>). ====== Explanation of the command above ====== # <code>%command%</code> is replaced by something like <code>wine /path/to/game</code>, so the whole command looks like this: <code>mangohud AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV gamemoderun wine /path/to/game -fullscreen -dx12</code> # <code>mangohud</code> is started. This gives you a nice overlay that shows stuff like FPS and CPU utilization. MangoHud now runs the command <code>AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV gamemoderun wine /path/to/game -fullscreen -dx12</code>. # <code>AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV</code> is added to the [[Environment variables|environment]]. This means that every program that is called behind this, is able to read this. It's up to the program what it does with this information. # <code>gamemoderun</code> is started. GameMode will tell your system that it should execute the game with priority, so you get more performance. GameMode executes the command <code>wine /path/to/game -fullscreen -dx12</code>. # <code>wine</code> is started. It looks whether or not <code>AMD_VULKAN_ICD</code> is set to any value, and whether or not that value is <code>RADV</code>. Since this is the case, it executes <code>/path/to/game -fullscreen -dx12</code> using the RADV driver. If the variable would not be set, it would just use the first driver that it finds - which might very well be RADV if no other driver is installed. # The game is started. It gets two flags: <code>-fullscreen</code> and <code>-dx12</code>. This tells it to start in fullscreen, and to use dx12. === Troubleshooting === If you call a program here, it needs to be installed. If it's not installed, your game won't start. If you installed Steam as Flatpak, you need to install the tools as Flatpak, too (and vice versa). If you use environment variables, it's a good idea to think about what they do. For example, <code>AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV</code> won't do anything if you have an Nvidia GPU. <code>%command%</code> should always be part of the launch command and occur exactly once. If you leave it out, you basically tell Steam not to launch your game. == Steam Tinker Launch == [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch Steam Tinker Launch] is a swiss army knife tool that allows easy customization of multiple options for Steam games. It includes helpers for custom commands, Vortex, Mod Organizer 2, Proton GE, Proton/DXVK/wine options, winetricks, ReShade + easy selection for shaders, FSR, debugging, side-by-side VR automation, SteamGridDB, SpecialK, Proton KillSwitch, Gamescope, GameMode, and more. You can find a more comprehensive list of features in the [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch/wiki wiki] (dropdownlist on the right). You can find instructions on how to install it [https://github.com/sonic2kk/steamtinkerlaunch#how-do-i-install-it here]. == File Locations == === Steam Folder === If you use the Steam Flatpak, your Steam folder is <code>~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/data/Steam/</code> If you use the "normal" package, your Steam folder is in<code>~/.local/share/Steam/</code> === Games and Save Files === Your games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/common/<game_name></code>. Your save games and non-Steam games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/compatdata/<some_number>/pfx/drive_c/<windows_path></code>. In order to know which number is correct, you can just use the search functionality of your file manager (probably <code>ctrl</code> + <code>f</code>) to search for the game name, or type <code>find <steam_folder>/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/ | grep -i "<game_name>"</code> in the [[terminal]]. You have to substitute ''<steam_folder>'' and ''<game_name>'' with the actual thing, of course. == Bugs & Workarounds == - if the friends list is open & in the background, the Steam client drops to less than 1 FPS * -> disable animated avatars in the friends list settings b5ee99c1955f6b4670b8ed29d16ec963ac46307b 2169 2168 2023-08-04T15:04:20Z Aragorn 3 /* Explanation of the command above */ wikitext text/x-wiki Steam runs natively on Linux. You can probably just install it from your App store. Usually you want to use ''Steam (Runtime)''. Only use ''Steam (native)'' if you know why you want to use it. If you use the Flatpak version, you will also need to use the Flatpak version of other software that you want to use with it, like MangoHud. == Enable Steam Play for all games == In order to run games that have no Linux version, and that are not explicitly whitelisted by Valve, go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. It's usually a good idea to use [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] instead of Proton Experimental. It has lots of benefits like improved game compatibility, raw mouse input, additional codecs for cutscenes, and much more. However it can be unstable. So if you have stability issues, try something else, for example an older version. Installation instructions are [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom#installation= here]. If you want the latest features, you have to update it manually, though. == ProtonUp-Qt == You can use [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] to make the installation and update process of [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] simple: * 1. Download the [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] AppImage * 2. Mark the AppImage as executable * 3. Double-click the AppImage to run ProtonUp-Qt Alternatively, you can install it from [https://flathub.org/apps/details/net.davidotek.pupgui2 Flathub]. == Launch Options == You may find something like <code>mangohud AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV gamemoderun %command% -fullscreen -dx12</code> on protondb. These are ''launch options''. To use them, you right click on the game, and go to the <code>general</code> tab. There you can paste them into the <code>launch options</code> field. <code>%command%</code> is the command to start the game. Some launch options go before this command (commands to execute programs, for example <code>gamemoderun</code> or <code>mangohud</code>, or [[environment variables]] like <code>AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV</code>), and some go behind it (flags that are passed to the game itself, typically stuff that starts with a <code>-</code>, for example <code>-fullscreen</code> or <code>-dx12</code>). ====== Explanation of the command above ====== # <code>%command%</code> is replaced by something like <code>wine /path/to/game</code>, so the whole command looks like this: <code>mangohud AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV gamemoderun wine /path/to/game.exe -fullscreen -dx12</code> # <code>mangohud</code> is started. This gives you a nice overlay that shows stuff like FPS and CPU utilization. MangoHud now runs the command <code>AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV gamemoderun wine /path/to/game.exe -fullscreen -dx12</code>. # <code>AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV</code> is added to the [[Environment variables|environment]]. This means that every program that is called behind this, is able to read this. It's up to the program what it does with this information. # <code>gamemoderun</code> is started. GameMode will tell your system that it should execute the game with priority, so you get more performance. GameMode executes the command <code>wine /path/to/game.exe -fullscreen -dx12</code>. # <code>wine</code> is started. It looks whether or not <code>AMD_VULKAN_ICD</code> is set to any value, and whether or not that value is <code>RADV</code>. Since this is the case, it executes <code>/path/to/game.exe -fullscreen -dx12</code> using the RADV driver. If the variable would not be set, it would just use the first driver that it finds - which might very well be RADV if no other driver is installed. # <code>/path/to/game.exe</code> is started. It gets two flags: <code>-fullscreen</code> and <code>-dx12</code>. This tells it to start in fullscreen, and to use dx12. === Troubleshooting === If you call a program here, it needs to be installed. If it's not installed, your game won't start. If you installed Steam as Flatpak, you need to install the tools as Flatpak, too (and vice versa). If you use environment variables, it's a good idea to think about what they do. For example, <code>AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV</code> won't do anything if you have an Nvidia GPU. <code>%command%</code> should always be part of the launch command and occur exactly once. If you leave it out, you basically tell Steam not to launch your game. == Steam Tinker Launch == [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch Steam Tinker Launch] is a swiss army knife tool that allows easy customization of multiple options for Steam games. It includes helpers for custom commands, Vortex, Mod Organizer 2, Proton GE, Proton/DXVK/wine options, winetricks, ReShade + easy selection for shaders, FSR, debugging, side-by-side VR automation, SteamGridDB, SpecialK, Proton KillSwitch, Gamescope, GameMode, and more. You can find a more comprehensive list of features in the [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch/wiki wiki] (dropdownlist on the right). You can find instructions on how to install it [https://github.com/sonic2kk/steamtinkerlaunch#how-do-i-install-it here]. == File Locations == === Steam Folder === If you use the Steam Flatpak, your Steam folder is <code>~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/data/Steam/</code> If you use the "normal" package, your Steam folder is in<code>~/.local/share/Steam/</code> === Games and Save Files === Your games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/common/<game_name></code>. Your save games and non-Steam games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/compatdata/<some_number>/pfx/drive_c/<windows_path></code>. In order to know which number is correct, you can just use the search functionality of your file manager (probably <code>ctrl</code> + <code>f</code>) to search for the game name, or type <code>find <steam_folder>/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/ | grep -i "<game_name>"</code> in the [[terminal]]. You have to substitute ''<steam_folder>'' and ''<game_name>'' with the actual thing, of course. == Bugs & Workarounds == - if the friends list is open & in the background, the Steam client drops to less than 1 FPS * -> disable animated avatars in the friends list settings 7fe1985bcc2e22c99082598cc445970890cd530f 2170 2169 2023-08-04T15:13:32Z Aragorn 3 /* Launch Options */ wikitext text/x-wiki Steam runs natively on Linux. You can probably just install it from your App store. Usually you want to use ''Steam (Runtime)''. Only use ''Steam (native)'' if you know why you want to use it. If you use the Flatpak version, you will also need to use the Flatpak version of other software that you want to use with it, like MangoHud. == Enable Steam Play for all games == In order to run games that have no Linux version, and that are not explicitly whitelisted by Valve, go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. It's usually a good idea to use [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] instead of Proton Experimental. It has lots of benefits like improved game compatibility, raw mouse input, additional codecs for cutscenes, and much more. However it can be unstable. So if you have stability issues, try something else, for example an older version. Installation instructions are [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom#installation= here]. If you want the latest features, you have to update it manually, though. == ProtonUp-Qt == You can use [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] to make the installation and update process of [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] simple: * 1. Download the [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] AppImage * 2. Mark the AppImage as executable * 3. Double-click the AppImage to run ProtonUp-Qt Alternatively, you can install it from [https://flathub.org/apps/details/net.davidotek.pupgui2 Flathub]. == Launch Options == You may find something like <code>mangohud AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV gamemoderun %command% -fullscreen -dx12</code> on protondb. These are ''launch options''. To use them, you right click on the game, and go to the <code>general</code> tab. There you can paste them into the <code>launch options</code> field. <code>%command%</code> is the command to start the game. Some launch options go before this command (commands to execute programs, for example <code>gamemoderun</code> or <code>mangohud</code>, or [[environment variables]] like <code>AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV</code>), and some go behind it (flags that are passed to the game itself, typically stuff that starts with a <code>-</code>, for example <code>-fullscreen</code> or <code>-dx12</code>). ====== Explanation of the command above ====== # <code>%command%</code> is replaced by something like <code>wine /path/to/game</code>, so the whole command looks like this: <code>mangohud AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV gamemoderun wine /path/to/game.exe -fullscreen -dx12</code> # <code>mangohud</code> is started. This gives you a nice overlay that shows stuff like FPS and CPU utilization. MangoHud now runs the command <code>AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV gamemoderun wine /path/to/game.exe -fullscreen -dx12</code>. # <code>AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV</code> is added to the [[Environment variables|environment]]. This means that every program that is called behind this, is able to read this. It's up to the program what it does with this information. # <code>gamemoderun</code> is started. GameMode will tell your system that it should execute the game with priority, so you get more performance. GameMode executes the command <code>wine /path/to/game.exe -fullscreen -dx12</code>. # <code>wine</code> is started. It looks whether or not <code>AMD_VULKAN_ICD</code> is set to any value, and whether or not that value is <code>RADV</code>. Since this is the case, it executes <code>/path/to/game.exe -fullscreen -dx12</code> using the RADV driver. If the variable would not be set, it would just use the first driver that it finds - which might very well be RADV if no other driver is installed. # <code>/path/to/game.exe</code> is started. It gets two flags: <code>-fullscreen</code> and <code>-dx12</code>. This tells it to start in fullscreen, and to use dx12. === Troubleshooting === Obviously, all of this only works if you specify things that are actually working. For example, if you try to run <code>gamemoderun</code> without GameMode being installed, the whole thing will just crash without doing anything. Note, that if you installed Steam as Flatpak, all other tools that you call from inside Steam also need to be installed as Flatpak. It's also not really useful to use <code>AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV</code> if you use an Nvidia GPU, or if you have an AMD GPU but you don't have RADV installed. And if you use the <code>-dx12</code> flag, your game needs to support this specific flag. <code>%command%</code> should always be part of the launch command and occur exactly once. If you leave it out, you basically tell Steam not to launch your game. == Steam Tinker Launch == [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch Steam Tinker Launch] is a swiss army knife tool that allows easy customization of multiple options for Steam games. It includes helpers for custom commands, Vortex, Mod Organizer 2, Proton GE, Proton/DXVK/wine options, winetricks, ReShade + easy selection for shaders, FSR, debugging, side-by-side VR automation, SteamGridDB, SpecialK, Proton KillSwitch, Gamescope, GameMode, and more. You can find a more comprehensive list of features in the [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch/wiki wiki] (dropdownlist on the right). You can find instructions on how to install it [https://github.com/sonic2kk/steamtinkerlaunch#how-do-i-install-it here]. == File Locations == === Steam Folder === If you use the Steam Flatpak, your Steam folder is <code>~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/data/Steam/</code> If you use the "normal" package, your Steam folder is in<code>~/.local/share/Steam/</code> === Games and Save Files === Your games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/common/<game_name></code>. Your save games and non-Steam games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/compatdata/<some_number>/pfx/drive_c/<windows_path></code>. In order to know which number is correct, you can just use the search functionality of your file manager (probably <code>ctrl</code> + <code>f</code>) to search for the game name, or type <code>find <steam_folder>/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/ | grep -i "<game_name>"</code> in the [[terminal]]. You have to substitute ''<steam_folder>'' and ''<game_name>'' with the actual thing, of course. == Bugs & Workarounds == - if the friends list is open & in the background, the Steam client drops to less than 1 FPS * -> disable animated avatars in the friends list settings 956cf6e159ed2091c5526ab9ab6dd637f1666d14 2171 2170 2023-08-04T15:19:39Z Aragorn 3 /* Troubleshooting */ wikitext text/x-wiki Steam runs natively on Linux. You can probably just install it from your App store. Usually you want to use ''Steam (Runtime)''. Only use ''Steam (native)'' if you know why you want to use it. If you use the Flatpak version, you will also need to use the Flatpak version of other software that you want to use with it, like MangoHud. == Enable Steam Play for all games == In order to run games that have no Linux version, and that are not explicitly whitelisted by Valve, go to ''Steam -&gt; Settings -&gt; Steam Play'' and check ''&quot;Enable Steam Play for all other titles&quot;'' and then select ''&quot;Proton Experimental''&quot; in the drop down menu. It's usually a good idea to use [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] instead of Proton Experimental. It has lots of benefits like improved game compatibility, raw mouse input, additional codecs for cutscenes, and much more. However it can be unstable. So if you have stability issues, try something else, for example an older version. Installation instructions are [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom#installation= here]. If you want the latest features, you have to update it manually, though. == ProtonUp-Qt == You can use [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] to make the installation and update process of [https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom/releases Proton-GE] simple: * 1. Download the [https://github.com/DavidoTek/ProtonUp-Qt/releases ProtonUp-Qt] AppImage * 2. Mark the AppImage as executable * 3. Double-click the AppImage to run ProtonUp-Qt Alternatively, you can install it from [https://flathub.org/apps/details/net.davidotek.pupgui2 Flathub]. == Launch Options == You may find something like <code>mangohud AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV gamemoderun %command% -fullscreen -dx12</code> on protondb. These are ''launch options''. To use them, you right click on the game, and go to the <code>general</code> tab. There you can paste them into the <code>launch options</code> field. <code>%command%</code> is the command to start the game. Some launch options go before this command (commands to execute programs, for example <code>gamemoderun</code> or <code>mangohud</code>, or [[environment variables]] like <code>AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV</code>), and some go behind it (flags that are passed to the game itself, typically stuff that starts with a <code>-</code>, for example <code>-fullscreen</code> or <code>-dx12</code>). ====== Explanation of the command above ====== # <code>%command%</code> is replaced by something like <code>wine /path/to/game</code>, so the whole command looks like this: <code>mangohud AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV gamemoderun wine /path/to/game.exe -fullscreen -dx12</code> # <code>mangohud</code> is started. This gives you a nice overlay that shows stuff like FPS and CPU utilization. MangoHud now runs the command <code>AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV gamemoderun wine /path/to/game.exe -fullscreen -dx12</code>. # <code>AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV</code> is added to the [[Environment variables|environment]]. This means that every program that is called behind this, is able to read this. It's up to the program what it does with this information. # <code>gamemoderun</code> is started. GameMode will tell your system that it should execute the game with priority, so you get more performance. GameMode executes the command <code>wine /path/to/game.exe -fullscreen -dx12</code>. # <code>wine</code> is started. It looks whether or not <code>AMD_VULKAN_ICD</code> is set to any value, and whether or not that value is <code>RADV</code>. Since this is the case, it executes <code>/path/to/game.exe -fullscreen -dx12</code> using the RADV driver. If the variable would not be set, it would just use the first driver that it finds - which might very well be RADV if no other driver is installed. # <code>/path/to/game.exe</code> is started. It gets two flags: <code>-fullscreen</code> and <code>-dx12</code>. This tells it to start in fullscreen, and to use dx12. === Troubleshooting === Obviously, all of this only works if you specify things that are actually working. For example, if you try to run <code>gamemoderun</code> without GameMode being installed, the whole thing will just crash without doing anything. Note, that if you installed Steam as Flatpak, all other tools that you call from inside Steam also need to be installed as Flatpak. It's also not really useful to use <code>AMD_VULKAN_ICD=RADV</code> if you use an Nvidia GPU, or if you have an AMD GPU but you don't have RADV installed. You can find some interesting flags in the [[improving performance]] page, or in the documentation of a specific tool. And if you use the <code>-dx12</code> flag, your game needs to support this specific flag. You might find flags for a specific game on https://www.pcgamingwiki.com. <code>%command%</code> should always be part of the launch command and occur exactly once. If you leave it out, you basically tell Steam not to launch your game. == Steam Tinker Launch == [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch Steam Tinker Launch] is a swiss army knife tool that allows easy customization of multiple options for Steam games. It includes helpers for custom commands, Vortex, Mod Organizer 2, Proton GE, Proton/DXVK/wine options, winetricks, ReShade + easy selection for shaders, FSR, debugging, side-by-side VR automation, SteamGridDB, SpecialK, Proton KillSwitch, Gamescope, GameMode, and more. You can find a more comprehensive list of features in the [https://github.com/frostworx/steamtinkerlaunch/wiki wiki] (dropdownlist on the right). You can find instructions on how to install it [https://github.com/sonic2kk/steamtinkerlaunch#how-do-i-install-it here]. == File Locations == === Steam Folder === If you use the Steam Flatpak, your Steam folder is <code>~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/data/Steam/</code> If you use the "normal" package, your Steam folder is in<code>~/.local/share/Steam/</code> === Games and Save Files === Your games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/common/<game_name></code>. Your save games and non-Steam games are in <code><steam_folder>/steamapps/compatdata/<some_number>/pfx/drive_c/<windows_path></code>. In order to know which number is correct, you can just use the search functionality of your file manager (probably <code>ctrl</code> + <code>f</code>) to search for the game name, or type <code>find <steam_folder>/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/ | grep -i "<game_name>"</code> in the [[terminal]]. You have to substitute ''<steam_folder>'' and ''<game_name>'' with the actual thing, of course. == Bugs & Workarounds == - if the friends list is open & in the background, the Steam client drops to less than 1 FPS * -> disable animated avatars in the friends list settings 59d8abd94542408b6d8f064a7d688d412dd0785c 0 1 2172 2136 2023-08-07T19:50:28Z Technopeasant 984 /* External Links */ *[http://serioustux.narod.ru/ Serious Tux] - Russian database wikitext text/x-wiki {{Warning|Problem='''Information''': Wiki account creation is restored with hCaptcha to prevent further spam. If this ends up not being efficient enough, more countermeasures will be used (such as E-mail verification). New page creation and existing page editing is limited to registered users only.}} Welcome to the Linux Gaming wiki! We seek to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. We were previously located at the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/index/ Linux Gaming subreddit wiki]. Feel free to contribute! We need it for this wiki to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. === Tweaking === *[[Troubleshooting]] - What to do if your game just won't work. *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies. *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. *[[Dual GPU]] - How to get the game running on the correct GPU. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Monitoring & Stresstesting]] - How to test that your tweaked system is still stable === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Visual Enhancement]] - Enhancing the visuals of a game. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! *[[Window Manager]] - The thing that you use to move windows around on your screen *[[Graphical tools]] - Programs that no one tells you about, but that you might like if you don't want to use the terminal == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[http://www.gamersonlinux.com/ GamersOnLinux] - Linux gaming community forum *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[https://happypenguin.altervista.org/index.php Happy Penguin - The Linux Game Tome] *[http://www.gamingonlinux.info/ Gaming On Linux] - another database *[http://www.lebottindesjeuxlinux.tuxfamily.org/en/home-en/ The Linux Game Book] - French and English database *[http://serioustux.narod.ru/ Serious Tux] - Russian database *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.zoom-platform.com/ Zoom Platform] - DRM-free retro games. *[https://gamejolt.com/games?os=linux GameJolt] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[https://linuxgamenews.com/ Linux Game News] *[https://playingtux.com/?lang=en Playing Tux] *[https://www.linux-games.com/ Linux-Games] *[https://linuxgameconsortium.com/ Linux Game Consortium] *[https://www.linuxgamingportal.com/ Linux Gaming Portal] *[https://www.codingcommanders.com/linux-gaming/ Coding Commanders - Linux Game Blog] *[https://zerker.ca/home/tag/linuxunix.html Zerk Zone - Retro Linux Games] Historical Linux Gaming Sites *[https://web.archive.org/web/20210419173711/https://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] (2012-2021) *[https://linuxgamingnews.org/ Linux Gaming News] (2009-2018) *[http://linuxgames.me/ Linux Games] (2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20191213112019/https://www.liflg.org/ linux installers for linux gamers] (2004-2019; moved to GitHub) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160505015216/http://ubuntugames.org/ Ubuntu Games] (2012-2016; Portuguese) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160604150745/http://www.lgdb.org/games Linux Game Database] (2010-2019) *[http://icculus.org/lgfaq/ Linux Gamers' FAQ] (last updated 2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20090302095738/http://www.linuxgamingworld.com/ Linux Gaming World] (2006-2009) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140217234002/http://www.linux-gamers.net/ linuXgamers.net] (2003-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20150726203906/http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] (1998-2015) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140214112327/http://www.tuxgames.com/ Tux Games] (2000-2014) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20130402151010/http://happypenguin.org/ The Linux Game Tome] (1995-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040109114819/http://www.linuxgaming.net:80/index.php LinuxGaming] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040925062326/http://www.tuxgamer.com:80/ Tux Gamer] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080119000310/http://lgdc.sunsite.dk/ Linux Game Development Centre] (2000-2002) *[https://web.archive.org/web/19990302090332/http://www.spinne.com:80/x/games/ X11 Games] (1997-1998) Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a distribution agnostic package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. *[https://github.com/mikeroyal/Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide/blob/main/README.md Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide] - in depth tutorial on how to configure Ubuntu. Also contains a gaming section, that might also be relevant for other distributions. *[https://indiegamereviewer.com/category/platforms/linux/ Inde Game Reviewer - Linux] == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. fe4ed59279103eb7bdc74b3c3de55b0ec7933872 2173 2172 2023-08-07T20:03:56Z Technopeasant 984 /* External Links */ *[https://icculus.org/~hamish/retro/index.html Building a Retro Linux Gaming Computer] wikitext text/x-wiki {{Warning|Problem='''Information''': Wiki account creation is restored with hCaptcha to prevent further spam. If this ends up not being efficient enough, more countermeasures will be used (such as E-mail verification). New page creation and existing page editing is limited to registered users only.}} Welcome to the Linux Gaming wiki! We seek to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. We were previously located at the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/index/ Linux Gaming subreddit wiki]. Feel free to contribute! We need it for this wiki to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. === Tweaking === *[[Troubleshooting]] - What to do if your game just won't work. *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies. *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. *[[Dual GPU]] - How to get the game running on the correct GPU. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but costs 30% performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Monitoring & Stresstesting]] - How to test that your tweaked system is still stable === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Visual Enhancement]] - Enhancing the visuals of a game. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! *[[Window Manager]] - The thing that you use to move windows around on your screen *[[Graphical tools]] - Programs that no one tells you about, but that you might like if you don't want to use the terminal == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[http://www.gamersonlinux.com/ GamersOnLinux] - Linux gaming community forum *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[https://happypenguin.altervista.org/index.php Happy Penguin - The Linux Game Tome] *[http://www.gamingonlinux.info/ Gaming On Linux] - another database *[http://www.lebottindesjeuxlinux.tuxfamily.org/en/home-en/ The Linux Game Book] - French and English database *[http://serioustux.narod.ru/ Serious Tux] - Russian database *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.zoom-platform.com/ Zoom Platform] - DRM-free retro games. *[https://gamejolt.com/games?os=linux GameJolt] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[https://linuxgamenews.com/ Linux Game News] *[https://playingtux.com/?lang=en Playing Tux] *[https://www.linux-games.com/ Linux-Games] *[https://linuxgameconsortium.com/ Linux Game Consortium] *[https://www.linuxgamingportal.com/ Linux Gaming Portal] *[https://www.codingcommanders.com/linux-gaming/ Coding Commanders - Linux Game Blog] *[https://zerker.ca/home/tag/linuxunix.html Zerk Zone - Retro Linux Games] *[https://icculus.org/~hamish/retro/index.html Building a Retro Linux Gaming Computer] Historical Linux Gaming Sites *[https://web.archive.org/web/20210419173711/https://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] (2012-2021) *[https://linuxgamingnews.org/ Linux Gaming News] (2009-2018) *[http://linuxgames.me/ Linux Games] (2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20191213112019/https://www.liflg.org/ linux installers for linux gamers] (2004-2019; moved to GitHub) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160505015216/http://ubuntugames.org/ Ubuntu Games] (2012-2016; Portuguese) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160604150745/http://www.lgdb.org/games Linux Game Database] (2010-2019) *[http://icculus.org/lgfaq/ Linux Gamers' FAQ] (last updated 2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20090302095738/http://www.linuxgamingworld.com/ Linux Gaming World] (2006-2009) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140217234002/http://www.linux-gamers.net/ linuXgamers.net] (2003-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20150726203906/http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] (1998-2015) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140214112327/http://www.tuxgames.com/ Tux Games] (2000-2014) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20130402151010/http://happypenguin.org/ The Linux Game Tome] (1995-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040109114819/http://www.linuxgaming.net:80/index.php LinuxGaming] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040925062326/http://www.tuxgamer.com:80/ Tux Gamer] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080119000310/http://lgdc.sunsite.dk/ Linux Game Development Centre] (2000-2002) *[https://web.archive.org/web/19990302090332/http://www.spinne.com:80/x/games/ X11 Games] (1997-1998) Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a distribution agnostic package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. *[https://github.com/mikeroyal/Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide/blob/main/README.md Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide] - in depth tutorial on how to configure Ubuntu. Also contains a gaming section, that might also be relevant for other distributions. *[https://indiegamereviewer.com/category/platforms/linux/ Inde Game Reviewer - Linux] == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. c6c222748225b671006ddd789af697ceb64959c0 2186 2173 2023-10-29T12:07:17Z Aragorn 3 /* Performance */ wikitext text/x-wiki {{Warning|Problem='''Information''': Wiki account creation is restored with hCaptcha to prevent further spam. If this ends up not being efficient enough, more countermeasures will be used (such as E-mail verification). New page creation and existing page editing is limited to registered users only.}} Welcome to the Linux Gaming wiki! We seek to make an open, standard type of wiki that gathers all information, tutorials and tweaks to help with gaming on Linux. We were previously located at the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/index/ Linux Gaming subreddit wiki]. Feel free to contribute! We need it for this wiki to gain traction. == Overview == === Getting started === *[[Should you switch to Linux gaming?]] - Things to consider before wiping Windows. *[[Getting started with Linux]] - In depth guide about how to start. *[[Getting started (short version)]] - If you just want something that works. *[[How to get answers]] - Knowing what information are relevant for a search engine or a forum. *[[Cheatsheet]] - terms you might stumble upon while reading this wiki === Running games === *[[Lutris]] - The most important launcher. Big library of scripts to help you install many games. Runs basically everything. *[[Heroic]] - Launcher to run games from Epic and GOG. *[[Steam]] - The best way to install games from Steam. *[[Bottles]] - Run games and other programs that don't have a good install script. === Tweaking === *[[Troubleshooting]] - What to do if your game just won't work. *[[Installing dlls]] - How to get Windows dependencies. *[[Winetricks]] - Easy tool to do tweaks. *[[Environment variables]] - You might use them to pass options to programs. *[[Gamescope]] - Tool to make games think they run maximized on a single monitor. *[[Dual GPU]] - How to get the game running on the correct GPU. === Performance === *[[Improving performance]] - What to do if you get less FPS, more input lag, or more stuttering than on Windows. *[[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] - AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. A technique to get significantly more performance in GPU limited games. *[[Gamemode]] - Tool to improve performance. *[[Compositor]] - Makes your desktop look nice, but may cost a lot of performance in games. *[[CoreCtrl]] - Tool to control CPU and GPU. Especially interesting if you have an AMD GPU. *[[Hardware video acceleration in Web browsers]] - Information on enabling hardware video acceleration in web browsers. *[[Monitoring & Stresstesting]] - How to test that your tweaked system is still stable === Modding === *[[Modding]] - How to make mods work on Linux. *[[Visual Enhancement]] - Enhancing the visuals of a game. *[[Game specific modding tools|List of Game specific modding tools]] === Hardware === *[[Hardware Recommendations]] - good hardware that you can buy and that is known to have good support *[[Working Hardware]] - an extensive list of hardware that is known to work === Other === *[[Terminal]] - The scary black thing with text. How to use it without messing up your computer. *[[Common tweaks]] - How to disable mouse acceleration (and more - to be done). *[[Misc]] - Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. *[[Windows Compatibility]] - How to run Windows programs *[[Desktop Environment]] - The interface of your system. You can change it! *[[Window Manager]] - The thing that you use to move windows around on your screen *[[Graphical tools]] - Programs that no one tells you about, but that you might like if you don't want to use the terminal == Getting Tech Support== Generally, the first port of call for problems that you may encounter is the dedicated support (forums, IRC, knowledgebases etc) provided by the Linux distribution that you're using. You can also ask for help in the Weekly Tech Support Thread that's pinned to the top of [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming /r/linux_gaming]. The relevant distro subreddit may also be useful - the popular ones can be found on the /r/linux sidebar. If the problem is a game-specific one, then searching out support from the game's website, subreddit, or Steam community hub may be of help. Otherwise, you may find the following links of use: *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxQuestions /r/LinuxQuestions] - general Linux support subreddit *[https://www.reddit.com/r/Linux4Noobs /r/Linux4Noobs] - subreddit providing Linux support that is "explicitly noob-friendly" *[https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport /r/techsupport] - large multi-OS support subreddit *[http://www.linuxquestions.org/ LinuxQuestions.org] - very well established general support site for Linux *[http://www.gamersonlinux.com/ GamersOnLinux] - Linux gaming community forum *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/tech-help GamingOnLinux.com Tech Forum] - All Linux gaming related tech help topics accepted *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues Official Steam for Linux bug tracker] - searching for issues posted on Steam or games on Steam may provide solutions *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - user reports on Proton/Steam Play game compatibility, often with comments regarding necessary tweaks *[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues Official Proton bug tracker] - generally every Proton game is kept track of in its own issue report, so see if your game already has one and only create a new report if one doesn't exist *[http://support.feralinteractive.com/ Feral Interactive] - for support on any games that have been ported/published by Feral Interactive *[http://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine Database] - holds support information for games that can be run through Wine *[http://forum.winehq.org/ Wine Forums] - for support on games run through Wine that may not be covered in the Database ==External Links== Lists of sites that may be of interest or help to people interested in Linux gaming. All the of the information held within these sites is the responsibility of their respective owners. Crowdfunding *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=crowdfunders GamingOnLinux's list of crowdfunding campaigns] - information on all known current crowdfunding campaigns relevant to Linux games. *[http://www.indiegogo.com/ Indiegogo] - broad range crowdfunding site, often used for Linux game campaigns *[http://www.kickstarter.com/ Kickstarter] - largest crowdfunding site and frequently used for Linux game campaigns Linux Game databases *[https://lutris.net/ Lutris] - most important source of information about how well non Steam games run. Also contains scripts that install the game. Easiest to use with the Lutris launcher. *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/db GamingOnLinux Database] - tracking all Linux games and more *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home PCGamingWiki] - multi-OS game database *[http://www.penguspy.com/ PenguSpy] - database of Linux games *[https://happypenguin.altervista.org/index.php Happy Penguin - The Linux Game Tome] *[http://www.gamingonlinux.info/ Gaming On Linux] - another database *[http://www.lebottindesjeuxlinux.tuxfamily.org/en/home-en/ The Linux Game Book] - French and English database *[http://serioustux.narod.ru/ Serious Tux] - Russian database *[http://boilingsteam.com/recommended-games/ Recommended Linux Games] - selection of well received games available on Linux, with DRM information. *[https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxVSWinBenchmarks/ Benchmark comparison of Linux/Windows] - subreddit where someone uploads videos comparing Linux vs Windows. Linux Game Stores *[https://store.feralinteractive.com/ The Feral Store] *[https://www.gog.com/ GOG.com] - contains downloadable Linux binaries, but launcher (GOG Galaxy) is not available for Linux *[http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Humble_Store PCGamingWiki's] list of Humble Store Games - lists games available through Humble Store widgets *[https://itch.io/ itch.io] - provides many indie games and game assets via it's Linux native app or website. *[https://www.zoom-platform.com/ Zoom Platform] - DRM-free retro games. *[https://gamejolt.com/games?os=linux GameJolt] *[https://www.indiegala.com/ Indiegala] *[https://indiegamestand.com/store/ IndieGameStand Store] *[http://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] - requires Steam client to install / run games Steam Specific *[https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB] - database of crowdsourced reports of Steam game compatibility with Proton *[http://steamcommunity.com/groups/redditlinuxgamers Official /r/linux_gaming Steam group] *[http://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] - site providing information on real-time changes to Steam games *[http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/ Steam for Linux Community Site] - Steam's own hub for the Steam for Linux client and games *[https://www.reddit.com/u/maeries Chart of games on Steam] - Tracks the amount of Linux games on Steam (maintained by /u/maeries) *[http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games List of DRM free games on Steam] Linux Gaming Sites *[https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux] *[http://www.boilingsteam.com/ BoilingSteam] *[https://linuxgamingcentral.com/ Linux Gaming Central] *[https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/ HOLARSE LinuxGaming] (GERMAN) *[http://linuxgamecast.com/ Linux Game Cast] *[https://linuxgamenews.com/ Linux Game News] *[https://playingtux.com/?lang=en Playing Tux] *[https://www.linux-games.com/ Linux-Games] *[https://linuxgameconsortium.com/ Linux Game Consortium] *[https://www.linuxgamingportal.com/ Linux Gaming Portal] *[https://www.codingcommanders.com/linux-gaming/ Coding Commanders - Linux Game Blog] *[https://zerker.ca/home/tag/linuxunix.html Zerk Zone - Retro Linux Games] *[https://icculus.org/~hamish/retro/index.html Building a Retro Linux Gaming Computer] Historical Linux Gaming Sites *[https://web.archive.org/web/20210419173711/https://rootgamer.com/ RootGamer] (2012-2021) *[https://linuxgamingnews.org/ Linux Gaming News] (2009-2018) *[http://linuxgames.me/ Linux Games] (2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20191213112019/https://www.liflg.org/ linux installers for linux gamers] (2004-2019; moved to GitHub) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160505015216/http://ubuntugames.org/ Ubuntu Games] (2012-2016; Portuguese) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160604150745/http://www.lgdb.org/games Linux Game Database] (2010-2019) *[http://icculus.org/lgfaq/ Linux Gamers' FAQ] (last updated 2016) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20090302095738/http://www.linuxgamingworld.com/ Linux Gaming World] (2006-2009) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140217234002/http://www.linux-gamers.net/ linuXgamers.net] (2003-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20150726203906/http://www.linuxgames.com/ LinuxGames] (1998-2015) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20140214112327/http://www.tuxgames.com/ Tux Games] (2000-2014) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20130402151010/http://happypenguin.org/ The Linux Game Tome] (1995-2013) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040109114819/http://www.linuxgaming.net:80/index.php LinuxGaming] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20040925062326/http://www.tuxgamer.com:80/ Tux Gamer] (2002-2004) *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080119000310/http://lgdc.sunsite.dk/ Linux Game Development Centre] (2000-2002) *[https://web.archive.org/web/19990302090332/http://www.spinne.com:80/x/games/ X11 Games] (1997-1998) Miscellaneous Sites *[http://www.dosbox.com/ DOSBox] - application to enable running old DOS games *[http://www.scummvm.org/ ScummVM] - another application which allows running various old games, but unlike DOSBox it natively reimplements their engines. *[http://lutris.net/ Lutris] - an open gaming platform for Linux. Manages all your native, WINE, and emulated games in one place. *[http://www.playonlinux.com/en/ PlayOnLinux] - application to make installation and running of games through Wine easier *[https://flathub.org/home Flathub] - the default repository of Flatpak, a distribution agnostic package manager *[http://osgameclones.com/ OS Game Clones] - open source remakes of classics *[https://wiki.archlinux.org Arch Wiki] - a high quality, well maintained source for information on Arch Linux, as well as applications available for it. Most information also applies to other distributions. *[https://github.com/mikeroyal/Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide/blob/main/README.md Perfect-Ubuntu-Guide] - in depth tutorial on how to configure Ubuntu. Also contains a gaming section, that might also be relevant for other distributions. *[https://indiegamereviewer.com/category/platforms/linux/ Inde Game Reviewer - Linux] == Outdated pages in this wiki (please update them) == The following pages are heavily outdated. You should probably look somewhere else to get information. If you have the knowledge, please feel free to update them. *[[Linux_Gaming FAQ|<s>Linux_Gaming FAQ</s>]] *[[Graphic drivers on Linux|<s>Graphic drivers on Linux</s>]] - information about video card drivers on Linux *[[Linux ports on Steam Greenlight|<s>Linux ports on Steam Greenlight</s>]] - status updates and information on Linux ports made available through Steam Greenlight *[[List of Linux games missing from Steam|<s>List of Linux games missing from Steam</s>]] - status and updates on Linux games not on Steam *[[List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store|<s>List of Linux games pulled from the Steam Store</s>]] - information regarding store entries being removed or unavailable *[[List of Source Ports|<s>List of Source Ports</s>]] - information about commercial games where the engine source code is open and available for use. == Backup this Wiki == You can get an xml dump to backup this wiki [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/dump.xml here]. 260ab5ec9b03b87d98054001b9961b657c38bb29 0 28 2174 1901 2023-08-08T12:49:12Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get everything working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Gaming on Linux is more complicated than gaming on Windows. If you want a computer that just works, then Linux is not the system you want to use. You should not be expecting a drop in replacement, Linux is different in a lot of ways. You should also not expect a flawless experience. Linux can be flawless, but it might be necessary to resolve some issues first. You will have to spend time learning it, and you will have to spend time troubleshooting. However, this experience is very rewarding, and you will end up getting a system that does exactly what you want. Expect that nothing works as you expect, and that you will have to research every little thing that you want to do. Linux is not Windows, and it doesn't want to be. And that's a good thing. But this also means that your knowledge about Windows doesn't help you. And it means that you will do things wrong. These things that you do wrong, may even break your system, and you will have to reinstall it. This will probably happen multiple times, until you adapted to Linux. Some games do not work, no matter what you do. The primary reason for this is that some anti cheat software will just kick you. As of 08-08-23 this will happen in about 43% of ''games with anti cheat''<ref>https://areweanticheatyet.com/</ref>. However, if the game doesn't kick you, your chances to run it are almost 100%. Keep in mind that the experience might not be flawless, you might need to troubleshoot, there might be missing cut scenes, and there may be crashes. As of 08-08-23, about 80% of the top 1000 games on Steam run without issues, and only 3% don't run at all<ref>https://www.protondb.com/dashboard</ref>. Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''''depending on the game and your computer'''''. On most distributions, the of-the-box performance is a lot worse than on Windows, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better, especially if you have an AMD GPU. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. {| class="wikitable" |+ !Why you shouldn't switch to Linux !Why you should switch to Linux |- |Linux is not necessary for better privacy. You can also tweak Windows so that it doesn't spy as much on you. If you use Windows 10 Education or Enterprise, the spying can even be completely disabled. At least if you trust Microsoft that they don't lie. |Most Linux distributions don't spy on you. By design, and not just by some obscure setting that Windows might change at any point in time. To avoid the ''bad'' Linux distributions, either stay with the [[Getting started (short version)|quick start guide,]] or look at the [[Getting started with Linux#Recommendations|recommendations]]. |- |Customizing your Linux system might break it. |Customization options are endless. You can make your system look and behave exactly like you want. |- |Linux works different than Windows. Learning how to use it consumes much time, and you need technical knowledge to understand what is going on. |You learn valuable things that can make using your computer much easier. You get technical knowledge, and it might even give you a job. Your get a very reliable system, and you will be able to fix almost any problem. ''"That's not possible"'' is something you don't say. Everything is possible. You just need to find a way how to do it. And at the end you might even realize that using Windows is much harder and you just got used to it's horrible design decisions. |- |You get worse performance in some games. |You get better performance in some games. Some people say, you can even get less input lag. This can give you a competitive advantage. |- |Some hardware doesn't work, and you need to buy new stuff. |Old hardware stays usable. You can still use your 20 years old laptop. No need to throw it away. Also, a lot of controllers that don't work on Windows work well, and some printers work better. |- |Linux is not necessary to get a secure system. You're also not likely to get malware on Windows if you harden it, and you don't download/click random stuff. |Security. Getting malware on Linux is something that practically doesn't happen. |- |A lot of games just don't work on Linux. No matter what you do. On Windows, you can just click ''"install"'', and they work. |A lot of games don't work on Windows, either. Especially old titles. These games often work on Linux without issues. |- |Installing games on Linux is often hard, and time consuming. In many cases you need to search the internet for a solution on how to run them, try different settings, and so on. This can take many hours. Especially if you like to play many different games. |Many games can be installed without problems. You install it, and it just works. If something doesn't work, chances are that someone else figured out how to run it. In many cases it's something from a very short list of things that you need to try. Usually, problems can be fixed within a couple minutes. |- |You might have to reinstall your system a couple times until you got used to it. |You don't need to reinstall your system every couple months because it gets slow (like Windows does). |} == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS:GO, Overwatch 2, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. See https://areweanticheatyet.com/ to get detailed information about specific games. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. See https://areweanticheatyet.com/ to get detailed information about specific games. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends on the individual tools the modding community uses. It's often not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you. * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB of RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable (not for serious gaming of course). And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. It won't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster, though. But it has significantly less overhead than Windows, so if that's the problem it will definitely help. For example, it might revive your old Laptop. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects your choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though—you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows to something like MacOS to something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is not even close to everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. Some examples of what Linux can look like: **KDE Plasma: [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/articles/tagline_images/528481101id19192gol.jpg 1][https://news-cdn.softpedia.com/images/news2/kde-plasma-5-15-desktop-environment-officially-released-here-s-what-s-new-524922-8.jpg 2][https://www.lffl.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/garuda-linux-dr460nized-1400x788.png 3][https://ubuntuhandbook.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/preview-arc-dark.jpg 4][https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RQLcqtqS-YA/XHTsrV6x_-I/AAAAAAAAU0Y/eKJma9C7vsITXzcDklMTaOXgUdVqBIvWgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot_20190226_073620.png 5][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 6][https://i.redd.it/lvubg0sxnl641.png 7][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 8][https://i.redd.it/8mz4z5kybs631.png 9][https://i.redd.it/jup9nde0f0l81.png 10][https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FEMS88kEx_8/maxresdefault.jpg 11][https://i.redd.it/f6ywf9pncpy31.png 12][https://i.imgur.com/kYX3ewJ.png 13][https://forum.endeavouros.com/uploads/default/original/2X/6/6e6c1619652607552c45b001ad2dbfb9d01ea21d.jpeg 14][https://i.redd.it/e4w1uvk48fr81.jpg 15][https://i.redd.it/0x4pz8o10xq81.png 16][https://i.redd.it/7a5mwp393jo81.png 17][https://i.redd.it/cv5gc2tne4r81.png 18] [https://i.redd.it/t65bae91v3s81.jpg 19] [https://64.media.tumblr.com/9bda2b57523402c142d4f797c8ad0093/d629d44890280e21-7d/s1280x1920/ad696bc813582410c77f9879cc0334b76ab252ea.jpg 20] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/comments/eor4up/plasma_cyberpunk_desktop/ 21] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=plasma&sort=top and] [https://store.kde.org/browse?cat=104&ord=rating more] **GNOME: [https://forum.garudalinux.org/uploads/default/optimized/2X/e/e6d6150878051d075fb6d8548f5314fcf6c7bf28_2_1035x646.jpeg 1][https://www.cmscritic.com/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cloudinary/pop-os-review-4_hhslpt.png 2][https://i.redd.it/jt3xl3e2qak61.png 3][https://pingvinus.ru/files/news/manjaro-20-1/manjaro-20.1-gnome.jpg 4][http://www.jetestelinux.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/manjaro_gnome_1710_mode_nuit.jpg 5][https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/f8e04f89-e155-4926-972e-76e0955933eb/dak2iyb-e5931cb1-e722-43f8-a1ed-63361f901ab9.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2Y4ZTA0Zjg5LWUxNTUtNDkyNi05NzJlLTc2ZTA5NTU5MzNlYlwvZGFrMml5Yi1lNTkzMWNiMS1lNzIyLTQzZjgtYTFlZC02MzM2MWY5MDFhYjkucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.zwpBVOqCfSFqWRDNz1fnEgVkyyXgrj_3NoJNLa0Zlzw 6][https://i.redd.it/b06ms6vfe0r81.png 7][https://i.redd.it/uvenc4r0dun81.png 8][https://i.redd.it/kw1enzggqmo81.png 9][https://i.redd.it/gdtwdhbk4tr81.png 10][https://i.redd.it/uk9uihckcsd41.png 11] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=gnome&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&sort=top and] [https://www.gnome-look.org/browse?ord=rating more] **Tiling window managers: [https://pic3.zhimg.com/v2-bad01545e1f69cc0a94633ff771b72e3_1200x500.jpg 1][https://preview.redd.it/f2jg3znpr1g31.png?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=9b64dde84ccb1e0ba20e8bba5ee6516123273bd2 2][https://pingvinus.ru/cr_images/userpicture/n/1938-0.png 3][https://i.redd.it/rpojcv4d3nr81.png 4][https://i.redd.it/lkviraiador81.png 5][https://i.redd.it/or7veqoicdq81.png 6][https://i.redd.it/ptbibz0gdk861.png 7] **[https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/ and many more] * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal Windows filesystem. Of course this doesn't apply to all games, so your mileage may vary. * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so (again) your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux, but beware that Wine can execute malware with success though!<ref>https://wiki.winehq.org/FAQ#Is_Wine_malware-compatible.3F</ref> * Software. Almost all software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. *You can separate your games from each other, so you don't get dependency problems. And you can even have several versions of the same game. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games], and in many cases even in DirectX games. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == == References and Notes == a8ee5dac3a54dfc65081fa2c200dd37408258cbc 2189 2174 2023-11-26T10:43:46Z MCPEngu1 1164 Change CS:GO to CS2 wikitext text/x-wiki Linux gaming has progressed over the past few years to become, in some respects, a viable competitor to Windows for gaming. But should ''you'' swap to Linux? The answer to this question is: '''it depends'''. What matters is whether the games you care about work, and whether you are willing to commit the time to get everything working. You should really see how you like Linux as a general desktop experience first, and then try gaming on it. Windows is often significantly easier to game on, so the Linux desktop experience is what would make Linux gaming worth it for you. == General expectations == Gaming on Linux is more complicated than gaming on Windows. If you want a computer that just works, then Linux is not the system you want to use. You should not be expecting a drop in replacement, Linux is different in a lot of ways. You should also not expect a flawless experience. Linux can be flawless, but it might be necessary to resolve some issues first. You will have to spend time learning it, and you will have to spend time troubleshooting. However, this experience is very rewarding, and you will end up getting a system that does exactly what you want. Expect that nothing works as you expect, and that you will have to research every little thing that you want to do. Linux is not Windows, and it doesn't want to be. And that's a good thing. But this also means that your knowledge about Windows doesn't help you. And it means that you will do things wrong. These things that you do wrong, may even break your system, and you will have to reinstall it. This will probably happen multiple times, until you adapted to Linux. Some games do not work, no matter what you do. The primary reason for this is that some anti cheat software will just kick you. As of 08-08-23 this will happen in about 43% of ''games with anti cheat''<ref>https://areweanticheatyet.com/</ref>. However, if the game doesn't kick you, your chances to run it are almost 100%. Keep in mind that the experience might not be flawless, you might need to troubleshoot, there might be missing cut scenes, and there may be crashes. As of 08-08-23, about 80% of the top 1000 games on Steam run without issues, and only 3% don't run at all<ref>https://www.protondb.com/dashboard</ref>. Running Windows-native games on Linux affects the amount of frames per second (FPS) and general performance that you get in the game. You usually can get up to 15% better or worse FPS compared to Windows, '''''depending on the game and your computer'''''. On most distributions, the of-the-box performance is a lot worse than on Windows, though you can lessen this performance penalty in [https://linux-gaming.kwindu.eu/index.php?title=Improving_performance a lot of ways], to the point where your performance might even be a lot better, especially if you have an AMD GPU. By using [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]], you might get significantly better performance than on Windows, but this comes at the cost of image quality. However, depending on your setup (your GPU is bad, but supports Vulkan), this might be worth it for you. Note that the image degradation is noticeable. Full HD + ultra high graphics + FSR might not be worth it. However FHD + low settings + FSR with 60 FPS might be significantly better than having 30 FPS with the same settings and no FSR. The image degradation is not as noticeable with high resolution, so 4k ultra high + FSR might fit your needs. {| class="wikitable" |+ !Why you shouldn't switch to Linux !Why you should switch to Linux |- |Linux is not necessary for better privacy. You can also tweak Windows so that it doesn't spy as much on you. If you use Windows 10 Education or Enterprise, the spying can even be completely disabled. At least if you trust Microsoft that they don't lie. |Most Linux distributions don't spy on you. By design, and not just by some obscure setting that Windows might change at any point in time. To avoid the ''bad'' Linux distributions, either stay with the [[Getting started (short version)|quick start guide,]] or look at the [[Getting started with Linux#Recommendations|recommendations]]. |- |Customizing your Linux system might break it. |Customization options are endless. You can make your system look and behave exactly like you want. |- |Linux works different than Windows. Learning how to use it consumes much time, and you need technical knowledge to understand what is going on. |You learn valuable things that can make using your computer much easier. You get technical knowledge, and it might even give you a job. Your get a very reliable system, and you will be able to fix almost any problem. ''"That's not possible"'' is something you don't say. Everything is possible. You just need to find a way how to do it. And at the end you might even realize that using Windows is much harder and you just got used to it's horrible design decisions. |- |You get worse performance in some games. |You get better performance in some games. Some people say, you can even get less input lag. This can give you a competitive advantage. |- |Some hardware doesn't work, and you need to buy new stuff. |Old hardware stays usable. You can still use your 20 years old laptop. No need to throw it away. Also, a lot of controllers that don't work on Windows work well, and some printers work better. |- |Linux is not necessary to get a secure system. You're also not likely to get malware on Windows if you harden it, and you don't download/click random stuff. |Security. Getting malware on Linux is something that practically doesn't happen. |- |A lot of games just don't work on Linux. No matter what you do. On Windows, you can just click ''"install"'', and they work. |A lot of games don't work on Windows, either. Especially old titles. These games often work on Linux without issues. |- |Installing games on Linux is often hard, and time consuming. In many cases you need to search the internet for a solution on how to run them, try different settings, and so on. This can take many hours. Especially if you like to play many different games. |Many games can be installed without problems. You install it, and it just works. If something doesn't work, chances are that someone else figured out how to run it. In many cases it's something from a very short list of things that you need to try. Usually, problems can be fixed within a couple minutes. |- |You might have to reinstall your system a couple times until you got used to it. |You don't need to reinstall your system every couple months because it gets slow (like Windows does). |} == Genres == If you play mostly indie games, single-player games, older games, do game emulation, etc., you'll likely have a satisfactory gaming experience on Linux. === Problematic genres === If you care the most about these parts of gaming, you're more likely to run into some issues on Linux. These issues range from something you can troubleshoot and fix, to something you can't: ==== Competitive First Person Shooters (FPS) ==== Many competitive shooters have [[anti-cheat software]] which currently lock out Linux. It depends on the game, though - CS2, Overwatch 2, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and more are playable on Linux. See https://areweanticheatyet.com/ to get detailed information about specific games. ==== AAA Games ==== Again, it depends on the game. If it's a single-player AAA game, it's a lot more likely to work in the first few days of release. But if you're looking to play the new AAA multiplayer game on day one, Linux may not be the best platform for that. Again, it mostly depends on anti-cheat and DRM. Elden Ring for example, worked on day one. See https://areweanticheatyet.com/ to get detailed information about specific games. ==== Virtual Reality ==== Virtual reality is doable on Linux, mainly through the Valve Index headset. But it currently lacks many quality of life features, and isn't really worth recommending as of right now. ==== Racing Simulators ==== Much racing sim equipment isn't well-supported on Linux. ==== Game Modding ==== [[Modding|Game modding]] is a hit or miss on Linux. Some games support it, especially through the Steam Workshop, but it really depends on the individual tools the modding community uses. It's often not as easy, and sometimes you have to put some extra work into it to make it work. ==== Conclusion ==== Again, things really depend game by game. Use the websites [[ProtonDB]], [https://appdb.winehq.org/ wine AppDB] and [https://areweanticheatyet.com/ Are We Anti-Cheat Yet?] to check game compatibility! == Advantages == Now, if everything is so complicated, why should you even ''want'' to switch? Linux has multiple advantages: * Privacy. It will not spy on you. * It doesn't nag you to use Edge, Skype, or Teams, and it doesn't show ads in the file explorer, or Bing results in the start menu. *It basically has no system requirements. Linux can run on anything, ranging from a micro controller to a supercomputer. It doesn't need a TPM, and it will not show watermarks or threaten you to stop updates if your CPU is "unsupported" by Windows 11. 4GB of RAM is plenty for normal tasks like office and browsing, even 1GB is usable (not for serious gaming of course). And your old 15 years old CPU might suddenly feel snappy again. It won't magically turn your old PC into a performance monster, though. But it has significantly less overhead than Windows, so if that's the problem it will definitely help. For example, it might revive your old Laptop. * It's free. You don't have to pay anything to use it. *It's also free as in freedom. It respects your choices. If you don't want to do updates ''now'', it will not force you. If you want to change your browser, it will let you do it. If you want to uninstall your bootloader, it will let you do it (you shouldn't do the last one, though—you won't be able to boot anymore). * It's customizable. You want to change how your taskbar looks? Sure. You want other icons, or the close button for windows to be on the left side? No problem. You want a dock instead of a taskbar? Go on. You want all windows to be tiled, you don't want a task bar, a dock, or window decorations, or you want to use your system entirely with hotkeys? It's possible. You can choose between many different file managers, thousands of themes, task bars, start menus, docks, and all kind of other things. There are multiple collections of these things, called "Desktop Environments" which all look and feel vastly different. The looks range from something like Windows to something like MacOS to something like Android to weird things you may have seen in some movies. And this is not even close to everything, there is basically nothing that is not customizable. If you want your system to look or feel in a specific way, your chances are good that it's possible. You can even change and customize the ''kernel'', which is the heart of the system, and replace it with something that is optimized for a specific task. For example, you can build your own customized kernel where you can decide the maximum amount of input lag that you tolerate. Some examples of what Linux can look like: **KDE Plasma: [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/uploads/articles/tagline_images/528481101id19192gol.jpg 1][https://news-cdn.softpedia.com/images/news2/kde-plasma-5-15-desktop-environment-officially-released-here-s-what-s-new-524922-8.jpg 2][https://www.lffl.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/garuda-linux-dr460nized-1400x788.png 3][https://ubuntuhandbook.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/preview-arc-dark.jpg 4][https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RQLcqtqS-YA/XHTsrV6x_-I/AAAAAAAAU0Y/eKJma9C7vsITXzcDklMTaOXgUdVqBIvWgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot_20190226_073620.png 5][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 6][https://i.redd.it/lvubg0sxnl641.png 7][https://preview.redd.it/ovvztl9yb8e41.png?auto=webp&s=82f9340fc4918150e3816d3dbb66d6ec02e8993f 8][https://i.redd.it/8mz4z5kybs631.png 9][https://i.redd.it/jup9nde0f0l81.png 10][https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FEMS88kEx_8/maxresdefault.jpg 11][https://i.redd.it/f6ywf9pncpy31.png 12][https://i.imgur.com/kYX3ewJ.png 13][https://forum.endeavouros.com/uploads/default/original/2X/6/6e6c1619652607552c45b001ad2dbfb9d01ea21d.jpeg 14][https://i.redd.it/e4w1uvk48fr81.jpg 15][https://i.redd.it/0x4pz8o10xq81.png 16][https://i.redd.it/7a5mwp393jo81.png 17][https://i.redd.it/cv5gc2tne4r81.png 18] [https://i.redd.it/t65bae91v3s81.jpg 19] [https://64.media.tumblr.com/9bda2b57523402c142d4f797c8ad0093/d629d44890280e21-7d/s1280x1920/ad696bc813582410c77f9879cc0334b76ab252ea.jpg 20] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/comments/eor4up/plasma_cyberpunk_desktop/ 21] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=plasma&sort=top and] [https://store.kde.org/browse?cat=104&ord=rating more] **GNOME: [https://forum.garudalinux.org/uploads/default/optimized/2X/e/e6d6150878051d075fb6d8548f5314fcf6c7bf28_2_1035x646.jpeg 1][https://www.cmscritic.com/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cloudinary/pop-os-review-4_hhslpt.png 2][https://i.redd.it/jt3xl3e2qak61.png 3][https://pingvinus.ru/files/news/manjaro-20-1/manjaro-20.1-gnome.jpg 4][http://www.jetestelinux.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/manjaro_gnome_1710_mode_nuit.jpg 5][https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/f8e04f89-e155-4926-972e-76e0955933eb/dak2iyb-e5931cb1-e722-43f8-a1ed-63361f901ab9.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2Y4ZTA0Zjg5LWUxNTUtNDkyNi05NzJlLTc2ZTA5NTU5MzNlYlwvZGFrMml5Yi1lNTkzMWNiMS1lNzIyLTQzZjgtYTFlZC02MzM2MWY5MDFhYjkucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.zwpBVOqCfSFqWRDNz1fnEgVkyyXgrj_3NoJNLa0Zlzw 6][https://i.redd.it/b06ms6vfe0r81.png 7][https://i.redd.it/uvenc4r0dun81.png 8][https://i.redd.it/kw1enzggqmo81.png 9][https://i.redd.it/gdtwdhbk4tr81.png 10][https://i.redd.it/uk9uihckcsd41.png 11] [https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/search/?q=gnome&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&sort=top and] [https://www.gnome-look.org/browse?ord=rating more] **Tiling window managers: [https://pic3.zhimg.com/v2-bad01545e1f69cc0a94633ff771b72e3_1200x500.jpg 1][https://preview.redd.it/f2jg3znpr1g31.png?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=9b64dde84ccb1e0ba20e8bba5ee6516123273bd2 2][https://pingvinus.ru/cr_images/userpicture/n/1938-0.png 3][https://i.redd.it/rpojcv4d3nr81.png 4][https://i.redd.it/lkviraiador81.png 5][https://i.redd.it/or7veqoicdq81.png 6][https://i.redd.it/ptbibz0gdk861.png 7] **[https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/ and many more] * Game compatibility. No joke, old Windows games might run better. They also have no issues with incompatible dependencies (when two games want to install the same thing but two different versions of it, for example c++ redistributable), because all games live in their own personal Windows filesystem. Of course this doesn't apply to all games, so your mileage may vary. * Performance. If you [[Improving performance|tweak your system accordingly]], you might have significantly better performance in some games. You might also have worse performance in other games, though, so (again) your mileage may vary. * Security. It's significantly less likely to get malware (viruses and others) on Linux, but beware that Wine can execute malware with success though!<ref>https://wiki.winehq.org/FAQ#Is_Wine_malware-compatible.3F</ref> * Software. Almost all software is completely free, comes without ads, and without trial versions. Installing software is much easier, you don't need to search shady websites for downloads, you just open your software center, and download whatever you want, pretty much like on Android or iOS. You have the option to install software in other ways, too, but that's typically not the best option. *You can separate your games from each other, so you don't get dependency problems. And you can even have several versions of the same game. == Future == With the further development of Linux as a gaming platform, these hurdles can be overcome! Things to watch for: *The release of [https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ Valve's Steam Deck] (Linux gaming device) has already lead to Linux [[Anti-cheat software|Easy Anti-Cheat and BattleEye support]], which is already used by many games like Apex Legends and Elden Ring (which had support from day one). Many other games are currently testing support. * Amazon [https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Amazon-Linux-Graphics-Jobs putting funding and development into Proton] (from December 2021 onwards) for their ''Amazon Luna'' cloud gaming platform. *'''Rumors''' of [https://libreddit.kavin.rocks/r/linux_gaming/comments/sd0wyb/valves_next_vrheadset_speculated_to_be_a/ an upcoming Valve Linux-powered VR headset], which would, if it comes out, improve Linux compatibility with VR games * And more... Valve is constantly investing in the development of Linux gaming software such as Proton, so circumstances significantly improve year by year. Lastly, heavily depending on the amount of work invested into it, Linux has some potential of becoming the '''best''' gaming platform in the future. Compared to Windows, Linux is much more lightweight, and gets better performance in [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_Vulkan_games Vulkan games], and in many cases even in DirectX games. Linux can also be modified and optimized at its core a lot more easily than Windows thanks to to its open source nature, which opens up a wide door for impactful gaming optimizations. Further development and more Linux-native games could mean better performance in games compared to Windows. == See more == == References and Notes == a2b999f94f6ea077ec3804fc2cb5f8f715fa7be0 0 43 2175 1581 2023-08-08T12:55:39Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. == Edit System files as root (with elevated permissions) == You can either use the [[terminal]], or use a file manager like Nemo. == Watching the temperature == You can use <code>lm_sensors</code>. Before running it for the first time, run <code>sudo sensors-detect</code>. After that, type <code>sensors</code> to see your temperatures. If you want to monitor them for a longer time, type <code>watch sensors</code>. == Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc) == Settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows once, and change stuff there. You can also boot a VM (with KVM) and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings should be kept in Linux. == Audio stuff == === Noise Cancelling === You can use [https://github.com/wwmm/easyeffects EasyEffects] or [https://github.com/noisetorch/NoiseTorch NoiseTorch]. === Equalizer and more === EasyEffects also has various other audio processing options, like crystalizer, noise gate, equalizer, filter, and much more. NoiseTorch can only cancel noise, but also has the option to tweak how aggressive it cancels noise. === Patching Audio === If you want to have a patchbay to route your audio to various destinations, [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/rncbc/qpwgraph qpwgraph] or [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/helvum Helvum] might be what you're looking for. == Make the game look good == === Downsampling === You can use [[Gamescope]]. === Post Processing === You can use [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) ==Using GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long as it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try again to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code><nowiki>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</nowiki></code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. #Follow the instructions in the readme. == Using Checksums == When downloading a file, you might have seen something like <code>sha512: 497907d020870e564b814bb6c4f7eef2f3abdf5d0159ccbd96501a26cef155a8d771a420a16c9348525fa4ce7de3c137ad5ff15a013c84f327edbdea6495d86b easyanticheat_x64.so</code> This is a checksum, or more precise: An <code>sha512</code> checksum for the file <code>easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. This number is for verifying that you have the correct file, and not something that is manipulated or inaccurately transmitted. '''Usage''': Download file, open [[terminal]], and <code>cd Downloads</code>. Then you execute <code>sha512sum easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. The number you see there, should be ''exactly'' the same. Btw: <code>sha512</code> is better than <code>sha256</code>, and ''especially'' better than <code>md5</code>. <code>md5</code> is trash, don't use it. == Game Streaming == You can use [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == RGB == You can use [https://gitlab.com/CalcProgrammer1/OpenRGB OpenRGB]. == Razer control driver == For razer hardware, you can use this driver: https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer == Logitech control software == Solaar is a Linux device manager for Logitech devices. You can do stuff like changing DPI, or button mappings, etc. https://github.com/pwr-Solaar/Solaar == Suspend/resume of applications (games, an others) == You can use [https://github.com/Merrit/nyrna nyrna]. Unortunately it doesn't (yet) "survive" reboots. == Test whether you use X11 or Wayland == Open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. If it says <code>wayland</code>, you use wayland. == Disable swapping for a game == You can do it like [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/u02y88/psa_disable_swap_for_games_and_dont_submit_bogus/ this]. == Simultaneously play two different games on the same device == https://www.reddit.com/r/tuxedocomputers/comments/ucdvj7/finally_did_it_two_different_users_playing/ == Merge two monitors into one (to have one wide screen that spans both monitors) == Type <code>xrandr</code> into the [[terminal]]. You will see a list of your monitors. Pick the monitors that you want to merge. Assuming that you want to merge <code>DisplayPort-1</code> and <code>HDMI-A-0</code>, type <code>xrandr --setmonitor BigScreen auto "DisplayPort-1","HDMI-A-0"</code>. The order of the monitors in the command determines the order of how they are arranged. In this example, the monitor <code>DisplayPort-1</code> would be left, and <code>HDMI-A-0</code> would be right. To undo the changes, type <code>xrandr --delmonitor BigScreen</code>. This works only on X11, and not on Wayland. It also doesn't work with every desktop environment, for example, it does not work with KDE Plasma. Generally speaking, it works better if the desktop environment is less sophisticated. == Screen Capturing == * OBS * [https://git.dec05eba.com/gpu-screen-recorder-gtk/about/ gpu-screen-recorder] (Nvidia) * [https://github.com/matanui159/ReplaySorcery ReplaySorcery] (AMD) *Goverlay == Use any camera (even a phone) as webcam == Use any camera as a webcam—DSLR, mirrorless, camcorder, point-and-shoot, or even your smartphone/tablet! https://github.com/weebney/webcamize e17794862f6f73ce73cdafaf3dba1c9e3106b428 2176 2175 2023-08-08T13:12:39Z Aragorn 3 /* Audio stuff */ wikitext text/x-wiki Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. == Edit System files as root (with elevated permissions) == You can either use the [[terminal]], or use a file manager like Nemo. == Watching the temperature == You can use <code>lm_sensors</code>. Before running it for the first time, run <code>sudo sensors-detect</code>. After that, type <code>sensors</code> to see your temperatures. If you want to monitor them for a longer time, type <code>watch sensors</code>. == Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc) == Settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows once, and change stuff there. You can also boot a VM (with KVM) and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings should be kept in Linux. == Audio stuff == === Noise Cancelling === You can use [https://github.com/wwmm/easyeffects EasyEffects] or [https://github.com/noisetorch/NoiseTorch NoiseTorch]. === Equalizer and more === EasyEffects also has various other audio processing options, like crystalizer, noise gate, equalizer, filter, and much more. NoiseTorch can only cancel noise, but also has the option to tweak how aggressive it cancels noise. A convolver can give better results than an equalizer as it can regulate every frequency individually. If you want your headphones to have a very specific characteristic, you can use https://autoeq.app/ to download a file that can be imported by a convolver. You can use EasyEffects or [https://github.com/Audio4Linux/JDSP4Linux JamesDSP]. === Patching Audio === If you want to have a patchbay to route your audio to various destinations, [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/rncbc/qpwgraph qpwgraph] or [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/helvum Helvum] might be what you're looking for. If you want to do patching and add different effects, you can use Carla or RaySession. For noise cancelling you can use rnnoise. Use [https://distrho.sourceforge.io/ports.php KlangFalter] for convolution. == Make the game look good == === Downsampling === You can use [[Gamescope]]. === Post Processing === You can use [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) ==Using GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long as it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try again to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code><nowiki>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</nowiki></code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. #Follow the instructions in the readme. == Using Checksums == When downloading a file, you might have seen something like <code>sha512: 497907d020870e564b814bb6c4f7eef2f3abdf5d0159ccbd96501a26cef155a8d771a420a16c9348525fa4ce7de3c137ad5ff15a013c84f327edbdea6495d86b easyanticheat_x64.so</code> This is a checksum, or more precise: An <code>sha512</code> checksum for the file <code>easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. This number is for verifying that you have the correct file, and not something that is manipulated or inaccurately transmitted. '''Usage''': Download file, open [[terminal]], and <code>cd Downloads</code>. Then you execute <code>sha512sum easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. The number you see there, should be ''exactly'' the same. Btw: <code>sha512</code> is better than <code>sha256</code>, and ''especially'' better than <code>md5</code>. <code>md5</code> is trash, don't use it. == Game Streaming == You can use [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == RGB == You can use [https://gitlab.com/CalcProgrammer1/OpenRGB OpenRGB]. == Razer control driver == For razer hardware, you can use this driver: https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer == Logitech control software == Solaar is a Linux device manager for Logitech devices. You can do stuff like changing DPI, or button mappings, etc. https://github.com/pwr-Solaar/Solaar == Suspend/resume of applications (games, an others) == You can use [https://github.com/Merrit/nyrna nyrna]. Unortunately it doesn't (yet) "survive" reboots. == Test whether you use X11 or Wayland == Open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. If it says <code>wayland</code>, you use wayland. == Disable swapping for a game == You can do it like [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/u02y88/psa_disable_swap_for_games_and_dont_submit_bogus/ this]. == Simultaneously play two different games on the same device == https://www.reddit.com/r/tuxedocomputers/comments/ucdvj7/finally_did_it_two_different_users_playing/ == Merge two monitors into one (to have one wide screen that spans both monitors) == Type <code>xrandr</code> into the [[terminal]]. You will see a list of your monitors. Pick the monitors that you want to merge. Assuming that you want to merge <code>DisplayPort-1</code> and <code>HDMI-A-0</code>, type <code>xrandr --setmonitor BigScreen auto "DisplayPort-1","HDMI-A-0"</code>. The order of the monitors in the command determines the order of how they are arranged. In this example, the monitor <code>DisplayPort-1</code> would be left, and <code>HDMI-A-0</code> would be right. To undo the changes, type <code>xrandr --delmonitor BigScreen</code>. This works only on X11, and not on Wayland. It also doesn't work with every desktop environment, for example, it does not work with KDE Plasma. Generally speaking, it works better if the desktop environment is less sophisticated. == Screen Capturing == * OBS * [https://git.dec05eba.com/gpu-screen-recorder-gtk/about/ gpu-screen-recorder] (Nvidia) * [https://github.com/matanui159/ReplaySorcery ReplaySorcery] (AMD) *Goverlay == Use any camera (even a phone) as webcam == Use any camera as a webcam—DSLR, mirrorless, camcorder, point-and-shoot, or even your smartphone/tablet! https://github.com/weebney/webcamize 57b1e5f444cebfbc2de9438f00d12cd9887019a2 2177 2176 2023-08-08T13:14:06Z Aragorn 3 /* Patching Audio */ wikitext text/x-wiki Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. == Edit System files as root (with elevated permissions) == You can either use the [[terminal]], or use a file manager like Nemo. == Watching the temperature == You can use <code>lm_sensors</code>. Before running it for the first time, run <code>sudo sensors-detect</code>. After that, type <code>sensors</code> to see your temperatures. If you want to monitor them for a longer time, type <code>watch sensors</code>. == Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc) == Settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows once, and change stuff there. You can also boot a VM (with KVM) and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings should be kept in Linux. == Audio stuff == === Noise Cancelling === You can use [https://github.com/wwmm/easyeffects EasyEffects] or [https://github.com/noisetorch/NoiseTorch NoiseTorch]. === Equalizer and more === EasyEffects also has various other audio processing options, like crystalizer, noise gate, equalizer, filter, and much more. NoiseTorch can only cancel noise, but also has the option to tweak how aggressive it cancels noise. A convolver can give better results than an equalizer as it can regulate every frequency individually. If you want your headphones to have a very specific characteristic, you can use https://autoeq.app/ to download a file that can be imported by a convolver. You can use EasyEffects or [https://github.com/Audio4Linux/JDSP4Linux JamesDSP]. === Patching Audio === If you want to have a patchbay to route your audio to various destinations, [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/rncbc/qpwgraph qpwgraph] or [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/helvum Helvum] might be what you're looking for. If you want to do patching and add different effects, you can use Carla or RaySession. For noise cancelling you can use rnnoise. Use [https://distrho.sourceforge.io/ports.php KlangFalter] for convolution (on Arch it's part of the distrho-ports packages). == Make the game look good == === Downsampling === You can use [[Gamescope]]. === Post Processing === You can use [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) ==Using GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long as it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try again to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code><nowiki>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</nowiki></code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. #Follow the instructions in the readme. == Using Checksums == When downloading a file, you might have seen something like <code>sha512: 497907d020870e564b814bb6c4f7eef2f3abdf5d0159ccbd96501a26cef155a8d771a420a16c9348525fa4ce7de3c137ad5ff15a013c84f327edbdea6495d86b easyanticheat_x64.so</code> This is a checksum, or more precise: An <code>sha512</code> checksum for the file <code>easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. This number is for verifying that you have the correct file, and not something that is manipulated or inaccurately transmitted. '''Usage''': Download file, open [[terminal]], and <code>cd Downloads</code>. Then you execute <code>sha512sum easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. The number you see there, should be ''exactly'' the same. Btw: <code>sha512</code> is better than <code>sha256</code>, and ''especially'' better than <code>md5</code>. <code>md5</code> is trash, don't use it. == Game Streaming == You can use [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == RGB == You can use [https://gitlab.com/CalcProgrammer1/OpenRGB OpenRGB]. == Razer control driver == For razer hardware, you can use this driver: https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer == Logitech control software == Solaar is a Linux device manager for Logitech devices. You can do stuff like changing DPI, or button mappings, etc. https://github.com/pwr-Solaar/Solaar == Suspend/resume of applications (games, an others) == You can use [https://github.com/Merrit/nyrna nyrna]. Unortunately it doesn't (yet) "survive" reboots. == Test whether you use X11 or Wayland == Open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. If it says <code>wayland</code>, you use wayland. == Disable swapping for a game == You can do it like [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/u02y88/psa_disable_swap_for_games_and_dont_submit_bogus/ this]. == Simultaneously play two different games on the same device == https://www.reddit.com/r/tuxedocomputers/comments/ucdvj7/finally_did_it_two_different_users_playing/ == Merge two monitors into one (to have one wide screen that spans both monitors) == Type <code>xrandr</code> into the [[terminal]]. You will see a list of your monitors. Pick the monitors that you want to merge. Assuming that you want to merge <code>DisplayPort-1</code> and <code>HDMI-A-0</code>, type <code>xrandr --setmonitor BigScreen auto "DisplayPort-1","HDMI-A-0"</code>. The order of the monitors in the command determines the order of how they are arranged. In this example, the monitor <code>DisplayPort-1</code> would be left, and <code>HDMI-A-0</code> would be right. To undo the changes, type <code>xrandr --delmonitor BigScreen</code>. This works only on X11, and not on Wayland. It also doesn't work with every desktop environment, for example, it does not work with KDE Plasma. Generally speaking, it works better if the desktop environment is less sophisticated. == Screen Capturing == * OBS * [https://git.dec05eba.com/gpu-screen-recorder-gtk/about/ gpu-screen-recorder] (Nvidia) * [https://github.com/matanui159/ReplaySorcery ReplaySorcery] (AMD) *Goverlay == Use any camera (even a phone) as webcam == Use any camera as a webcam—DSLR, mirrorless, camcorder, point-and-shoot, or even your smartphone/tablet! https://github.com/weebney/webcamize 180c2970a4a0c17ba3dec8a7ed4d5e549b9df5b5 2178 2177 2023-08-08T13:16:04Z Aragorn 3 /* Equalizer and more */ wikitext text/x-wiki Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. == Edit System files as root (with elevated permissions) == You can either use the [[terminal]], or use a file manager like Nemo. == Watching the temperature == You can use <code>lm_sensors</code>. Before running it for the first time, run <code>sudo sensors-detect</code>. After that, type <code>sensors</code> to see your temperatures. If you want to monitor them for a longer time, type <code>watch sensors</code>. == Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc) == Settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows once, and change stuff there. You can also boot a VM (with KVM) and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings should be kept in Linux. == Audio stuff == === Noise Cancelling === You can use [https://github.com/wwmm/easyeffects EasyEffects] or [https://github.com/noisetorch/NoiseTorch NoiseTorch]. === Equalizer and more === EasyEffects also has various other audio processing options, like crystalizer, noise gate, equalizer, filter, and much more. NoiseTorch can only cancel noise, but also has the option to tweak how aggressive it cancels noise. A convolver can give better results than an equalizer as it can regulate every frequency individually. If you want your headphones to have a very specific characteristic, you can use https://autoeq.app/ to download a file that can be imported by a convolver. You can use EasyEffects or [https://github.com/Audio4Linux/JDSP4Linux JamesDSP]. === Patching Audio === If you want to have a patchbay to route your audio to various destinations, [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/rncbc/qpwgraph qpwgraph] or [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/helvum Helvum] might be what you're looking for. If you want to do patching and add different effects, you can use Carla or RaySession. For noise cancelling you can use rnnoise. Use [https://distrho.sourceforge.io/ports.php KlangFalter] for convolution (on Arch it's part of the distrho-ports packages). == Make the game look good == === Downsampling === You can use [[Gamescope]]. === Post Processing === You can use [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) ==Using GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long as it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try again to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code><nowiki>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</nowiki></code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. #Follow the instructions in the readme. == Using Checksums == When downloading a file, you might have seen something like <code>sha512: 497907d020870e564b814bb6c4f7eef2f3abdf5d0159ccbd96501a26cef155a8d771a420a16c9348525fa4ce7de3c137ad5ff15a013c84f327edbdea6495d86b easyanticheat_x64.so</code> This is a checksum, or more precise: An <code>sha512</code> checksum for the file <code>easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. This number is for verifying that you have the correct file, and not something that is manipulated or inaccurately transmitted. '''Usage''': Download file, open [[terminal]], and <code>cd Downloads</code>. Then you execute <code>sha512sum easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. The number you see there, should be ''exactly'' the same. Btw: <code>sha512</code> is better than <code>sha256</code>, and ''especially'' better than <code>md5</code>. <code>md5</code> is trash, don't use it. == Game Streaming == You can use [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == RGB == You can use [https://gitlab.com/CalcProgrammer1/OpenRGB OpenRGB]. == Razer control driver == For razer hardware, you can use this driver: https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer == Logitech control software == Solaar is a Linux device manager for Logitech devices. You can do stuff like changing DPI, or button mappings, etc. https://github.com/pwr-Solaar/Solaar == Suspend/resume of applications (games, an others) == You can use [https://github.com/Merrit/nyrna nyrna]. Unortunately it doesn't (yet) "survive" reboots. == Test whether you use X11 or Wayland == Open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. If it says <code>wayland</code>, you use wayland. == Disable swapping for a game == You can do it like [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/u02y88/psa_disable_swap_for_games_and_dont_submit_bogus/ this]. == Simultaneously play two different games on the same device == https://www.reddit.com/r/tuxedocomputers/comments/ucdvj7/finally_did_it_two_different_users_playing/ == Merge two monitors into one (to have one wide screen that spans both monitors) == Type <code>xrandr</code> into the [[terminal]]. You will see a list of your monitors. Pick the monitors that you want to merge. Assuming that you want to merge <code>DisplayPort-1</code> and <code>HDMI-A-0</code>, type <code>xrandr --setmonitor BigScreen auto "DisplayPort-1","HDMI-A-0"</code>. The order of the monitors in the command determines the order of how they are arranged. In this example, the monitor <code>DisplayPort-1</code> would be left, and <code>HDMI-A-0</code> would be right. To undo the changes, type <code>xrandr --delmonitor BigScreen</code>. This works only on X11, and not on Wayland. It also doesn't work with every desktop environment, for example, it does not work with KDE Plasma. Generally speaking, it works better if the desktop environment is less sophisticated. == Screen Capturing == * OBS * [https://git.dec05eba.com/gpu-screen-recorder-gtk/about/ gpu-screen-recorder] (Nvidia) * [https://github.com/matanui159/ReplaySorcery ReplaySorcery] (AMD) *Goverlay == Use any camera (even a phone) as webcam == Use any camera as a webcam—DSLR, mirrorless, camcorder, point-and-shoot, or even your smartphone/tablet! https://github.com/weebney/webcamize bb54e30c4227ad61fdc39921cd92889654d38ac7 2179 2178 2023-08-08T13:22:21Z Aragorn 3 /* Audio stuff */ wikitext text/x-wiki Various stuff that doesn't (yet) deserve an own article but might be useful. == Edit System files as root (with elevated permissions) == You can either use the [[terminal]], or use a file manager like Nemo. == Watching the temperature == You can use <code>lm_sensors</code>. Before running it for the first time, run <code>sudo sensors-detect</code>. After that, type <code>sensors</code> to see your temperatures. If you want to monitor them for a longer time, type <code>watch sensors</code>. == Changing Mouse settings (DPI, lift of distance, etc) == Settings are usually stored in the mouse, so it is sufficient to boot Windows once, and change stuff there. You can also boot a VM (with KVM) and pass through the mouse. After that, the settings should be kept in Linux. == Audio stuff == === Noise Cancelling === You can use [https://github.com/wwmm/easyeffects EasyEffects] or [https://github.com/noisetorch/NoiseTorch NoiseTorch]. === Equalizer and more === EasyEffects also has various other audio processing options, like crystalizer, noise gate, equalizer, filter, and much more. NoiseTorch can only cancel noise, but also has the option to tweak how aggressive it cancels noise. A convolver can give better results than an equalizer as it can regulate every frequency individually. If you want your headphones to have a very specific characteristic, you can use https://autoeq.app/ to download a file that can be imported by a convolver. You can use EasyEffects or [https://github.com/Audio4Linux/JDSP4Linux JamesDSP]. === Patching Audio === If you want to have a patchbay to route your audio to various destinations, [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/rncbc/qpwgraph qpwgraph] or [https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/helvum Helvum] might be what you're looking for. If you want to do patching and add different effects, you can use Carla or RaySession. For noise cancelling you can use rnnoise. Use [https://distrho.sourceforge.io/ports.php KlangFalter] for convolution (on Arch it's part of the distrho-ports packages). With the right combination of plugins, you can do lots of things. For example, you can do noise cancelling on your microphone and on the microphones of your team-mates, level the loudness of your team-mates to be the same, while at the same time making steps louder, and changing the characteristics of your headphones to your liking. == Make the game look good == === Downsampling === You can use [[Gamescope]]. === Post Processing === You can use [https://github.com/DadSchoorse/vkBasalt vkBasalt] for additional rendering like anti aliasing or reshade (you might want to use [[reshade]] instead) ==Using GitHub/GitLab== You might find yourself in the situation where you want to download something from GitHub or GitLab. Don't do it, as long as it's not absolutely necessary. This is usually a bad idea. Try again to find a better solution, for example, read the description about how to install it, there might be a package for your distribution, a ppa (for Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, etc), an AUR package (for Garuda, Manjaro, Arch, etc.), or something similar for your distribution. Or post in a forum, and try to get help there. But here is how to do it: #Install git. If you're on Pop!_OS or other Ubuntu/Debian-based distributions: <code>sudo apt install git</code> #On GitLab there is a button called ''&quot;Clone&quot;'', on GitHub it's called ''&quot;Code&quot;''. Click it. You will see an URL like this: <code><nowiki>https://gitlab.com/some/stuff</nowiki></code>. Copy it (for example by clicking the button right next to it). #Open a terminal, and navigate to the folder where you want your stuff. For example, by typing <code>cd repos</code> if you have a folder <code>repos</code> in your home folder. #Type <code>git clone</code> (and type a space). Then paste the URL by pressing <code>ctrl</code> + <code>shift</code> + <code>v</code>. Then press <code>Enter</code>. #Follow the instructions in the readme. == Using Checksums == When downloading a file, you might have seen something like <code>sha512: 497907d020870e564b814bb6c4f7eef2f3abdf5d0159ccbd96501a26cef155a8d771a420a16c9348525fa4ce7de3c137ad5ff15a013c84f327edbdea6495d86b easyanticheat_x64.so</code> This is a checksum, or more precise: An <code>sha512</code> checksum for the file <code>easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. This number is for verifying that you have the correct file, and not something that is manipulated or inaccurately transmitted. '''Usage''': Download file, open [[terminal]], and <code>cd Downloads</code>. Then you execute <code>sha512sum easyanticheat_x64.so</code>. The number you see there, should be ''exactly'' the same. Btw: <code>sha512</code> is better than <code>sha256</code>, and ''especially'' better than <code>md5</code>. <code>md5</code> is trash, don't use it. == Game Streaming == You can use [https://github.com/loki-47-6F-64/sunshine sunshine] to stream games from your computer to a client running [https://github.com/moonlight-stream moonlight] == RGB == You can use [https://gitlab.com/CalcProgrammer1/OpenRGB OpenRGB]. == Razer control driver == For razer hardware, you can use this driver: https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer == Logitech control software == Solaar is a Linux device manager for Logitech devices. You can do stuff like changing DPI, or button mappings, etc. https://github.com/pwr-Solaar/Solaar == Suspend/resume of applications (games, an others) == You can use [https://github.com/Merrit/nyrna nyrna]. Unortunately it doesn't (yet) "survive" reboots. == Test whether you use X11 or Wayland == Open a [[terminal]] and input <code>echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE</code>. If it says <code>x11</code>, then you use X11. If it says <code>wayland</code>, you use wayland. == Disable swapping for a game == You can do it like [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/u02y88/psa_disable_swap_for_games_and_dont_submit_bogus/ this]. == Simultaneously play two different games on the same device == https://www.reddit.com/r/tuxedocomputers/comments/ucdvj7/finally_did_it_two_different_users_playing/ == Merge two monitors into one (to have one wide screen that spans both monitors) == Type <code>xrandr</code> into the [[terminal]]. You will see a list of your monitors. Pick the monitors that you want to merge. Assuming that you want to merge <code>DisplayPort-1</code> and <code>HDMI-A-0</code>, type <code>xrandr --setmonitor BigScreen auto "DisplayPort-1","HDMI-A-0"</code>. The order of the monitors in the command determines the order of how they are arranged. In this example, the monitor <code>DisplayPort-1</code> would be left, and <code>HDMI-A-0</code> would be right. To undo the changes, type <code>xrandr --delmonitor BigScreen</code>. This works only on X11, and not on Wayland. It also doesn't work with every desktop environment, for example, it does not work with KDE Plasma. Generally speaking, it works better if the desktop environment is less sophisticated. == Screen Capturing == * OBS * [https://git.dec05eba.com/gpu-screen-recorder-gtk/about/ gpu-screen-recorder] (Nvidia) * [https://github.com/matanui159/ReplaySorcery ReplaySorcery] (AMD) *Goverlay == Use any camera (even a phone) as webcam == Use any camera as a webcam—DSLR, mirrorless, camcorder, point-and-shoot, or even your smartphone/tablet! https://github.com/weebney/webcamize 4aea8a2da0f22ce1ac0e464c8f7e2df9f291b42e 0 46 2180 1536 2023-08-13T15:31:51Z FableTLC 10 /* Mice */ wikitext text/x-wiki An extensive list of hardware that is known to work. If the device requires tweaking, please mention the tweaking steps. The criteria are not as strict as in the [[Hardware Recommendations|hardware recommendations]] list, but all mentioned hardware should still be somewhat "worthy" for a gaming PC. We really don't need 20 years old Bluetooth sticks, even if they work out of the box. If possible, also add a price and a timestamp in the form YYYY-MM. ==GPUs== {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |AMD |RX 5700XT | | |2022-03 |none |- |Nvidia |GTX 1050Ti | | | |Driver Installation |- | | | | | |} ==WiFi Sticks== ===2.4Ghz=== ===5Ghz=== ==Bluetooth Sticks== {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Mpow |Bluetooth 5.1 USB-Adapter | | | |none |- |DIGITUS |DN-30210-1 ''up to 10 m range'' ''Bluetooth® 4.0 & 3.0'' ''Full-speed USB 2.0 interface'' |EU |7,05€ |2022-03 |none |- | | | | | | |} ==Bluetooth Headphones== {| class="wikitable" |+Noise Cancelling Over Ear !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Sony |WH-1000XM4 |EU |250€ |2022-03 |none |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} ===Noise Cancelling In-Ear=== ===Over-Ear=== ===In-Ear=== ==Mainboard== ===AMD=== ====AM3==== {| class="wikitable" |+AM4 !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |MSI |B550 MAG Tomahawk |EU |140€ |2022-03 |Fan control not working out of the box. Requires [https://github.com/Fred78290/nct6687d kernel module]. For Arch: Module is available in the [https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/nct6687d-dkms-git AUR]. |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} ===Intel=== ====Sandy Bridge==== ==Printer/Scanner== {| class="wikitable" |+Combined devices !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Samsung |SCX-4200R | | |2022-03 |None |- |Brother |MFC L2712DN | | | |Driver not included in kernel - needs downloading. Available in AUR and from official website in .deb and .rpm. Scanning into computer from device (via menu on the device itself) is supported, but it is recommended to modify scripts in installation folder to your liking. |- | | | | | | |} {| class="wikitable" |+Printer !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} {| class="wikitable" |+Scanner !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} == Mice == {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !What works !Untested !Sensor !Extra Buttons !Tweaking Steps |- |Steel Series |Rival 300 | | | |DPI, static RGB |RGB settings in Linux |flawless |3 |Boot Windows (for example in a VM + pass through the mouse) and set settings there or use rivalcfg<ref name=":0">https://github.com/flozz/rivalcfg</ref> natively on linux |- |Steel Series |Rival 100 | | | |DPI, RGB (openRGB recommended) | |flawless |3 |Config available through rivalcfg<ref name=":0" /> (including setting RGB color and mode) |- |Logitech |G305 | | | |DPI |Macros | | |[https://pwr-solaar.github.io/Solaar/ Solaar] for easy DPI adjustments |- |Logitech |G203 Prodigy | | | |DPI | |flawless | |[https://github.com/libratbag/piper Piper] for easy DPI, Button & LED adjustments |- |Logitech |G203 Lightsync | | | |DPI | |might spin out -> get a good mouse pad | |[https://github.com/libratbag/piper Piper] for easy DPI, Button & LED adjustments -> to disable constant LED, open Piper & switch it off ''(if it's already shown as turned off, then turn it on, apply the change, turn it off & apply the change again)'' |} == USB audio converter == {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Sharkoon |Gaming DAC Pro S V2 |EU |30€ |2022-03 |None |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} == Microphones == {| class="wikitable" |+ !Manufacturer !Device !Available in !Price !Date !Tweaking Steps |- |Samson |Meteor Mic |EU |45€ |2022-03 |None |- | | | | | | |- | | | | | | |} == Other == Elgato Stream Deck: https://gitlab.gnome.org/World/boatswain 42ffb2877168666434e0bfdf6fca4b2528e204cb 0 676 2181 2023-08-24T03:42:39Z AlejandroRts 1127 Created page with "GSA Body" wikitext text/x-wiki GSA Body 960ee461bc7995344d34f036d8fbb9bd9f408021 0 45 2183 1911 2023-09-19T07:23:42Z Aragorn 3 /* Models with native support */ wikitext text/x-wiki Hardware compatibility with Linux is sometimes tricky. You can not buy just anything and expect it to work. Some manufacturers don't support Linux at all, and sometimes the support is not good. However, if you already own a desktop or laptop, it is probably going to work. Just try it with a live USB. This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware categories. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Regarding specific recommendations. Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a timestamp in the form YYYY-MM. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. If you buy wrong, you might end up with completely incompatible hardware. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. The important thing in the sticks is the chip. Manufacturers sometimes have the same model with different chips. Chips that often work, are Qualcomm Atheros, and [https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005511/wireless.html Intel]. === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. Recommendations: To be done. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. Recommendations: To be done. == Less problematic Hardware == {{Needs work|Problem=What about Intel graphics (especially Arc)?}} Your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is much lower. However, you might face some jank, some features might not work, and stuff might not be flawless. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. If you want to read more about it, you might find something in [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/tdmup7/unpopular_opinion_i_feel_like_the_whole_nvidia/ this reddit post]. AMD and Nvidia both work, and you'll ''probably'' be fine with either. However: * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), and Nvidia even released their kernel module, but they are no option for gaming (at least yet). **If you want long support, AMD is the way to go, as support is essentially never dropped. * Nvidia provides proprietary day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, due to not being FOSS. There might be some delayed features, or some bugs. But as said, you're ''probably'' going to be fine. If you're not, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s blame Nvidia]. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] and FSR 2, which works in a similar way. There are mods that translate DLSS 2 to FSR 2 for many games. **Don't fear to switch to Linux if you own an Nvidia GPU. Even though AMD might be the better option, many people are very happy with their Nvidia GPU. * If you buy a very old GPU, make sure that it has Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth, and even those often work. You might face problems if you have a device with two GPUs (should be solvable), or other special components (fingerprint reader, etc - might not be solvable). * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo **Slimbook * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: **Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15ACH6 | EU | around 800-1 000 € (multiple similar models available) | Available without OS | Out of the box full compatibility (WiFi since kernel 5.16, on older manual installation of driver<ref>https://github.com/lwfinger/rtw89</ref> needed) === Mainboards === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. ==== AMD ==== * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] === Mice/Keyboards === Generally all of them work, as long as you don't expect the specific configuration software to work. This can mean that you can't control RGB, DPI, or makro buttons. A workaround for unsupported models can be to boot Windows once to change the settings (if you don't need to change them all the time). You can also start a VM, pass through the device, and change settings there. ==== Models with native support ==== {{Needs work|Problem=It is not clear how good these tools are, and if they are actually a good recommendation. Maybe it would be possible to rate them for usability}} However, some models have native support: * Logitech: [https://pwr-solaar.github.io/Solaar/devices Solaar] * Razer: [https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer OpenRazer]. * Roccat: [https://github.com/X3n0m0rph59/eruption Eruption], [https://sourceforge.net/projects/roccat/files/roccat-tools/ roccat-tools]([https://aur.archlinux.org/pkgbase/roccat-tools aur], [https://launchpad.net/~berfenger/+archive/ubuntu/roccat ppa]) *ASUS: [https://github.com/kyokenn/rogdrv rogdrv] *Various models: [https://github.com/libratbag/piper Piper] ==Hardware with RGB support== Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. Recommendations: *To be done ==Generally unproblematic hardware categories== *Monitors *Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs ==Unknown categories== {{Needs work|Problem=I'm not sure whether these categories are unproblematic or not. Personally I never had issues, and I don't see many people writing about problems in forums}} ===Bluetooth Headphones=== ====Noise Cancelling==== *Over Ear **Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless Sony WH-1000XM4] | EU | 250€ | 2022-03<!-- Features: Great noise cancelling, great audio quality. Good latency when connected via audio jack. No battery charge required when not using ANC, and connected via audio jack. Problems: High latency when connected via Bluetooth. No Bluetooth/ANC possible while charging. No sound via USB. Hissing while charging (possibly because bad charger). --> ====Non Noise Cancelling==== *Headsets **Premium: [https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/logitech/g933-wireless-gaming-headset Logitech G933] | EU | 290€ | 2022-03 ===USB Digital/Audio converter=== *Good value: Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2 | EU | 30€ | 2022-03 | Small form factor | Problems: Slight hissing when playing no audio ===USB microphones=== *Good value: Samson Meteor Mic | EU | 45€ | 2022-03 ==References== * * <references /> 06e28b7fa41651f34b0878d0e4ea3cec1d13a65f 0 5 2184 2061 2023-10-17T12:32:55Z M1koyan 1146 Spelling mistake (you loose --> you lose) x2 wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use GNOME (the default on Nobara Official, Nobara GNOME, and Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]], it's not necessary on Wayland. **You do have to do this on Nobara KDE! *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS (if you chose the NVIDIA ISO for NVIDIA graphics cards). **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Read the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. Old drivers can be a problem if they are too old. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. *If you have two GPUs (for example an integrated and a dedicated one), use the one with more performance. ''TODO: How?'' ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== Use X11. You lose around 16% FPS on Wayland<ref name=":4">https://www.phoronix.com/review/wayland-nv-amd-2023/5</ref>. The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell require legacy drivers. *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms="true"</code> in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. **Alternatively, you can also use the CLI, as described [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Custom_TDP_Limit here]. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Don't use Flatpak to run your game. You lose up to 20% FPS if the game is CPU bound<ref>https://github.com/flatpak/flatpak/issues/4187</ref>. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (one of the gaming optimized kernels, or just any kernel above 5.16), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>[https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg-pds]</code>, <code>[https://xanmod.org/ Xanmod]</code>, or <code>[https://liquorix.net/ Liquorix]</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> and <code>Liquorix</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. ***They should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. If you don't, you end up with an insecure system! **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people also recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler). Currently there are no scientific tests, so you have to see yourself what works best for you. You can get both from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though; on a six-core processor, this will take something in the magnitude of half an hour. However, you can use Modprobed-db to only compile kernel modules you need; this will significantly cut down the time needed to compile the kernel. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **Note that for many games, the following is not needed with Nvidia driver 520 (or higher) and DXVK 2.0 (or higher) thanks to VK_EXT_graphics_pipeline_library, Intel and AMD driver support is coming soon. However, there are still games that can profit from it, and it might lead to slightly better frame times<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18AYlKq05ew</ref>. <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE, ''until version 7-44'', is compatible. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (if you named the folder <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code>, you also need to manually type <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code> in the field). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *The following tweaks<ref>https://github.com/CryoByte33/steam-deck-utilities/blob/main/docs/tweak-explanation.md</ref> can improve gaming performance, but might not be optimal for other workloads/normal desktop usage. However, it is possible to set/reset these settings with [[gamemode]], as described in [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/11lslhs/tutorial_how_to_use_memory_tweaks_from/ this tutorial]. **Use Transparent Hugepages: <code>echo always | sudo tee /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/enabled</code> ***With shared memory: <code>echo advise | sudo tee /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/shmem_enabled</code> **Use Compaction Proactiveness: <code>echo 0 | sudo tee /proc/sys/vm/compaction_proactiveness</code> **Disable Hugepage Defragmentation: <code>echo 0 | sudo tee /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/khugepaged/defrag</code> **Lower Page Lock Unfairness: <code>echo 1 | sudo tee /proc/sys/vm/page_lock_unfairness</code> *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page] and [https://github.com/AdelKS/LinuxGamingGuide this collection of tweaks]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. In case it is reducing performance and you use VKD3D, try adding <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=no_upload_hvv</code><ref name=":3" />. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=gpl</code>: Should lead to a behavior similar to shader caching on Windows. Games that don't stutter on Windows, should also not stutter on Linux. Currently, it also disables shader caching, so load times will be high. Is still new, and might not work correctly. You need at least mesa 23 for it to work. ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (GNOME and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. Disabling composition should lead to slightly less input lag.<ref name=":2" /> KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. GNOME is also valid, but adds a small amount of input lag.<ref name=":2">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section ''(Test needed to know how good it works!)''. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid GNOME X11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === Wayland on Nvidia gives you a performance hit of about 16%<ref name=":4" />. The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync or enable tearing updates. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. KDE plasma 5.27 or higher will be required for tearing updates on Wayland and your game will also need to be run in fullscreen mode for it to work. Wine doesn't yet support tearing on Wayland. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on (unless tearing updates are enabled), regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> GNOME will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. *Sometimes a game has both, a Linux native, and a Windows version. They don't always run equally well. If you have problems, it might be worth a shot to try the other one. *If you use Arch or an Arch based distribution, and you own a very new AMD GPU, it might be worth it to install <code>linux-firmware-git</code>, and <code>mesa-git</code> from the AUR (for example by using an AUR helper like <code>paru</code>). You might also consider to install a release candidate of the Linux kernel, for example by using <code>linux-rc</code> from the AUR, or by compiling <code>linux-tkg</code> and selecting a release candidate (to be detected by the <code>rc</code>, as in <code>v6.2-'''rc'''4</code>). *On Nvidia, you might need the [[Environment variables|environment variable]] <code>PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1</code> for DLSS. *You might need the [[Environment variables|environment variable]] <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=dxr</code> for ray tracing. *If you're using VKD3D, and enabling Resizable BAR leads to lower performance, you might want to try <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=no_upload_hvv</code><ref name=":3">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/119hwmt/this_setting_may_help_vkd3d_games_that_have/</ref>. *If you're using KDE Plasma, you might get performance problems because of Baloo file indexing. You can disable it as described [https://community.kde.org/Baloo/Configuration here]. *Try Wayland if you use X11, try X11 if you use Wayland. There are cases where this multiplies FPS<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/review/wayland-nv-amd-2023</ref>. ==References and notes == <references /> e01310386cd313fe58664279572ee1cc28e11835 0 32 2185 2002 2023-10-19T11:35:06Z Jul 1147 /* Cinnamon */ Disabling compositing on cinnamon 5.8.4 does work with mint 21 wikitext text/x-wiki [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use a DE with X11]], then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadows, animations, transparency, blur, or other effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. You can verify that composition is disabled, by looking at your desktop effects. For example, you should not see shadows. They either vanish, or get pitch black. ==Disabling composition for your games== Disabling composition will dramatically improve performance, input lag, and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: ===Gnome=== This is the default DE on Pop!_OS, Nobara Official, and Nobara Gnome. You don't have to do anything. Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing Windows does), which is almost as good as disabling compositon. Disabling composition in Gnome is not possible. ===KDE=== This is the default DE on Nobara KDE. There are many options to disable composition: * You can use [https://store.kde.org/p/1502826/ Autocomposer]. This should make it unnecessary to do anything of the following. *For Lutris: **To disable it for a single game: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System Options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. **To disable it for all games: Click <code>...</code> in the top right corner -> <code>Preferences</code> -> <code>Global Options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code> *You can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code> before launching a game. The same combination re-enables it. *If you want to use a terminal command (for example for automation, launch options for Steam, [[Gamemode]] etc): ** disable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor suspend</code> ** enable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor resume</code> *You can also disable it completely with <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>Display and Monitor</code> -> <code>Compositor</code> -> <code>Enable compositor on startup</code>. ===Xfce=== *Disable composition with <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Xfwm#Configuration</ref> *Enable it again with <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> === Mate === * Disable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/MATE#Disabling_compositing</ref> * Enable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager true</code> ===Cinnamon === {{Needs work|Problem=There are (old) reports that Cinnamon does not always automatically disable composition for full screen windows. Is this still the case, or is this resolved? Reported to work fine Cinnamon with 5.8.4 and does result in noticeable gain. ([[User:Jul|Jul]] ([[User talk:Jul|talk]])) }} *As of Cinnamon 5.4, there's an option to disable composition for fullscreen applications, essentially referring to unredirection. However, it is disabled by default, forcing composition on all apps, making it not ideal. To enable it: <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>General</code> -> <code>Disable compositing on fullscreen applications</code> *Disabling composition completely might lead to better input lag. You can do that by checking: <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>General</code> -> <code>Disable compositing</code>. However, this might lead to visual degradation in desktop mode (no effects, no shadows, no transparency, no window previews, more tearing), but is still recommended if you want to reduce latency. Linux mint does not seem to support disabling it anymore. ===Pantheon=== Unfortunately it appears to not support the option to disable composition.<ref>https://elementaryos.stackexchange.com/questions/4483/how-can-i-disable-composite-and-effects-in-elementary-os</ref> ==Automation == For DEs that support disabling/enabling the compositor with a terminal command, you can automate it. In the following <code><disable></code> and <code><enable></code> are to be replaced with the respective command to disable or enable the compositor. ===Gamemode=== The easiest way is to automate it with [[gamemode]]. You can edit <code>gamemode.ini</code> and set <syntaxhighlight lang="ini"> [custom] start=<disable> end=<enable> </syntaxhighlight>Replace <code><disable></code> and <code><enable></code> with the respective commands that disable/enable composition. ===Lutris=== *To automate this for a single game: Right click a game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System Options</code> and put the disable composition command in the <code>Pre-launch</code> box and the enable composition command in the <code>Post-exit</code> script box. *To automate this for all games: Click the hamburger menu -> <code>Preferences</code> -> <code>Global Options</code> and do the things mentioned in the previous method. ===Steam=== Set the launch command <code><disable>; %command%; <enable></code>. For example <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false; %command%; xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> to disable composition on Xfce<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensiveLinux/comments/6b3cs5/comment/dhjw7z7/?context=3</ref>. ==References and notes== <references /> a3fd5ed874666b2bc55cbfa4ec423adcc9f95e09 0 48 2187 945 2023-11-03T22:12:05Z Aragorn 3 /* Potentially relevant information */ wikitext text/x-wiki Sooner or later, you will probably have some kind of problem. For example, you might want to know how to connect to wifi. Now you might think, that searching ''"Linux connect wifi"'' would give you a useful result. This is not the case. How you connect to wifi, depends heavily of the desktop environment you are using. The process will be different in each of them. == Potentially relevant information == The following information are not always important, for example your desktop environment is not important if you look for something about the command line. * The name of your '''distribution'''. ''"linux failed update"'' might give you all kind of information, probably something about Ubuntu. If you use Manjaro, this will not be helpful, and ''"manjaro failed update"'' will give you better results. * The name of the '''desktop environment''' you are using (especially important if it's not the default of your distribution). ''"linux extract tar"'' will give you a tutorial about how to extract a tar in the command line. ''"kde extract tar"'' will give you a tutorial about how to do it with a GUI (clicking some buttons), in this case KDE Plasma. * The '''exact error message'''. If your updates fail, ''"updates fail ubuntu"'' might not give you useful results, but ''"ubuntu update Encountered a section with no Package"'' will probably be more helpful. Usually, the first error is the actual problem, so look out for this one. If you ask a question in a forum, include as much as possible. * Your '''hardware specs'''. ''"apex crash ubuntu"'' might give you far worse results than ''"apex crash ubuntu nvidia 2070ti"'' *The '''task''' you want to perform, not the name of a tool on Windows. If you want to overclock your GPU, look for ''"overclock AMD Linux"'' - and not for ''"AMD Adrenaline Linux"''. It's just a tool to get the job done. The name doesn't matter. Of course, you could as well [[CoreCtrl|read within this wiki]] ;) * When asking in a forum, include '''logs''' if there are any. You might also try looking at the logs yourself. But if you give too many information, the results might get worse. If possible, try to generalize: ''"apex crash ubuntu gnome nvidia geforce 2070ti"'' might give you worse results than ''"apex crash linux nvidia"''. Limiting the search results to the last year might also be useful in some cases. If you ask a question in a forum, always include as much as possible (in a reasonable magnitute). 4ef38571674ad5cd58e8777684fad7fbd450c843 2188 2187 2023-11-03T22:14:50Z Aragorn 3 /* Potentially relevant information */ wikitext text/x-wiki Sooner or later, you will probably have some kind of problem. For example, you might want to know how to connect to wifi. Now you might think, that searching ''"Linux connect wifi"'' would give you a useful result. This is not the case. How you connect to wifi, depends heavily of the desktop environment you are using. The process will be different in each of them. == Potentially relevant information == The following information are not always important, for example your desktop environment is not important if you look for something about the command line. * The name of your '''distribution'''. ''"linux failed update"'' might give you all kind of information, probably something about Ubuntu. If you use Manjaro, this will not be helpful, and ''"manjaro failed update"'' will give you better results. * The name of the '''desktop environment''' you are using (especially important if it's not the default of your distribution). ''"linux extract tar"'' will give you a tutorial about how to extract a tar in the command line. ''"kde extract tar"'' will give you a tutorial about how to do it with a GUI (clicking some buttons), in this case KDE Plasma. * The '''exact error message'''. If your updates fail, ''"updates fail ubuntu"'' might not give you useful results, but ''"ubuntu update Encountered a section with no Package"'' will probably be more helpful. Usually, the first error is the actual problem, so look out for this one. If you ask a question in a forum, include as much as possible. * Your '''hardware specs'''. ''"apex crash ubuntu"'' might give you far worse results than ''"apex crash ubuntu nvidia 2070ti"'' *The '''task''' you want to perform, not the name of a tool on Windows. If you want to overclock your GPU, look for ''"overclock AMD Linux"'' - and not for ''"AMD Adrenaline Linux"''. It's just a tool to get the job done. The name doesn't matter. However, you might also be successful by searching for an alternative: ''"AMD Adrenaline Linux alternative"''. Of course, you could as well [[CoreCtrl|read within this wiki]] ;) * When asking in a forum, include '''logs''' if there are any. You might also try looking at the logs yourself. But if you give too many information, the results might get worse. If possible, try to generalize: ''"apex crash ubuntu gnome nvidia geforce 2070ti"'' might give you worse results than ''"apex crash linux nvidia"''. Limiting the search results to the last year might also be useful in some cases. If you ask a question in a forum, always include as much as possible (in a reasonable magnitute). d0e8465a54020ae7bc79293d5cce0e20e446eb0f 0 2 2190 2182 2024-01-01T11:23:03Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki == Prelude == This is a community-maintained version of the [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/edaq0s/guide_migrating_to_linux_in_2020 Guide: Migrating to Linux in 2020] written by u/PBLKGodofGrunts. I recommend reading the whole article, but if you feel overwhelmed with too much information or too many options, [[Getting started (short version)|here is a short version that should work]]. It's probably a good idea to read the short version first, it will give a good overview about what to expect. == Getting Started == So, you want to get started with Linux. The most important thing you need to remember is that you're using '''Linux'''. Now that might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often you'll see &quot;Why isn't this easy like in Windows?&quot; or &quot;I just want it to act like my Mac.&quot; While I do understand that it's hard to get used to something you're not familiar with, I promise that, in time, it will be just as comfortable as Windows or macOS. Curious to see Linux gaming in action before getting your feet wet? /u/PCgamingFreedom has an [https://redd.it/aneayg amazing thread with a huge list of Youtubers that play games on Linux.] Want to checkout the latest news for Linux gaming? Take a trip to [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/ GamingOnLinux]. They also have a great [https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/ wiki] that covers more topics. == Software == Perhaps the biggest hurdle of using Linux is compatibility issues with the software you currently use. Before you get started on your journey, I would '''highly''' recommend you do a bit of prep work here. * Which software do I commonly use? ** Get a pen and paper and start writing a list. Include your most played games (and the ones that you are sure that you will want to play in the future) and the software you need for a computer to be your daily driver (Office, Photoshop, etc). Now that you have a list, let's check. There are four possible outcomes for each item in your list. * You will be able to run it natively. ** This is almost always the best case scenario, since it's the one where you will get all the performance and compatibility without drawbacks. * You will be able to run it, but not natively. ** You'll most often find this with Proprietary software and is the nature of using closed source software. We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we can try and we'll get to those a little later. * Cloud Software (SaaS or Software as a Service) ** Though not ideal, especially in a world where owning your own software is becoming less and less common, a lot of business and professional software can be run &quot;in the cloud&quot;. Office 365 is a prime example and allows people like me to work on Linux computers at work since I can still access all the Microsoft Office applications required to interact with my coworkers. * You won't be able to run it. ** This is the big one, the one that will hold you back. Sometimes, and it's not your fault, there is a killer app that you absolutely need in order for your computer to be useful to you. While it would be great if the OSS community provided a good alternative to you, we understand that this is not always the case. There's no shame in this. Thank you for trying. In order to catalog your list into these four outcomes, you grab the first item on the list. If it's a game, check in [https://steamdb.info/ SteamDB] if the game does have Linux support (Note: Sometimes the game offers Linux support even if it's not listed here or in steam). In 2018, Valve released a compatibility software called [https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 Proton] that is based on [https://appdb.winehq.org/ Wine]. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ ProtonDB (used to be called Steam Compatibility Reports)] to see if your Windows only games run fine under it. If it's software, just check in the official website if there's a Linux version. === Windows Compatibility === Full article: [[Windows Compatibility]] If there's no Linux support, we go to the next step. For Steam games you can just use [[Steam]]. For games that are not on Steam, use [[Lutris]]. For other programs, [https://github.com/bottlesdevs/Bottles Bottles] might be good option. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ www.protondb.com] for Steam game compatibility, and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org] for other games. If what you want to run shows as garbage in there (and most of the times bronze, you seriously want to read the reports to see what works and what doesn't) you just put it in the &quot;I won't be able to run it&quot; section. Now repeat with each element of the list until you've gone through your list. I will mention that some games are more problematic than others. For example, League of Legends is notorious for needing custom versions of Wine to get working. Thankfully, it has a dedicated subreddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflinux /r/leagueoflinux] which has the latest news and tends to be very helpful. Otherwise, if your software is not mentioned there, bring up [https://www.winehq.org/search the Wine AppDB] and put there the name of your software. Click on the link that fits the most your search (Usually the first link, ignore all the [Bug XXXXX] results) and check the rating of the game. Generally you'll be able to use it if it's not bronze or garbage. If you click in the version of the software, you'll see reports of people who have tried to run it, known bugs and general instructions and steps to follow. For now we're just cataloging the software, so we'll see how to actually install it later. If there's no search results there's still hope. Do a quick google search (probably &quot;NameOfTheSoftware Wine support&quot;) and see what happens. If the software you want to use is really small and unknown probably nobody tried it, but just leave it marked as &quot;dubious&quot; or something because you may be able to run it anyways. === Other Solutions === You got your list and a general idea of what you can run and what you can't run and at which degree you will be able to use it. If you have something that needs to be run but you can't run, here's a small list of alternatives you can use. * Look for an alternative. If it's a game I'd say that you should look for games with similar tags in steam. If it's software use something like [http://alternativeto.net/ alternativeto], or just search for ''"<task to achieve> Linux"''. * Use a windows VM. Useful if the software you want to run is not resource intensive (99% of the time games won't like this, so don't use this for games unless you're going to attempt the GPU passthrough option) * Dual boot. * GPU passthrough. This is hard. You need to meet a lot of requirements and invest time, but if you can pull it out you can get the best of both worlds. The [https://forum.level1techs.com/tags/passthrough Level1Techs forum] has been one of the driving forces behind using this technology and has a lot of information on the subject. (You can also check out their [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOWcZ6Wicl-1N34H0zZe38w Linux Youtube channel]) == Distributions, or &quot;versions&quot; of Linux== If you are here, congratulations! You want to get started with Linux and you have all your software narrowed down. In order to get started in the odyssey of Linux, you have to think about what distribution (informally referred to as <code>distro</code>) you want to use. The distribution is just the flavor of Linux you want to use. Just to be clear from the start, '''pretty much every distribution is equally capable of gaming and running software.''' The differences between them are: * The preinstalled software. ** Some are more minimalist than others, but all of them can run the same software. With enough patience, you can turn one distribution into another just by installing and removing stuff. * The update frequency. ** Some distros release updated software faster than others. Distros that push out updated software with minimal testing are known as <code>rolling release</code> distros. If you want to be up to date with features, you want a rolling release distro, but in exchange for the latest and greatest features you run an increase risk of running into bugs. <code>Stable Release</code> distros usually have to wait longer for updates, but those updates are often heavily vetted before being pushed out. It is to be noted, that ''stable'' does not mean that it has less bugs, it just means that it changes less often. A bug that is present in a ''stable'' release is not going to be fixed until the next major version upgrade, even if it is already fixed in a rolling release. * The community. ** Different distros have different communities. The distros that are perceived to be easier or more user friendly tend to have communities that are quicker to help with easy to follow instructions. * The other minor things including default configurations, art, fonts, etc. *The package manager. **You don't need to worry about this. All of them are fine. **This is the program that installs, upgrades, configures, and removes packages. Packages are archives containing all of the compiled files of an application, and metadata(data providing info about other data) such as application name, version, dependencies(other packages required in order to function), etc. **Every package manager has a package format that it uses. For example, APT, which is used by Debian and its derivatives(Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint), manages DEBs. DNF, which is used by Fedora and its derivatives, manages RPMs. Pacman, used by Arch and it's derivatives, uses .pkg.tar.zst, and so on and so forth. But the most obvious difference is the desktop environment (also called ''DE''). The desktop environment is what you see, what you interact with, and what you would probably think "is Linux". You don't like that you can't put icons on your desktop? This is not a limitation of Linux, this is a limitation of the DE you chose. Your windows look ugly? Also the DE (or probably rather a theme for the DE). You don't like the menu system? This is also part of the DE and there are alternatives. The most popular desktop environments are KDE Plasma, GNOME, Mate, Cinnamon, LXDE, LXQt, and Xfce. Out of this list, KDE and GNOME are the most modern desktops, and also have the best support for gaming. === Desktop Environments === The desktop environment (short ''DE'') is the user interface that you interact with. When you think of Windows, it's the task bar, start menu, file explorer, context menu, settings, control panel, task manager, etc. Basically everything that you can see on a fresh install. On Linux you can choose the DE, and even combine different ones, for example you could use KDE but use the file manager from GNOME. Some DEs that you can use on Linux are described in the following. {| class="wikitable" |+ !DE !Notes !Comparable to !Approximate RAM usage !More Infos |- |KDE Plasma |Very customizable, and full featured. Windows 10 and 11 look a lot like default KDE. But if you don't like that, you can customize it, so that it looks and feels completely different. This doesn't mean only colors. For example you can create a MacOS clone, or basically whatever you want. It also has a lot of nice-to-have features that make your life easier. This is the default DE in SteamOS and Nobara. |Windows 10/11 |500MB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6bojRSIw0 short video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nX1YEQg5Z0 longer video] [https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/ website] |- |GNOME |Very clean, but not easy to customize. The default workflow is very different from Windows, but definitely has it's strengths. It's perfect if you like it. You can customize it, but it's not as easy as KDE Plasma, and the options are a bit more limited. However, it's still a lot easier to customize than Windows. For example, there are ways to change the Workflow to be more comparable with Windows (Nobara GNOME does this, for example). Customizing GNOME often works with addons, and those addons tend to break with major upgrades. Use them with caution. It has great touchpad and touchscreen support, and works really well with convertible devices. |MacOS |1GB |[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbDLfRjam0E longer video] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmalyo_RVoQ longer video] [https://www.gnome.org/ website] |- |Cinnamon |Easy to use, but might feel a little old. Customization is easier than on GNOME, but there are not as many options as on KDE. |Windows 7 |1GB | |- |Xfce |Very customizable, but not as easy as KDE. Also not as full featured as KDE. Feels a bit older. |Windows XP |500MB | |- |LXDE |Perfect for very old computers. However, it lacks some features. You can customize it, but the options are a bit more limited. |Windows 2000 |100MB | |- |Mate | | | | |- |Unity | | | | |- |Pantheon |You cannot disable the compositor on X11, which makes it bad for gaming. | | | |} === Avoid Problems === If you want to avoid problems: * Choose something with KDE Plasma or GNOME. KDE Plasma is usually more lightweight. * Don't choose a ''&quot;stable&quot;'' distribution because ''&quot;stable&quot;'' usually means ''&quot;old&quot;''. You don't need this as long as you're not trying to run a server with 100% uptime. * Don't choose a niche distribution because this probably means that you don't have good software availability, and many bugs. * Don't choose something with Wayland if you can't use FreeSync. *Some distributions make problems if you change the default desktop environment. For example, if you want to use Ubuntu with KDE, choose Kubuntu. Now, let's have a look at different distributions. === Recommendations === First a list of some &quot;easy&quot; distributions: {| class="wikitable" |+ Easy distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://nobaraproject.org/ Nobara] |Based on Fedora, and specifically made to be great for gaming. Has three versions: Official (KDE with modifications), GNOME, and KDE. It's very new (as of 09/2022), so there could still be issues, but the developer is ''very'' reputable (Glorious Eggroll, Red Hat employee best known for Proton-GE). With other words: It will probably be great, but there is a chance that it won't work for you. It will give you better performance than most other distributions, and it will probably be less problematic than most other distributions. <code>'''If you don't know what to choose, pick this one.'''</code> |- | [https://pop.system76.com/ Pop!_OS] | Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, using the GNOME Desktop Environment. Has an Nvidia and an AMD/Intel image for convenience, and comes with some tweaks that make it better for gaming. It's been there for quite some time, and should be a solid choice. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) |} If you're feeling particularly adventurous, there are other distributions, that might work great for you. Particularly Arch and Arch based distributions are known to work great for gaming, but also to require more knowledge. You ''might'' have a good experience, ''if'' you have the knowledge to fix a couple minor problems. {| class="wikitable" |+ Advanced distributions !Distribution !! Explanation |- |[https://fedoraproject.org/ Fedora] |Made by Red Hat, one of largest open source companies, and has a lot of [https://spins.fedoraproject.org/ officially supported desktop environments]. Packages are up to date, but well tested. |- | [https://ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu LTS] | The latest Ubuntu LTS (22.04 as of this writing). Ubuntu also has a new-user-friendly community but is heavily discussed because of some design choices. Comes with GNOME, but also offers other ''flavors'' with different desktop environments, for example Kubuntu with KDE Plasma. |- |[https://endeavouros.com/ EndeavourOS] | EndeavourOS is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Very minimal. You will need to use the terminal. Basically a graphical installer for Arch, and coming with a very helpful community. If you want to try Arch, this might be a good choice. |- | [https://garudalinux.org/ Garuda] | Garuda is an ArchLinux based distro. Uses the offical ArchLinux software repositories. Ships with useful software for gaming, and useful presets like Zen kernel. Is made to be a user-friendly gaming-distribution. Comes highly themed and with many effects like wobbly windows. This can be disabled if you don't like it. |- |[https://getsol.us/ Solus] |Solus brings updates to its users by means of a curated rolling release model. |- |[https://www.opensuse.org/ openSUSE] | Comes with YAST, a tool similar to the Control Panel that makes configuring the system easier, since for many functions it is thus not necessary to use a terminal, or to edit config files. Offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a regular release (Leap) option. You probably want to use Tumbleweed. |- |[https://chimeraos.org/ ChimeraOS] |If you are looking for a Steam-centric, couch-gaming-friendly Linux distribution, this might be what you are looking for. Don't use this if you want a traditional desktop experience. |- |Others | There are a ton of Linux distros out there. Just know that they might come with problems. The mentioned distros are popular for a reason, and this reason is that they work well. |} {| class="wikitable" |+Questionable Choices !Distribution !Explanation |- |[https://archlinux.org/ Arch Linux] |Arch Linux is not beginner friendly, but it'd be an opportunity for you to learn a lot about Linux at the same time, especially that you got the Arch Wiki which is considered the best Linux Wiki and a very important and reliable source of information that covers nearly everything. Arch is one of the best distributions for gaming, because it comes raw and pulls straight from sources with no pre-configuration. Therefore, you will have a minimal base system and add the extra essentials by yourself (which is optimal for gaming, since you don't want things you don't need slowing down your computer). Obviously you need to do the correct choices if you want good performance. If you don't configure your system enough, it will probably be worse than other distributions. Only choose this option if you have time and are willing to learn. Contrary to popular belief, installing Arch is not too hard if you follow carefully the installation guide; it's even simpler with the provided archinstall script, although "''it's not the recommended way''". It will take long though. You should keep in mind, that you will have to spend ''a lot'' of time if you really want to use Arch. You will have to do ''everything'' yourself. You want to have a graphical user interface? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Category:Graphical_user_interfaces Read the wiki]. You want to use a printer? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS Read the wiki]. You want GPU drivers? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AMDGPU Read] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Intel_graphics the] [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA wiki]. You have a problem? [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Read the wiki]. Don't even try to ask stupid questions in the Arch forum. They will just tell you to read the friendly wiki. And the wiki is great, seriously. But if you want to use Arch, you have to read and understand it yourself. Make sure to tell everyone [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/btw-i-use-arch you use Arch btw]. |- |[https://www.gentoo.org/ Gentoo] |Gentoo Linux is a source-based ''meta''distribution; it means it comes raw and with nothing, just like Arch, but is also ''the'' best when it comes to performance, as it allows you to compile all programs specifically configured for your own setup! BUT, it makes it a double-edged sword! Not only are the performance gains not massive; it also means it will take quite longer to install and update software! Thankfully, you don't have to compile huge software like web browsers (or even the kernel, though you will lose the benefits). Adding to that, it is notorious for being hard to install, although it's as hard or even easier to install than Arch Linux as long as you follow the installation guide. It will take extremely long though: count more than two hours of setting things up! Gentoo also has the benefits of supporting nearly every architecture there is, including ARM. Do note that, just like Arch, if you don't configure much (including compiler flags!!), you will probably end up with no better, or worse, than other distros, considering you also rarely get grand performance gains! |- |[https://manjaro.org/ Manjaro] |Based on ArchLinux, but uses its own repositories and includes other features like automatic graphic card drivers installation. Is made to be user friendly. ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6FePZoNgE Recommended by LTT]) However, it is criticized for being unreliable. Such issues are listed [https://manjarno.snorlax.sh/ here], and include: * compatibility issues with Arch User Repository (AUR) packages; * development team rushed Asahi Linux (Linux on Apple Silicon) support, shipping potentially broken kernels to Manjaro users; * its package manager took down the AUR twice: first time for all users, second time for Manjaro users; * development team forgot to renew SSL certificates five times in the past; You should instead consider EndeavourOS, or Arch Linux using archinstall, if you want an installer-driven experience. |- |[https://www.debian.org/ Debian] |Has a strong focus on reliability and not changing much. That's great for servers or if you just need something that works for basic tasks, but unless you know ''why'' you want Debian, it's probably not the best choice for gaming. It could be a good choice for very old hardware. |- |[https://linuxmint.com/ Linux Mint] |Nice distribution, but probably not the best for gaming. You might face weird bugs<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/Lutris/comments/i66650/comment/g0w24so/?context=3</ref><ref>https://github.com/lutris/website/pull/581</ref>. Cinnamon has issues with performance, and [[Compositor#Cinnamon|with disabling composition]]! Offers two versions. &quot;Linux Mint&quot; is based on Ubuntu and &quot;LMDE&quot; is based on Debian. |- |[https://elementary.io/ elementary OS] |Based on Ubuntu, elementary OS strives to be user-friendly and deliver a cohesive and aesthetic user experience. Comes with Pantheon, a modern, good looking DE that is only available here. Unfortunately it is not possible to [[Compositor|disable composition]] which makes it a bad choice for gaming. Only use this if you really don't care about performance ''at all.'' |} <div style="border: 1px solid #cc8400; background: #fff6e5; margin: 5px 0 5px 0; padding: 10px;"> If you really want to use a distribution that's not mentioned here, at least '''don't use one of the following!''' These distributions are known to have '''big''' problems! {| class="wikitable" |+Anti recommendations: DO NOT USE THESE DISTRIBUTIONS! !Distribution !Explanation |- |HoloISO |Unofficial Desktop-Version of SteamOS 3, as it's available on the Steam Deck. This might sound like a good idea, but it appears to be abandoned, is not easy to install, and doesn't work properly. |- |Deepin |It might look pretty, but it '''ships with spyware'''<ref>https://www.fosslinux.com/48103/deepin-linux-safe-spyware.htm</ref>'''!''' Do not use it! |- |Puppy Linux |Sometimes recommended as being extra light weight. You might think this makes it great for gaming, but this is not the case! It's not secure, not good to use, and doesn't come with good driver support! |- | Tiny Core |Same as Puppy |- |Linux From Scratch (LFS) | Even more complicated than Gentoo, it involves building your own system. No one should use this (unless for your own education on how Linux works), especially since there is no package manager. |- |Kali |Not meant for daily usage. This distribution is meant for pentesting and (ethical) hacking only! Your games will probably not work, and you might have all kinds of problems like no audio. |} </div> '''If you are having trouble deciding, Pop!_OS is good for beginners.''' It's not the flashiest, but you're almost guaranteed to find an answer to your problem if you search &quot;My Problem Pop!_OS&quot; or &quot;My Problem Ubuntu&quot; (Pop!_OS is very similar to Ubuntu) in your favorite search engine (make sure to limit the search to only things from the past year). You can always switch later. Most of them will let you install next to Windows and set up a dual boot automatically. Be careful though, Windows Updates have a bad habit of changing the boot loader and it will look like your Linux OS vanished. '''REMEMBER TO DO BACKUPS.''' Things can always go wrong and you don't want to lose anything. It's FOSS has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5QyjHIYwTQ video on dual booting] if you'd like a visual example, but it basically boils down to you clicking an option that says &quot;Install along side Windows&quot;. === Window Managers === Window managers have the job of moving windows. They do things like the title bar, and the border around windows. If you really want, you can choose which window manager you want to use. You can even choose, to not use a desktop environment, and just use a standalone window manager. If you ever saw ''really cool'' looking images of Linux desktops, that's ''probably'' a standalone window manager. This is not something you have to do, and if you don't want to spend '''''a lot''''' of time on customization, just skip this. However, if you really want to dive deep, [[Window Manager|click here]]. ==What to do after the installation== So, you've installed your distro and you have your computer running Linux. Congratulations! The absolute most important part of becoming a Linux user is to consistently use Linux! The last step is to get all of your software back running so you can use your computer as a daily driver. A few things first: This is rather controversial, but you do not be afraid of the terminal. While the terminal is absolutely not required to do your normal day to day activities, you'll often find solutions to your problems require you to enter a few lines into the terminal. This isn't any sort of magic and it's nothing to be fearful of using, if you want you can think of it a bit like a voice assistant that works with text. The reason for this is because the terminal is, generally, distro agnostic and it's easier to explain one line of code instead of having lots of different pictures showing you what to click in each distro. Second, use the internet! Everyone starts as a beginner at some point. You might be very comfortable in Windows or macOS now, but at some point you had no idea what you were doing. That's very normal! As you use Linux more and more you'll gain the knowledge and experience needed and eventually it will feel like home. There's absolutely no shame in asking questions! ===Installing Software=== If you are coming from Windows, you are probably used to search for an .exe and install it by double clicking. Things are way different here. Installing software individually is often discouraged. The reasons for this varies, but security and compatibility are the main reasons. So what do you do in Linux? You use a package manager. Think of it as being similar to the Play store, but instead of random people uploading software to it, everything is maintained by your distribution's software team. This also applies to drivers, including GPU drivers, even though AMD and Nvidia both offer a download. '''Don't use it! It will probably break your system!''' Package managers have a lot of benefits that may not be immediately obvious to new users. The package manager knows what other software is required to work on your system and can manage updating all of the software pieces you have without you manually having to handle it. As I mentioned earlier, since your distribution's software team creates these packages, the chances of installing malware on your system is very slim. Remember when I said don't be afraid of the terminal? Here's a good example as to why. To install [[Steam]] on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or most other distros that derive from Debian, all you have to do is open a terminal and type: <pre>sudo apt install steam</pre> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRu1FysEf6w Video example]. And that's it. Steam is installed, from a trusted source and with everything it needs. Do you want to update all the stuff installed in your system? <pre>sudo apt upgrade</pre> Let's break those two lines down a bit so you know what's going on. <code>sudo</code> stands for &quot;super user do&quot;. You can think of this like right clicking and choosing the &quot;Run As Administrator&quot; in Windows. <code>apt</code> is the package manager's name. <code>apt</code> is used by distributions based on Debian. <code>install</code> is <code>apt</code>'s command for installing programs. <code>steam</code> is the Steam software. So in English we just said. &quot;Please install the &quot;steam&quot; program as administrator (called root on Linux).&quot; Now, if you wanted to use the graphical way, I'd have to post pictures from Ubuntu, Mint, etc and they all look slightly different and you have to find their front end in different places. It's just easier this way. But generally, you would open your software store (or whatever it is called), and search for the program you want to install, click ''"update"'', or whatever else. So what do you do if the software you need isn't in your package manager? The next best thing is to add a 3rd party repository to your package manager. As an (educational) example, let's add Google Chrome. Note, that the following procedure is not recommended for various reasons, including, but not limited to Chrome being considered spyware<ref>https://fossforce.com/2021/10/googles-new-spyware-in-chrome-94/</ref>. UbuntuUpdates.org give the following instructions<ref>https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/ppa/google_chrome</ref>: <pre>wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add - sudo sh -c 'echo &quot;deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main&quot; &gt;&gt; /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list' sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install google-chrome-stable</pre> That looks a bit scary, but it's just adding the security key and repository to your system and then installing Google Chrome. You'll want to use a PPA of your software when possible since it will update with the rest of your system. However, what about distros that don't use apt? For example, let's say you installed Fedora instead. Fedora uses DNF. Unfortunately, Steam is not in Fedora's default repository, so we will have to enable the RPMFusion repositories with this command: sudo dnf install <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm <nowiki>https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm</nowiki> -E %fedora).noarch.rpm Then we enter: sudo dnf install steam As you can see, instead of using apt to call in apt, we used dnf to call in dnf. ===Improving performance=== Since you want to play games, you probably want to have the best performance that your hardware is capable of. The default settings are usually bad, though. Read [[Improving performance|this article]] to see how you can improve them for a flawless experience. === Nice things=== Look at other articles in this wiki to see what you might want to use. Most of what you are used to from Windows is possible, including [[Misc#Game Streaming|game streaming]], [[modding]], [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|up]]-/[[Misc#Downsampling|downscaling]], [[Misc#Noise Cancelling|noise cancelling]], and much more. ===Going further === Learn using the [[terminal]]. While you might not necessarily need it, it makes many things easier. ==Troubleshooting== *Google *Join the IRC channel of the distribution that you are using *Join the [https://discord.gg/linuxgaming /r/linux_gaming discord channel] *[https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming Ask in one of the linux subreddits] *Ask in forums When asking about your problems, remember to give as much info as you can. For example, include what Distro you're on, what you have already tried, any error messages that come up, anything you've changed recently, etc. ===Common issues=== '''Vulkan games (native, Proton, Wine with DXVK) don't run (no Vulkan support)''' *Ensure that Vulkan drivers are installed, including the 32-bit drivers *For users of older AMD GCN 1 or 2 cards, [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/wiki/drivers#wiki_amd_hd_7xxx_and_newer ensure that the AMDGPU kernel driver is used instead of radeon] ==The end== u/PBLKGodofGrunts put this guide under the [http://www.wtfpl.net/txt/copying/ WTFPL License.] Please attach this license when sharing or modifying this guide. I hope that this is helpful to someone. == References == <references /> 072e34f15c92a4689b67c7faba5bc219918747dd 0 34 2191 2142 2024-01-01T11:24:02Z Aragorn 3 wikitext text/x-wiki It is recommended to read the [[Getting started with Linux|long version]], but you should be fine if you just do the following:<ul> <li>First, and foremost: Be prepared that nothing works as you would expect, ''especially'' if you consider yourself a power user. Linux does not try to copy Windows. Stuff works differently. Your knowledge of regedit and powershell is useless, you will not be able to troubleshoot issues the way you're used to, and your favorite software to do something might not be available. Think of it like being dropped back to level 1 in an MMO. It's like that. There will be issues, and you will have no clue what to do. Imagine installing Windows and your performance being bad. You obviously would install the GPU drivers. Now imagine you would use Windows for the first time, and you have to figure out what the fuck is wrong. Be prepared for this. It will happen, and it will happen more than once. The good thing is, that you will learn everything much faster than someone who has no previous knowledge. But keep in mind that you have years of experience with Windows, and absolutely no knowledge of how to use Linux. Don't expect to know how to do everything, and be prepared to put time and effort into learning stuff. You will probably think that Linux is more complicated than Windows, just keep going, and you'll get to the point where you'll think the opposite. But it will take time. <li>Don't immediately remove Windows, try dual booting, or try installing Linux on a laptop first. Give yourself some time to adapt. The beginning will probably not be easy. It's always good to have a fallback if things don't work as expected. You can remove Windows later, if you're sure that you don't need a backup solution. </li> <li>Your experience will be ''much'' better if you have [[Hardware Recommendations|supported hardware]]. Your RGB keyboard may not blink in the way you want it to blink. You might not be able to change your mouse DPI or lift-of-distance. At least not out of the box and not without hassle, or without bugs. Wifi and Bluetooth are also known to be problematic. Check if your model is supported, or get a supported model. If you have a laptop that is unsupported, not all features will work out of the box, or might not work at all or without bugs. Normal functionality of other components is usually unproblematic, you should not have to worry about your CPU, RAM, etc.</li> <li>Not all games work. Check [https://www.protondb.com/ protondb.com] for information about what games are currently working on Steam. You can find other games on [https://lutris.net/ lutris.net] and [https://appdb.winehq.org appdb.winehq.org]. Most games that don't use anti-cheat work, even if they are not listed. However, they might not work without tweaking.</li> <li>Use [https://nobaraproject.org/download-nobara/ Nobara]. It will make less problems, and gives you better performance than most other distributions. <li>Depending on your computer, it might be necessary to disable ''"secure boot"''. That might sound scary, but fear not. Your system doesn't get insecure if you disable it. Secure boot is a technique that secures that only systems signed by Microsoft can be booted. Since most Linux distributions are not made by Microsoft, they're also not signed by them. </li> <li>Use Steam for running games that are on Steam. Most games will work ''just like that'', after [[Steam#Enable Steam Play for all games|enabling Steam Play for all games]].</li> <li>Use [[Lutris]] for all other games. </li> <li><p>[[Compositor|Disable Composition]]: Your games will run like shit if you don't disable it.</p></li> <li><p>If your performance is bad, read [[Improving performance|this article]].</p></li> <li><p>'''Don't go to a website and download stuff to install it'''. This is not how Linux works. Even if this is the ''"official"'' way. For example AMD will offer you to download their drivers from the website. Don't do it, this is bad, and '''it will probably break your system'''!</p></li> <li><p>If you use the terminal, Linux will usually not protect you from shooting yourself in the foot. Instead, it will deliver the bullet in the most efficient way possible. If Linux actually warns you that you might be doing something stupid, take it seriously. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0506yDSgU7M&t=600s It's not your average &quot;You could harm your computer&quot; bullshit you are used to from Windows.]</p></li> <li><p>Error messages also have a meaning. They tell you what the problem is. Always include them when [[How to get answers|asking for help]].</p></li><li><p>You (almost) never download software or drivers in the browser. Doing this is a really bad idea, and should only be your last resort if everything else fails. Just look up your distribution + the software, and you should find a better solution. You shouldn't need to do this on Nobara, everything should already be ready.</p></li><li><p>If you don't like the look, it can easily be changed. Just install a different desktop environment. KDE Plasma would be a popular choice that looks a lot like Windows, is very customizable, and very comfortable to use. </p></li><li><p>Expect that you're going to reinstall your system a couple times while getting accustomed to it. Linux comes without training wheels, or double bottom. At the same time, it invites experimentation, and if you don't know what you're doing, this can lead to a broken system relatively quickly. So always back up your important data! But fear not, after you learned how your system works, it won't break that much anymore, and it will become easy to fix. Theoretically, you could use the same system for decades without problems. </p></li></ul> 290a37eb5a2a5ed5f63ad885f0f74634b7188cbe 0 32 2192 2185 2024-01-01T11:24:42Z Aragorn 3 /* Disabling composition for your games */ wikitext text/x-wiki [[Misc#Test whether you use X11|If you use a DE with X11]], then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadows, animations, transparency, blur, or other effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game. You can verify that composition is disabled, by looking at your desktop effects. For example, you should not see shadows. They either vanish, or get pitch black. ==Disabling composition for your games== Disabling composition will dramatically improve performance, input lag, and ''"smoothness"''. Here is how to do it: ===GNOME=== This is the default DE on Pop!_OS, and Nobara GNOME. You don't have to do anything. Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing Windows does), which is almost as good as disabling compositon. Disabling composition in Gnome is not possible. ===KDE=== This is the default DE on SteamOS, Nobara Official, and Nobara KDE. There are many options to disable composition: * You can use [https://store.kde.org/p/1502826/ Autocomposer]. This should make it unnecessary to do anything of the following. *For Lutris: **To disable it for a single game: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System Options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code>. **To disable it for all games: Click <code>...</code> in the top right corner -> <code>Preferences</code> -> <code>Global Options</code> -> <code>Disable desktop effects</code> *You can manually disable composition with <code>shift</code> + <code>alt</code> + <code>f12</code> before launching a game. The same combination re-enables it. *If you want to use a terminal command (for example for automation, launch options for Steam, [[Gamemode]] etc): ** disable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor suspend</code> ** enable: <code>qdbus org.kde.KWin /Compositor resume</code> *You can also disable it completely with <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>Display and Monitor</code> -> <code>Compositor</code> -> <code>Enable compositor on startup</code>. ===Xfce=== *Disable composition with <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Xfwm#Configuration</ref> *Enable it again with <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> === Mate === * Disable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager false</code><ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/MATE#Disabling_compositing</ref> * Enable composition: <code>gsettings set org.mate.Marco.general compositing-manager true</code> ===Cinnamon === {{Needs work|Problem=There are (old) reports that Cinnamon does not always automatically disable composition for full screen windows. Is this still the case, or is this resolved? Reported to work fine Cinnamon with 5.8.4 and does result in noticeable gain. ([[User:Jul|Jul]] ([[User talk:Jul|talk]])) }} *As of Cinnamon 5.4, there's an option to disable composition for fullscreen applications, essentially referring to unredirection. However, it is disabled by default, forcing composition on all apps, making it not ideal. To enable it: <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>General</code> -> <code>Disable compositing on fullscreen applications</code> *Disabling composition completely might lead to better input lag. You can do that by checking: <code>System Settings</code> -> <code>General</code> -> <code>Disable compositing</code>. However, this might lead to visual degradation in desktop mode (no effects, no shadows, no transparency, no window previews, more tearing), but is still recommended if you want to reduce latency. Linux mint does not seem to support disabling it anymore. ===Pantheon=== Unfortunately it appears to not support the option to disable composition.<ref>https://elementaryos.stackexchange.com/questions/4483/how-can-i-disable-composite-and-effects-in-elementary-os</ref> ==Automation == For DEs that support disabling/enabling the compositor with a terminal command, you can automate it. In the following <code><disable></code> and <code><enable></code> are to be replaced with the respective command to disable or enable the compositor. ===Gamemode=== The easiest way is to automate it with [[gamemode]]. You can edit <code>gamemode.ini</code> and set <syntaxhighlight lang="ini"> [custom] start=<disable> end=<enable> </syntaxhighlight>Replace <code><disable></code> and <code><enable></code> with the respective commands that disable/enable composition. ===Lutris=== *To automate this for a single game: Right click a game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>System Options</code> and put the disable composition command in the <code>Pre-launch</code> box and the enable composition command in the <code>Post-exit</code> script box. *To automate this for all games: Click the hamburger menu -> <code>Preferences</code> -> <code>Global Options</code> and do the things mentioned in the previous method. ===Steam=== Set the launch command <code><disable>; %command%; <enable></code>. For example <code>xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s false; %command%; xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true</code> to disable composition on Xfce<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensiveLinux/comments/6b3cs5/comment/dhjw7z7/?context=3</ref>. ==References and notes== <references /> cde572dd3620692d6102005984836f48bba75752 0 5 2193 2184 2024-01-06T19:41:02Z Aragorn 3 /* Troubleshooting */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use GNOME (the default on Nobara Official, Nobara GNOME, and Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]], it's not necessary on Wayland. **You do have to do this on Nobara KDE! *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS (if you chose the NVIDIA ISO for NVIDIA graphics cards). **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Read the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. Old drivers can be a problem if they are too old. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. *If you have two GPUs (for example an integrated and a dedicated one), use the one with more performance. ''TODO: How?'' ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== Use X11. You lose around 16% FPS on Wayland<ref name=":4">https://www.phoronix.com/review/wayland-nv-amd-2023/5</ref>. The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell require legacy drivers. *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms="true"</code> in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. **Alternatively, you can also use the CLI, as described [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Custom_TDP_Limit here]. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Don't use Flatpak to run your game. You lose up to 20% FPS if the game is CPU bound<ref>https://github.com/flatpak/flatpak/issues/4187</ref>. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (one of the gaming optimized kernels, or just any kernel above 5.16), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>[https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg-pds]</code>, <code>[https://xanmod.org/ Xanmod]</code>, or <code>[https://liquorix.net/ Liquorix]</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> and <code>Liquorix</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. ***They should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. If you don't, you end up with an insecure system! **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people also recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler). Currently there are no scientific tests, so you have to see yourself what works best for you. You can get both from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though; on a six-core processor, this will take something in the magnitude of half an hour. However, you can use Modprobed-db to only compile kernel modules you need; this will significantly cut down the time needed to compile the kernel. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **Note that for many games, the following is not needed with Nvidia driver 520 (or higher) and DXVK 2.0 (or higher) thanks to VK_EXT_graphics_pipeline_library, Intel and AMD driver support is coming soon. However, there are still games that can profit from it, and it might lead to slightly better frame times<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18AYlKq05ew</ref>. <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE, ''until version 7-44'', is compatible. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (if you named the folder <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code>, you also need to manually type <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code> in the field). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *The following tweaks<ref>https://github.com/CryoByte33/steam-deck-utilities/blob/main/docs/tweak-explanation.md</ref> can improve gaming performance, but might not be optimal for other workloads/normal desktop usage. However, it is possible to set/reset these settings with [[gamemode]], as described in [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/11lslhs/tutorial_how_to_use_memory_tweaks_from/ this tutorial]. **Use Transparent Hugepages: <code>echo always | sudo tee /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/enabled</code> ***With shared memory: <code>echo advise | sudo tee /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/shmem_enabled</code> **Use Compaction Proactiveness: <code>echo 0 | sudo tee /proc/sys/vm/compaction_proactiveness</code> **Disable Hugepage Defragmentation: <code>echo 0 | sudo tee /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/khugepaged/defrag</code> **Lower Page Lock Unfairness: <code>echo 1 | sudo tee /proc/sys/vm/page_lock_unfairness</code> *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page] and [https://github.com/AdelKS/LinuxGamingGuide this collection of tweaks]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. In case it is reducing performance and you use VKD3D, try adding <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=no_upload_hvv</code><ref name=":3" />. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=gpl</code>: Should lead to a behavior similar to shader caching on Windows. Games that don't stutter on Windows, should also not stutter on Linux. Currently, it also disables shader caching, so load times will be high. Is still new, and might not work correctly. You need at least mesa 23 for it to work. ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (GNOME and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. Disabling composition should lead to slightly less input lag.<ref name=":2" /> KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. GNOME is also valid, but adds a small amount of input lag.<ref name=":2">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section ''(Test needed to know how good it works!)''. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid GNOME X11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === Wayland on Nvidia gives you a performance hit of about 16%<ref name=":4" />. The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync or enable tearing updates. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. KDE plasma 5.27 or higher will be required for tearing updates on Wayland and your game will also need to be run in fullscreen mode for it to work. Wine doesn't yet support tearing on Wayland. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on (unless tearing updates are enabled), regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> GNOME will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *Using MangoHud may introduce stuttering if your framerate is higher than your monitor refresh rate. *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. *Sometimes a game has both, a Linux native, and a Windows version. They don't always run equally well. If you have problems, it might be worth a shot to try the other one. *If you use Arch or an Arch based distribution, and you own a very new AMD GPU, it might be worth it to install <code>linux-firmware-git</code>, and <code>mesa-git</code> from the AUR (for example by using an AUR helper like <code>paru</code>). You might also consider to install a release candidate of the Linux kernel, for example by using <code>linux-rc</code> from the AUR, or by compiling <code>linux-tkg</code> and selecting a release candidate (to be detected by the <code>rc</code>, as in <code>v6.2-'''rc'''4</code>). *On Nvidia, you might need the [[Environment variables|environment variable]] <code>PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1</code> for DLSS. *You might need the [[Environment variables|environment variable]] <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=dxr</code> for ray tracing. *If you're using VKD3D, and enabling Resizable BAR leads to lower performance, you might want to try <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=no_upload_hvv</code><ref name=":3">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/119hwmt/this_setting_may_help_vkd3d_games_that_have/</ref>. *If you're using KDE Plasma, you might get performance problems because of Baloo file indexing. You can disable it as described [https://community.kde.org/Baloo/Configuration here]. *Try Wayland if you use X11, try X11 if you use Wayland. There are cases where this multiplies FPS<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/review/wayland-nv-amd-2023</ref>. ==References and notes == <references /> cbc23f30815b19490101ada606f84e7307b6dd04 2194 2193 2024-01-06T20:12:23Z Aragorn 3 /* Troubleshooting */ wikitext text/x-wiki Gaming performance on Linux varies from game to game, and is ''very'' hardware dependent. Some of your games might run better than on Windows, some may run worse. But even with the same game where you would get a performance gain with one GPU you might take a performance hit with another. So it's impossible to say how your performance will compare to Windows. BUT: Generally, you should be expecting about the same performance (±10%) as on Windows<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc1mS1hxn8Q</ref>. If your experience is much worse, there is probably an issue. Most Linux distributions aren't properly configured for gaming ''at all''. Nobara is a notable exception, it already includes many of the tweaks that are mentioned here. The good thing is, that this is very easy to change. Your performance should be OK if you do all ''major tweaks''. You don't have to go further if that is good enough for you and you don't want to bother reading the rest of the article. Everything else isn't as important, only situational, or might come with drawbacks. But if you still have issues, or you just want ''more'' ''performance'', you should definitely read it. There is much that can be done to get an additional bit of performance, less input lag, less FPS drops, and significantly more performance on severely under-powered systems. == Major tweaks == These are the important tweaks, they will give a ''huge'' boost for all games. You should do all these tweaks, otherwise you will not have a good gaming experience: *[[Compositor|Disable composition]]. **You don't need to do this if you use GNOME (the default on Nobara Official, Nobara GNOME, and Pop!_OS) **You only need to do this [[Misc#Test whether you use X11 or Wayland|if you use X11]], it's not necessary on Wayland. **You do have to do this on Nobara KDE! *Use [[Gamemode|GameMode]] *If they are not already installed, [https://github.com/lutris/docs/blob/master/InstallingDrivers.md install the correct drivers] **You don't have to do this on Nobara or Pop!_OS (if you chose the NVIDIA ISO for NVIDIA graphics cards). **Do '''NOT''' download anything manually. Read the link above. **If you have an old Nvidia card that is not supported by the current driver, look at the Nvidia specific section. **If you don't have an Nvidia GPU, the correct drivers are probably already preinstalled. However, you won't do anything wrong if you use the guide above. On some distributions this will also give you a more recent version. Old drivers can be a problem if they are too old. *[[Misc#Watching the temperature|Look at your thermals]], and if they are too high, adapt the fan speed. **There are tools to do this inside Linux, but it's probably easier to do it in the BIOS. *If you have two GPUs (for example an integrated and a dedicated one), use the one with more performance. ''TODO: How?'' ==AMD/Nvidia specific== These tweaks are depending on what type of '''GPU''' you have. Your CPU type is not important. ===AMD === It's probably worth doing, but if everything is fine and you think this is too complicated, you can ignore this section. The default values should be fine for casual gaming. If you want the maximum performance, or minimal input lag, read further. ==== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ==== You can use [[CoreCtrl]] to add performance profiles for your games, set fan speeds, and overclock/undervolt. You can also set CPU performance here, it will overrule the GameMode settings. The default (automatic) performance profile is probably fine for most games, but it might make a big difference for some games. For example, if a game has a capped frame rate, the GPU might not clock to the highest speed which will result in sub optimal performance. Setting your GPU to high performance can yield higher FPS, or lower input lag. Alternatively, you can also use GameMode, however this is probably a bit more complicated. ==== Using the correct driver ==== '''DO NOT DOWNLOAD DRIVERS WITH YOUR BROWSER'''. This is the ''"official"'' way, offered by AMD, but it's also the worst possible thing you can do. There are two Vulkan drivers available for AMD GPUs: amdvlk and vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA). The vulkan-radeon (RADV, MESA) one is the open-source version and is preferable due to better performance in most cases. It should be the one that is installed as default, so usually you would not have to do anything. If you experience sub-par performance, you can check which driver you are using. On Arch and Ubuntu based distros (for example Manjaro, or Pop!_OS), you can check which Vulkan implementations are installed on the system with this [[Terminal|command]]: <code>ls /usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/</code>. It should say <code>radeon_icd.x86_64.json</code>. If you have the 32bit version installed, it will (also) say <code>radeon_icd.i686.json</code>. There might be others (intel for example), just be sure that there is not <code>amd_icd64.json</code>. The system will use amdvlk by default if both are installed. If you want to use amdvlk, look for instructions for your distribution. Downloading something from the AMD website should only be the last resort, if there really is no better option. There probably is a better option. ===Nvidia=== Use X11. You lose around 16% FPS on Wayland<ref name=":4">https://www.phoronix.com/review/wayland-nv-amd-2023/5</ref>. The [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Overclocking_and_cooling Arch Wiki] is a great place to start for information, but, as always, it's best to follow documentation specific to your distro. Identify your GPU model from [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA the Archlinux Wiki's Nvidia page] as well as the [https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/CodeNames.html#NV160 GPU model/family cross-reference page] and install the correct GPU release, as GPUs older than Maxwell require legacy drivers. *Use DKMS for the driver. DKMS will be necessary for using custom kernels like Zen, Xanmod or tkg with the Nvidia driver because there are no pre-packaged nvidia kernel modules for them. It also lets you update to newer kernel versions without waiting for an Nvidia driver update.<ref>https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ref> Every distro that has proprietary Nvidia driver support ''should'' offer a DKMS version. *For Arch-based distributions, you may also use TKG's <code>nvidia-all</code> [https://github.com/frogging-family/nvidia-all repo], with <code>_dkms="true"</code> in <code>customization.cfg</code>.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/sc9dv7/need_help_writing_wiki_article_about_how_to_tweak/hu54e1g/?context=3</ref> *You may also use the nvidia-vulkan-dkms to acquire the most recent vulkan beta release with the most recent extensions. ====== Overclocking and controlling the GPU ====== *Enable coolbits in the Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Enabling_overclocking as described in the Archlinux Wiki]. Specifically, setting the coolbits value to 28 on anything currently supported (post-Fermi) will enable full control over the GPU through the nvidia-settings panel (at least, as much control as you're allowed to be given). *Use [https://gitlab.com/leinardi/gwe GreenWithEnvy] for overclocking, setting power limits (raise or lower) and fan curves. It's the closest alternative we have to MSI Afterburner. **Alternatively, you can also use the CLI, as described [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA/Tips_and_tricks#Custom_TDP_Limit here]. ====== DLSS, RTX, Reflex features on support Nvidia GPUs (NVAPI) ====== The github repo for DXVK-NVAPI should be read [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi here] to fully understand what you may need to do, as the Proton version you use may necessitate certain additional steps. *Make sure to use a Proton version of at least 6.3-6, Experimental, Proton-6.21-GE-2 (now known as GE-Proton) or Proton-tkg/wine-tkg-git of 6.17 or greater (or build your own) for DLSS, RTX, and/or Reflex on supported GPUs. *Using the most recent Proton, Proton Experimental or GE-Proton (As of this writing on 2022-09-06) requires the following: **Steam: use the launch options PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 DXVK_ENABLE_NVAPI=1 %command%. You may also need to add PROTON_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=0 for some games that do not use DXGI for detection (per the [https://github.com/jp7677/dxvk-nvapi#readme DXVK=NVAPI github README]). **For non-Steam games, use the latest Lutris or wine-ge-custom build, '''with [[Lutris]]''', and make sure to toggle on DLSS support in the Configure -> Runner options menu. == Minor tweaks == These will not make a difference as big as the major tweaks. It might give you some FPS, or lower your input lag, but you don't have to do these tweaks if you think this is too complicated. *Don't use Flatpak to run your game. You lose up to 20% FPS if the game is CPU bound<ref>https://github.com/flatpak/flatpak/issues/4187</ref>. *Enable <code>Fsync</code>. You need to use a compatible Kernel (one of the gaming optimized kernels, or just any kernel above 5.16), and enable it in Lutris: Right click the game -> <code>Configure</code> -> <code>Runner options</code> -> Enable <code>Fsync</code> **If you can't or don't want to install a kernel that is Fsync compatible, you can also enable Esync. The performance boost is usually not as large, though. *Install an optimized kernel like <code>linux-zen</code>, <code>[https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg-pds]</code>, <code>[https://xanmod.org/ Xanmod]</code>, or <code>[https://liquorix.net/ Liquorix]</code>. This will also prevent the system from becoming unresponsive when under heavy CPU load. **<code>linux-zen</code> and <code>linux-tkg</code> kernels are for Arch-based distros, <code>Xanmod</code> and <code>Liquorix</code> for Ubuntu-based distros. ***They should also work with other distributions, but you should always make sure to have a functioning way to update them. If you don't, you end up with an insecure system! **<code>linux-tkg-pds</code> ([https://github.com/Frogging-Family/linux-tkg linux-tkg] with PDS scheduler) seems to perform better than <code>zen</code><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNzd57b0h08</ref>, and has lower input lag (this is definitely noticeable in competitive shooters). Some people also recommend using <code>linux-tkg-bmq</code> (linux-tkg with BMQ scheduler). Currently there are no scientific tests, so you have to see yourself what works best for you. You can get both from [https://aur.chaotic.cx/ chaotic AUR] ([https://archlinux.pkgs.org/rolling/chaotic-aur-x86_64/ list of available packages]). To get all benefits you have to compile it yourself, though; on a six-core processor, this will take something in the magnitude of half an hour. However, you can use Modprobed-db to only compile kernel modules you need; this will significantly cut down the time needed to compile the kernel. **You don't need to fear that you might destroy your system. Installing a new kernel does not remove the old one. You can select the kernel you want to boot in GRUB. If things get messed up, just select your old kernel and you're fine. ==Optional== These tweaks come with some drawback. You might want to apply them, but maybe only for some games. *If you don't get enough FPS, use [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]]. This might ''dramatically'' improve your framerate in GPU limited games but will definitely hurt the image quality. *[[Environment variables]]: **Note that for many games, the following is not needed with Nvidia driver 520 (or higher) and DXVK 2.0 (or higher) thanks to VK_EXT_graphics_pipeline_library, Intel and AMD driver support is coming soon. However, there are still games that can profit from it, and it might lead to slightly better frame times<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18AYlKq05ew</ref>. <code>DXVK_ASYNC=1</code>: Display frames even if they are not completely rendered. This will reduce stuttering a lot, but it could theoretically trigger anti cheat, even though this never actually happened. Your DXVK version needs to be compatible or patched to use it. Proton-GE, ''until version 7-44'', is compatible. For Non-Steam games you can't use Proton, and need a [https://github.com/Sporif/dxvk-async/releases patched DXVK-Version]. For Lutris you need to copy it to <code>~/.local/share/lutris/runtime/dxvk/</code>, and manually select the version inside Lutris (if you named the folder <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code>, you also need to manually type <code>dxvk-async-1.3</code> in the field). *Use [https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX] (warning: may trigger anticheat): Similar to NVIDIA Reflex (but works with AMD and Nvidia). Lowers input lag. Manually frame capping your game (so that your GPU never exceeds 80%) should be equally good. (If you use MangoHud to do this, this might add additional input lag!) *The following tweaks<ref>https://github.com/CryoByte33/steam-deck-utilities/blob/main/docs/tweak-explanation.md</ref> can improve gaming performance, but might not be optimal for other workloads/normal desktop usage. However, it is possible to set/reset these settings with [[gamemode]], as described in [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/11lslhs/tutorial_how_to_use_memory_tweaks_from/ this tutorial]. **Use Transparent Hugepages: <code>echo always | sudo tee /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/enabled</code> ***With shared memory: <code>echo advise | sudo tee /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/shmem_enabled</code> **Use Compaction Proactiveness: <code>echo 0 | sudo tee /proc/sys/vm/compaction_proactiveness</code> **Disable Hugepage Defragmentation: <code>echo 0 | sudo tee /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/khugepaged/defrag</code> **Lower Page Lock Unfairness: <code>echo 1 | sudo tee /proc/sys/vm/page_lock_unfairness</code> *You might want to have a look at the extensive [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gaming#Improving_performance Arch Wiki page] and [https://github.com/AdelKS/LinuxGamingGuide this collection of tweaks]. === BIOS tweaks === * [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance#Enabling_PCI_Resizable_BAR Above 4G Decoding (SAM / rBAR)] - A BIOS option that allows the CPU to access the GPU's entire VRAM at once. *[https://linustechtips.com/topic/1197132-setting-ram-speed-xmp-docp-for-dummies/ (A-)XMP / DOCP profile] - Unlocks the RAM's advertised memory speed ''(resulting in a faster access of the data the CPU needs)''. === Only AMD === * To lower your input lag even more (after doing all major and minor tweaks), you can disable page flipping (this will result in more tearing). ** This only works on X11, but if you care ''that much'' about input lag, you shouldn't use Wayland anyways. **Create the file <code>/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-amdgpu.conf</code> with content: <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> Section "Device" Identifier "AMD" Driver "amdgpu" Option "TearFree" "false" Option "EnablePageFlip" "false" EndSection</syntaxhighlight> *[[Environment variables]]: **<code>RADV_FORCE_VRS=2x2</code>: Variable rate shading. This will improve performance, but reduce quality of shadows. Alternative values: <code>2x1</code> or <code>1x2</code> to use VRS only in one (x or y) direction<ref>https://www.basnieuwenhuizen.nl/a-first-foray-into-rendering-less/</ref>. (TODO: which is which?) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=sam</code>: Force enable resizable bar/smart access memory. Might improve, but might as well reduce performance. In case it is reducing performance and you use VKD3D, try adding <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=no_upload_hvv</code><ref name=":3" />. **<code>RADV_DEBUG=novrsflatshading</code>: disable VRS for [https://graphics.fandom.com/wiki/Flat_shading flat shading] (only on GFX10.3+) **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=nggc</code>: enable NGGC. Can slightly improve performance on RX6000 series, but may reduce performance for other cards<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=radeon-radv-nggc</ref>. **You may find more here: https://docs.mesa3d.org/envvars.html **<code>RADV_PERFTEST=gpl</code>: Should lead to a behavior similar to shader caching on Windows. Games that don't stutter on Windows, should also not stutter on Linux. Currently, it also disables shader caching, so load times will be high. Is still new, and might not work correctly. You need at least mesa 23 for it to work. ==Differences between Desktop Environments, and X11/Wayland== {{Needs work|Problem=Might be outdated, and there is missing data for various desktop environments and window managers. Source needed for how good unredirection works in Cinnamon}} Desktop Environments may affect your performance. Your overall performance may be bad, or you might have good FPS, but high input lag. Regarding input lag: It should be noted that we are talking about milliseconds here (the best value is 20ms, the worst is 90ms). If you are not susceptible to this (for example because you only play slow games), you may not even notice. But generally speaking, the game will feel more responsive if your input lag is low. You might also notice stuttering when the frame times are fluctuating. === X11 === X11 is currently the best choice if you want minimal input lag.<ref name=":0" /> Disabling [[Compositor|composition]] can help to reduce latency and improve performance, either by disabling it manually (KDE Plasma) or by unredirection (GNOME and derivatives like Cinnamon etc.) The latter is the same thing Windows does for managing Fullscreen games. Disabling composition should lead to slightly less input lag.<ref name=":2" /> KDE Plasma (X11) with no composition appears to be a good and popular choice. GNOME is also valid, but adds a small amount of input lag.<ref name=":2">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/cii545/linux_input_lag_analysis_v26des_windows_10_1809/</ref> Cinnamon also uses unredirection which can be manually enabled or disabled on the Settings app under the General section ''(Test needed to know how good it works!)''. Pantheon, the Elementary OS desktop environment, has no option to disable composition at all. You might want to avoid GNOME X11 if you want to use side buttons on your mouse, as this can lead to stuttering. This can be fixed, and is not an issue on Wayland<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/qaxz3m/comment/hqankhn/?context=3</ref>. The fix however, requires recompiling, and leads to some hotkeys on keyboard layouts other than QWERTY not working<ref>https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/1858#note_818548</ref>. === Wayland === Wayland on Nvidia gives you a performance hit of about 16%<ref name=":4" />. The best way to achieve low input latency on a Wayland compositor is to enable Freesync or enable tearing updates. Currently, Sway and KDE support Freesync for AMD GPU's only. Other wlroots compositors may also support Freesync. KDE plasma 5.27 or higher will be required for tearing updates on Wayland and your game will also need to be run in fullscreen mode for it to work. Wine doesn't yet support tearing on Wayland. If you cannot enable Freesync, then you will effectively always have Vsync on (unless tearing updates are enabled), regardless of your in game settings. Vsync has seen very wide use across PC's and consoles and a majority of games ship with it enabled by default. If you already play games with Vsync enabled then you shouldn't notice much or any additional latency gaming on Wayland. Enabling Vsync in game can cause significant additional latency if you are using a Wayland compositor without Freesync. The compositors Vsync implementation can interact with the games Vsync implementation in unpredictable ways. In general there should be no need for in game Vsync if you are using a Wayland compositor, as either Wayland or Freesync will control synchronization. Bear in mind that most games enable Vsync by default. If you are using KDE and you have FreeSync enabled, the performance and input lag should be close to KDE X11 with composition disabled.<ref name=":0">https://zamundaaa.github.io/wayland/2021/12/14/about-gaming-on-wayland.html</ref> The input lag will increase by the "half frame" that is displayed with tearing. It's basically the question whether or not you want to wait for the frame to complete before displaying it.<ref name=":1" /> GNOME will introduce greater input lag (comparable to composition on KDE, but without the FPS problems).<ref name=":1">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/rghr60/about_gaming_and_latency_on_wayland/hpox61p/?context=3</ref> ==Troubleshooting== *Limiting FPS with MangoHud can introduce input lag. (I assume it adds one frame delay. It might as well be a bug, and only happen in specific scenarios. If you know more, why this happens, if, or how it can be avoided, please add information here.) *Using MangoHud may introduce stuttering if your framerate is higher or lower than your monitor refresh rate. *You might have a distribution that uses PulseAudio instead of Pipewire. Pulseaudio introduces heavy audio delay. You should [[Common tweaks#Use Pipewire instead of PulseAudio|switch to Pipewire]]. *Sometimes a game has both, a Linux native, and a Windows version. They don't always run equally well. If you have problems, it might be worth a shot to try the other one. *If you use Arch or an Arch based distribution, and you own a very new AMD GPU, it might be worth it to install <code>linux-firmware-git</code>, and <code>mesa-git</code> from the AUR (for example by using an AUR helper like <code>paru</code>). You might also consider to install a release candidate of the Linux kernel, for example by using <code>linux-rc</code> from the AUR, or by compiling <code>linux-tkg</code> and selecting a release candidate (to be detected by the <code>rc</code>, as in <code>v6.2-'''rc'''4</code>). *On Nvidia, you might need the [[Environment variables|environment variable]] <code>PROTON_ENABLE_NVAPI=1</code> for DLSS. *You might need the [[Environment variables|environment variable]] <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=dxr</code> for ray tracing. *If you're using VKD3D, and enabling Resizable BAR leads to lower performance, you might want to try <code>VKD3D_CONFIG=no_upload_hvv</code><ref name=":3">https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/119hwmt/this_setting_may_help_vkd3d_games_that_have/</ref>. *If you're using KDE Plasma, you might get performance problems because of Baloo file indexing. You can disable it as described [https://community.kde.org/Baloo/Configuration here]. *Try Wayland if you use X11, try X11 if you use Wayland. There are cases where this multiplies FPS<ref>https://www.phoronix.com/review/wayland-nv-amd-2023</ref>. ==References and notes == <references /> 28904c82e9512d101b3c93f37bfc36d3eba14b47 0 45 2195 2183 2024-02-10T13:49:30Z Aragorn 3 remove "Unknown categories" wikitext text/x-wiki Hardware compatibility with Linux is sometimes tricky. You can not buy just anything and expect it to work. Some manufacturers don't support Linux at all, and sometimes the support is not good. However, if you already own a desktop or laptop, it is probably going to work. Just try it with a live USB. This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware categories. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Regarding specific recommendations. Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a timestamp in the form YYYY-MM. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. If you buy wrong, you might end up with completely incompatible hardware. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. The important thing in the sticks is the chip. Manufacturers sometimes have the same model with different chips. Chips that often work, are Qualcomm Atheros, and [https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005511/wireless.html Intel]. === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. Recommendations: To be done. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. Recommendations: To be done. == Less problematic Hardware == {{Needs work|Problem=What about Intel graphics (especially Arc)?}} Your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is much lower. However, you might face some jank, some features might not work, and stuff might not be flawless. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. If you want to read more about it, you might find something in [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/tdmup7/unpopular_opinion_i_feel_like_the_whole_nvidia/ this reddit post]. AMD and Nvidia both work, and you'll ''probably'' be fine with either. However: * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), and Nvidia even released their kernel module, but they are no option for gaming (at least yet). **If you want long support, AMD is the way to go, as support is essentially never dropped. * Nvidia provides proprietary day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, due to not being FOSS. There might be some delayed features, or some bugs. But as said, you're ''probably'' going to be fine. If you're not, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s blame Nvidia]. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] and FSR 2, which works in a similar way. There are mods that translate DLSS 2 to FSR 2 for many games. **Don't fear to switch to Linux if you own an Nvidia GPU. Even though AMD might be the better option, many people are very happy with their Nvidia GPU. * If you buy a very old GPU, make sure that it has Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth, and even those often work. You might face problems if you have a device with two GPUs (should be solvable), or other special components (fingerprint reader, etc - might not be solvable). * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo **Slimbook * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: **Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15ACH6 | EU | around 800-1 000 € (multiple similar models available) | Available without OS | Out of the box full compatibility (WiFi since kernel 5.16, on older manual installation of driver<ref>https://github.com/lwfinger/rtw89</ref> needed) === Mainboards === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. ==== AMD ==== * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] === Mice/Keyboards === Generally all of them work, as long as you don't expect the specific configuration software to work. This can mean that you can't control RGB, DPI, or makro buttons. A workaround for unsupported models can be to boot Windows once to change the settings (if you don't need to change them all the time). You can also start a VM, pass through the device, and change settings there. ==== Models with native support ==== {{Needs work|Problem=It is not clear how good these tools are, and if they are actually a good recommendation. Maybe it would be possible to rate them for usability}} However, some models have native support: * Logitech: [https://pwr-solaar.github.io/Solaar/devices Solaar] * Razer: [https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer OpenRazer]. * Roccat: [https://github.com/X3n0m0rph59/eruption Eruption], [https://sourceforge.net/projects/roccat/files/roccat-tools/ roccat-tools]([https://aur.archlinux.org/pkgbase/roccat-tools aur], [https://launchpad.net/~berfenger/+archive/ubuntu/roccat ppa]) *ASUS: [https://github.com/kyokenn/rogdrv rogdrv] *Various models: [https://github.com/libratbag/piper Piper] ==Hardware with RGB support== Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. Recommendations: *To be done ==Generally unproblematic hardware categories== Everything that doesn't require special software, and/or works via a standardized interface will work well. There might be exceptions, but the vast majority of the devices in the following categories should be unproblematic: *Monitors *Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs *Bluetooth headphones *USB microphones ==References== * * <references /> 6ba59984ebf8952a9328dc7ced47af39f473b867 2196 2195 2024-02-10T13:59:37Z Aragorn 3 /* Generally unproblematic hardware categories */ wikitext text/x-wiki Hardware compatibility with Linux is sometimes tricky. You can not buy just anything and expect it to work. Some manufacturers don't support Linux at all, and sometimes the support is not good. However, if you already own a desktop or laptop, it is probably going to work. Just try it with a live USB. This page aims to make buying recommendations for problematic hardware categories. '''PLEASE NOTE:''' Regarding specific recommendations. Old or unavailable hardware is to be removed, and the list should be short. Best case would be one device that is good, cheap, and available in all countries. If this doesn't exist, there may be different recommendations for different countries and/or different price categories. Every price is to be provided with a timestamp in the form YYYY-MM. Mentioned devices should have great out-of-the-box experience. If there are no devices with great out-of-the-box experience available, there might also be devices mentioned that require as little tweaking as possible. Tweaking steps are to be mentioned in these cases. Feel free to add categories to further distinguish between different features. You may find a more extensive list of hardware that is known to work [[Working Hardware|here]]. == Problematic Hardware == You should be wary not to buy the wrong stuff. If you buy wrong, you might end up with completely incompatible hardware. === WiFi Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. The important thing in the sticks is the chip. Manufacturers sometimes have the same model with different chips. Chips that often work, are Qualcomm Atheros, and [https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005511/wireless.html Intel]. === Bluetooth Sticks === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. Recommendations: To be done. === Printer/Scanner === Many models provide no drivers, and will not work. Recommendations: To be done. == Less problematic Hardware == {{Needs work|Problem=What about Intel graphics (especially Arc)?}} Your chance of picking a device that straight up doesn't work, is much lower. However, you might face some jank, some features might not work, and stuff might not be flawless. === GPUs === This topic is subject of discussion. If you want to read more about it, you might find something in [https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/tdmup7/unpopular_opinion_i_feel_like_the_whole_nvidia/ this reddit post]. AMD and Nvidia both work, and you'll ''probably'' be fine with either. However: * If you want as little problems as possible, buy an AMD GPU that is at least a couple months old. The drivers typically take a bit of time to mature. ** If you want FOSS drivers, AMD is your only option. There are FOSS drivers for Nvidia (Nouveau), and Nvidia even released their kernel module, but they are no option for gaming (at least yet). **If you want long support, AMD is the way to go, as support is essentially never dropped. * Nvidia provides proprietary day one drivers with full functionality, however they are not well integrated, due to not being FOSS. There might be some delayed features, or some bugs. But as said, you're ''probably'' going to be fine. If you're not, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShbP3OpASA&t=2894s blame Nvidia]. ** If you want DLSS, Nvidia is your only option. However, AMD (and Nvidia) support [[FSR - FidelityFX Super Resolution|FSR]] and FSR 2, which works in a similar way. There are mods that translate DLSS 2 to FSR 2 for many games. **Don't fear to switch to Linux if you own an Nvidia GPU. Even though AMD might be the better option, many people are very happy with their Nvidia GPU. * If you buy a very old GPU, make sure that it has Vulkan support. === Gaming Laptops === If you don't want to do gaming on your laptop, many devices should be ok, the problem is basically just WiFi and Bluetooth, and even those often work. You might face problems if you have a device with two GPUs (should be solvable), or other special components (fingerprint reader, etc - might not be solvable). * Manufacturers with good support. You can't do anything wrong if you buy one of those (as long as the performance is good enough for you): ** System 76 ** Tuxedo **Slimbook * Specific recommendations for a gaming laptop: **Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15ACH6 | EU | around 800-1 000 € (multiple similar models available) | Available without OS | Out of the box full compatibility (WiFi since kernel 5.16, on older manual installation of driver<ref>https://github.com/lwfinger/rtw89</ref> needed) === Mainboards === Mainboards should do their job for the core functionality. However, features like fan control, Bluetooth, WiFi, or RGB may not be supported out of the box. If you don't need any of this, just buy whatever you want. ==== AMD ==== * AM4 ** [https://it.msi.com/Motherboard/B350-TOMAHAWK-ARCTIC/Specification MSI Tomahawk Arctic B350] === Mice/Keyboards === Generally all of them work, as long as you don't expect the specific configuration software to work. This can mean that you can't control RGB, DPI, or makro buttons. A workaround for unsupported models can be to boot Windows once to change the settings (if you don't need to change them all the time). You can also start a VM, pass through the device, and change settings there. ==== Models with native support ==== {{Needs work|Problem=It is not clear how good these tools are, and if they are actually a good recommendation. Maybe it would be possible to rate them for usability}} However, some models have native support: * Logitech: [https://pwr-solaar.github.io/Solaar/devices Solaar] * Razer: [https://github.com/openrazer/openrazer OpenRazer]. * Roccat: [https://github.com/X3n0m0rph59/eruption Eruption], [https://sourceforge.net/projects/roccat/files/roccat-tools/ roccat-tools]([https://aur.archlinux.org/pkgbase/roccat-tools aur], [https://launchpad.net/~berfenger/+archive/ubuntu/roccat ppa]) *ASUS: [https://github.com/kyokenn/rogdrv rogdrv] *Various models: [https://github.com/libratbag/piper Piper] === Headphones === Headphones with audio jack will work without problems, and the core functionality of Bluetooth/Wireless headphones should be no problem, either. However if the manufacturer ships special software for controlling certain features like noise cancelling, these configuration options might not be available. ==Hardware with RGB support== Hardware in this category is unproblematic, other than for RGB support. If you don't care for that, just buy whatever you want. Recommendations: *To be done ==Generally unproblematic hardware categories== Everything that doesn't require special software, and/or works via a standardized interface will work well. There might be exceptions, but the vast majority of the devices in the following categories should be unproblematic: *Monitors *Headphones/Speaker with audio jack *CPUs *USB microphones ==References== * * <references /> 3888fc50683100fbe6d87384bf698c92dc1194e1 0 675 2197 2146 2024-02-16T04:30:46Z Ahmouse 1071 /* List of Linux-supported games */ wikitext text/x-wiki [Work in progress] This is a list of games that run on Linux, whether officially or unofficially. This isn't a replacement for ProtonDB or the Lutris database, but will hopefully provide some insight into known issues, their workarounds, and other notes specific to a game that is hard to find otherwise. You can click on one of the games below to see the full details. If there is a game you play often or know a lot about, feel free to add it to this list and create a page for the new game following the template (will be made soon). Any information added on a game's page should be specific to Linux. == List of Linux-supported games == {| class = "wikitable" style="margin:auto" |+ List of Linux games |- ! Game !! SteamDB !! ProtonDB |- | Dead by Daylight || [https://steamdb.info/app/381210/ SteamDB] || [https://www.protondb.com/app/381210 ProtonDB] |} dfd031d06f3067e25581b0e47da02ee7e1a0e010 2209 2197 2024-03-13T22:33:55Z Ahmouse 1071 Ahmouse moved page [[List of Linux games]] to [[Games]]: More fitting name, since this is on a linux wiki wikitext text/x-wiki [Work in progress] This is a list of games that run on Linux, whether officially or unofficially. This isn't a replacement for ProtonDB or the Lutris database, but will hopefully provide some insight into known issues, their workarounds, and other notes specific to a game that is hard to find otherwise. You can click on one of the games below to see the full details. If there is a game you play often or know a lot about, feel free to add it to this list and create a page for the new game following the template (will be made soon). Any information added on a game's page should be specific to Linux. == List of Linux-supported games == {| class = "wikitable" style="margin:auto" |+ List of Linux games |- ! Game !! SteamDB !! ProtonDB |- | Dead by Daylight || [https://steamdb.info/app/381210/ SteamDB] || [https://www.protondb.com/app/381210 ProtonDB] |} dfd031d06f3067e25581b0e47da02ee7e1a0e010 10 677 2198 2024-02-16T04:50:06Z Ahmouse 1071 Preparing to make a template for game pages. This is just a general layout wikitext text/x-wiki Title Description then a Sidebar (lists protondb rating and link, steamdb, steam/epic/gog page etc, and official website. maybe link to official response regarding Linux) Support status Known issues Workarounds 7e0775e81037cbd5ca170725faeae9b7f3f6f513 2199 2198 2024-02-16T04:51:03Z Ahmouse 1071 wikitext text/x-wiki - Title - Description then a Sidebar (lists protondb rating and link, steamdb, steam/epic/gog page etc, and official website. maybe link to official response regarding Linux) - Support status - Known issues - Workarounds e5e2b08c2a2a14303dc6db776516726c17d5475a 2200 2199 2024-02-21T09:43:31Z Ahmouse 1071 Ahmouse moved page [[Template:Game Page]] to [[Template:Game]]: Better name wikitext text/x-wiki - Title - Description then a Sidebar (lists protondb rating and link, steamdb, steam/epic/gog page etc, and official website. maybe link to official response regarding Linux) - Support status - Known issues - Workarounds e5e2b08c2a2a14303dc6db776516726c17d5475a 2202 2200 2024-02-21T11:36:13Z Ahmouse 1071 wikitext text/x-wiki '''Title''' is {{{description}}} Infobox on right-hand side (lists protondb rating and link, steamdb, steam/epic/gog page etc, and official website. maybe link to official response regarding Linux) == Installation == This section should have a uniform way of displaying commands to run, based on a user's distro choice that persists and can be easily changed. Should be similar to Android docs, such as https://developer.android.com/guide/components/intents-filters?hl=en#aria-tab-kotlin, where you can select the language right at the point where the command is viewed. The "command" function/template will contain a small list of common commands, and select the proper one to display based on the user's distro and type of command. For example, command("package_install", "wine") might display "pacman -S wine" if the user has their Distro choice set to Arch, while another user would see "apt install wine" if their distro choice is Debian. Auto-detection via user-agent string could be used to set an optimal default, respecting user choice should they wish to change it. Something such as an associative array parameter will be needed to address packages with different names on different distros. Pseudocode example:<br> enum CMD_TYPE = {INSTALL, REMOVE, CUSTOM};<br> command(CMD_TYPE type, string value) == Support status == Brief description of the official stance from the developer, in addition to ProtonDB rating and AreWeAnticheatYet rating as necessary. Brief, vague, generalized description of issues, if any, affecting the game e.g. "XYZ runs well but crashes on some missions. See Workarounds on how to fix this." == Workarounds == A list of issues that the game has, as well as the steps to workaround them, or a related issue tracker/forum post/details about the bug and when/if it might be fixed. I'm not decided on whether this section should include specific commands, or just English language steps, because commands may need to be "translated" between multiple distro, a real headache. Or maybe the command parsing function I touched on early will be robust enough, soon enough, to handle this translation. This needs more thought. == See also == Additional links such as ArchWiki entries, developer/game website, related issues on Proton github dd7807556dfc55a48436eddf12c0c381a534999d 2203 2202 2024-02-22T05:55:57Z Ahmouse 1071 wikitext text/x-wiki <includeonly>'''{{{title}}}''' is {{{description}}}</includeonly> <noinclude>Title and description will go here</noinclude> <noinclude> Infobox on right-hand side (lists protondb rating and link, steamdb, steam/epic/gog page etc, and official website. maybe link to official response regarding Linux) </noinclude> == Installation == <includeonly>{{{installation}}}</includeonly> <noinclude> This section should have a uniform way of displaying commands to run, based on a user's distro choice that persists and can be easily changed. Should be similar to Android docs, such as https://developer.android.com/guide/components/intents-filters?hl=en#aria-tab-kotlin, where you can select the language right at the point where the command is viewed. The "command" function/template will contain a small list of common commands, and select the proper one to display based on the user's distro and type of command. For example, command("package_install", "wine") might display "pacman -S wine" if the user has their Distro choice set to Arch, while another user would see "apt install wine" if their distro choice is Debian. Auto-detection via user-agent string could be used to set an optimal default, respecting user choice should they wish to change it. Something such as an associative array parameter will be needed to address packages with different names on different distros. Pseudocode example:<br> enum CMD_TYPE = {INSTALL, REMOVE, CUSTOM};<br> command(CMD_TYPE type, string value) </noinclude> == Support status == <includeonly>{{{support}}}</includeonly> <noinclude> Brief description of the official stance from the developer, in addition to ProtonDB rating and AreWeAnticheatYet rating as necessary. Brief, vague, generalized description of issues, if any, affecting the game e.g. "XYZ runs well but crashes on some missions. See Workarounds on how to fix this." </noinclude> == Workarounds == <includeonly>{{{workarounds}}}</includeonly> <noinclude> A list of issues that the game has, as well as the steps to workaround them, or a related issue tracker/forum post/details about the bug and when/if it might be fixed. I'm not decided on whether this section should include specific commands, or just English language steps, because commands may need to be "translated" between multiple distro, a real headache. Or maybe the command parsing function I touched on early will be robust enough, soon enough, to handle this translation. This needs more thought. </noinclude> == See also == <includeonly>{{{seealso}}}</includeonly> Additional links such as ArchWiki entries, developer/game website, related issues on Proton github </noinclude> 5e6c943a24564a22a33062b022605c21a46aa6e7 2205 2203 2024-03-13T22:09:41Z Ahmouse 1071 wikitext text/x-wiki <includeonly>'''{{{title}}}''' is {{{description}}}</includeonly> <noinclude>Title and description will go here {{Game Sidebar}} </noinclude> == Installation == <includeonly>{{{installation}}}</includeonly> <noinclude> This section should have a uniform way of displaying commands to run, based on a user's distro choice that persists and can be easily changed. Should be similar to Android docs, such as https://developer.android.com/guide/components/intents-filters?hl=en#aria-tab-kotlin, where you can select the language right at the point where the command is viewed. The "command" function/template will contain a small list of common commands, and select the proper one to display based on the user's distro and type of command. For example, command("package_install", "wine") might display "pacman -S wine" if the user has their Distro choice set to Arch, while another user would see "apt install wine" if their distro choice is Debian. Auto-detection via user-agent string could be used to set an optimal default, respecting user choice should they wish to change it. Something such as an associative array parameter will be needed to address packages with different names on different distros. Pseudocode example:<br> enum CMD_TYPE = {INSTALL, REMOVE, CUSTOM};<br> command(CMD_TYPE type, string value) </noinclude> == Support status == <includeonly>{{{support}}}</includeonly> <noinclude> Brief description of the official stance from the developer, in addition to ProtonDB rating and AreWeAnticheatYet rating as necessary. Brief, vague, generalized description of issues, if any, affecting the game e.g. "XYZ runs well but crashes on some missions. See Workarounds on how to fix this." </noinclude> == Workarounds == <includeonly>{{{workarounds}}}</includeonly> <noinclude> A list of issues that the game has, as well as the steps to workaround them, or a related issue tracker/forum post/details about the bug and when/if it might be fixed. I'm not decided on whether this section should include specific commands, or just English language steps, because commands may need to be "translated" between multiple distro, a real headache. Or maybe the command parsing function I touched on early will be robust enough, soon enough, to handle this translation. This needs more thought. </noinclude> == See also == <includeonly>{{{seealso}}}</includeonly> Additional links such as ArchWiki entries, developer/game website, related issues on Proton github </noinclude> 12cce4bee13332ede07f9764026e185ea31d1617 2206 2205 2024-03-13T22:21:04Z Ahmouse 1071 wikitext text/x-wiki <includeonly>'''{{{title}}}''' is {{{description}}}</includeonly> <noinclude>Title and description will go here {{Game Sidebar|steamid={{{steamid}}}|title={{{title}}}|developer={{{developer}}}|status={{{status}}}|protondb_rating={{{protondb_rating}}}|steam_page={{{steam_page}}}|gog_page={{{gog_page}}}|epic_page={{{epic_page}}}}} </noinclude> == Installation == <includeonly>{{{installation}}}</includeonly> <noinclude> This section should have a uniform way of displaying commands to run, based on a user's distro choice that persists and can be easily changed. Should be similar to Android docs, such as https://developer.android.com/guide/components/intents-filters?hl=en#aria-tab-kotlin, where you can select the language right at the point where the command is viewed. The "command" function/template will contain a small list of common commands, and select the proper one to display based on the user's distro and type of command. For example, command("package_install", "wine") might display "pacman -S wine" if the user has their Distro choice set to Arch, while another user would see "apt install wine" if their distro choice is Debian. Auto-detection via user-agent string could be used to set an optimal default, respecting user choice should they wish to change it. Something such as an associative array parameter will be needed to address packages with different names on different distros. Pseudocode example:<br> enum CMD_TYPE = {INSTALL, REMOVE, CUSTOM};<br> command(CMD_TYPE type, string value) </noinclude> == Support status == <includeonly>{{{support}}}</includeonly> <noinclude> Brief description of the official stance from the developer, in addition to ProtonDB rating and AreWeAnticheatYet rating as necessary. Brief, vague, generalized description of issues, if any, affecting the game e.g. "XYZ runs well but crashes on some missions. See Workarounds on how to fix this." </noinclude> == Workarounds == <includeonly>{{{workarounds}}}</includeonly> <noinclude> A list of issues that the game has, as well as the steps to workaround them, or a related issue tracker/forum post/details about the bug and when/if it might be fixed. I'm not decided on whether this section should include specific commands, or just English language steps, because commands may need to be "translated" between multiple distro, a real headache. Or maybe the command parsing function I touched on early will be robust enough, soon enough, to handle this translation. This needs more thought. </noinclude> == See also == <includeonly>{{{seealso}}}</includeonly> Additional links such as ArchWiki entries, developer/game website, related issues on Proton github </noinclude> 695bbcc106fcef795655bdad1c107339ec278dd7 2207 2206 2024-03-13T22:28:39Z Ahmouse 1071 wikitext text/x-wiki <includeonly>'''{{{title}}}''' is {{{description}}} {{Game Sidebar|steam_id={{{steam_id}}}|title={{{title}}}|developer={{{developer}}}|status={{{status}}}|protondb_rating={{{protondb_rating}}}|steam_page={{{steam_page}}}|gog_page={{{gog_page}}}|epic_page={{{epic_page}}}}} </includeonly> <noinclude>Title and description will go here {{Game Sidebar|steam_id=489830|title=Skyrim: Special Edition|developer=Bethesda|status=Runs perfectly|protondb_rating=Gold|steam_page=https://store.steampowered.com/app/489830/The_Elder_Scrolls_V_Skyrim_Special_Edition/|gog_page=https://www.gog.com/en/game/the_elder_scrolls_v_skyrim_special_edition|epic_page=https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/skyrim}} </noinclude> == Installation == <includeonly>{{{installation}}}</includeonly> <noinclude> This section should have a uniform way of displaying commands to run, based on a user's distro choice that persists and can be easily changed. Should be similar to Android docs, such as https://developer.android.com/guide/components/intents-filters?hl=en#aria-tab-kotlin, where you can select the language right at the point where the command is viewed. The "command" function/template will contain a small list of common commands, and select the proper one to display based on the user's distro and type of command. For example, command("package_install", "wine") might display "pacman -S wine" if the user has their Distro choice set to Arch, while another user would see "apt install wine" if their distro choice is Debian. Auto-detection via user-agent string could be used to set an optimal default, respecting user choice should they wish to change it. Something such as an associative array parameter will be needed to address packages with different names on different distros. Pseudocode example:<br> enum CMD_TYPE = {INSTALL, REMOVE, CUSTOM};<br> command(CMD_TYPE type, string value) </noinclude> == Support status == <includeonly>{{{support}}}</includeonly> <noinclude> Brief description of the official stance from the developer, in addition to ProtonDB rating and AreWeAnticheatYet rating as necessary. Brief, vague, generalized description of issues, if any, affecting the game e.g. "XYZ runs well but crashes on some missions. See Workarounds on how to fix this." </noinclude> == Workarounds == <includeonly>{{{workarounds}}}</includeonly> <noinclude> A list of issues that the game has, as well as the steps to workaround them, or a related issue tracker/forum post/details about the bug and when/if it might be fixed. I'm not decided on whether this section should include specific commands, or just English language steps, because commands may need to be "translated" between multiple distro, a real headache. Or maybe the command parsing function I touched on early will be robust enough, soon enough, to handle this translation. This needs more thought. </noinclude> == See also == <includeonly>{{{seealso}}}</includeonly> Additional links such as ArchWiki entries, developer/game website, related issues on Proton github </noinclude> d1b459992e3248175307e4127c179ea75a97a710 2208 2207 2024-03-13T22:32:34Z Ahmouse 1071 wikitext text/x-wiki <includeonly>'''{{{title}}}''' is {{{description}}} {{Game Sidebar|steam_id={{{steam_id}}}|title={{{title}}}|developer={{{developer}}}|status={{{status}}}|protondb_rating={{{protondb_rating}}}|steam_page={{{steam_page}}}|gog_page={{{gog_page}}}|epic_page={{{epic_page}}}}} </includeonly> <noinclude>Title and description will go here {{Game Sidebar|steam_id=489830|title=Skyrim: Special Edition|developer=Bethesda|status=Runs perfectly|protondb_rating=Gold|gog_page=https://www.gog.com/en/game/the_elder_scrolls_v_skyrim_special_edition|epic_page=https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/skyrim}} </noinclude> == Installation == <includeonly>{{{installation}}}</includeonly> <noinclude> This section should have a uniform way of displaying commands to run, based on a user's distro choice that persists and can be easily changed. Should be similar to Android docs, such as https://developer.android.com/guide/components/intents-filters?hl=en#aria-tab-kotlin, where you can select the language right at the point where the command is viewed. The "command" function/template will contain a small list of common commands, and select the proper one to display based on the user's distro and type of command. For example, command("package_install", "wine") might display "pacman -S wine" if the user has their Distro choice set to Arch, while another user would see "apt install wine" if their distro choice is Debian. Auto-detection via user-agent string could be used to set an optimal default, respecting user choice should they wish to change it. Something such as an associative array parameter will be needed to address packages with different names on different distros. Pseudocode example:<br> enum CMD_TYPE = {INSTALL, REMOVE, CUSTOM};<br> command(CMD_TYPE type, string value) </noinclude> == Support status == <includeonly>{{{support}}}</includeonly> <noinclude> Brief description of the official stance from the developer, in addition to ProtonDB rating and AreWeAnticheatYet rating as necessary. Brief, vague, generalized description of issues, if any, affecting the game e.g. "XYZ runs well but crashes on some missions. See Workarounds on how to fix this." </noinclude> == Workarounds == <includeonly>{{{workarounds}}}</includeonly> <noinclude> A list of issues that the game has, as well as the steps to workaround them, or a related issue tracker/forum post/details about the bug and when/if it might be fixed. I'm not decided on whether this section should include specific commands, or just English language steps, because commands may need to be "translated" between multiple distro, a real headache. Or maybe the command parsing function I touched on early will be robust enough, soon enough, to handle this translation. This needs more thought. </noinclude> == See also == <includeonly>{{{seealso}}}</includeonly> Additional links such as ArchWiki entries, developer/game website, related issues on Proton github </noinclude> 7153d82847a3b3b48a71c383183b958546c22f93 2213 2208 2024-03-13T22:46:50Z Ahmouse 1071 wikitext text/x-wiki <includeonly>'''{{{title}}}''' is {{{description}}} {{Game Sidebar|steam_id={{{steam_id}}}|title={{{title}}}|developer={{{developer}}}|performance_rating={{{performance_rating}}}|protondb_rating={{{protondb_rating}}}|steam_page={{{steam_page}}}|gog_page={{{gog_page}}}|epic_page={{{epic_page}}}}} </includeonly> <noinclude>Title and description will go here {{Game Sidebar|steam_id=489830|title=Skyrim: Special Edition|developer=Bethesda|status=Runs perfectly|protondb_rating=Gold|gog_page=https://www.gog.com/en/game/the_elder_scrolls_v_skyrim_special_edition|epic_page=https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/skyrim}} </noinclude> == Installation == <includeonly>{{{installation}}}</includeonly> <noinclude> This section should have a uniform way of displaying commands to run, based on a user's distro choice that persists and can be easily changed. Should be similar to Android docs, such as https://developer.android.com/guide/components/intents-filters?hl=en#aria-tab-kotlin, where you can select the language right at the point where the command is viewed. The "command" function/template will contain a small list of common commands, and select the proper one to display based on the user's distro and type of command. For example, command("package_install", "wine") might display "pacman -S wine" if the user has their Distro choice set to Arch, while another user would see "apt install wine" if their distro choice is Debian. Auto-detection via user-agent string could be used to set an optimal default, respecting user choice should they wish to change it. Something such as an associative array parameter will be needed to address packages with different names on different distros. Pseudocode example:<br> enum CMD_TYPE = {INSTALL, REMOVE, CUSTOM};<br> command(CMD_TYPE type, string value) </noinclude> == Support status == <includeonly>{{{support}}}</includeonly> <noinclude> Brief description of the official stance from the developer, in addition to ProtonDB rating and AreWeAnticheatYet rating as necessary. Brief, vague, generalized description of issues, if any, affecting the game e.g. "XYZ runs well but crashes on some missions. See Workarounds on how to fix this." </noinclude> == Workarounds == <includeonly>{{{workarounds}}}</includeonly> <noinclude> A list of issues that the game has, as well as the steps to workaround them, or a related issue tracker/forum post/details about the bug and when/if it might be fixed. I'm not decided on whether this section should include specific commands, or just English language steps, because commands may need to be "translated" between multiple distro, a real headache. Or maybe the command parsing function I touched on early will be robust enough, soon enough, to handle this translation. This needs more thought. </noinclude> == See also == <includeonly>{{{seealso}}}</includeonly> Additional links such as ArchWiki entries, developer/game website, related issues on Proton github </noinclude> 70d7e811f8c92e3af691640544bc984f974752b6 2214 2213 2024-03-13T22:55:20Z Ahmouse 1071 wikitext text/x-wiki <includeonly>'''{{{title}}}''' is {{{description}}} {{Game Sidebar|steam_id={{{steam_id}}}|title={{{title}}}|developer={{{developer}}}|performance_rating={{{performance_rating}}}|protondb_rating={{{protondb_rating}}}|steam_page={{{steam_page}}}|gog_page={{{gog_page}}}|epic_page={{{epic_page}}}}} </includeonly> <noinclude>Title and description will go here {{Game Sidebar|steam_id=489830|title=Skyrim: Special Edition|developer=Bethesda|status=Runs perfectly|protondb_rating=Gold|gog_page=https://www.gog.com/en/game/the_elder_scrolls_v_skyrim_special_edition|epic_page=https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/skyrim}} </noinclude> == Installation == <includeonly>{{{installation}}}</includeonly> <noinclude> This section should have a uniform way of displaying commands to run, based on a user's distro choice that persists and can be easily changed. Should be similar to Android docs, such as https://developer.android.com/guide/components/intents-filters?hl=en#aria-tab-kotlin, where you can select the language right at the point where the command is viewed. The "command" function/template will contain a small list of common commands, and select the proper one to display based on the user's distro and type of command. For example, command("package_install", "wine") might display "pacman -S wine" if the user has their Distro choice set to Arch, while another user would see "apt install wine" if their distro choice is Debian. Auto-detection via user-agent string could be used to set an optimal default, respecting user choice should they wish to change it. Something such as an associative array parameter will be needed to address packages with different names on different distros. Pseudocode example:<br> enum CMD_TYPE = {INSTALL, REMOVE, CUSTOM};<br> command(CMD_TYPE type, string value) </noinclude> == Support status == <includeonly>{{{support}}}</includeonly> <noinclude> Brief description of the official stance from the developer, in addition to ProtonDB rating and AreWeAnticheatYet rating as necessary. Brief, vague, generalized description of issues, if any, affecting the game e.g. "XYZ runs well but crashes on some missions. See Workarounds on how to fix this." </noinclude> == Workarounds == <includeonly>{{{workarounds}}}</includeonly> <noinclude> A list of issues that the game has, as well as the steps to workaround them, or a related issue tracker/forum post/details about the bug and when/if it might be fixed. I'm not decided on whether this section should include specific commands, or just English language steps, because commands may need to be "translated" between multiple distro, a real headache. Or maybe the command parsing function I touched on early will be robust enough, soon enough, to handle this translation. This needs more thought. </noinclude> == See also == <includeonly>{{{seealso}}}</includeonly> <noinclude> Additional links such as ArchWiki entries, developer/game website, related issues on Proton github </noinclude> 7e1d00de0e19fe95c87bdd52e11742f85391fb5e 2218 2214 2024-03-18T12:38:05Z Ahmouse 1071 wikitext text/x-wiki <includeonly> {{Game Sidebar|steam_id={{{steam_id}}}|title={{{title}}}|developer={{{developer}}}|performance_rating={{{performance_rating}}}|protondb_rating={{{protondb_rating}}}|steam_page={{{steam_page}}}|gog_page={{{gog_page}}}|epic_page={{{epic_page}}}}} </includeonly> <noinclude> {{Game Sidebar|steam_id=489830|title=Skyrim: Special Edition|developer=Bethesda|status=Runs perfectly|protondb_rating=Gold|gog_page=https://www.gog.com/en/game/the_elder_scrolls_v_skyrim_special_edition|epic_page=https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/skyrim}} </noinclude> == Installation == <includeonly>{{{installation}}}</includeonly> <noinclude> This section should have a uniform way of displaying commands to run, based on a user's distro choice that persists and can be easily changed. Should be similar to Android docs, such as https://developer.android.com/guide/components/intents-filters?hl=en#aria-tab-kotlin, where you can select the language right at the point where the command is viewed. The "command" function/template will contain a small list of common commands, and select the proper one to display based on the user's distro and type of command. For example, command("package_install", "wine") might display "pacman -S wine" if the user has their Distro choice set to Arch, while another user would see "apt install wine" if their distro choice is Debian. Auto-detection via user-agent string could be used to set an optimal default, respecting user choice should they wish to change it. Something such as an associative array parameter will be needed to address packages with different names on different distros. Pseudocode example:<br> enum CMD_TYPE = {INSTALL, REMOVE, CUSTOM};<br> command(CMD_TYPE type, string value) </noinclude> == Support status == <includeonly>{{{support}}}</includeonly> <noinclude> Brief description of the official stance from the developer, in addition to ProtonDB rating and AreWeAnticheatYet rating as necessary. Brief, vague, generalized description of issues, if any, affecting the game e.g. "XYZ runs well but crashes on some missions. See Workarounds on how to fix this." </noinclude> == Workarounds == <includeonly>{{{workarounds}}}</includeonly> <noinclude> A list of issues that the game has, as well as the steps to workaround them, or a related issue tracker/forum post/details about the bug and when/if it might be fixed. I'm not decided on whether this section should include specific commands, or just English language steps, because commands may need to be "translated" between multiple distro, a real headache. Or maybe the command parsing function I touched on early will be robust enough, soon enough, to handle this translation. This needs more thought. </noinclude> == See also == <includeonly>{{{seealso}}}</includeonly> <noinclude> Additional links such as ArchWiki entries, developer/game website, related issues on Proton github </noinclude> 4e203ca8fae50fff6623c33ada364132564725e5 10 678 2201 2024-02-21T09:43:31Z Ahmouse 1071 Ahmouse moved page [[Template:Game Page]] to [[Template:Game]]: Better name wikitext text/x-wiki #REDIRECT [[Template:Game]] d256c0cd624a9d9e3cf1639e4f59e9de93c130b8 10 679 2204 2024-02-22T06:41:32Z Ahmouse 1071 Sidebar to be used on Game pages. WIP wikitext text/x-wiki <noinclude> This is a sample sidebar: <table class='wikitable' style='float:right; margin-right: 5%'> <caption>Skyrim: Special Edition</caption> <tr> <th scope="row">Developer</th> <td>Bethesda</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Status</th> <td style='color: green'>Runs perfectly</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">[https://www.protondb.com/app/489830 ProtonDB]</th> <td style="color: gold;">'''Gold'''</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Available on</th> <td>[https://store.steampowered.com/app/489830/The_Elder_Scrolls_V_Skyrim_Special_Edition/ Steam], [https://www.gog.com/en/game/the_elder_scrolls_v_skyrim_special_edition GoG], [https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/skyrim Epic]</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Known Issues</th> <td>See [[#workarounds|Workarounds]]</td> </tr> </table> </noinclude> <includeonly> <table class='wikitable' style='float:right; margin-right: 5%'> <caption>{{{title}}}</caption> <tr> <th scope="row">Developer</th> <td>{{{developer}}}</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Status</th> <td style="">{{{status}}}</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">[https://www.protondb.com/app/{{{steam_id}}} ProtonDB]</th> <td style="">'''{{{protondb_rating}}}'''</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Available on</th> <td>[https://store.steampowered.com/app/{{{steam_id}}} Steam]</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Known Issues</th> <td>See [[#workarounds|Workarounds]]</td> </tr> </table> </includeonly> d1d83972e6dc4f299de4b9ebb8ba052eb70dcf3f 2211 2204 2024-03-13T22:46:12Z Ahmouse 1071 wikitext text/x-wiki <noinclude> This is a sample sidebar: <table class='wikitable' style='float:right; margin-right: 5%'> <caption>Skyrim: Special Edition</caption> <tr> <th scope="row">Developer</th> <td>Bethesda</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Performance</th> <td style='color: green'>Excellent</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">[https://www.protondb.com/app/489830 ProtonDB]</th> <td style="color: gold;">'''Gold'''</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Available on</th> <td>[https://store.steampowered.com/app/489830/The_Elder_Scrolls_V_Skyrim_Special_Edition/ Steam], [https://www.gog.com/en/game/the_elder_scrolls_v_skyrim_special_edition GoG], [https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/skyrim Epic]</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Known Issues</th> <td>See [[#workarounds|Workarounds]]</td> </tr> </table> </noinclude> <includeonly> <table class='wikitable' style='float:right; margin-right: 5%'> <caption>{{{title}}}</caption> <tr> <th scope="row">Developer</th> <td>{{{developer}}}</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">performance</th> <td style="">{{{performance}}}</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">[https://www.protondb.com/app/{{{steam_id}}} ProtonDB]</th> <td style="">'''{{{protondb_rating}}}'''</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Available on</th> <td>[https://store.steampowered.com/app/{{{steam_id}}} Steam]</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Known Issues</th> <td>See [[#workarounds|Workarounds]]</td> </tr> </table> </includeonly> f2f6c5130324cebd0551cda1874d1915bb18555d 2212 2211 2024-03-13T22:46:37Z Ahmouse 1071 wikitext text/x-wiki <noinclude> This is a sample sidebar: <table class='wikitable' style='float:right; margin-right: 5%'> <caption>Skyrim: Special Edition</caption> <tr> <th scope="row">Developer</th> <td>Bethesda</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Performance</th> <td style='color: green'>Excellent</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">[https://www.protondb.com/app/489830 ProtonDB]</th> <td style="color: gold;">'''Gold'''</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Available on</th> <td>[https://store.steampowered.com/app/489830/The_Elder_Scrolls_V_Skyrim_Special_Edition/ Steam], [https://www.gog.com/en/game/the_elder_scrolls_v_skyrim_special_edition GoG], [https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/skyrim Epic]</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Known Issues</th> <td>See [[#workarounds|Workarounds]]</td> </tr> </table> </noinclude> <includeonly> <table class='wikitable' style='float:right; margin-right: 5%'> <caption>{{{title}}}</caption> <tr> <th scope="row">Developer</th> <td>{{{developer}}}</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Performance</th> <td style="">{{{performance_rating}}}</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">[https://www.protondb.com/app/{{{steam_id}}} ProtonDB]</th> <td style="">'''{{{protondb_rating}}}'''</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Available on</th> <td>[https://store.steampowered.com/app/{{{steam_id}}} Steam]</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Known Issues</th> <td>See [[#workarounds|Workarounds]]</td> </tr> </table> </includeonly> 7edffd379bd5528298616c85ee700bd92008a60e 2219 2212 2024-03-18T12:38:54Z Ahmouse 1071 wikitext text/x-wiki <noinclude> This is a sample sidebar: <table class='wikitable' style='float:left; margin-right: 5%'> <caption>Skyrim: Special Edition</caption> <tr> <th scope="row">Developer</th> <td>Bethesda</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Performance</th> <td style='color: green'>Excellent</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">[https://www.protondb.com/app/489830 ProtonDB]</th> <td style="color: gold;">'''Gold'''</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Available on</th> <td>[https://store.steampowered.com/app/489830/The_Elder_Scrolls_V_Skyrim_Special_Edition/ Steam], [https://www.gog.com/en/game/the_elder_scrolls_v_skyrim_special_edition GoG], [https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/skyrim Epic]</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Known Issues</th> <td>See [[#workarounds|Workarounds]]</td> </tr> </table> </noinclude> <includeonly> <table class='wikitable' style='float:right; margin-right: 5%'> <caption>{{{title}}}</caption> <tr> <th scope="row">Developer</th> <td>{{{developer}}}</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Performance</th> <td style="">{{{performance_rating}}}</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">[https://www.protondb.com/app/{{{steam_id}}} ProtonDB]</th> <td style="">'''{{{protondb_rating}}}'''</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Available on</th> <td>[https://store.steampowered.com/app/{{{steam_id}}} Steam]</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Known Issues</th> <td>See [[#workarounds|Workarounds]]</td> </tr> </table> </includeonly> e39d695a3acc4ce84e04c5862b417c7665c07477 2220 2219 2024-03-18T12:39:07Z Ahmouse 1071 wikitext text/x-wiki <noinclude> This is a sample sidebar: <table class='wikitable' style='float:left; margin-right: 5%'> <caption>Skyrim: Special Edition</caption> <tr> <th scope="row">Developer</th> <td>Bethesda</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Performance</th> <td style='color: green'>Excellent</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">[https://www.protondb.com/app/489830 ProtonDB]</th> <td style="color: gold;">'''Gold'''</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Available on</th> <td>[https://store.steampowered.com/app/489830/The_Elder_Scrolls_V_Skyrim_Special_Edition/ Steam], [https://www.gog.com/en/game/the_elder_scrolls_v_skyrim_special_edition GoG], [https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/skyrim Epic]</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Known Issues</th> <td>See [[#workarounds|Workarounds]]</td> </tr> </table> </noinclude> <includeonly> <table class='wikitable' style='float:left; margin-right: 5%'> <caption>{{{title}}}</caption> <tr> <th scope="row">Developer</th> <td>{{{developer}}}</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Performance</th> <td style="">{{{performance_rating}}}</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">[https://www.protondb.com/app/{{{steam_id}}} ProtonDB]</th> <td style="">'''{{{protondb_rating}}}'''</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Available on</th> <td>[https://store.steampowered.com/app/{{{steam_id}}} Steam]</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Known Issues</th> <td>See [[#workarounds|Workarounds]]</td> </tr> </table> </includeonly> 55f6bd0bb520425cab5911ed49d32ca0cb6113b1 2221 2220 2024-03-18T12:39:55Z Ahmouse 1071 wikitext text/x-wiki <noinclude> This is a sample sidebar: <table class='wikitable' style='float:left; margin-right: 5%'> <caption>Skyrim: Special Edition</caption> <tr> <th scope="row">Developer</th> <td>Bethesda</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Performance</th> <td style='color: green'>Excellent</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">[https://www.protondb.com/app/489830 ProtonDB]</th> <td style="color: gold;">'''Gold'''</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Available on</th> <td>[https://store.steampowered.com/app/489830/The_Elder_Scrolls_V_Skyrim_Special_Edition/ Steam], [https://www.gog.com/en/game/the_elder_scrolls_v_skyrim_special_edition GoG], [https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/skyrim Epic]</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Known Issues</th> <td>See [[#workarounds|Workarounds]]</td> </tr> </table> </noinclude> <includeonly> <table class='wikitable' style='float:left; margin-right: auto'> <caption>{{{title}}}</caption> <tr> <th scope="row">Developer</th> <td>{{{developer}}}</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Performance</th> <td style="">{{{performance_rating}}}</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">[https://www.protondb.com/app/{{{steam_id}}} ProtonDB]</th> <td style="">'''{{{protondb_rating}}}'''</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Available on</th> <td>[https://store.steampowered.com/app/{{{steam_id}}} Steam]</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Known Issues</th> <td>See [[#workarounds|Workarounds]]</td> </tr> </table> </includeonly> c1d35a70f6185c58c4d6ec3cedad24ccc995b964 2222 2221 2024-03-18T12:46:45Z Ahmouse 1071 wikitext text/x-wiki <noinclude> This is a sample sidebar: <table class='wikitable' style=''> <caption>Skyrim: Special Edition</caption> <tr> <th scope="row">Developer</th> <td>Bethesda</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Performance</th> <td style='color: green'>Excellent</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">[https://www.protondb.com/app/489830 ProtonDB]</th> <td style="color: gold;">'''Gold'''</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Available on</th> <td>[https://store.steampowered.com/app/489830/The_Elder_Scrolls_V_Skyrim_Special_Edition/ Steam], [https://www.gog.com/en/game/the_elder_scrolls_v_skyrim_special_edition GoG], [https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/skyrim Epic]</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Known Issues</th> <td>See [[#workarounds|Workarounds]]</td> </tr> </table> Here is some text that comes after == Section that comes after == </noinclude> <includeonly> <table class='wikitable' style=''> <caption>{{{title}}}</caption> <tr> <th scope="row">Developer</th> <td>{{{developer}}}</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Performance</th> <td style="">{{{performance_rating}}}</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">[https://www.protondb.com/app/{{{steam_id}}} ProtonDB]</th> <td style="">'''{{{protondb_rating}}}'''</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Available on</th> <td>[https://store.steampowered.com/app/{{{steam_id}}} Steam]</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Known Issues</th> <td>See [[#workarounds|Workarounds]]</td> </tr> </table> </includeonly> db70f9ac45127f587f4351f471185baaebdd4611 2223 2222 2024-03-18T12:48:14Z Ahmouse 1071 Undo revision 2222 by [[Special:Contributions/Ahmouse|Ahmouse]] ([[User talk:Ahmouse|talk]]) wikitext text/x-wiki <noinclude> This is a sample sidebar: <table class='wikitable' style='float:left; margin-right: 5%'> <caption>Skyrim: Special Edition</caption> <tr> <th scope="row">Developer</th> <td>Bethesda</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Performance</th> <td style='color: green'>Excellent</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">[https://www.protondb.com/app/489830 ProtonDB]</th> <td style="color: gold;">'''Gold'''</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Available on</th> <td>[https://store.steampowered.com/app/489830/The_Elder_Scrolls_V_Skyrim_Special_Edition/ Steam], [https://www.gog.com/en/game/the_elder_scrolls_v_skyrim_special_edition GoG], [https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/skyrim Epic]</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Known Issues</th> <td>See [[#workarounds|Workarounds]]</td> </tr> </table> </noinclude> <includeonly> <table class='wikitable' style='float:left; margin-right: auto'> <caption>{{{title}}}</caption> <tr> <th scope="row">Developer</th> <td>{{{developer}}}</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Performance</th> <td style="">{{{performance_rating}}}</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">[https://www.protondb.com/app/{{{steam_id}}} ProtonDB]</th> <td style="">'''{{{protondb_rating}}}'''</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Available on</th> <td>[https://store.steampowered.com/app/{{{steam_id}}} Steam]</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Known Issues</th> <td>See [[#workarounds|Workarounds]]</td> </tr> </table> </includeonly> c1d35a70f6185c58c4d6ec3cedad24ccc995b964 2224 2223 2024-03-18T12:48:51Z Ahmouse 1071 Undo revision 2219 by [[Special:Contributions/Ahmouse|Ahmouse]] ([[User talk:Ahmouse|talk]]) wikitext text/x-wiki <noinclude> This is a sample sidebar: <table class='wikitable' style='float:right; margin-right: 5%'> <caption>Skyrim: Special Edition</caption> <tr> <th scope="row">Developer</th> <td>Bethesda</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Performance</th> <td style='color: green'>Excellent</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">[https://www.protondb.com/app/489830 ProtonDB]</th> <td style="color: gold;">'''Gold'''</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Available on</th> <td>[https://store.steampowered.com/app/489830/The_Elder_Scrolls_V_Skyrim_Special_Edition/ Steam], [https://www.gog.com/en/game/the_elder_scrolls_v_skyrim_special_edition GoG], [https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/skyrim Epic]</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Known Issues</th> <td>See [[#workarounds|Workarounds]]</td> </tr> </table> </noinclude> <includeonly> <table class='wikitable' style='float:left; margin-right: auto'> <caption>{{{title}}}</caption> <tr> <th scope="row">Developer</th> <td>{{{developer}}}</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Performance</th> <td style="">{{{performance_rating}}}</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">[https://www.protondb.com/app/{{{steam_id}}} ProtonDB]</th> <td style="">'''{{{protondb_rating}}}'''</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Available on</th> <td>[https://store.steampowered.com/app/{{{steam_id}}} Steam]</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Known Issues</th> <td>See [[#workarounds|Workarounds]]</td> </tr> </table> </includeonly> da9ff816ef8ec4adb4d4e96f73c98e49909a5d05 2225 2224 2024-03-18T12:49:12Z Ahmouse 1071 wikitext text/x-wiki <noinclude> This is a sample sidebar: <table class='wikitable' style='float:right; margin-right: 5%'> <caption>Skyrim: Special Edition</caption> <tr> <th scope="row">Developer</th> <td>Bethesda</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Performance</th> <td style='color: green'>Excellent</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">[https://www.protondb.com/app/489830 ProtonDB]</th> <td style="color: gold;">'''Gold'''</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Available on</th> <td>[https://store.steampowered.com/app/489830/The_Elder_Scrolls_V_Skyrim_Special_Edition/ Steam], [https://www.gog.com/en/game/the_elder_scrolls_v_skyrim_special_edition GoG], [https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/skyrim Epic]</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Known Issues</th> <td>See [[#workarounds|Workarounds]]</td> </tr> </table> </noinclude> <includeonly> <table class='wikitable' style='float:right; margin-right: 5%'> <caption>{{{title}}}</caption> <tr> <th scope="row">Developer</th> <td>{{{developer}}}</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Performance</th> <td style="">{{{performance_rating}}}</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">[https://www.protondb.com/app/{{{steam_id}}} ProtonDB]</th> <td style="">'''{{{protondb_rating}}}'''</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Available on</th> <td>[https://store.steampowered.com/app/{{{steam_id}}} Steam]</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Known Issues</th> <td>See [[#workarounds|Workarounds]]</td> </tr> </table> </includeonly> 7edffd379bd5528298616c85ee700bd92008a60e 0 680 2210 2024-03-13T22:33:55Z Ahmouse 1071 Ahmouse moved page [[List of Linux games]] to [[Games]]: More fitting name, since this is on a linux wiki wikitext text/x-wiki #REDIRECT [[Games]] 73ff4dea9bc7bccf27e9f88f155ed0af2264dda5 0 681 2215 2024-03-13T22:56:12Z Ahmouse 1071 Created page with "{{Game|steam_id=381210|title=Dead By Daylight|developer=Behaviour Interactive|performance_rating=Very good|protondb_rating=Silver|epic_page=https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/dead-by-daylight|description=a 4v1 asymmetrical multiplayer horror game.|installation=See <page for setting up Steam Play for the first time>|support=Officially supported by the developer, as seen here.|workarounds=There are no known issues with this game.|seealso=}}" wikitext text/x-wiki {{Game|steam_id=381210|title=Dead By Daylight|developer=Behaviour Interactive|performance_rating=Very good|protondb_rating=Silver|epic_page=https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/dead-by-daylight|description=a 4v1 asymmetrical multiplayer horror game.|installation=See <page for setting up Steam Play for the first time>|support=Officially supported by the developer, as seen here.|workarounds=There are no known issues with this game.|seealso=}} 43537572d624b1389b1e15e4dec5c234ef6b7002 2216 2215 2024-03-18T12:36:23Z Ahmouse 1071 Ahmouse moved page [[Game:Dead By Daylight]] to [[Dead By Daylight]]: The Game: prefix looks ugly. I forgot the namespace is displayed to the user wikitext text/x-wiki {{Game|steam_id=381210|title=Dead By Daylight|developer=Behaviour Interactive|performance_rating=Very good|protondb_rating=Silver|epic_page=https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/dead-by-daylight|description=a 4v1 asymmetrical multiplayer horror game.|installation=See <page for setting up Steam Play for the first time>|support=Officially supported by the developer, as seen here.|workarounds=There are no known issues with this game.|seealso=}} 43537572d624b1389b1e15e4dec5c234ef6b7002 0 682 2217 2024-03-18T12:36:23Z Ahmouse 1071 Ahmouse moved page [[Game:Dead By Daylight]] to [[Dead By Daylight]]: The Game: prefix looks ugly. I forgot the namespace is displayed to the user wikitext text/x-wiki #REDIRECT [[Dead By Daylight]] 4858d628dc5abc7880b5d7d07d1a252ddf6739e7